1 inch stone vs pizza steels of varying thickness?

[scott r]

It depends on how strong and fast your broiler is.  In some ovens this will work if you switch just after launch.   

[Swamp Yankee]

That's interesting. What's your bake look like then? I'm assuming you build the pizza in the cold pan and then put it in a max temp oven? Please let me know. Thanks. Do you have a link for this pan?

I picked it up at Cabela's
Here's the item on the Lodge site
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/seasoned-cast-iron-pizza-pan?sku=BW15PP

I stretch the dough in the air and build the pizza on a wooden peel with a bit of semolina but before that I preheat the cast iron on the top rack of my electric kitchen oven till it reads 525F with my IR thermometer, then put the oven on broil and assemble the pizza. By the time I launch the iron is up over 620F. I launch, shut the broiler off, put it back on bake, 525F and turn the pie with a peel as needed. Towards the end I throw the broiler back on.
New to the forum and I haven't worked out how to post pictures... but the pizzas look pretty dang good even if I say so myself.

[Swamp Yankee]

Figured it out 
Once that broiler goes back on for the finish, you have to watch it like a hawk. I like a bit of char... but it'll turn to charcoal if you walk away.

[Pete-zza]

Santo,

You might take a look at the following post, which covers various baking methods using a home oven, and which I edit from time to time as new baking methods are revealed by other members:

Reply 45 at https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=2223.msg20965#msg20965

You will note that I edited the above post today to provide a link to this thread.

Peter

[Gags]

I tried steel but I didn't like the way it didn't wick moisture out of the dough.
I bought untreated fire brick at a stone supplier for probably $1 each years ago and they've been my go-to for NY style ever since.
You'll see I support them with a brick turned vertically + a few thin quarry tiles to prevent the shelf from bouncing during the launch.
These at 525F in my home oven after about 60-90 mins of heating works well.  This past weekend, I did 7 pies, back-to-back, with good results.

Hope this helps!

[Santo]

I tried steel but I didn't like the way it didn't wick moisture out of the dough.
I bought untreated fire brick at a stone supplier for probably $1 each years ago and they've been my go-to for NY style ever since.
You'll see I support them with a brick turned vertically + a few thin quarry tiles to prevent the shelf from bouncing during the launch.
These at 525F in my home oven after about 60-90 mins of heating works well.  This past weekend, I did 7 pies, back-to-back, with good results.

Hope this helps!

Wow that looks absolutely fantastic. The crust looks really nice and supple, great oven spring, and the pie looks like the perfect ratio of sauce and cheese! You shaped the pies very nicely.  Looks fantastic. I finally had some more luck on my normal cordierite stone this weekend. Are those fire bricks better than cordierite stone? I like the idea of sticking with the stone vs the steel. Glad to see another stone supporter here. But i'm impressed by the amazing achievements of some folks here with their pizza steels. I like the way your pie came out. Did you use broiler at all? 7 Pies!? Sounds like an amazing pizza party but I guess my invitation was lost in the mail? Lol keep making those great pies.

I posted some pics of my pie over the weekend at https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=26286.msg672692#msg672692 .

[billg]

 

[Gags]

Wow that looks absolutely fantastic. The crust looks really nice and supple, great oven spring, and the pie looks like the perfect ratio of sauce and cheese! You shaped the pies very nicely.  Looks fantastic. I finally had some more luck on my normal cordierite stone this weekend. Are those fire bricks better than cordierite stone? I like the idea of sticking with the stone vs the steel. Glad to see another stone supporter here. But i'm impressed by the amazing achievements of some folks here with their pizza steels. I like the way your pie came out. Did you use broiler at all? 7 Pies!? Sounds like an amazing pizza party but I guess my invitation was lost in the mail? Lol keep making those great pies.

I posted some pics of my pie over the weekend at https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=26286.msg672692#msg672692 .

Thanks for the kind words!  I think the bricks function in the same way as cordierite stone - good heat retention and ability to absorb moisture.  The benefits of the bricks are that they give you a larger landing platform so you don't have to be as precise as with a round stone and trying to maximize pizza diameter.  The thicker bricks have higher heat retention so you can do multiple pies back-to-back.  Finally, I've seen pizza stones cost around $50 whereas the bricks are about $1-$2 each! 

No broiler used.  Just 525F for about 8-9 mins, spinning the pie at 6 minutes and maybe again at 8, depending on how it's progressing.   Yah, 7 pizzas!  I recently moved, so let's say that my new neighbors approve when they get free, decent pizza delivered, in pizza boxes, from next door!  LOL! 

Nice pies as well!  I like the cross section picture of that blister in the last pic! 

[TXCraig1]

I tried steel but I didn't like the way it didn't wick moisture out of the dough.

I'm not disputing that you prefer baking on stone over steel - plenty of folks do, however it has nothing to do with stone wicking moisture out of the dough which doesn't happen. It's a complete myth.

I think your pizza looks great.

[Gene in Acadiana]

No matter what the actual science is that alters the crust between baking on stone versus steel, there definitely is a difference. Of course it's all a matter of personal opinion which is better, but I've found a stone will produce a better traditional NY-style crust than steel. It's been about a year since I went back to a traditional pizza stone and haven't had the desire to pull out the steel since.

