Pizza Stone Needs to be Cleaned.

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Corey123

Washing Up
Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
2,881
Location
East Boston, MA.
I have a pizza Stone that was left in the apartment by the last tenant who resided here. It works fine in the oven once it's hot. I have to put a piece of foil on it to use it though.

I could buy one, but why spend the money when there's one already here?:ermm:

The problem is the stone is stained and it won't come clean to the point where the stains are removed. Looks like cooked-on grease stains embedded in the stone. I tried everything that I could think of. Any suggestions, please?:ermm:


~Corey123.
 
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I leave my pizza stone in the oven during the self cleaning cycle. It comes out clean as a whistle. Any stain that survives that process is cosmetic only and will not effect cooking.

I leave the stone in the oven all the time but upside down to keep the cooking surface clean for when I use it.
 
The "stains" are normal for stones. They get that way from the oils in the food cooked on them and are seasoned. I don't use any soap on mine, just, very hot water and a scrubber pad. They very get clean that way without soap. Hot water cleans the food off.
The only thing that soap is used for is to remove oils. Just like your body and hair.
A lot of people can not get pass this and still use soap on them without hurting the stone. It's just a personal preference as to what you want to do.
Neither way is the wrong way, just what you feel is right for you.
 
The stone is supposed to look that way. The oils from food create the non-stick surface.

I never wash my stones - I just scrape off the "crispy bits" - the stuff on the surface. If it's really greasy, I wipe it with paper towels.

Here are cleaning instructions from Pampered Chef about their stones:
As soap can flavor foods that are baked in Stoneware, it is important that you do not use soap or detergents to clean your Stoneware or wash in an automatic dishwasher using dishwasher detergent. Follow these steps for cleaning:

General Cleaning
Allow Stoneware to cool to room temperature before cleaning.
Soak Stoneware in clear, hot water to loosen baked-on foods.
Scrape off excess food on surface of Stoneware using the Nylon Pan Scraper (provided with Stoneware).
Rinse and dry thoroughly before storing.
Deep Cleaning
Prepare a baking soda paste by mixing 1/2 cup baking soda with 3 tablespoons water.
Apply baking soda paste to desired areas and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Scrape off excess paste using the Nylon Pan Scraper. Rinse and dry thoroughly before storing.
 
As Caine said - leave it alone!

Stone is porous ... it absorbs oil and food stains. It doesn't affect cooking qualities.

As others have noted ... Corinne and texasgirl ... it doesn't hurt it. I must admit that I have never tried Andy M.'s method of leaving mine in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle ... but I might try that next time. Of course, if it breaks, Andy is going to get a box of shards shipped to him via UPS ... :LOL:
 
I agree to all the above posts, it is in essence seasoned. My wife FREAKED when her Pampered Chef stone got dirty,HAHAHAAAA, until she was told "It's OK", of course she wouldn't listen to me...
 
Michael in FtW said:
As Caine said - leave it alone!

Stone is porous ... it absorbs oil and food stains. It doesn't affect cooking qualities.

As others have noted ... Corinne and texasgirl ... it doesn't hurt it. I must admit that I have never tried Andy M.'s method of leaving mine in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle ... but I might try that next time. Of course, if it breaks, Andy is going to get a box of shards shipped to him via UPS ... :LOL:



The oven is not self-cleaning.


~Corey123.
 
I would normally agree w/all above, that the stains and discoloring are from the normal cooking process. However - Corey said she 'inherited' the stone from a previous apartment dweller - so she has no idea what those stains are from :eek: ! In this case, I'd suggest maybe washing it with a soft scrubbie and some mild detergent - just to feel better from a hygienic point of view!
 
Michael in FtW said:
...Of course, if it breaks, Andy is going to get a box of shards shipped to him via UPS ... :LOL:

That's OK, Michael. I'll glue it back together and send it back!

Ceramics can withstand extreme heat without harm. I have a Pampered Chef stone and leaving that in the oven during a cleaning cycle works for it.

I'm talking about a variety of food stains either from pizza components or other stuff I cook in the oven that spill over. I don't always remember to turn the stone upside down when I'm not using it to keep the pizza side clean between uses.

If you're using unglazed quarry tiles, it should work for them as well, but I've never tried it.
 
Andy M. said:
I leave my pizza stone in the oven during the self cleaning cycle. It comes out clean as a whistle. Any stain that survives that process is cosmetic only and will not effect cooking.

This is what i do too.
 
marmalady said:
I would normally agree w/all above, that the stains and discoloring are from the normal cooking process. However - Corey said she 'inherited' the stone from a previous apartment dweller - so she has no idea what those stains are from :eek: ! In this case, I'd suggest maybe washing it with a soft scrubbie and some mild detergent - just to feel better from a hygienic point of view!

Not a problem ... the stains are really insignificant and don't mean anything healthwise. Heat the stone up to 350-F for about 10 minutes .. all the bugs will be dead. If you were going to wash it ... I would heat it on lowest oven temp for about 2 hours - then crank it up to about 200-F for an hour to dry the stone out. Stones are porous ... if you don't dry them out slowly the moisture inside the stone can expand and cause the stone to break.
 
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