| Larry G |
Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just wondering
if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas *really* any better
cooked on a stone.
I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I usually add
too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but I read horror
stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the difference
negligible?
Larry
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| Wayne Boatwright |
On Mon 13 Jun 2005 09:34:01a, Larry G wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just
> wondering if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas *really*
> any better cooked on a stone.
>
> I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I usually
> add too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but I read
> horror stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
>
> To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the difference
> negligible?
>
> Larry
>
>
The difference is huge, and $5 is a neglible cost.
--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________
Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974
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| Larry G |
"Wayne Boatwright" <waynesgang@waynes.gang> wrote in message ...
> The difference is huge, and $5 is a neglible cost.
Thanks. I'll go ahead and try it out then.
Larry
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| Debbie |
Larry G wrote:
>> Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just
>> wondering if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas
>> *really* any better cooked on a stone.
>>
>> I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I
>> usually add too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but
>> I read horror stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
>>
>> To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the
>> difference negligible?
>>
For $5, why not take the plunge and decide for yourself? I like mine. I
can't remember how much I paid .. perhaps in the $15-20 range and included a
peel.
Debbie
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| sf |
On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:34:01 -0700, Larry G wrote:
> Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just wondering
> if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas *really* any better
> cooked on a stone.
>
> I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I usually add
> too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but I read horror
> stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
>
> To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the difference
> negligible?
>
Save your money. Pizza stones don't improve the flavor or crust of
frozen pizzas.
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| Sheldon |
sf wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:34:01 -0700, Larry G wrote:
>
> > Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just wondering
> > if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas *really* any better
> > cooked on a stone.
> >
> > I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I usually add
> > too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but I read horror
> > stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
> >
> > To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the difference
> > negligible?
> >
> Save your money. Pizza stones don't improve the flavor or crust of
> frozen pizzas.
Actually they don't improve the flavor of any crust... stones add nor
take away no flavor... if the dough has lousy flavor out of the gate
nothing will change it. Now some say use of baking stones improve
*texture*.... but flavor, nope.
Sheldon
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| Jack Schidt® |
"Larry G" <thelarry_g3@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d8kcid$s0c$1@domitilla.aioe.org...
> Yesterday I found an inexpensive pizza stone for $5.00. I'm just wondering
> if I should take the plunge and buy it. Are pizzas *really* any better
> cooked on a stone.
>
> I mostly cook frozen pizzas. I've tried my hand at fresh, but I usually
> add too much sauce. At any rate, I know it might break, but I read horror
> stories of the $30.00 variety breaking.
>
> To sum it up, is a pizza stone worth giving a shot, or is the difference
> negligible?
>
> Larry
The only time I've broken a pizza stone is when using it as a heat shield in
my smoker/grill; they don't like wood fire like that. I have one that I've
kept in my oven for a few years now and there's nary a crack. Go for it and
spend the fi dollah on it. Hell, a six pack of microbrew is more expensive
than that.
Jack
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| Louis Cohen |
A $5 pizza stone is likely to be very thin. It might improve the
texture of the crust somewhat, but not as much as a nice thick stone
will.
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| Alan Shutko |
"Louis Cohen" <louiscohen@alum.mit.edu> writes:
> A $5 pizza stone is likely to be very thin. It might improve the
> texture of the crust somewhat, but not as much as a nice thick stone
> will.
How thick should a good stone be?
--
Alan Shutko <ats@acm.org> - I am the rocks.
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| sf |
On 13 Jun 2005 14:46:08 -0700, Sheldon wrote:
> Pizza stones don't improve the flavor or crust of frozen pizzas.
>
> Actually they don't improve the flavor of any crust... stones add nor
> take away no flavor... if the dough has lousy flavor out of the gate
> nothing will change it. Now some say use of baking stones improve
> *texture*.... but flavor, nope.
When I said "crust", I should have said "the texture of the" crust.
But I stand by that statement when applied to FROZEN pizza. Of
course, you know that a "real" pizza baked on a stone/tile has a
wonderful crispy (and not crackerlike) texture on the bottom.
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| Larry G |
"sf" <sf@gmail.com> wrote in message ...
> On 13 Jun 2005 14:46:08 -0700, Sheldon wrote:
>
>> Pizza stones don't improve the flavor or crust of frozen pizzas.
>>
>> Actually they don't improve the flavor of any crust... stones add nor
>> take away no flavor... if the dough has lousy flavor out of the gate
>> nothing will change it. Now some say use of baking stones improve
>> *texture*.... but flavor, nope.
>
> When I said "crust", I should have said "the texture of the" crust.
> But I stand by that statement when applied to FROZEN pizza. Of
> course, you know that a "real" pizza baked on a stone/tile has a
> wonderful crispy (and not crackerlike) texture on the bottom.
