Pizza Stone...Does it make a difference?

bigbang1955

We've been cooking pizza, on the egg about once a week.  Mostly homemade, with results good enough to keep us coming back for more each week.  We don't have a pizza stone.  Just use two round pizza pans on a two tier swing rack with the plate setter.  The question:  would pizza stones really make that much difference on the end result?  I've thought about maybe getting the Weber pizza stones, $34 at Home Depot, but need some advice from those who use a stone.  Also, if it is worth the investment, is there a stone that you would recommend?  Oh....we do use the egg for more than pizza.  

Thanks for the feedback

NPHuskerFL

BGE stone is worth the money IMHO. I use it for pizza, cookies, bread, etc. 

Doc_Eggerton

A stone does make a difference, and even though you are paying for the brand the BGE stone is the nicest one I've found.

Ivanhoe

I have had good success with mine from ceramic grill store.

jtcBoynton

Yes pizza stones make a difference.  You should look for a cordierite stone at least 5/8" thick. The BGE brand pizza stones and those sold by the Ceramic Grill Store are of this type.  So are many others - but not all. The Weber stone is made from cordierite (good) is less than 1/2" thick (not good) and about 13" in diameter (not good if you have a large or bigger egg).

Kiln shelfs used in pottery kilns are usually made of cordierite. They come in varying sizes and shapes.  They can be used in our eggs just fine.  You will find that a cordierite kiln shelf will sell for substantially lower costs than an equivalent pizza stone.  If you live near a good pottery supply store, you could save yourself some cash.

jhl192

No I use the BGE stone with great success.   It's lasted years and has produced many a great pie.  

RRP

15 years here with a hard working BGE stone! I have gotten my money's worth and suggest you try the same! 

Ladeback69

I have the BGE stone for the XL and it a big stone and I am glad I have it.  I have heard of other stones braking.  I also have the deep dish pizza stone and like it a lot to.

MJG

+1 on the BGE stone.  Worth the price of admission. 

allsid

I seldom stand behind a name brand accessory from the company, but the BGE stone is the single best accessory I have purchased from them. Here is a pic of how I like to set up for pizza-

If you make the leap from pan to stone, treat yourself to 100 yards of parchment paper. It works like magic-

jimithing

A stone does make a big difference.  I myself have a stone from the ceramic grill store.  So far so good.  I'm sure the BGE stone is good too. 

Smokehouse33

+1 on the BGE pizza stone. I also have the XL version....worth every penny!

bigbang1955

Thanks.  Maybe a stone, or two, will find its way under the Christmas tree this year!!  I guess you preheat the stone as the egg is warming up?

stevenfmurray

Definitely get the stone.  You won't regret it.  Definitely preheat it with the egg...otherwise you will have issues with the crust sticking to it.

I've never elevated mine like in the picture a few posts back.  I always just put mine directly on the plate setter legs down.  Does it help a lot to elevate it?

BIll-W221

Get a stone, you won't regret it. I have the large from the CGS, i love it.

Shiff

bigbang1955 said:

Thanks.  Maybe a stone, or two, will find its way under the Christmas tree this year!!  I guess you preheat the stone as the egg is warming up?

Preheating the stone is very important. The crust won't come out right if you don't.  I use an IR thermometer to measure its temperature and make sure it gets to 450 - 500 degrees before adding the pizza.  I use semolina flour on the stone to make it easier to add/remove the pizza. Others use parchment paper or corm meal (I don't use this because it burns too easily).

I have 2 pizza peels. One is wood and that is where I build the pizza and put it on the stone. I have a metal peel to remove the pizza.

NPHuskerFL

@bigbang1955 correct. Preheat the stone with the rest of the set-up. 

jtcBoynton

bigbang1955 said:

Thanks.  Maybe a stone, or two, will find its way under the Christmas tree this year!!  I guess you preheat the stone as the egg is warming up?

