Pizza making secret 2- When you're hot you're hot

[elsegundo]

Pizza stones - When you read in a pizza book to heat the pizza stone for 30 minutes, they mean it will take you-know-who that long to deliver the one you are really going to eat.  30 minutes probably isn't sufficient time to get that ideal crust.

[canadianbacon]

How long is long enough ?

would 45 mins or so be good enough ? I usually have my oven going for that long before I get my pizza in,
so perhaps I'm ok.... at times though, if I'm in a rush, it will go on around the 30 min mark, or slightly less.

What is the general concensus ? do most of you do 45 mins ? or 30 ? or perhaps somwhere in between ? or perhaps
some wait an hour ?

good to discuss I think.

Perhaps a poll is needed 

Pizza stones - When you read in a pizza book to heat the pizza stone for 30 minutes, they mean it will take you-know-who that long to deliver the one you are really going to eat.  30 minutes probably isn't sufficient time to get that ideal crust.

[Pete-zza]

Mark,

I think the easiest way to tell is to put an oven thermometer directly on the stone and see how long it takes the stone to get up to temperature. Then use that as your benchmark for your particular stone and oven. Different stones with different thermal masses (e.g., different materials, thicknesses and sizes) will get up to temperature at different times. It is important that the thermomether be put directly on the stone since the ambient temperature of the oven (the air around the stone) will get up to temperature long before the stone gets to that temperature. In my oven, it takes around 10-15 minutes for the ambient temperature to get to around 500-550 degrees F but around 45 minutes or so for the stone to get to that temperature. I usually just use an hour.

Another way to tell stone temperature of course is to use an infrared thermometer as several of our members have.

Peter

[canadianbacon]

Good morning Peter,

ah geez, interesting info.  I never thought of  doing  that, and I'm going to the next time I make
pizza ( this week )  I've wanted one of those thermal thermometers but then chickened out on buying
one as I know I wouldn't use it that much.

I have a deep fryer thermometer and I'll check that today to see if it goes high enough to put in the oven.

I should be able to tell you what temp my oven even goes to when I set it on max, but I don't even know that
so I've got to pull my pants up and at least get that straight.

I'm going to go with your 1 hour suggestion, as that sounds like great advice.

Thanks Peter.

P.S. - I ordered my DLX mixer last Thursday (whoooo ! ) can't wait to get it.  I'm so excited 

[Aaron]

Mark who did you order the dlx from and how much,if you dont mind me asking.
Is it from a Canadian vendor or U.S?
Aaron

[David]

I just did a quick check on my Jenn-Air home oven and Pizza stone.I started it from cold and set it for the maximum temp. of 550 Degrees.The stone Temp. was taken with a laser Type infra Red Gun Thermometer.The results are as follows:

                Oven Temp                  Stone Temp
30 Mins.         509                              472
45 Mins.         550                              548
60 Mins.         550                              600
75 Mins.         550                              555

As you can see the max  Temp was achieved @ 60 Minutes.At 75 minutes I switched from the Bake setting to High Broil setting for approx 10 Minutes and then switched back to Bake.The Temp. readings were as follows:

                  Oven Temp                     Stone Temp
                      550                                  636

From this test it would appear that a sixty minute pre-heat would be optimum with a possible ten minute broil for this particular oven.Hope this of some help.

[Pete-zza]

David,

That's great. Thanks.

I know that several of our members have played around from time to time with two stones and tile arrangements of various types. In order to get the perceived benefits of those arrangements, I suspect a longer preheat time will be required because of the greater thermal mass. Or else turning on the broiler element at some point to help raise the temperature of the stones/tiles faster.

Peter

[elsegundo]

What I didn't include in the original post (disappeared somehow ) is that the pizza stone must be relatively clean. While you are waiting for the pizza stone to heat up is a good time to check Big Dave O at PMQ think tank 5 Jan on Bakers Pride ovens. Stones are semi-porous and the dough and stone must do their science. For those who claim "pizza making  ain't science", the dough and stone embrace in a food of love embrace. 

Heat the damn stone.

Also as you read Big Dave's reply on cleaning, please remember dynamite is illegal in some locales without a permit.

I recommend an hour, but then I also recommend using special equipment, bread and high gluten flour, and experimenting with different oils. So please take this with a grain of salt. Now should that be kosher, sea, or regular and how does that affect the recipe?  Stay tuned for more secrets.

[canadianbacon]

Hi David,

what kind of thermal thermometer is that ?

Do you have another image of it, perhaps larger ?

anyway any info on that would be great..... it looks like it is very good quality and has a lot of
digital info on it.

Dang, I gotta stop droolin' 

Mark

[David]

It's a Raytek MT6.Here is a link for one:

http://www.moscorner.com/product_info.php?products_id=35

I picked mine up on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Raytek-MiniTemp-MT6-Infrared-Laser-Thermometer-NEW_W0QQitemZ7581541415QQcategoryZ50974QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[canadianbacon]

Hi David,

Thanks for the info and the link.

Just checked out the vendor's blurb and they don't ship to Canada.

Oh well.

Good price too $56.

Now, I remember us all talking about this about 2 years ago, I should do a search, as somebody had left some good info on these, but maybe the forum doesn't keep messages going back that far.  Somebody I believe even gave me the name of a vendor in Canada.

Ah geez.

Anyway 'tis a beauty 

Mark

[Iceman]

For those who claim "pizza making  ain't science", the dough and stone embrace in a food of love embrace.

OK, Just in case if anyone has any reading comprehension skill difficulties, I said "You're not building a church, this is not rocket science or brain surgery." Not rocket science. As another example, I've been with a lot of women, and we've made a lot of pizza. It's never been the same, but it's been great every time.






We've got a blind date with Destiny ............................................. And it looks like she's ordered the lobster.

[canadianbacon]

By the way, I found that old thread I was wondering about, it's actually Steve ( the owner of this site) that
posted the info about his new toy.... an IR thermometer.

http://pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=274.msg2085

anyway now I remember there is a local dealer about 30 mins from me or so that sells 'em.

I guess I have no excuse now 

here's a direct link to that IR thermometer:
http://www.extech.com/instrument/products/400_450/42530.html

[sebdesn]

Here is an observation of Davids temps...
I have reset the t stat of my oven so it should go to 585f. If i put the stone on the bottom rack, as close as I can get it to the lower heating element, and turn on oven.
Then if I put the pie in just after the t stat shuts off. the oven may be 585f but the stone is 625. Due to the long (didn't note how long) heating time, the radiant heat from the element will heat the stone to a higher temp than the oven,probably because the temp probe of the t stat is in the top of the oven.( Davids 550 oven temp/ to 600 stone temp..) I now start the forming/dressing when the tstat shows 525f and put it in just after the t stat shuts it down at 585f and the stone is 625.
Bud

(I also have an IR thermometer)