Okay, well, I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Can't beat the price at all. I
was wondering about frozen because two things happen when I make a Digiorno
for example. The dough is either too soft, or way too crisp. Either way it
is delicious. I was wondering if the stone would enhance flavor/texture in
any way.
I usually make a pizza from scratch from Boboli pre-made crusts. The only
problem I have usually is that I overdo the sauce and it becomes a bit
sauce-heavy. But, it never tastes even as good as a Digiorno, but people
that I make 'em for just love it. I'm the only one that doesn't care for it,
haha.
I'd like to make a pizza completely from scratch one day though so a stone
couldn't hurt anyway. I've never tried my hand at making the dough from
scratch though.
If anybody has any good personal recipes either out there online or those
that you've tried yourself, feel free to add them. I'd love to try my hand
at it.
Larry
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| sf |
On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 03:55:42 -0700, Larry G wrote:
> Okay, well, I'll go ahead and buy it anyway. Can't beat the price at all.
Of course you can. Go out and get some unglazed tiles. You'll have a
much larger space to plop a pizza and have money left over.
> I
> was wondering about frozen because two things happen when I make a Digiorno
> for example. The dough is either too soft, or way too crisp. Either way it
> is delicious. I was wondering if the stone would enhance flavor/texture in
> any way.
>
Can't tell you. I hate frozen pizza - including DiGiorno.
> I usually make a pizza from scratch from Boboli pre-made crusts.
When most people talk about "from scratch", they make the crust too.
You are assembling toppings on a premade whatever it is. I have NO
idea what to call Boboli except by the name. That's another thing I
tried once and called it quits. In fact, I couldn't eat it.
> The only
> problem I have usually is that I overdo the sauce and it becomes a bit
> sauce-heavy. But, it never tastes even as good as a Digiorno, but people
> that I make 'em for just love it. I'm the only one that doesn't care for it,
> haha.
>
Obviously, their mothers taught them well. They don't bite the hand
that feeds them.
> I'd like to make a pizza completely from scratch one day though so a stone
> couldn't hurt anyway.
There is no way I could slap a pizza the size I make on a "stone"
without some of it missing the mark... that's why I use tile. It
ain't easy to hit the bulls eye dead center when your pizza dough is
home made.
> I've never tried my hand at making the dough from
> scratch though.
Trader Joe's sells a decent fresh dough if you want to experiment w/o
actually making it. Of course, nothing beats making your own dough -
but it's a better start than Boboli.
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| sf |
On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:28:40 -0500, Alan Shutko wrote:
> "Louis Cohen" <louiscohen@alum.mit.edu> writes:
>
> > A $5 pizza stone is likely to be very thin. It might improve the
> > texture of the crust somewhat, but not as much as a nice thick stone
> > will.
>
> How thick should a good stone be?
A good "stone" can be made of 6 x 6 quarry tiles. Don't get pavers
because they take forever to heat up.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/newyorkstyle.php
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| Ed Rinehart |
sf wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:28:40 -0500, Alan Shutko wrote:
>
>
>> "Louis Cohen" <louiscohen@alum.mit.edu> writes:
>>
>> > A $5 pizza stone is likely to be very thin. It might improve the
>> > texture of the crust somewhat, but not as much as a nice thick stone
>> > will.
>>
>> How thick should a good stone be?
>
>
> A good "stone" can be made of 6 x 6 quarry tiles. Don't get pavers
> because they take forever to heat up.
>
> http://www.pizzamaking.com/newyorkstyle.php
Would granite work as a pizza stone? I have access to oven size "scraps"
of polished granite one inch thick.
Ed Rinehart in Laramie
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| sf |
On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 11:06:06 -0600, Ed Rinehart wrote:
> sf wrote:
> >
> > A good "stone" can be made of 6 x 6 quarry tiles. Don't get pavers
> > because they take forever to heat up.
> >
> > http://www.pizzamaking.com/newyorkstyle.php
>
>
> Would granite work as a pizza stone? I have access to oven size "scraps"
> of polished granite one inch thick.
>
KEWL! Why not give it a try and report back? You have nothing to
lose and everything to gain!
I think 1 inch is a bit thick (pavers are about an inch too). Are you
willing to spend the time it takes to heat it up? I also think the
unpolished side should work better for pizza, but who knows? If it
doesn't work out for pizza, you can always set it into (or on) a
counter and use it for pastry making.
IMO: Those scrap pieces are gold! Think of table tops/counters that
are made of broken ceramic tiles and transpose it into granite. Wow!
I think it would be amazingly different and a whole lot prettier than
tile.
--
Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
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