I have used an Emile Henry stone with nothing but satisfaction since acquisition. For more than merely pizzas... Anyone else out there?

Stones, hearths, brick ovens and the likes; what notable culinary moments using these have you had?

Go to Home Depot or your local building supply place. Get a big granite tile. Or get a big earthenware tile. Why buy a name brand "pizza stone"? Works fine for me.

For the outside grill, get a couple big patio pavers and a few bricks. Turn your Weber into a pizza oven. Again, no need for the name brand, just get the generic alternative.

I have a stone that was gifted to me years ago. It's very good for creating a good, thin crisp, blistery crust in an oven that doesn't quite get to "pizzeria" hot. fwiw, you can get a good stone for under $20, so it's not like you're being irresponsible or something......

PH

We received the Pampered Chef version as a wedding present and is used 4-5 week for pretty much anything with bread/breading that might normally go on a baking pan. The crust just comes out crisper. I recall being very impressed when we first received it, now it's simply "the way".

What I'm really excited about is my new charcoal chimney starter for the grill I got for father's day. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'm itching to throw some lump charcoal in it soon.

We have a couple of stones for the grill that get used probably once a week.

I agree with Greg though about the cheaper versions. I think it was Alton Brown that suggests an unglazed quarry stone from the hardware store for about $1 rather than an expensive stone. If the ones that we currently have ever need to be replaced, that's what I would do.

So what other uses have you guys/gals used the stone for and any issues?

I just purchased a Emile Henry and within the info that came with the stone they have recipe's for fish...I was worried about absorption of flavors etc.

Any good cleaning tips?

And Dokta P uses his solely on the BBQ...can it be put on top of a gas stove? What temps, if put in the oven, do you use?

I prefer 'thin' crust just as an FYI.

I have both a Weber pizza stone as well as a Himalayan pink salt stone, but haven't used either yet.

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
So what other uses have you guys/gals used the stone for and any issues?

I just purchased a Emile Henry and within the info that came with the stone they have recipe's for fish...I was worried about absorption of flavors etc.

Any good cleaning tips?

And Dokta P uses his solely on the BBQ...can it be put on top of a gas stove? What temps, if put in the oven, do you use?

I prefer 'thin' crust just as an FYI.

As for cleaning, I generally use a bench scraper and scrape mine clean. Never use soap on the stone. If you must, you could probably wipe the stone with water, but not soapy water.

I also use mine exclusively on the grill, but I suppose you could use it on the stove top if you really wanted to.

I've used mine on the grill at temps in excess of 800 degrees, but I generally cook my pizzas more in the 500-550 degree range.

It takes time for the stones to come up to temperature - I generally put it on the grill and pre-heat for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. And I always let it cool completely before moving it - you'll hear many stories of breakage from people who take a hot stone and move it from hot to cool.

Enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by snipes:
We received the Pampered Chef version as a wedding present and is used 4-5 week for pretty much anything with bread/breading that might normally go on a baking pan. The crust just comes out crisper. I recall being very impressed when we first received it, now it's simply "the way".

+1

Almost the same story!

The pizza stone that we had broke. I don't remember the name but it was sourced from Williams Sonoma. We now use a perforated metal pizza pan for use in the oven and on the bbq grill.

I use the Big Green Egg Plate Setter/Pizza Stone combination, which works incredibly well, but probably is far more expensive than it needs to be.

I have two. One in my gas oven and one on my Weber S330.
The Williams Sonoma in the oven is great. I preheat at 520F until the Pre sign dissapears. About 20 minutes. 8 minutes and the pies are perfect.

On the Weber I use a PizzaCraft 15x15 Square stone.
I move it to the right side, preheat on high for about 10 minutes, place my apple wood inside aluminium and side on the left burners and in 5 more minutes I put the pie on. 7 minutes and the pies are PERFECT.
don't just take my word, check it out for yourself:

http://www.wineberserkers.com/...+long+pizza#p1081739

Pizza steel is another thing. I have not tried one.
http://slice.seriouseats.com/a...-steel-delivers.html

I have the same one, although I have yet to use it. It was gifted to me a few months back, haven't had time yet. Thanks for the info.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Cancun:
I have used an Emile Henry stone with nothing but satisfaction since acquisition. For more than merely pizzas... Anyone else out there?

Stones, hearths, brick ovens and the likes; what notable culinary moments using these have you had?