Baking steel question

Thatgrimguy · May 2019

I'm going to get a baking steel for my new oven. Was thinking about getting the 1/2" one and just letting it live on the bottom shelf of one of the two ovens.

Is there any disadvantage to the thicker steel other than cost, preheat times and weight?

SonVolt · May 2019

I would seriously think about the cons first.... I own the 1/2" one and I would not buy it again even though it works amazingly well. I say this as a 225lb very fit dude - it's HEAVY AS F. The shape and the lack of handles make it extremely awkward to move around, even more so when hot. Once it's laid down flush on a surface the only way to pick it back up is to slide it unil it overhangs the lip of the counter. One slip and it will absolutely wreck your counters and/or flooring.

I would go with the standard 1/4 size.

Thatgrimguy · May 2019

SonVolt said:

I would seriously think about the cons first.... I own the 1/2" one and I would not buy it again even though it works amazingly well. I say this as a 225lb very fit dude - it's HEAVY AS F. The shape and the lack of handles make it extremely awkward to move around, even more so when hot. Once it's laid down flush on a surface the only way to pick it back up is to slide it unil it overhangs the lip of the counter. One slip and it will absolutely wreck your counters and/or flooring.

I would go with the standard 1/4 size.

I will never move it once it's in the oven. I have 4 convection ovens so, there is never a need to move it.

smokingal · May 2019

I have a .375" baking steel. I know the thicker the steel, the longer the preheat requirement. I let mine preheat at the desired temp for at least 45 minutes. I noticed other people indicating the .5 inch ones can take 60-70 minutes to preheat. So while not necessarily a disadvantage, if you will be cooking back to back pizzas, you will need to consider the time required in between them to allow for the steel to get back up to temp. This would be lower for thinner thicker peels.

SonVolt · May 2019

If it's staying put then it may be a non-issue. Your preheat time may suffer tho - it takes almost 1 hour to get my oven up to 550F with the steel in place.

What are you hoping to achieve with the steel being on the floor of the oven?

smokingal · May 2019

@Thatgrimguy
I bought one that has two holes on one side which makes it so much easier to lift out of the oven in a pinch. I suspected that I would need to do this as it may need to be reseasoned at some point and I was right.
https://www.amazon.com/NerdChef-Steel-Stone-High-Performance-Surface/dp/B00JXVNUI6?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_9453142011

Shiff · May 2019

@Thatgrimguy said:

I will never move it once it's in the oven. I have 4 convection ovens so, there is never a need to move it.

How will you clean it? I have the 1/4 inch type and it works very well. It does get food stuck to it and needs to be cleaned. Removing the 1/2 inch one (even when cool) will be difficult. For this and the other reasons, I would stick with the 1/4 inch one.

nolaegghead · May 2019

smokingal said:

I have a .375" baking steel. I know the thicker the steel, the longer the preheat requirement. I let mine preheat at the desired temp for at least 45 minutes. I noticed other people indicating the .5 inch ones can take 60-70 minutes to preheat. So while not necessarily a disadvantage, if you will be cooking back to back pizzas, you will need to consider the time required in between them to allow for the steel to get back up to temp. This would be lower for thinner peels.

The refractory time between pies does not change. That pie takes a certain amount of heat energy out of the steel. If it's a bigger steel, you just get a smaller temp drop, but the amount of surface area is more or less the same and the refractory time should be the same.

Photo Egg · May 2019

smokingal said:

I have a .375" baking steel. I know the thicker the steel, the longer the preheat requirement. I let mine preheat at the desired temp for at least 45 minutes. I noticed other people indicating the .5 inch ones can take 60-70 minutes to preheat. So while not necessarily a disadvantage, if you will be cooking back to back pizzas, you will need to consider the time required in between them to allow for the steel to get back up to temp. This would be lower for thinner peels.

I disagree about the recovery time with thicker baking steels.
The advantage of the thicker steel is less temp drop between cooks and faster recovery time because of this. The thicker steel, in pizza comparison cooks, cooked multiple pizzas better than thinner steels.

nolaegghead · May 2019

The only disadvantage other than it's heavy AF is it takes longer to heat up. But it holds the temp twice as well as the 1/4". I have a 1" Aluminum "steel" and a 3/8" steel, and another one or two. The thicker, more massive it is, the lower the temp drop and the better it works.

smokingal · May 2019

I misspoke. I meant to state that the time to get back up to temp would be lower for thicker peels. Correction made.

nolaegghead · May 2019

Shiff said:

@Thatgrimguy said:

I will never move it once it's in the oven. I have 4 convection ovens so, there is never a need to move it.

