Well, my 10 or 20 year old Pampered Chef stone finally cracked. Not just a crack, it broke completely in two. I suppose I could just buy another PC, but I keep reading that they should be at least 3/4" thick and mine is nowhere near that. Does anyone have any recommendations? Brand? Source? Material? Whatever. All-Clad sells a soapstone one that's probably terrific - it ought to be for $100!! Some use plain old fire brick or quarry tiles, but that seems like it would be a pain to move a bunch of bricks/tiles out of the way when you needed room in the oven. Anyway, mine is in two nice neat pieces so it's still usable, but I thought I'd look for a replacement before it's in 3 pieces, or 4...or a dozen. Thanks!!
Unglazed pottery works, like the kind you would put a big pottery plant pot on. Personally I own this one from Williams-Sonoma. Good price and big enough for pretty much any job. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...fm?pkey=xsrd0m1|16|||0|||||||pizza&cm_src=SCH
Does Pampered Chef still replace their stones ? May be worth finding a PC rep before you toss the pieces.
I had a look at the Pampered Chef stone Michael, and comparing it to mine it is really no contest. Especially for an extra.. 6 bucks or so. If you have a WS nearby, go have a look at the stone I linked you. You WON'T be disappointed.
I saw that one. How thick is it, Ken? Good idea, but if I read their web site correctly, it's only for three years. I've probably owned this one closer to 30.
About 5/8 of an inch. It is suitable to go on the floor of a flat floor oven too since it slightly raised too. Trust me.. it is amazing. I leave it in the oven 24/7 to regulate the oven too.
Thanks, Ken. I'll check it out. Mine's only 3/8". I leave it in the oven too, but on the bottom rack. @ Rick...I don't know from Ross and in any case, I've never seen one anywhere for that price! @ Jason...It's amazing how good homemade pizza can be if you have a stone to bake it on. Better than Lombardi's...or Ray's...or Original Ray's...or any of the other Ray's.
Homemade Pizza always trumps Store Bought/Takeout. Unless of course the takeout place is a small indy store where it is run by an Italian/trained Pizza guy. Just not places like.. Pizza Hut or whatever.
Greek stuff is good too. Or at least the one we used to have here was. Seems like there's a pizza place on every corner around here. The usual chains, but a lot of independents. Anyway, the stone's the key. Nice crispy crust with it...mush without. Wish I could coax 700° out of my oven, but 550-600° is about the best I can do.
Yup. On my research into our family's Manhattan trip for a week I found out to avoid Ray's. or Original Ray's. Had some good luck elsewhere, though.
You can 'fake' a couple extra degrees by letting your oven pre-heat for 30-45 minutes at your desired max temp. That way the entire oven is FULLY heated and you won't lose temp when you open the door to put your food in. You can lose up to 20 degrees by opening the door without proper wall/floor pre-heating.
Michael, dont you be talking down about our Rays! Truthfully though, the best pizza comes from the crappy looking places with 2 wobbly tables and no better name than "pizza". Usually theres a mexican making the pizza. I've yet to have anything better.
and Chinese food, Sushi, burgers, tacos, thai, vietnamese, steaks, gyros, subs and I'm sure most any type of food you eat at a restaurant. I've heard they also cook mexican food. Raf
Fergie: Ross = Marshalls = TJ Maxx Discount knockoffs, seconds and discontinued items. I thought Ross was nationwide, for some reason.