[TXCraig1]

I'm always fascinated how people can get such different results when things otherwise seem so similar. I've never been able to bake a pizza on stone in a home oven that I was particularly happy with but find it easy to do so on steel.

[Gene in Acadiana]

I'm always fascinated how people can get such different results when things otherwise seem so similar. I've never been able to bake a pizza on stone in a home oven that I was particularly happy with but find it easy to do so on steel.

I guess it's all a matter of personal taste and your frame of reference on what you are trying to achieve. I grew up with traditional New York-style pizza in the Northeast and have eaten at some of the best spots in NY, PA, and NJ from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. This is my frame of reference. I originally switched to using steel to help with Neapolitan style before I realized you cannot get a true Neapolitan in a conventional oven. So I eventually purchased a PP Bollore for Neapolitans but kept using the steel for NY style inside. I never was totally happy with the crust underneath since switching from stone to steel. It was good, but I thought it was still not quite there. Much happier now that I switched back.

[wiz_d_kidd]

I've tried various stones, but prefer a 3/8" steel for my pseudo-Neapolitan which is baked under the broiler. Because it is so close to the top of the oven, I have to use an oven rack which has rollers to easily slide it out for launching and retrieval. A 1/2" steel weighs a whopping 32 lbs and I was afraid my oven rack wouldn't take it. I felt that the 1/4" steel (16 lbs) didn't have enough thermal mass, so I compromised and went with 3/8" at 24 lbs. I'm very happy with it.

[Pizza_Not_War]

I've tried various stones, but prefer a 3/8" steel for my pseudo-Neapolitan which is baked under the broiler. Because it is so close to the top of the oven, I have to use an oven rack which has rollers to easily slide it out for launching and retrieval. A 1/2" steel weighs a whopping 32 lbs and I was afraid my oven rack wouldn't take it. I felt that the 1/4" steel (16 lbs) didn't have enough thermal mass, so I compromised and went with 3/8" at 24 lbs. I'm very happy with it.

Is that a retrofit? If so any details?

[wiz_d_kidd]

Is that a retrofit? If so any details?

It's a fairly new, dual-fuel KitchenAid that came with two regular racks and one roller rack.

You might be able to buy the racks separately for your oven, or perhaps another oven with the same interior dimensions. Here's an example...
https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=18423

Or just Google "oven roller rack" for more links.

[Gene in Acadiana]

It's a fairly new, dual-fuel KitchenAid that came with two regular racks and one roller rack.

Just curious - what's the maximum regular temperature your oven will reach? (using just the dial, not forcing it higher with the broiler on.) I have a really nice, but old, dual-fuel Jenn-Air that gets to about 575 F without the broiler and I'm dreading the day when I have to replace it with a new model that likely won't be able to reach those temps.

[TXCraig1]

A lot of ovens will let you calibrate the oven. My oven is a fairly unremarkable GE and it will let me increase the temp up to +35F over the setting, and it will hit a measured 585F when set to 550F.

[munselln8]

Just curious - what's the maximum regular temperature your oven will reach? (using just the dial, not forcing it higher with the broiler on.) I have a really nice, but old, dual-fuel Jenn-Air that gets to about 575 F without the broiler and I'm dreading the day when I have to replace it with a new model that likely won't be able to reach those temps.

My Frigidaire glass-top electric, even with the +35 degree calibration, won't get over 510f when set to 550f (should get to 585 theoretically) :-(

Edit: I have actually seen it get to 550f, but only during the initial heat-up when it shoots past what it "thinks" is 550f, but then it drops directly back to about 500f and stays there.

[wiz_d_kidd]

Just curious - what's the maximum regular temperature your oven will reach? (using just the dial, not forcing it higher with the broiler on.) I have a really nice, but old, dual-fuel Jenn-Air that gets to about 575 F without the broiler and I'm dreading the day when I have to replace it with a new model that likely won't be able to reach those temps.

I can set my oven to 500 deg F max. But preheating my steel 2 inches under the broiler for 20 min will raise it's temperature into the 650-700 deg range due to direct IR radiation from the broiler element. My pseudo-Neapolitan pizzas cook on that in 110 seconds.

It's a way different method than putting your steel into the middle of the oven and preheating for an hour which will only ever get the steel to the oven air temperature (500 deg or so).

[Numerator]

I have a 1 inch thick Corderite 16" round stone. Thinking of upgrading to a pizza steel.

I have seen thicknesses of 3/16, 3/8, 1/2", etc. What is the difference between the 1" stone vs the steels of varying thickness? Is the 3/16 good or must you step up the thickness?

If i plan to make multiple pizzas, i just have to wait between bakes if i am using a thinner steel? About how long would you have to wait?

As well is a 1 inch stone comparable to any of these steels or is it just child's play in comparison?

Thanks for your advice.

I have two 3/8" steels and they are pretty heavy.  I would not recommend anything over that.  They work well in an oven using the two steel method. You could get an addition steel and use them together.  You could see which one is better first/second and which shelf.


https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=37578.0#:~:text=Tony%20Gemignani%20author%20of%20the,the%20remainder%20of%20the%20bake.