Top 11 Best Pizza Stone & Steel- Make a Crispy Crust Yummy Pizza at Home

It’s true that skills are the best determinants of how well you can execute a task. However, tools still play a role in how great the outcome will be. This is why even though some people think that the best pizza stone is all hype, lots of professionals say otherwise. 

For most people, the most important tools and equipment are the ones that will help you make entree dishes. As you can’t really just live with pastries and sweets, you will also have to invest in cookware that will let you roast and bake different meals.

This is where you might have come across pizza stones. These tools are considered essential in making the best pizza. Being the very item that will help cook your dough to a crisp,  they’re practically indispensable for households that love homemade pizzas.

Also known as baking stones, you might want to know more about these items to help you decide whether it’s a good idea to get one. This guide will help you do that as we will discuss different points that you’ll find useful in weighing all of your options.

The Best Pizza Stone: FibraMent-D Pizza Stone

We have conducted research on finding the best customer-centric decision to choose a pizza stone. All they, I mean customers, wanted that they prefer something which can be used on a variety of works, not just to bake pizza. Based on the research we found that this FibreMent-D Pizza Stone is everyone’s choice.

Since stone is less conductive than steel, There happens less scorching on the bottom of the pizza. This makes FibreMent-D Pizza stone the best option to bake pizza.

This top-rated pizza stone is 3/4-inch thick and weighs in at 17 pounds, though it might seem a little heavy it helps to make the stone sturdy and substantial.

Our Top Pizza Stone and Steel Picks-

• Best Overall: FibreMent-D Pizza Stone
• Best Pizza Steel: The Original Baking Steel
• Style and Performance: Emile Henry French Ceramic Pizza Stone
• Another Budget Buy: Unicook Heavy Duty Corderite Pizza Stone

Another neglected but important feature is the bevelled edge, which makes the pizza stone manoeuvre into and out of the oven easily. An hour of seasoning is perfect to bake a great pizza at home. Cleaning of this pizza stone is also like other stones, just by using some rag. Overall this is the pizza stone we recommend among our 15 pizza stone testing.

What is a Pizza Stone?

Defined as a cooking surface used in baking, a pizza stone is basically flat cookware that can be made from ceramic, stone, steel, clay, or even salt. It functions as a heat conductor that helps cook the dough to crisp more effectively and evenly. It also helps absorb the moisture in the dough, further cooking it to a crisp. 

While other people have dedicated pizza ovens in their backyards, some do not have the luxury for such. This doesn’t mean that they’re doomed with store-bought pies, though. It’s said that a pizza stone can effectively serve as a less expensive alternative to such. It actually mimics the effects of a masonry oven on a pie, so you won’t end up with a rubbery mess.

But how did the pizza stone come about? It’s not really a traditional piece of cookware despite its simplicity. Pat Bruno, a noted Sun-Times restaurant reviewer is actually credited to have invented this nifty cookware with Julia Child inspiring its creation. He found that cooking pizza on a stone makes it more crispy crust pizza than any other bakeware.

In one baking session, while the famous chef was making a pissaladiere (a kind of pizza made in southern France), she gave Bruno a tip to lay fire bricks on a baking sheet and under the pizza to achieve a great crust. This gave Bruno an idea to create a single stone specifically made for baking pizza. The rest, as they say, is history.

4 Different Types of Pizza Stones

What are the various kinds of pizza stones, you might be wondering? Here are a few of the ones that you can easily find in the market today:

1. Baking Stones

Often made from ceramic, clay, or even quarry tiles, baking stones are some of the very things referred to by lots of people when they say “pizza stone.” These products are hefty, hulking, cooking equipment that can be a pain to lug around. However, lots of people love them as they effectively absorb moisture from the dough. This makes them really handy if you want a very crispy crust that’s very enjoyable too much on.

Available in different sizes, shapes, and price points, this can be what you want to get if you want something that’s easy to maintain and will last you for years. Some stones can break, though, so be careful when handling them.

2. Cast-Iron Pizza Pans

These items are actually more versatile as you can use them on stovetops, grills, broilers, and ovens. They can also be used in other cooking methods which further stretches out its functionality.

As for its performance, it makes pizzas with browned crusts with a bit of charring and crisp to it. It also heats up easily, so it can let you whip up a few pies in a shorter amount of time.

3. Baking Steel

A relatively new equipment option when it comes to pizza baking is baking steel. As the name suggests, they are made from steel so they promise to conduct heat better than stone. They’re also capable of cooking food quickly, evenly, and effectively at lower temperatures which might just be a better way to bake a pizza during the hot months.

