How To Clean A Pizza Stone That Smokes

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How to Care for Your Pizza Stone

A pizza stone helps your home oven mimic the effects of a brick oven but they require special care.

A pizza stone helps your home oven mimic the effects of a brick oven. The porous stone absorbs and retains heat evenly and eliminates excess moisture in the pizza dough to create a superbly crisp crust. A pizza stone does, however, require some special care. Follow these guidelines to keep your stone in great shape:

• Never wash your pizza stone with soap. The pores will absorb it, and you'll be able to taste it when you make your next pizza.

• Never submerge your stone in water. Instead, once the stone has cooled completely, scrape off any baked-on food with a stiff, dry brush or a plastic scraper, and then use a damp cloth to wipe it down. Don't worry if your stone gets stained—that's natural and will not affect the flavor of the next pizza you make.

• If your stone gets extremely dirty, you can use medium-grit sandpaper to sand down any raised bits.

• Some people keep their stones in their ovens to create more-even heat for other baking. If you do this, be aware that it will take the oven longer to heat. Also, never leave it in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle because it may break.

Comments

JPCOTE | 07/01/2020

I always use parchment paper under my pizzaz. This way, nothing tastes funny.
ThePhys2001 | 10/06/2018

To clean a soaked pizza stone, you need about 3 hours of 500°F heat.
First step: Leave the stone in the oven and let it smoke for 3 hours by itself at 500°F, or at least till it stops outgassing.
Second step: After you've vented the kitchen, make a large throw-away crust and bake for 10 mins on the stone at 500° again. Throw crust out after cooling it a while. Let oven cool and remove the stone.

You should be all set.
EKachal1 | 01/03/2018

Me too. My stone came with absolutely no directions and there were none on the box, so after my husband used it, it was washed in the sink. Now what? Throw away, or is there a way to get the soap out?
user-3378346 | 05/01/2014

unfortunately Ive already used washing up liquid...how can I make sure Ive removed it all and it wont taint pizzas with soapy taste?