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What’s your go-to 14” pizza stone?

Powak
Powak Posts: 1,412
in EggHead Forum
I’m looking to upgrade from my thin 1/3” thick pizza stone to a thicker more decent one for my large. What’s a popular stone on here? Is the BGE one worth it or is there one that’s the same thing on amazon? Maybe one from Tom at the ceramic grill store?
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Comments

  • jeffc5227
    jeffc5227 Posts: 131
    I use the BGE stone. I got tired of the cheap ones breaking haven't looked back since.
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited July 2020
    I bought the 14" BGE stone when I bought my egg in 2009. It's still in great shape. Some years later, I bought a 1/4" piece of steel from a scrap yard. Much preferred for pizza! If you don't have a steel scrap yard, you can buy an official pizza steel for about $90 vs the $12 I paid for mine. Don't know if they still make round ones. Mine is 14"x17" and I use it in my oven.

    https://shop.bakingsteel.com/collections/steels

    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
    Powak said:
    I’m looking to upgrade from my thin 1/3” thick pizza stone to a thicker more decent one for my large. What’s a popular stone on here? Is the BGE one worth it or is there one that’s the same thing on amazon? Maybe one from Tom at the ceramic grill store?
    Are you using an indirect stone, platesetter beneath your cooking stone now?
    I remember you posting pizza questions in the past. Just can’t remember your set up.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Take a look at this 15” stone. Great size for the large.
    I have used 4 of their stones for many years with no problems.
    https://ceramicgrillstore.com/collections/ceramic-stones-multiple-sizes-bake-pizza-or-set-heat-diffuser-ceramic-kamado-grills/products/15-inch-round-ceramic-stone-for-pizza-or-heat-deflector
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,316
    edited July 2020
    My BGE stones are probably the nicest stones I own as far as thickness, finish etc but you pay a hefty price for them. Tom's has more cosmetic flaws (mine feels like it has cornmeal glued to it in various spots) and arrived with pits, but I'm not sure it will affect performance. It was certainly cheaper.
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,587
    i had a soapstone for years before breaking it at 1200f, this ones twice as thick


    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,412
    Photo Egg said:
    Powak said:
    I’m looking to upgrade from my thin 1/3” thick pizza stone to a thicker more decent one for my large. What’s a popular stone on here? Is the BGE one worth it or is there one that’s the same thing on amazon? Maybe one from Tom at the ceramic grill store?
    Are you using an indirect stone, platesetter beneath your cooking stone now?
    I remember you posting pizza questions in the past. Just can’t remember your set up.
    I’ve gotta PSWOO2 with the bge plate setter inside of it, legs up, and regular grate on top of woo. I put the pizza stone on top of all that on the grate.
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  • xfire_ATX
    xfire_ATX Posts: 1,184
    I have a Pampered Chef I have used many times but never more than 450.  If I want to go hotter I use this Lodge CI

    https://www.lodgemfg.com/product/cast-iron-baking-pan?sku=P14P3

    I use my PS Woo with their oval stone mounted and put the stone or CI piece right on the grate at felt level.
    XLBGE, LBGE, Charbroil Gas Grill, Weber Q200, Old Weber Kettle, Rectec RT-B380, Yeti 65, Yeti Hopper 20, RTIC 20, RTIC 20 Soft Side - Too many drinkware vessels to mention.

    Not quite in Austin, TX City Limits
    Just Vote- What if you could choose "none of the above" on an election ballot? Millions of Americans do just that, in effect, by not voting.  The result in 2016: "Nobody" won more counties, more states, and more electoral votes than either candidate for president. 
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  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,316
    Yep, for high heat I always use my Lodge pizza pan. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
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  • JethroBodeen
    JethroBodeen Posts: 526
    CGS.
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814

    You want a stone that is at least 5/8" thick made of cordierite. Both the BGE and CGS stones meet this.  If you have a good pottery supply store near you, you can get a kiln shelf.  Pizza stones and kiln shelves are the same thing.  Kiln shelves sell for less than an equivalent pizza stone. While you are at the pottery supply store you could also get some kiln shelf posts to use as spacers in the egg.

    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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  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
    Buy a pizza steel, much better for cooking pizzas on the egg.  I got one from my local steel fabrication for $35.  16” round, 3/8” thick made of A36 steel.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Powak said:
    Photo Egg said:
    Powak said:
    I’m looking to upgrade from my thin 1/3” thick pizza stone to a thicker more decent one for my large. What’s a popular stone on here? Is the BGE one worth it or is there one that’s the same thing on amazon? Maybe one from Tom at the ceramic grill store?
    Are you using an indirect stone, platesetter beneath your cooking stone now?
    I remember you posting pizza questions in the past. Just can’t remember your set up.
    I’ve gotta PSWOO2 with the bge plate setter inside of it, legs up, and regular grate on top of woo. I put the pizza stone on top of all that on the grate.
    Excellent, thanks for info.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Hoster05 said:
    Buy a pizza steel, much better for cooking pizzas on the egg.  I got one from my local steel fabrication for $35.  16” round, 3/8” thick made of A36 steel.  
    This. Except, IMO, 3/8" is overkill. My 1/4" is fine. My local place sells unused surplus for $1/lb. My steel cost about $12 as I mentioned earlier.

