tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239521152553433086.post6059275069930054789..comments2024-03-14T12:27:50.058-06:00Comments on Cookistry: Technique: Cooking Surfaces for Pizza (Part 4)Donna Curriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12833303767775886944noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239521152553433086.post-91195689211811820562011-04-17T21:44:21.784-06:002011-04-17T21:44:21.784-06:00Third try for the above -C.Third try for the above -C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239521152553433086.post-53420531721452754152011-04-17T21:43:38.593-06:002011-04-17T21:43:38.593-06:00Again, Donna, a great report and well worth the re...Again, Donna, a great report and well worth the read. I thought about raw quarry tiles, including the double layer becasue they are inexpensive. About a year ago, I went with a painfully expensive FibraMent stone, as thick as available and custom-cut to fit one of my half sheet pans. It is much easier to handle when contained in a pan!! The operations folks called be back to double-check the size and cautioned about some heat expansion and I allowed them to reduce by 1/8". I don't remember the exact thickness, but it is well above the pan. Limited by an old, lame electric oven, I sought the largest heat-sinc mass that I could find. I also limited it to the half-sheet pan for handeling and to allow reasonable air circulation within the oven. For pizza or bread or anything else on the stone, I preheat for a full hour. If I'm still seeing frequent element cycles, I extend 10-15 minutes. It makes great pizza, if I do not screw up simething else. Pleaced at mid-level, it bakes breads that are fully equal to my dough and shaping skill. I know that some folks have been unhappy with FibraMent stones. I am not one one them. I am delighted, but I paid the extra bucks for a whopping thick stone, cot exactly to fit a containment pan and again, I bit my pocketbook. I could not be happier and it performes as advertized. I guess thte serious take-home for pizza cooking surfaces is primarily getting them hot enough. In my own kitchen, the next trial will be a large, rectangular cast iron griddle that has been rehabed. Moderatley heavy, smooth on one side and ribbed on the other. It is useless on t he stovetop or the grille, but it may, repeat *may* help with home-oven pizza. As always, a substantial pre-heat is part of my game and door openings are carefully planned to be as short as physically possible. Happy baking! -C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239521152553433086.post-46202823668825470412011-04-17T21:29:10.086-06:002011-04-17T21:29:10.086-06:00Leaper, you might have read it here. I tried that,...Leaper, you might have read it here. I tried that, and it sort of worked, but they still shifted around after a while. I'm constantly moving my racks around, so they always needed to be adjusted.Donna Curriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12833303767775886944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239521152553433086.post-57227762793137235912011-04-17T21:22:13.821-06:002011-04-17T21:22:13.821-06:00I think I read someone - on The Fresh Loaf maybe? ...I think I read someone - on The Fresh Loaf maybe? - talking about using tiles in a pan for a similar purpose, and they put a second layer underneath with them upsidedown, spread out to touch the edges, so the ridges on the bottoms of the tiles interlocked and held everything together and stable.Leaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16526904062433470160noreply@blogger.com