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Pizza Steel or Stone?

sjm1027
sjm1027 Posts: 154
in EggHead Forum
Was looking for a pizza stone and came across baking steels for pizza as well as stones. Anyone on the forum use a steel in place of a stone and what were your results?
XL BGE ~ XL AR ~ XL WOO ~ 20" grate ~ 17.5" stone ~ slide guides ~ Oval grate ~ 18" drip pan ~ Thermapen MK4 ~ SmokeWare SS chimney cap ~ Weber blue tooth thermometer 
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Comments

  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    steel. hands down.

    got mine from a steel yard, $12. Never used it on the egg though. Haven't egged a pie in nearly 4 years now.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    last year I organized a group buy and ended up ordering 8 of these to be fabricated at a local steel company. As I recall I was able to get the price down below $30. Ended up shipping 5 of them around the country. You might want to take on that kind of a project. BTW that is the wooden storage/carrying case I made for mine.

    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    I've got both, but prefer the steel.
    Phoenix 
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  • sjm1027
    sjm1027 Posts: 154
    Thanks, Nice case, great idea
    XL BGE ~ XL AR ~ XL WOO ~ 20" grate ~ 17.5" stone ~ slide guides ~ Oval grate ~ 18" drip pan ~ Thermapen MK4 ~ SmokeWare SS chimney cap ~ Weber blue tooth thermometer 
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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    I didn't even know this was a thing.

    What are the advantages?

    I guess we arrived at stones because they held heat nicely when dealing with ovens that take a while to get back up to temp.   But I suppose for eggs which jump back up to temp quickly after you close it, the steel would heat up faster.

    I mean...I'm a big fan of the traditional pizzeria oven and those were all steel!  Hmmm...

    Anyway, to the OP, I have a stone now. It works fine. But works best when I allow adequate time for everything to come up to temperature.  That is sometimes longer than I want to wait for a midweek cook, though.


    LBGE/Maryland
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    uniformity and better heat recovery for multiple pies. 
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited January 2017
    @KiterTodd, Read up on the steel here... http://www.seriouseats.com/search?term=baking+steel  

    You can buy the commercial 1/4" Baking Steel for $90... https://shop.bakingsteel.com/collections/steels

    Or you can go to a local scrap metal dealer or steel yard and pick up a piece of scrap or a cut off. You want A36 mild steel, very common. As I mentioned earlier, mine was $12. 

    Did these in my oven on 1/4" steel at around 600° as I recall. Heat the steel in the center rack position, then turn the oven off and the broiler on. Launch pie. Done in no time.

    Interesting comment from Ron about uniformity. These pies were done one after the other. I did not wait, just launched the second one as soon as I removed the first. Here's the bottom of the first pie...

    And the second... not so uniform.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,484
    I have a stone and have heard good things about the steel ones.  I have had no problems cooking a pie after pie on my stone, but with the steel you don't have to worry as much about dropping it and I would think it would cool down quicker.   I may do what @Carolina Q did to try it out and save money.  I don't think you can go wrong either way as long as you get a good stone like BGE's.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    edited January 2017
    Carolina Q said:

    Interesting comment from Ron about uniformity. These pies were done one after the other. I did not wait, just launched the second one as soon as I removed the first. Here's the bottom of the first pie...
    The uniformity comes from using the thicker steel like Ron is using. They talk about it in the link you provided. Also shutting off your oven does not help your steel to recover temp. But I think maybe Ron was hinting to consistency on multiple pies cooking the crust the same with out the need for recovery time between pies because of the thicker steel.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    If you are making pizzas at high temp (650°+) such as Neapolitan-style pizzas, the crust will likely burn. The steel will probably work great at temps under 600°F.

