Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => PIZZA OVENS - Wood Fired => Topic started by: LostArrow on August 16, 2014, 12:42:46 PM
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With all this pizza talk I might buy a stone for the Akorn.
Presently use my $12 multipurpose cast iron griddle, works for 12 in pizza or smaller.
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I like cast iron. In fact, I never tried a surface I didn't like.
In addition to baking pizzas, we keep a pizza stone in the conventional oven as a shield from the lower electric element to more evenly cook foods.
We've tried stones like this one with good success. http://www.amazon.com/Laroma-LCS-0815-15-Inch-Pizza-Stone/dp/B0048CLJJC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1408207804&sr=8-12&keywords=pizza+stone
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I bought a cheap one from Canadian Tire store a few years back. It's only 12 inch but for the money (28 bucks) works real good. It also fits on my TBE
Top
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TFQSKNdHpWs/U--Tl1E9w0I/AAAAAAAAKs0/elBwXX7CSvg/w835-h553-no/DSC_0012.JPG)
Bottom, I like this side better
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-divDbLPhmT4/U--TmAzcdLI/AAAAAAAAKs4/v-eUjf3151s/w835-h553-no/DSC_0013.JPG)
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Pizza stones work good but take some time to get up to temp and can be fragile. Because they are thick and retain heat they work well.
Pizza steels come up to temp very quickly and are not fragile. They do lose more heat when the dough is placed onto it however because they are not thick like a stone. But they recover very quickly.
Cast iron is great also except for it is very heavy. Great heat retention however.
I suggest a good pizza steel. Get a 1/2 inch. That way you get the durability of steel and the heat retention of a stone.
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This is the steel I use in my oven - http://bakingsteel.com/shop/the-big/. It does take some time to get hot (it is very thick.) It is also very heavy - about 30 pounds - but if I drop it, it won't break (of course, the wood floor or my toe WILL break... ??? ??? ???)
It does a better job of making a good crust in my oven than any pizza stone has done (I've tried several from the cheap to expensive.) The limitation is still the temp my oven can hit and hold - the steel does hold heat very well, but it can't manufacture heat. That's why I am looking forward to the Uuni.
However, for a cooking surface in my oven for pizza, bread, and other meals this is hard to beat (and lift... ;) ;D)