Pizza 101: Picking a Cooking Method.
Have you been trying to figure out the best cooking device to use your pizza stone with? Deciding to actually use a pizza stone is a great first step, but then you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to heat it up! The most convenient option for most people is to use their electric oven at home, but that certainly isn’t the only cooking appliance that can get the job done! Here are all the best ways to heat and cook your pizza stone!
Pizza Stones 101: Versatility
For such a basic piece of equipment, a pizza stone is quite a versatile tool. This versatility applies to how you can cook with it, but also what you can cook with it. Although the name pizza stone may imply that it can only cook pizza, the humble slab can perfectly cook far more! Pizza stones are great for searing steaks, cooking quesadillas, or even baking a nice loaf of bread!
Regardless of what you’re trying to cook, you’ll need to decide on an appropriate cooking and heating method. We mentioned the oven was the most convenient way to use a pizza stone, but you can also use a grill. The two cooking methods are fairly similar, but the key difference is a distinct smoky flavor that you can only achieve by using a grill.
Picking a Cooking Method
The nice thing about a pizza stone is that you have the ability to choose how you cook. Maybe it’s a nice, sunny day out and you feel like using the barbecue. If you had the foresight to bring it with you camping, you can even use a pizza stone right over an open flame! There are several ways you can cook a pizza stone, so some of the best cooking methods are explained below!
Oven: Yes!
Using a pizza stone in an oven? Absolutely! However, “oven” is a fairly broad term. There are many different types of ovens, some with very specific purposes. Pizza stones are designed to be a substitute for a wood-fired brick oven, which is technically the authentic way to cook a pizza. This brick ovens get extremely hot and require a special set-up, so most pizza connoisseurs unfortunately never have access to their own.
If you have a special pizza oven, by all means use it! If you don’t, an electric or gas oven will also do the job for you. Ovens are generally quite simple to use thanks to having the proper size to fully accommodate a stone. They also provide even heat, crucial for cooking something with a flat and even distribution like a pizza!
Grill/BBQ: Yes!
Another fantastic choice is a grill or BBQ. These are two slightly different ways of cooking, but you can use both for a pizza stone! Grilling is typically used more, as that entails cooking your stone with your grill lid up. This is important because barbecuing is done with the lid down. However, not every grill is capable of barbecuing. An easy way to distinguish whether your grill can also barbecue is if it has one burner. If it only has one burner, it can only serve as a grill.
Just like the oven, grills are also great for providing even heat. They aren’t as easy to use because you’ll have to handle charcoal or gas, but they are considerably easier to remove when they’re finished cooking. Best of all, grilling a pizza will give it a distinct smoke flavor, similar to a charbroiled hamburger.
Kamado Grill: Yes!
Another grill here, but the kamado grill is quite different from a traditional grill or BBQ. It is basically a clay vessel that cooks using charcoal. Any kind of grill you see with an egg or barrel shape is a kamado grill. There is a small lower compartment in a kamado grill holding charcoal. Above this are racks (or grids) upon which you can place a pizza stone.
There are vents on the bottom and top of the unit that allow air to flow, but they are also used to adjust the temperature of the kamado grill. Kamado grills are fantastic, but most people don’t already own one. The one downside is that you’d have to specifically buy a kamado grill, but the unique shape it has makes it perfect for making mouthwatering pizza!
Open Flame: Yes!
You might not have thought of this one, but you can actually use a pizza stone on an open flame! Major disclaimer here: not all pizza stones are capable of cooking on an open flame. Weaker stones made of ceramic and clay will likely crack over an open flame, but cordierite stones can usually make the cut. The Cast Elegance pizza stone has the ability to cook over an open flame, which is truly a unique and novel way of cooking and eating pizza!
Microwave: No!
Ovens, grills/BBQs, and kamado grills are all fairly safe choices for cooking on a pizza stone. An open flame can also be used if your stone has been manufacturer-approved for it, but this is definitely a more exclusive cooking method. One thing you should never try is the microwave. Pizza stones have never been tested in the microwave, but are likely to crack and can potentially damage your microwave.
The Pizza Stone for Any Cooking Method!
Pizza stones are quite flexible tools, giving you plenty of viable cooking methods that will produce a delicious meal. You can use an oven for convenience, or swap to any type of grill/BBQ for a savory smoky flavor. If you have a cordierite or Cast Elegance pizza stone, you can use that over an open flame for a pizza cooked unlike any other!
Not only can the Cast Elegance pizza stone cook over an open flame, but it is capable of withstanding more abuse than any other stone on the market! The stone is made of Thermarite, a special and improved blend of cordierite. This will let you use the pizza stone for years without a loss in performance or cracking! Take a look at the Cast Elegance pizza stones and elevate your pizza crafting skills today!