4. Salt Tile

Since salt tiles are already being widely used as cookware as of late, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that it has also become a pizza stone option. They can create a crispy and perfectly cooked pie with a few health benefits added to the mix.

Top 5 Benefits of the Best Pizza Stone for Your Kitchen 

If you’ve been baking pizzas at home for a while now and find them satisfactory, you might be wondering why people still tell you to get an actual pizza stone. There are actually a few great reasons why you should give these things a shot and some of them are the following:

1. They will let you make professional quality pies.

With the right use of the best pizza stone, you can be sure that your dough will be properly baked, giving you a pie that can rival or even maybe exceed the ones you usually get from a good pizzeria.

2. There are tons of other things that you can bake with a pizza stone.

Aside from pizza, a baking stone can also be used to whip up a wide range of other dishes in the oven. Lots of folks also use it to bake bread, cookies, vegetables, and even roast meats. 

3. Great for reheating or keeping food warm.

As pizza stones are very effective in conducting heat, they can be used as food warmers as well. They’re great for heating foods like tortillas and pita bread. 

4. They don’t require complicated maintenance techniques, unlike other options.

While you still have to remember a few particular things when using and cleaning a pizza stone, it’s not as complicated as keeping a cast iron or aluminum pan in good shape. 

5. You might just feel more sophisticated using a pizza stone than a pizza pan.

Since you will still have to do some preparatory steps when making a pizza, it won’t really make a huge difference if you have to add preheating the stone an hour before putting the pizza in. Some folks who like to get spiffy when making their food may even find themselves tickled pink with how fancy the idea of using a pizza stone is instead of a regular pizza pan. 

How to Use Pizza Stone

If you’re going to get the best pizza stone, you might also want to get to know first how they are used. You see, these cooking tools require some special preparatory steps so you can get the best results from them. You can’t just place your dough on top and cook as-is with a pizza stone.

To get the most out of your pizza stone, you should always preheat it an hour before you cook your pizza on a pizza stone. Crank up the heat of your oven to its highest setting and place the pizza stone on the bottom rack. After sixty minutes, place your dough on top of the heated stone and then proceed with the baking process.

The same goes if you wish to use your stone in your grill. Place it on top of the grill, close the lid, and set the heat on medium. Leave it for an hour to heat up and then you can start making your pizza.

How to Clean a Pizza Stone 

Another important concern you should address when deciding whether to get a pizza stone or not is in its cleaning. Cookware that’s just too hard to clean might not be worth it, especially if there are tons of alternatives available. 

Luckily, pizza stones are actually pretty easy to clean. You just have to scrape the dried crust off and rinse it with water. With its porous nature, you can’t use soap with it. If you insist, your next pies will taste like whatever dishwashing soap you use at home and that won’t be very appetizing.

Only wash your pizza stone when it’s already fully cooled down, though. Sudden changes in temperature will affect its integrity and shorten its lifespan. 

Seasoning your stone regularly is also a great way to keep it in great shape and prevent dough-based dishes from sticking to the surface. To do this, you’ll need to rub half a teaspoon (or more if your stone is big) on the surface of the pizza stone until the sheen of the oil disappears. As an alternative, you can also just opt to sprinkle breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or rice flour on the stone’s surface right before you use it.

Experts also say that you should never use chemical sealers if you’ve opted for an unglazed natural stone pizza. The sealers will expand and cause the stone to crack when exposed to high temperatures, so it’s always safer to just skip them.

Where to Buy the Best Pizza Stone

Once you’ve decided to get the top-rated pizza stone, you might be wondering where you can get the best one. Like other cookware, you can find these items in home stores. They’re more easily found in gourmet cooking stores, though, so you might want to check those out as well. Of course, you can also find a great selection online. 

To help you find a great baking stone for your kitchen, we’ve also rounded up ten of the top-rated products on the web. This list might just make your search easier, so check it out below.

Top 11 Best Pizza Stone We Have Tested to Make Yummy Pizza at Home

Best Multipurpose: FibraMent-D Rectangular Home Oven Baking Stone

Pros:

• Multi purposes use
• crispy, golden, slightly charred pizza crusts
• Less likely to char the bottoms of pieces of bread and pastries
• Can live on the oven when not in use

Cons:

• Expensive
• Needs to be tempered before first use

Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone, 14.5-Inch x 16.5-Inch 

If you want a quality pizza stone, then going for the very item the tool’s inventor created is a good start. The Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone is actually what Pascale “Pat” Bruno made more than forty years ago when he was inspired to create a tool that will help make better pizzas at home. 

It also doesn’t hurt that the premier cooking magazine, Cook’s Illustrated, hailed this very item as their top pick for pizza stones. With their expertise and extensive knowledge in the craft, you can count on their picks to help create a better-equipped kitchen.

