If you like to make pizza at home, you are probably familiar with pizza stones. A pizza stone is an equipment that allows you to take your home pizza production to another. If you learn how to season a pizza stone, things will be easier for you. This thick stone or composite block sits beneath your pizza. It allows it to bake quickly and uniformly for that perfectly crispy base. These can be wooden or even metallic. We’ve handpicked some of the best ones for your reference, if you’re currently in need of one.
It’s a very useful tool, but it can be a little intimidating at first to figure out how to season a pizza stone.
Some folks say seasoning a pizza stone adds flavor to your pizza. While some don’t season the stone at all, instead cook their pizzas on it as is.
Aside from that, if you’re using a pizza stone for the first time, you should also know how to clean it perfectly and adhere to the guidelines of the stone’s seller. It will ensure that your baking stone lasts as long as possible.
What Does Seasoning Mean?
In kitchenware, seasoning is the method of assigning oil and baking it into the cookware by heating. The main objective of seasoning is to add a protective coating that will reduce sticking while also protecting cast iron from rusting.
Different cultures have different seasoning methods. Seasoning refers to enhancing or enhancing the natural texture and flavor without altering it. Seasonings cannot be tasted when appropriately used; their role is to enhance the flavors of the natural ingredients.
Why Should Your Pizza Stone Not Be Seasoned?
People frequently make arguments for why a pizza stone should not be seasoned. We’ll examine the views whether or not you can oil your pizza stone and to see if they hold up to criticism.
1. Glazed or Sealed Pizza Stone
Generally, pizza stones are manufactured from unglazed, porous stone or ceramic material. However, it is not always the truth. Specific pizza stones are designed to be nonporous from the beginning. Confirm with the manufacturer that if your new pizza stone is already sealed, you won’t have to season it.
2. Manufacturer Warning
It’s always a great idea to consider the manufacturer’s instructions when using a pizza stone. The majority of pizza stone manufacturers do not recommend seasoning them. However, as long as the stone isn’t glazed, it’s always a great idea to season your pizza stone, despite what the manufacturer says. Because a well-seasoned pizza stone has a nonstick surface, it is easier to use. Most stones can be seasoned without being ruined, but it doesn’t mean you should.
3. Natural Seasoning
On the other hand, the pizza stone can be seasoned even if you like it or not. When you bake food with a lot of oil on your pizza stone, you can get natural seasoning. This oil will be absorbed when it drips on the stone. It may add flavors from those fats to affect the other food you’re cooking on the stone. It is most common with clay pizza stones, which absorb more oil than ceramic stones. With regard to this context, people may want to argue how pizza stones compare to pizza pans.
4. Pizza Stone Will Start To Smell
Some people believe that pre-seasoning a pizza stone with oil causes it to emit awful smoke when heated to high temperatures. It happens when you use a thick oil, such as olive oil, because it is difficult to rub into the deepest cavities of your pizza stone.
However, this is not an argument against seasoning your pizza stone. Instead, it is a warning on what can occur if you don’t do it in order.
Why Should You Season Your Pizza Stone?
Let’s take a look at some frequently cited reasons why seasoning your pizza stone is a good idea.
1. Pizza Won’t Stick To The Stone
It is the primary reason for seasoning a pizza stone. A nonstick surface is the total opposite of a new, unseasoned pizza stone. Nothing is more disheartening than discovering that your first pizza is stuck to the base of the pizza stone, causing a burnt mess that is almost challenging to remove. More importantly, when baking a frozen pizza, a seasoned pizza stone may make it way easy for you to replicate consistent results.
2. Easier To Clean The Pizza Stone
Cleaning a pizza stone can be difficult, especially if it is new. Soap or running water should not be used because it can diffuse in the stone, causing it to crack when heated and getting into your food. It is much easier to clean a seasoned pizza stone because it has a nonstick surface. Despite lesser mess, you should consistently clean your pizza stone. Use this guide to master cleaning pizza stones of all kinds.
3. Seasoning Oil Selection
Generally, pizza stones were seasoned with olive oil. Although it is delicious, olive oil has a strong flavor. It can be pretty thick, making it difficult to rub into the deepest recesses of your pizza stone.
Instead, seasoning the pizza stone with a lighter, less strong-smelling oil, such as flaxseed or rapeseed oil that doesn’t give your pizza a very strong taste and smell will be much better.
How To Preseason And Season The Pizza Stone
Here are some tips for seasoning and pre-seasoning a pizza stone. It will guide you to make delicious pizza every time without making a sticky and awful mess with the pizza stone.
How To Preseason A Pizza Stone?
To pre-season a baking stone, you’ll need an old (clean) washcloth, neutral cooking oil, and a large enough oven to hold the baking stone. First, wipe down the pan with a wet cloth and no soap to ensure that nothing is stuck to it that will interfere with the seasoning process.
After that, dry it in the oven on moderate heat, so you have a clean, warm slate to work with. Then, apply a thin layer of neutral cooking oil.
Towels, according to most people, stick less on a new stone than paper.
After applying the oil, bake the stone at a medium-high temperature so that the oil cooks into it, just as it does when making a pizza. The concept is that the thin coating of oil will ensure that the pizza does not stick to the pan when cooking.
How To Season A Pizza Stone?
The seasoning method turns the stone into something useful. If you’re concerned about the pizza sticking to the pizza stone, you can try pre-seasoning it.
Aside from that, all you need to do is ensure you properly care for the pizza stone after this so that unnecessary debris doesn’t accumulate.
There’s also a distinction between the seasoning process and the deposition of pizza on the stone. Use a light tool to remove the build-up and scrape off the parts that stick the most when using the baking stone.. It ensures that what stays is only the seasoned part of the baking stone and not leftover food.
Conclusion
Now that you have learned how to season a pizza stone and what not to do, you’ll probably find yourself cooking pizza much more frequently than before.
If you follow the simple instructions above, you will be able to give your pizza stone a smooth and well-seasoned finish in a matter of minutes.