How To Clean a Pizza Stone – The Easy Way
A pizza stone helps your home oven mimic the effects of a brick oven but they require special care.
- June 20, 2020
A pizza stone is like having a portable brick oven because it makes pizza crust crispy and deliciously charred. With minimal effort, you can turn your kitchen into a pizzeria, whether you live in a studio apartment or a cabin in the woods.
For those of you proud stone-owners, you surely know that after a few uses, your once-gloriously clean slab starts picking up crusty bits of dark, burnt food, and dark, ominous stains.
As these stones deliver special pies, they also require special care. Unlike with a dirty casserole dish, you do not want to soak your pizza stone overnight in a sink of hot soapy water. In fact, you want to expose your pizza stone to as little water as possible.
Because the stone is porous, it will absorb any soap or cleanser you put on it, so never clean it with anything you wouldn’t be comfortable eating. You should also always make sure it’s cool before you go to clean it, as sudden temperature changes could shock the stone and crack it.
How Often to Clean a Pizza Stone
A pizza stone should be cleaned after every use to remove food residue. A more thorough cleaning after several uses can help it maintain its natural finish.
It is not unusual for light-colored stones to change color after many uses. If you want to keep the stone in pristine condition, use a sheet of baking parchment under the pizza crust each time you bake.
How To Clean A Pizza Stone
What You”ll Need
- Plastic spatula
- Soft cloth
- Baking soda
- Water
- Stone brush, toothbrush, or other stiff-bristle plastic brush
Instructions
Let the stone cool to room temperature. Then carefully remove it from the oven.
Use a blunt object to scrape off burned pieces of food. Use a spatula or plastic scraper that will be gentle on the pizza stone.
Wipe the stone down with a damp cloth. Do NOT use soap or oil, or submerge it in water. All it needs is a little wipe! The pizza stone is porous, so soap would absorbed into the stone and moisture would cause it to crack.
Make a paste: If some crusty bits remain, try spot-treating them: Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with just enough water to make a paste.
Use it as a scrub: Apply a small amount of the paste to the spot and scrub it gently with your brush in a circular motion.
Wipe the stone again: Wipe up any debris with your damp cloth.
Bake it to deep clean it. If, for some reason, you’re really itching to give your stone a deep-clean, you can toss it in the oven and crank the heat to 500°F for about an hour, which will burn off any bits of food that just won’t come off with scraping.
Let your stone dry completely before using it again. A pizza stone can crack in the oven because it hasn’t fully dried before being put back into the oven.
Remember to store the stone in room temperature before you heat it again. Water gets stuck in the pores of the stone and reduces the integrity of the stone when it’s reheated again.
Embrace your discolored pizza stone. A well-used pizza stone typically has many dark, discolored areas. It does not look like a brand new slab right out of the box. But a pizza stone actually gets better over time.
Do not try to scrub your pizza stone in an attempt to make it look brand-new, or think once it looks “old” it is time for a new one.
Also Read
How to Keep Your Stone From Cracking
If you open your oven door and see a cracked pizza stone, your heart might break, too. These wonderful stone slabs can fissure if they aren’t used with caution. Common reasons a pizza stone breaks include:
Temperature change: Putting a cold stone in a hot oven may give it a temperature shock and cause it to break.
Moisture: Too much moisture or oil can weaken the stone and cause it to crack. Always make sure your stone is dry before putting it into the oven.
Cold food: Be careful placing cold dough or frozen pizza on a hot stone. Remember, an extreme temperature difference can cause a crack. Use dough that is warm or room-temperature. Avoid putting a frozen pizza on your stone altogether.
Too much handling: We understand. You love your pizza stone. But before you consider cuddling with your pizza stone, realize that too much handling can weaken it. It’s best to try to leave it in the oven to minimize handling. If you are worried about other food getting on it, protect your stone by wrapping it in foil when not in use.
Taking it out of the oven too soon: Another way to give it temperature shock is to throw a hot pizza stone on a cold counter or stove top. Instead, give your pizza a little time to cool down in the oven before removal, and then set it onto a towel.
Too much heat: Put a cold stone into a cold oven and give it plenty of time to preheat before adding the pizza. Transfer your pizza to the preheated stone with a pizza peel.
The best thing you can remember to prevent cracking your pizza stone is to avoid drastic temperature changes, and try not to handle it too much.
Recommended Products:
Most Popular
Most Popular
