Disclaimer - These instructions are for the genuine wheel thrown stoneware pizza stone from Out of the Fire Studio. If your stone was made by someone else these instructions should be used only as a guideline. Actual results with another manufacturer's product may vary.
The pizza stone is wheel thrown stoneware
and with proper care will last for years. It will break if "shocked" by sudden
or uneven heating or cooling ("thermal shock") or by dropping on a hard surface.
Always place a cool stone in the lower half of a cool oven. Never place a frozen
pizza on a hot stone. For frozen pizza place the pizza on the cool stone in a
cold oven then turn the oven on to the recommended temperature and bake until
done. The crust will not burn on the bottom so bake until the top is cooked to
your taste. You can use the broiler for a few minutes at the end for rapid
browning. Remove the pizza stone and baked pizza and place on a cooling rack. Do not put the hot stone on a cold surface or counter top. Slide the
pizza onto a cutting board before cutting to keep from getting ingredients on
the stone or marking the stone with the knife edge.
To bake fresh
pizza preheat the oven and the stone from cool to 475 degrees. Slide the pizza
onto the hot stone using a pizza peel or large spatula. A layer of cornmeal is
recommended on the bottom of the crust to help prevent sticking. Bake to your
taste, remove the pizza stone and pizza and place on the stove top or a cooling
rack. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board before cutting to keep ingredients
from getting on the stone or the knife from marking the stone. It is not
necessary or even desired to wash the stone as any type of soap or cleaner could
flavour the stone and ruin it for future use. If you feel the need to wet the
stone to clean it use only clear water and allow the stone to dry thoroughly
before returning it to the oven. As you use the stone more and more
it will season and work even better.
CAUTION!
To avoid a possible fire hazard we recommend you do not use any
type of oil directly on the stone and under no circumstances heat to higher than
475 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not place in the self cleaning cycle of your oven
as some self cleaning cycles heat rapidly to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit and may
cause the stone to break, a fire to result , or both. Do
not use for stove top or open flame cooking.
©Out of the Fire Studio 2003-2009
For more hints on using a pizza stone one site we found informative is www.whatscookingamerica.net
See this site for information from the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) regarding pizza stone cleaning in a self cleaning oven.