Pizza stone

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A pizza stone is a flat stone or piece of ceramic or earthenware used to evenly distribute oven heat to pizzas or other baked goods, more or less mimicking the effects of cooking a pizza in a masonry oven. The thermal mass and porous nature of the stone used also helps absorb moisture, resulting in a crisp crust.

Small pizza stones can be purchased to fit in any conventional cooking oven. High-end ovens sometimes offer optional pizza stones that are specifically designed for each oven model and may include a specialized heating element. A home made "pizza stone" can also be made by distributing one or two layers of unglazed tiles on top of an oven rack.

To prevent cracking of the stone by thermal shock, the pizza stone should be placed on a cold oven and heated over at least 45 minutes, and it should be allowed to cool down slowly inside the oven after switching it off. Because of the possibility of rapid temperature change, pizza stones should not be left in an oven while it is in self-cleaning mode.

Some cooks recommend sprinkling cornmeal, semolina or breadcrumbs on the pizza stone to prevent the crust from sticking.

The porous nature of pizza stones does have a downside -- the stone will absorb just about anything, including soap. Use a clean, dry brush or plain water to clean the stone.