Looking at its features, you can really say that this product makes a great cooking surface. Made with firebrick, it guarantees durability even when exposed to very high temperatures. It has even been further reinforced to withstand thermal shock in its production.

It’s also been specially crafted to create crispy and chewy crusts. With its special Heat Core, it promises to be more effective in retaining heat in its centre so it can thoroughly and evenly cook dough-based dishes. Its ½” thickness also helps ensure ample heat conductivity and faster cooking times. Finished with ½” tall support feet, it can also boost air circulation inside the oven which will help cook your pizza more efficiently.

See more on: Old stone oven rectangular pizza stone review

Pros:

• Handmade in the US
• Can handle thermal shock without cracking
• Equipped with a specially engineered Heat Core
• The original pizza stone created by Pat Bruno
• Top-rated by Cook’s Illustrated

Cons:

• Heavy
• Quite pricey
• Doesn’t come in other sizes

Related: The 10 Best Pizza Peel

Heritage, Black Ceramic Pizza Stone 15” – Baking Stones for Oven, Grill, BBQ

One of the reasons why some people shy away from pizza stones is the preheat time. Not everyone is willing to plan their pizza making an hour before they feel like having pizza, so steel pans tend to offer quick solutions for some. However, with the Heritage Black Ceramic Pizza Stone, you won’t have to spend as much time preheating so you can enjoy a nice homemade pizza right away.

Made of glazed ceramic, this Heritage pizza stone is specifically crafted to speed up the pre-heating process. It even promises to heat up twice as fast as other baking stones in the market today. This will allow you to whip up pies in an instant, letting you enjoy last-minute pizzas for dinner without resorting to frozen doughs.

This product is also very easy to maintain. Designed to be stain-resistant, it won’t look old and unsightly after a few years of use. Its glazed surface will also help save you from all of the scrapings as it provides a non-stick surface to the baking stone. You also won’t have to season this product as well as it already has an outer coating.

Lots of folks also like the sleek design that makes it the perfect addition to any modern kitchen. Topped with a lifetime warranty, it can definitely be a good pick for a lot of home cooks. 

Pros:

• Designed to not easily stain
• Free pizza cutter included
• Lifetime warranty
• Pre heats up to twice faster than other baking stones
• Very easy to maintain
• Sleek and attractive design
• A glazed finish won’t make the dough stick to the surface

Cons:

• The circular shape can be a bit limiting
• Slightly slippery surface

Old Stone Oven Round Pizza Stone, 16-Inch 

Some people like their pizza stones to look exactly like it’s a cooking tool for pizza so circular options are still in great demand. If you’re one of these folks, the Old Stone Oven Round Pizza Stone would be a good option.

Like the other Old Stone Oven product listed above, this item is also made with high-grade firebrick that guarantees excellent and even heats conduction and distribution. This makes it reliable in cooking crispy and chewy crusts which can take your homemade pizzas to the next level. 

The only difference it really has from the rectangular Old Stone Oven pizza is its shape and size. It’s circular and 16” in diameter so it can be perfect for whipping up large pizza pies or smaller square pizzas.

See more on: Old stone oven round pizza stone review

Pros:

• Made of high-quality firebrick
• Large size
• The circular shape makes it easier for you to whip up circular pies
• Heats up evenly and thoroughly
• Handles rapid temperature changes with ease
• Highly durable
• Friendly price

Cons:

• Won’t make large square pizzas
• Heavy
• Measurements are slightly bigger than published

Pizzacraft PC9899 20 x 13.5 Rectangular ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone

Those who like experimenting with their pizza dough recipes may find some baking stones unforgiving to the risks they take. This can be a major hurdle to those who want to explore their culinary range, so why not just look for a pizza stone that will accommodate your cooking preferences? The Pizzacraft PC9899 is an excellent option that’s worth considering in such cases, so you might want to give this product a shot.

Made of cordierite, this product certainly stands out from the majority of baking stones made of natural stone with its ability to conduct heat. This material is actually used to make kin shelves so you can be sure that it’s extremely durable and capable of withstanding high temperatures. As it’s also ⅔” thick, it can retain even more heat without the risk of cracking. Further reinforced with its ThermaBond feature, you can count on this item to also handle changes in temperatures with ease.

