Cooking Resources

danpeikes · 12-20-2009, 10:28 AM

has anyone here used a paving stone as pizza/ baking stone? AB says it is a good option in his gear book, I am just worried about getting the wrong kind of stone. At the same time I do no want to spend the money on a fancy "Pizza/Bread Stone."

Wyogal · 12-20-2009, 11:09 AM

I'm not sure about food safety and paving stones. You might want to see what they are made of before you try it. Not sure about stuff like lead content, etc.

Michael in FtW · 12-20-2009, 12:29 PM

Two things come to mind here:

1) Find a not so fancy pizza stone at Walmart/K-Mart/Target for $12-$16. My kids gave me one 8-10 years ago (I know it was under $15) that is still chugging along just fine.

2) Buy a lead test kit, they run about $8-$15, and test your paving stone to make sure it is lead free.

Selkie · 12-20-2009, 12:38 PM

I purchased a regular 16" pizza stone with a wire rack holder for less than $21, and I don't have to worry about lead, glazing or any other nonsense. Just invest in a pizza stone...

Some cheap workarounds, simply aren't worth the time, effort or trouble!

justplainbill · 12-20-2009, 01:28 PM

We're glad we bought a Hearthkit some 5-6 years ago. Since, we bake well over 50 loaves of bread per season (Dec thru May) i think we recovered the cost of the Hearthkit within four years. Those round 1/2" thick pizza stones don't hold a candle to the thicker hearthkit. If and when, God forbid, I have to replace the Hearthkit (they seem to be out of business) I hope fibrament is still available.

Randy_ · 12-20-2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Selkie

I purchased a regular 16" pizza stone with a wire rack holder for less than $21, and I don't have to worry about lead, glazing or any other nonsense. Just invest in a pizza stone...

Some cheap workarounds, simply aren't worth the time, effort or trouble!

I agree. Paving stones are made out of many different materials,......some probably safe and some probably not so. And you have no way of knowing which are safe and which are not. A lead kit is fine as far as it goes; but there are many other materials that are unsafe that you will not be testing for.

Just buy a pizza stone. it may cost a little more that you are comfortable with; but how much is your health and that of your family worth??

Alix · 12-20-2009, 03:38 PM

My local Safeway has a decent stone for $9.

love2"Q" · 12-20-2009, 03:39 PM

i have a stone from pampered chef .. 20 bucks i think ..
been on the grill a lot ..
i like it ..

**FrankZ** · 12-20-2009, 05:28 PM

I am not sure if the moisture content is going to be an issue but I put a charcoal chimney onto our patio and removed the top layer of the stone when it popped. Someone wasn't too happy with me, especially on a 3 month old patio. :)

ChefJune · 03-18-2010, 10:25 AM

I have been using unglazed quarry tiles (from a home improvement store) for many years. I was steered to that by Italian home cooks. They stressed the importance that the tiles be UNglazed.

The price is surely right.

I don't know what pavers are made of nor how thick or heavy they would be in terms of awkwardness to handle and or store when you're not using them.