Using tile for pizza stone

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kelly237

Assistant Cook
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
6
I am on a quest to make really good pizza at home.

(I have a bread machine that I was wondering if I could use up until
a certain step???)
I have read that you can get unglazed tiles at the hardware store to use for a pizza stone but the guy today at the store said they didn't
have any.
Does anyone know exactly what type tiles I need to look for ???

I like the idea of leaving them in the oven for breads ect.
 
I don't believe you need a hardware store, but a building supply center, such as Home Depot or Lowes. You can also try a concrete/cement mixing center. They often have a show room and carry unglazed ceramic quarry tiles for both indoor flooring and patios. So will flooring stores.
 
Thanks everyone.. I will search tomorrow.
I have a recipe for a crust I want to try.
 
Saltillo Tile is what it's called here in Texas. I have it on my kitchen floor.

It's much like the Terra Cotta flower pots we have.

Any "tile shop" like carpet and tile flooring will have it. Also Home depot and others.

If using for cooking, be Sure to get the raw, non- glazed tile.

It's not really a "Glaze", but a chemical sealer. You wouldn't want pre- sealed Saltillo for cooking.

Eric, Austin Tx.
 
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Today I went to Lowes and they say they have no idea what I am talking about when I asked for quarry or terricotta tiles.
When I mention "pizza" they try to send me to the cooking stores...
I called some tile stores but it was after 5 and most were closed. I have a few I will call tomorrow.

giggler.. I think I saw saltillo at Home Depot but I don't remember if they were unglazed.

Now I am totally obsessed with getting this tile and making great pizza
crust .......
 
Kelly, try this. I have a huge (I think 18 inches in diameter) unglazed flower pot under dish I bought at a garden store. I use it for breads and it never occurred to me to use it for pizza. Check that out.

I've had it for years and put it through the dishwasher when it gets icky. Hope this helps. Tell Lowes to go jump in the creek.:LOL::LOL:
 
Kelly, try this. I have a huge (I think 18 inches in diameter) unglazed flower pot under dish I bought at a garden store. I use it for breads and it never occurred to me to use it for pizza. Check that out.

I've had it for years and put it through the dishwasher when it gets icky. Hope this helps. Tell Lowes to go jump in the creek.:LOL::LOL:
did you get it at a garden store or a home depot type store?
 
did you get it at a garden store or a home depot type store?

I bought it at an area nursery that had a great selection of terra cotta pots and under plates. I just bought the biggest one they had. I also use broken pieces of pots to keep my brown sugar soft. I put the broken pieces through the dishwasher, then into the brown sugar.
 
It seems unglazed quarry tiles aren't as fashionable as they were just a few years ago. They are available through Home Depot's flooring dept, as a special order. There should be a sample board of some kind that you should be able to order from. I bought some last winter unglazed 6x6 on a clearance shelf at home depot. If the first person you talk to can't help ask for someone else, in my experience the people working there can have limited knowledge. Hope this helps, good luck.
 
Or, you can avoid running all over creation and do what I did - go to a kitchenware store and buy a 15" pizza stone w/wire rack for about $20.
 
But Selkie..that would be too much like giving up at this point :LOL:

I have an extra wall oven I don't use much and I want to experiment with
a layer of tiles high and low to create a type of "brick oven"

giggler..the link helps..I think I saw those at Home Depot...

katie..great ideas about using the pieces ...

I will try again today while I am out running errands...
 
Kelly, just a reminder.. the tile in that picture is Sealed. It looks sort of orange/ yellow when sealed. I've heard strange stuff about the sealer chemical they use. So when I bought tile for our floor, I got it pre-sealed so as not to have to mess with it. The tile was also sold non-sealed for a little less per tile. For cooking, no sealer please.

They also come in octagon shape for a prettier floor!

Eric, Austin Tx.
 
It's surprising that none of the nervous Nellies here are not concerned about the food safety of clay floor tiles, flower pots and flower pot trays.

Using a clay tile as a pizza stone, most people know to wipe it down with a damp dish cloth before using it, and requires it to be preheated - usually to a temperature between 450 to 500 degrees F. for 5-10 minutes which will kill most common food bacteria, before cooking the pizza.
 
It's surprising that none of the nervous Nellies here are not concerned about the food safety of clay floor tiles, flower pots and flower pot trays.
It is because there is nothing unsafe about it if it is not treated. Clay, stone, and ceramic have been used in (safe) cooking for a long long time.
 
It is because there is nothing unsafe about it if it is not treated. Clay, stone, and ceramic have been used in (safe) cooking for a long long time.


Yes, but...

Clay used in cooking vessels must be free of harmful contaminants while clay used to make flooring tiles or planter bases does not. Clays used to make non-food tiles could contain lead, other heavy metals or other harmful things. Not saying the all do, just that it's not regulated.
 
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