Pros:

• ThermaBond feature protects it from getting damaged by thermal shock
• Made of FDA-safe materials
• Fits most standard ovens
• Great price
• Highly flexible when it comes to various ingredients
• Extremely durable

Cons:

• Measurements tend to differ

Read More on: Pizzacraft Round Pizza Stone Reviews

Char-Griller 6201 Smokin’ Stone 

If you already have the Char-Griller AKORN Kamado, you’ll know that your grill can also double duty as a convection oven and smoker with the right accessories. In this case, the Char-Griller 6201 Smokin’ Stone is what you need. It can effectively deflect the heat and direct the hot air to move around to better cook your food. This allows it to give you alternative ways to cook in the very same equipment.

While this product is created to serve as a grill attachment, it can also serve as a pizza stone for a gas grill. In fact, it can be the best pizza stone in the list in terms of heat conductivity and durability. As it is made of cordierite, it can handle up to 800F. This guarantees that it won’t easily break even in the hottest settings. 

As for its cooking, you’re also guaranteed that it can give you great results. With its ¾” thickness, it promises to do a great job in retaining and distributing heat evenly. This guarantees that it will give you a chewy and crispy crust to enjoy.

Pros:

• Highly versatile
• Can withstand extremely high heat

Cons:

• Won’t let you make huge pies due to its size and shape

Dough-Joe® 15” x 18” Pizza and Baking Stone (5-piece set)

While lots of pizza stones in the market today promise durability, the fact that these items are exposed to very high temperatures can really affect the integrity of the item. This is why many will still break. This, of course, can be a hassle, as it won’t be that easy to use them for baking pizza anymore. However, if you opt for a series of bricks that you can just position next to each other to create a bigger surface, you can skip the hassle of handling a large pizza stone. This technique is actually used by Julia Child herself, so you really can’t go wrong with it.

The Dough-Joe® 15” x 18” Pizza and Baking Stone will let you replicate what Child did when baking her own homemade pizzas. You only need to pack this 5-piece set of cordierite bricks into a nice bunch to create a flat surface and it can already hold your pizza without a fuss. 

The best part about this item is you can easily customize its size and shape according to your needs. If you only need to bake a loaf of bread then you won’t need all of the bricks inside the oven. You can do more and be more efficient with its help, which makes it a great pick for many home cooks.

Pros:

• Modular design gives you the ability to customize the size of your baking stone
• Less prone to stress breakage
• Seasoning not required
• Handles high heat without any risk of breakage
• Makes excellent pizzas
• Very versatile
• Easy to handle and store
• It will fit in just about any oven

Cons:

• Removing a cooked pizza can be tricky at first

Pizzacraft 15” Square ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone – For Oven or Grill

With Pizzacraft being one of the most popular manufacturers of pizza-making tools and equipment, it shouldn’t be surprising to find a couple of their products on this list. In this case, the Pizzacraft 15” Square ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone is another one of theirs that you can check out. 

This ½” thick pizza stone is a great pick if you want something that works well without taking too long to preheat. This thickness will already work great for home use, making this Pizzacraft square pizza stone product a good option.

Its square shape is also a solid advantage of this product. It offers more versatility in terms of dishes. As it measures 15” by 15”, it already offers a lot of cooking space. You can already make a wide array of different dishes aside from pizza in this stone.

See the Pizzacraft square pizza stone review for more details on this stone

Pros:

• Square shape offers more versatility
• Doesn’t require seasoning
• Thermal shock resistant
• Made of FDA-safe materials
• No need to soak in water before use
• 100% satisfaction guaranteed

Cons:

• Gives off a scent in the first few uses that goes away on its own

Emile Henry Pizza Stone 

Want a really nice homemade NY-style pizza but not too keen on cleaning a pizza stone or pan? Then the Emile Henry Made In France Flame Top Pizza Stone might just be the perfect pick for you. This item simplifies cleanups and maintenance so you won’t have to take extra special measures to clean it after use.

Thanks to its glazed finish, this item is way different from your other options. It’s actually top-rack dishwasher safe so you don’t have to worry about spending time cleaning it by hand. Lazy cooks will find this enticing as it won’t require seasoning.

Lots of people also like this product for its appearance. It actually looks really nice that you won’t hesitate to use it to serve the pizza. Luckily, it’s also scratch-resistant, so you can slice your pie in it without a hitch.

Durability is also guaranteed in this product. Made with the proprietary Flame technology that the brand is known for, you can count on it to keep on making top-notch pizzas for years to come.

Pros:

• Looks really nice
• The glazed surface makes it scratch-free
• Low-maintenance
• Top-rack dishwasher safe
• Can withstand up to 900F
• Can be used for serving pizza
• Available in different colors

Cons:

• There are reports of breakage when dropped

Only Pizza Stone with Thermarite for Best Crispy Crust. Durable

If you’ve already had a pizza stone break on you before, you will want to find something made from the toughest material there is. For this, you should consider the Cast Elegance Pizza Stone with Thermarite. Thermarite is a specially engineered version of cordierite that’s made tougher to be more durable and capable of handling high heat. It can handle up to 2000F which is far beyond the breaking point of other pizza stones in the market today.