    I experimented  with a baking steel I had fabbed locally a while back. 
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1151296/naan-and-pide-experiments-on-steel

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Photo Egg said:
    Carolina Q said:

    Interesting comment from Ron about uniformity. These pies were done one after the other. I did not wait, just launched the second one as soon as I removed the first. Here's the bottom of the first pie...
    The uniformity comes from using the thicker steel like Ron is using. They talk about it in the link you provided. Also shutting off your oven does not help your steel to recover temp. But I think maybe Ron was hinting to consistency on multiple pies cooking the crust the same with out the need for recovery time between pies because of the thicker steel.
    Yeah, that would do it. I didn't realize he used thicker plate. Mine is 1/4", same as the original Baking Steel. I rarely do more than one pie anyway so it really doesn't matter (to me, that is). But half the time I forget to change from oven to broiler!! hahaha

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    caliking said:
    If you are making pizzas at high temp (650°+) such as Neapolitan-style pizzas, the crust will likely burn. The steel will probably work great at temps under 600°F.

    I experimented  with a baking steel I had fabbed locally a while back. 
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1151296/naan-and-pide-experiments-on-steel
    A traditional pizza dough made for a high heat pizza oven should do well on a steel. Adding sugar to the dough or using a store bought will cause it to burn. I know you make yours from scratch so that's not an issue. Having to much space between your indirect piece and and your pizza steel/stone will also cause your crust to burn. Any little thing that starts to show problems at 400-450 will be a much larger problem at 650-700 degrees. I see lots of posts where the indirect stone is low in the Egg and the pizza stone is raised higher in the dome. The heat rolls around the lower piece right into the bottom of the pizza stone. Yes, this will heat up your cooking stone to a temp higher than the temp above the stone. Crust will burn before toppings are cooked. You have to find the proper sized indirect piece to match your cooking stone and proper space between the 2 so that the heat from the lower stone actually protects the bottom of your cooking stone. Once the cooking stone is pre heated in the Egg you will have a perfect match/ratio of temps. Your toppings and cheese is bubbling and browning and your crust is crisping. 
    I use my steel at 700-800 and it works great but I did burn some pizza before I got it right.lol
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    Carolina Q said:
    Photo Egg said:
    Carolina Q said:

    Interesting comment from Ron about uniformity. These pies were done one after the other. I did not wait, just launched the second one as soon as I removed the first. Here's the bottom of the first pie...
    The uniformity comes from using the thicker steel like Ron is using. They talk about it in the link you provided. Also shutting off your oven does not help your steel to recover temp. But I think maybe Ron was hinting to consistency on multiple pies cooking the crust the same with out the need for recovery time between pies because of the thicker steel.
    Yeah, that would do it. I didn't realize he used thicker plate. Mine is 1/4", same as the original Baking Steel. I rarely do more than one pie anyway so it really doesn't matter (to me, that is). But half the time I forget to change from oven to broiler!! hahaha
    Yes - I had them cut from 3/8" steel so I'm 50% thicker than yours which would also explain the higher cost. Also mine were cut with a laser so they were quite round and smooth and ready to use after cleaning and conditioning. I used grape seed oil as it withstands a higher temperature.
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    Makes sense @Photo Egg . I admit I didn't test different configurations.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • EggHeadinFlorida
    EggHeadinFlorida Posts: 892
    RRP said:
    last year I organized a group buy and ended up ordering 8 of these to be fabricated at a local steel company. As I recall I was able to get the price down below $30. Ended up shipping 5 of them around the country. You might want to take on that kind of a project. BTW that is the wooden storage/carrying case I made for mine.

    So if you ordered 8, shipped 5, that means you have 3 left over. Selling anymore of them?
    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    EggHeadinFlorida said:
    RRP said:
    last year I organized a group buy and ended up ordering 8 of these to be fabricated at a local steel company. As I recall I was able to get the price down below $30. Ended up shipping 5 of them around the country. You might want to take on that kind of a project. BTW that is the wooden storage/carrying case I made for mine.