Yes preheating is a must. 45 minutes is a minimum - 1 hour is better.  This is one case where it is important to remember that heat and temp are not the same. The purpose of the stone is to store heat that can be transmitted to the pizza dough by conduction.  It takes time for the stone to be saturated with heat. The temperature of the air in the egg will get to your target temp much sooner than the stone.

northGAcock

Does a bear
 

YukonRon

I have used a pizza stone I bought from World Market for around $25.00. Have used it for a couple hundred pizzas so far and it has worked very well. I elevate it off the place setter, using a couple of bricks. I always preheat the stone for about 45 minutes. I use cornmeal on the stone to keep the dough from sticking.
delicious food every time.

Ladeback69

stevenfmurray said:

Definitely get the stone.  You won't regret it.  Definitely preheat it with the egg...otherwise you will have issues with the crust sticking to it.

I've never elevated mine like in the picture a few posts back.  I always just put mine directly on the plate setter legs down.  Does it help a lot to elevate it?

The first 2 pizzas I did the bottom burned.  I used my raised grate then the XL pizza stone and haven't had bit of trouble now, but if it works for you then I guess not.  I was told you need air between the plate setter and the stone.

boboegg

DO NOT us the Pampered Chef pizza stone.  Ours lasted 1 cook and it shattered. We now have the BGE pizza stone and love it.

Biff_Tannen

If you already have a BGE platesetter you can cook pizzas directly on that. Scrub it clean, position in BGE legs down, toss some cornmeal on it and put the pizza directly on the platesetter. 

ChokeOnSmoke

FYI -
For those of you using corn meal or parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza stone, trust me, it's absolutely unnecessary.  If you preheat your stone, your dough won't stick.  I make pizzas every couple weeks and have never had one stick.  By the way, I use a large BGE stone on my XL and love it.

jtcBoynton

The platesetter is normally too low to get enough radiant heat from the dome when cooking pizza. The best height will depend on the dough recipe, cooking temp, dough thickness, and amount of toppings. Many find the sweet spot to have the stone 2-3" above the felt line - but remember you will need to dial it in for yourself. We all make our pizzas a little different so take all the advice as a starting point and make adjustments for your personal style. The key is to get the stone close enough to the dome to get the right amount of radiant heat coming off the dome. If the stone is too far from the dome, the toppings will not be done by the time the dough is cooked. If the stone is too close to the dome, the toppings will burn by the time the dough is cooked.

msloan

I have the BGE stone and it has done a good job for me.

littlerascal56

I have both the BGE Large stone and the XL one.  Use them both and couldn't find a better stone on the market.  The XL stone is HUGE, but you can make a lot of calzones on it at once!  I put my ceramic 1/2 moon stones at felt line, and set the pizza stones 3" above it.  We use a lot of toppings, and getting it up in the dome gets everything done, and cheese bubbly and golden.

Hawg Fan

jtcBoynton said:

Yes pizza stones make a difference.  You should look for a cordierite stone at least 5/8" thick. The BGE brand pizza stones and those sold by the Ceramic Grill Store are of this type.  So are many others - but not all. The Weber stone is made from cordierite (good) is less than 1/2" thick (not good) and about 13" in diameter (not good if you have a large or bigger egg).

Kiln shelfs used in pottery kilns are usually made of cordierite. They come in varying sizes and shapes.  They can be used in our eggs just fine.  You will find that a cordierite kiln shelf will sell for substantially lower costs than an equivalent pizza stone.  If you live near a good pottery supply store, you could save yourself some cash.

@jtcBoynton Thanks for the great information.

theyolksonyou

ChokeOnSmoke said:

FYI -
For those of you using corn meal or parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza stone, trust me, it's absolutely unnecessary.  If you preheat your stone, your dough won't stick.  I make pizzas every couple weeks and have never had one stick.  By the way, I use a large BGE stone on my XL and love it.

The peel is where it sticks, not the stone. Use the paper or meal on the peel. 

onedbguru

If that Weber stone is not 1/2-3/4" thick, it might break at high temps.  We had a Pampered Chef (~1/4" thick) that cracked the first time I got it above 550 - I typically do pizzas at ~650 or so...  Spend the $$$ and get the BGE stone.

jtcBoynton

The Weber stone is less than 1/2" thick. It is cordierite so breakage is less of a concern, but thin stones do not store much heat. You want the thicker stones for their thermal mass.  The Pampered Chef stones are clay stoneware.