Baking stone

Due to the thermal mass of baking stones and the material's property as a poor heat conductor, food is less likely to burn when one uses a baking stone instead of metal or glass bakeware. Baking stones are a variation on hot stone cooking, which is one of the oldest cooking techniques known. Some cooks recommend sprinkling corn meal or flour on the baking stone to prevent the crust from sticking or using parchment paper atop the stone. Baking "stones" may be purchased as unglazed ceramic tiles, unglazed fired clay tiles and quarried tiles, from tile shops and hardware stores. To prevent fracturing of the stone by thermal shock, some bakers place the baking stone in a cold oven and heat it over at least 45 minutes, baking stones should not be left in an oven while it is in self cleaning mode. Baking stones can be cleaned with a dry brush or scouring pad followed by plain hot water. including detergent. Use of any detergents may taint the stone, imparting the flavor of detergent to foods later cooked on the stone. == Pizza stone==

When designed for cooking pizzas, a baking stone is often referred to as a pizza stone. Using a pizza stone more or less mimics the effects of cooking a pizza in a masonry oven. The porous nature of the stone absorbs moisture, resulting in a crispier crust. Small pizza stones can be purchased to fit any conventional cooking oven or an enclosed barbecue-style grill. High-end ovens sometimes offer optional pizza stones that are specifically designed for each oven model and may include a specialized heating element. In addition to traditional methods, a pizza stone can also be made out of metal. == Pizza / baking steel ==

A usually long x wide x thick A36 steel plate conducts heat better than stone and is safe to use with any broiler or grill, but gives off too much heat for bread, cookies, and croissants. Its carbon steel is heavier thus it needs to be pre-seasoned before use. The optimal thickness is determined by the oven temperature. == See also ==