    So if you ordered 8, shipped 5, that means you have 3 left over. Selling anymore of them?
    LOL...nope, kept one for myself which is pictured here and delivered the other two locally. 
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • Judy Mayberry
    Judy Mayberry Posts: 2,015
    @RRP, my steel is 1/4" and weighs 15 lbs. It's tough for me to move it around (I'm old). How much does your 50%-more steel weigh? Of course, I'm short on testosterone and long on arthritis so that explains my difficulty.
    Judy in San Diego
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Judy Mayberry said:
    @RRP, my steel is 1/4" and weighs 15 lbs. It's tough for me to move it around (I'm old). How much does your 50%-more steel weigh? Of course, I'm short on testosterone and long on arthritis so that explains my difficulty.
    Judy,
    I believe my comes in at 26-27 pounds. My next one will be thinner. If you cook multiple pies in a row the advantage would be greater in the thicker steel.
    For me I just don't think the slightly better cooking of the crust is worth the added weight.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • SGrabs33
    SGrabs33 Posts: 46
    I have broken 2 different stones. One due to the heat in the egg, which wasn't above 700 degrees. The other was by accident. I will be purchasing a steel next. I figure it will be great for pizza and I can also use it as the heat barrier for my indirect cooking.
    Raleigh, NC
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    SGrabs33 said:
    I have broken 2 different stones. One due to the heat in the egg, which wasn't above 700 degrees. The other was by accident. I will be purchasing a steel next. I figure it will be great for pizza and I can also use it as the heat barrier for my indirect cooking.
    Great idea. It does take a little more attention as you have to keep it oiled after your cook. It will rust if used as heat barrier as the seasoning will burn off in spots.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • MitchF
    MitchF Posts: 8
    I love my Baking Steel 15". The nice thing about it is, if you want to try a 900 degree plus cook, you can avoid burning the bottom since you don't need to put the steel in right away to avoid temperature shock (like with a stone). What I do is heat the egg to 900+, put the steel in, and then monitor the surface temperature of the steel with an IR temp gun and add the pizza when it's around 600-650. The pizza will be evenly cooked in about 90 seconds.

    The problems with this method are: 1) dealing with a grill this hot and 2) making sure the dome stays aligned since the metal bands get loose with the heat. 

    Either way you use it however, the steel is superior. I have used my oven the last couple of cooks and the results are great.
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  • sjm1027
    sjm1027 Posts: 154
    I learn something from you all every time I stop by. I just figured nothing was better than stone for pizza and bread. Will have to look for a steel around my area. Thanks
    XL BGE ~ XL AR ~ XL WOO ~ 20" grate ~ 17.5" stone ~ slide guides ~ Oval grate ~ 18" drip pan ~ Thermapen MK4 ~ SmokeWare SS chimney cap ~ Weber blue tooth thermometer 
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    sjm1027 said:
    I learn something from you all every time I stop by. I just figured nothing was better than stone for pizza and bread. Will have to look for a steel around my area. Thanks
    Then you need to stop by even MORE often!  ;)

    Have no clue where you live but I kinda doubt you are going to walk in to a speciality kitchen gadget store and expect to find one - but Good Luck!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Home Depot sells them.  And Amazon.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    MitchF said:
    I love my Baking Steel 15". The nice thing about it is, if you want to try a 900 degree plus cook, you can avoid burning the bottom since you don't need to put the steel in right away to avoid temperature shock (like with a stone). What I do is heat the egg to 900+, put the steel in, and then monitor the surface temperature of the steel with an IR temp gun and add the pizza when it's around 600-650. The pizza will be evenly cooked in about 90 seconds.

    The problems with this method are: 1) dealing with a grill this hot and 2) making sure the dome stays aligned since the metal bands get loose with the heat. 

    Either way you use it however, the steel is superior. I have used my oven the last couple of cooks and the results are great.
    One of the good things about baking steel is being able to get the same results as a stone at lower temps.  If you are taking a 900º brick oven pizza cook and converting it to a steel cook, you lower the temp.  You really should try to reach a stable temp condition if you want to be able to get consistent results.  Its hard to maintain a steel at 600º in a 900º oven.

    I don't think steel is superior to stone, just different.  It comes down to preferences.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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