How will you clean it? I have the 1/4 inch type and it works very well. It does get food stuck to it and needs to be cleaned. Removing the 1/2 inch one (even when cool) will be difficult. For this and the other reasons, I would stick with the 1/4 inch one.

I know I hate taking my pizza oven apart and floor out to clean it every time. Wait, I wonder if I could just scrape the crap off in situ?

Thatgrimguy · May 2019

Shiff said:

@Thatgrimguy said:

I will never move it once it's in the oven. I have 4 convection ovens so, there is never a need to move it.

How will you clean it? I have the 1/4 inch type and it works very well. It does get food stuck to it and needs to be cleaned. Removing the 1/2 inch one (even when cool) will be difficult. For this and the other reasons, I would stick with the 1/4 inch one.

The 1/2" is only 30lbs. I curl 30lb weights at the gym in each arm. I can't imagine it's that hard to move. If I needed to deep clean it, I'd cool it in the oven, then transfer it straight from the oven to my sink and clean it and then straight back to the oven to dry and store.

I would think that once it's well seasoned I can clean it like a griddle top. Wipe it down with oil and use a bench scraper.

smokingal · May 2019

Whichever one you choose, be sure not to place anything that can give off moisture on top of or underneath it when not in use. I thought placing it on top of my pizza stone when not in use would be cool, but the stone puts out moisture as its getting up to temp and that caused the steel to rust.

Thatgrimguy · May 2019

smokingal said:

Whichever one you choose, be sure not to place anything that can give off moisture on top of or underneath it when not in use. I thought placing it on top of my pizza stone when not in use would be cool, but the stone puts out moisture as its getting up to temp and that caused the steel to rust.

That's a good point. It will be easy to keep the top seasoned in the oven. but the bottom will be harder to oil without removing it....

lkapigian · May 2019

I've kept my oven lined for years with Fire Brick

SonVolt · May 2019

Thatgrimguy said:
The 1/2" is only 30lbs. I curl 30lb weights at the gym in each arm. I can't imagine it's that hard to move.

I thought the same thing as you when I purchased mine. 30lbs? Piece of cake. You're in for a rude awakening. It's the shape than makes 30lbs feel like 75lbs. Taking it to the sink to clean is a nightmare... try holding a 30lb slab of steel upright when it's wet. Great way to scratch up, dent and mar that sink. Goodbye granite counter edges if it even so much as touches it. I know this all sounds hyperbolic, but I'm saying this as the owner of the 1/2" baking steel for 3+ years.

Is your primary purpose pizza? These steels work best in the upper 3rd of your oven, not on the bottom. You want it as close to the roof of your oven (and broiler) as you can to take advantage of radiant heat.

On the floor of my oven I'd just get a burnt bottom. Steel will scorch much faster than stone. On the upper-shelf with the boiler I can cook 3 pies back to back 90 seconds each.

TEXASBGE2018 · May 2019

So if I am 230lbs and a very fit dude and can curl 40lb dumbells at the gym I should be good to go buying this right?

SonVolt · May 2019

You'd be better off having a 140lb fabricator weld a dumbbell handle to it.

Eggcelsior · May 2019

I have the 1/4 inch steel from when they first came out. It lives in the bottom of my oven just to help stabilize temps for when I’m baking. I can’t remember the last time I used it for its intended purpose as a cooking vessel.

nolaegghead · May 2019

Eggcelsior said:

I have the 1/4 inch steel from when they first came out. It lives in the bottom of my oven just to help stabilize temps for when I’m baking. I can’t remember the last time I used it for its intended purpose as a cooking vessel.

That is a very good idea.

nolaegghead · May 2019

...for a muppet.

alaskanassasin · May 2019

3/8” steel here lives in the oven, pizza on weekends. It is roughly 17x17”. Go to a tractor dealer or fab shop and have one custom made that’s what I did

alaskanassasin · May 2019

Oh and it is heavy as fvck.

Carolina Q · May 2019

I have a 1/4" 14x17" in my oven, center rack. Works perfectly for my needs. See no reason for a 3/8 or 1/2" steel. Preheat to desired temp, change to broiler mode, launch pie. PAY ATTENTION if you don't like burned crust!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/zd/30co3zx86gw4.jpg

Thatgrimguy · May 2019

Thanks for the advice, that's why I love this place. Ordered a 1/4"

Carolina Q · May 2019

Excellent choice.

SonVolt · May 2019

Forgot to mention, their griddle is a really good compromise. That’s what I use most. Forgot I even owned it this morning.

HogFather · May 2019

Oh Yeah! Well, I can curl 55lb dumbells so I am going to buy a 3/4 baking steel.

Baking steel question

Comments

Categories