Thanks to its material, it’s guaranteed not to easily break despite rapid changes in temperature. This makes it ideal for many households, especially those who often make mistakes of washing cookware right away.

As Thermarite is also highly absorbent of moisture, you can also count on it to make crispy, chewy, and overall enjoyable pies for your family and friends. Some even say that it can replicate brick oven-baked consistency and texture making it an even more attractive option.

Pros:

• Made of extremely durable material
• Passed the most rigid safety standards 
• Doesn’t have a scent
• No seasoning required
• Comes ready to use right out of the box
• Can withstand thermal shock
• Free scraper and recipe book included
• Offers results similar to pies baked in a brick oven

Cons:

• The dough tends to stick to it

Make The Best Crispy Crust Pizza. Use the Only Pizza Stone with Thermarite

Being a bigger version of the item listed above, this Cast Elegance Thermarite Pizza Stone is also an excellent option for those who want the toughest pizza stone in the market today. Made from the specially engineered thermite material, it guarantees years of use as it’s perfectly capable of handling extremely high temperatures.

Because of its size, you can rely on this pizza stone to be more efficient. If you have a huge family or often have friends over for dinner, this will help you feed everyone to the brim without having to slave away in the kitchen. 

However, also due to its measurements, it might not exactly fit all ovens. Make sure to measure your oven first before ordering. If it’s too big, you can always easily opt for the 14” variety listed above.

Pros:

• Extremely durable
• Won’t break due to thermal shock
• Large size makes an efficient cooking surface for large batches of food
• Proven safe to use
• Bakes crusts to a nice crisp
• Comes with a free recipe book and scraper

Cons:

• The dough tends to stick to its surface

Buying Guide – Top 5 Things To Consider Before Buying the Best Pizza Stone 

To make sure that you’ll bring home the best pizza stone, here are a few factors you should consider:

1. Your Oven’s Size

As a pizza stone has to go inside your oven to actually work, you need to consider the measurements of your oven before committing to any product. This way, you can be sure that you can actually use your pizza stone in your oven.

When it comes to sizing your pizza stone for a natural gas oven, follow the cookie sheet rule of thumb: leave at least an inch of open space on each side to allow air to circulate. 

2. Pick the Shape of Your Choice

Pizza stones also come in a wide range of shapes, so you might want to carefully pick one as well. Most experts prefer rectangular-shaped ones as they’re more versatile. You don’t really have to stick with a circular stone if you think other options are more practical for your needs.

3. The Right Thickness

When it comes to a baking stone’s thickness, the thicker it is, the better the heat absorption and retention will be. It also promises better heat distribution which promises more thorough and even cooking. Most options are about ¾ inch thick and below, although, you can also find professional options that are 2 inches thick. You won’t really need such for home use, though.

4. What the Pizza Stone is Made Of

The actual material your pizza stone is made of should also factor into your decision-making. You’ll often find products made of firebrick, clay, marble, or tile but there will still be other options in the market. It pays to know which materials are great at retaining heat and are durable so you can get the best value for your money. 

5. Your Budget

Pizza stones also come in different price points so it’s best if you have a solid budget in mind. Aside from the actual price of the item you’re eyeing, you might also want to consider the freight cost of your purchase if you’re buying online. These items are typically very heavy, so you might want to look for one that comes with free shipping.

6. Cut Your Pizza Somewhere Else

When it comes to cutting pizza with a pizza cutter, you are always recommended to cut it outside the stone. Why? If you cut pizza on the stone then the stone might get scratched. None of our picks are ideal for cutting surfaces. And stone might dull your precious knives and pizza slicers. So transfer the pizza on a cutting surface and cut it with any pizza slicer.

Brands

• Emile Henry 
• Lodge
• Cast Elegance
• NerdChef

FAQs

Can you cut pizza on a pizza stone?

No, you probably shouldn’t. Cutting pizza on a pizza stone is not recommended. Instead, you could try a solid board. In fact, your pizza cutter might be destroyed as it is used on a stone.

The Takeaway

Making the best pizza at home will be one of the greatest achievements for a home cook. Make your journey easier with the best pizza stone. Our ten picks are all top-rated and guaranteed to produce top-notch results, so we can assure you that they’re all great picks. Of course, in the end, the decision is still yours to make. We just hope we make your search a bit easier with this guide so you can start enjoying great homemade pizzas right away.