    Also works great with the oven/broiler method...
    https://slice.seriouseats.com/2012/09/the-pizza-lab-the-baking-steel-delivers.html

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

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,370
    A timely thread, as my last stone was tossed in the trash last weekend.  I don't know what happened to it, it's almost like someone soaked it in motor oil for a week; it's dark, smoke just boiled off of it in the oven a couple months ago (smoke alarm went off and I had to grab my thick gloves and carry the stone outside (and yes I burned my fingers).  Last weekend I heated it up in the Egg, couldn't see smoke rolling off it but after 3 slices of pizza, I dumped the rest into the trash, terrible motor oil taste (along with the stone, once it cooled).  Don't know what happened.  
     
    I went to my locally-owned kitchen supply store this afternoon (thankfully they survived Lockdown I) but they didn't have any stones at all (!)  Stopped at the local Bed, Bath, and Behind on the way home; they had two different stones (both -15" dia), one was quite thick as recommended above, but the other one was about as thin as my previous stone (a thin stone heats up quicker, uses less fuel, and as I've never made more than two pizzas at a time, has worked fine for me).  Plus, it was only $14.99, so I went with it.  
     
    I bought my Large around ten years ago, about the time I discovered https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1224888/www.pizzamaking.com .  I dove down that rabbit hole with a mighty belly-flop, was eating pizza and taking notes almost constantly, and finally hit a cement-wall burnout.  Hadn't had any pizza since about 2014, save a couple office parties.  I've cooked two recently, at home, but both tasted of motor oil, so it may be awhile before I try again.  
     
    Everything, in moderation.   :|   
     

    “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

                  - Mark Twain 

    Ogden, UT, USA


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  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
    Carolina Q said:
    Hoster05 said:
    Buy a pizza steel, much better for cooking pizzas on the egg.  I got one from my local steel fabrication for $35.  16” round, 3/8” thick made of A36 steel.  
    This. Except, IMO, 3/8" is overkill. My 1/4" is fine. My local place sells unused surplus for $1/lb. My steel cost about $12 as I mentioned earlier.

    Also works great with the oven/broiler method...
    https://slice.seriouseats.com/2012/09/the-pizza-lab-the-baking-steel-delivers.html
    I should have messaged you’d first. I went with 3/8” because that’s what my other one was.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
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  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,412
    Botch said:
    A timely thread, as my last stone was tossed in the trash last weekend.  I don't know what happened to it, it's almost like someone soaked it in motor oil for a week; it's dark, smoke just boiled off of it in the oven a couple months ago (smoke alarm went off and I had to grab my thick gloves and carry the stone outside (and yes I burned my fingers).  Last weekend I heated it up in the Egg, couldn't see smoke rolling off it but after 3 slices of pizza, I dumped the rest into the trash, terrible motor oil taste (along with the stone, once it cooled).  Don't know what happened.  
     
    I went to my locally-owned kitchen supply store this afternoon (thankfully they survived Lockdown I) but they didn't have any stones at all (!)  Stopped at the local Bed, Bath, and Behind on the way home; they had two different stones (both -15" dia), one was quite thick as recommended above, but the other one was about as thin as my previous stone (a thin stone heats up quicker, uses less fuel, and as I've never made more than two pizzas at a time, has worked fine for me).  Plus, it was only $14.99, so I went with it.  
     
    I bought my Large around ten years ago, about the time I discovered https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1224888/www.pizzamaking.com .  I dove down that rabbit hole with a mighty belly-flop, was eating pizza and taking notes almost constantly, and finally hit a cement-wall burnout.  Hadn't had any pizza since about 2014, save a couple office parties.  I've cooked two recently, at home, but both tasted of motor oil, so it may be awhile before I try again.  
     
    Everything, in moderation.   :|   
     

    Motor oil like burnt bottom? I use the stone as just hot surface for my pizzas screens. Seems to work good. Last night I did order up a thick .75 of an inch 15” kamado Joe stone on amazon for $38. Should do the trick. 
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  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
    @Carolina Q
    did you season your pizza steel you got from your fabricator?  I just picked mine up yesterday.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Hoster05 said:
    @Carolina Q
    did you season your pizza steel you got from your fabricator?  I just picked mine up yesterday.  
    As I recall, I just slapped some oil on it and cooked something.

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

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    Carolina Q said:
    Hoster05 said:
    @Carolina Q
    did you season your pizza steel you got from your fabricator?  I just picked mine up yesterday.  
    As I recall, I just slapped some oil on it and cooked something.
    Motor oil?
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
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  • strongrad
    strongrad Posts: 1
    any reason not to just put the pizza right on an inverted plate setter? 
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  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,316
    strongrad said:
    any reason not to just put the pizza right on an inverted plate setter? 

    You absolutely can do that assuming you're not going for high-heat wood-fired oven style pizza. If you crank your egg up to 700F+ then the platesetter can get too hot and it'll scorch the bottom of the pizza before the top has a chance to cook. That's why a lot of people have resorted to creative multi-stone setups w/air gaps etc. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
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  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
    Not exactly the size you asked for but I use 2 of these back to back in my outdoor oven so I effectively can make a 15” by 24” pizza on them. They are around 1/2” thick





    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    SonVolt said:
    strongrad said:
    any reason not to just put the pizza right on an inverted plate setter? 

    You absolutely can do that assuming you're not going for high-heat wood-fired oven style pizza. If you crank your egg up to 700F+ then the platesetter can get too hot and it'll scorch the bottom of the pizza before the top has a chance to cook. That's why a lot of people have resorted to creative multi-stone setups w/air gaps etc. 
    In addition you need to balance the heat gain from above and below the pizza. Many find they need the pizza closer to the dome to pick up more radiant heat for the top of the pizza than you get just using the plate setter down low.
    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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  • Tekkamaki
    Tekkamaki Posts: 21
    I have a BGE 14 I use now. Getting a pizza steel soon.
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