Top 10 Best Pizza Stone Reviews

Many people enjoy making pizzas at home. If you also want to do the same, then you should seriously consider buying the best pizza stone. Why?  Well, a pizza stone distributes heat evenly, so your pizza will be done all over.  You won’t end up with a mix of soggy center and dry crust. Of course, you can always build a brick pizza oven like the ones you’ll see in big chains, but that’s going to set you back a couple of thousand dollars. Not to mention the stacks of woods that you’ll need to fire that thing up. Buying a pizza stone is a much more cost-effective solution.

Now, just because it’s called pizza stone doesn’t mean it’s only good for pizza. You can bake crackers, cookies, potato chips, bread, veggie roast, fish sticks, and quesadillas to name a few. It’s a handy bakeware that should be in every kitchen.

Overview of the Best Pizza Stone Reviews

A good pizza stone can improve the texture and taste of your homemade pizza. The difference it makes is so superb you’ll be wondering how can you ever live without it. Of course, not all pizza stones are worth your hard-earned money. You need to shop and ask around to see if they’re any good.

To save you from all the hassle, we present you the reviews the top ten best pizza stone that you can get your hands on. They come in various sizes, material, and extras. However, all of them have received many great reviews and ratings from fellow pizza fanatics just like you.

You will also find a quick rundown on what to look for in a pizza stone, simple care and maintenance steps, handy tips on how to get the pizza on the stone, and a comparison between pizza stone and baking steel.

Okay, without further ado, here are ten of the top rated pizza stone reviews.

Top Rated Pizza Stone

Pampered Chef Rectangular Pizza Stone

This is a rectangular pizza stone measuring 14.75-inches x 11.75-inches. It’s not big enough for making large-size pizza, but for small and medium ones, it works really well.  Your pizza will come out perfect and done evenly.

This stone is made of specific kind of clay that Pampered Chef called as natural stoneware clay. It’s ideal for baking pizzas, cookies, pretzels, bread, and much more. It will cook great yummy pizzas right from the get go. The hot stone heats up the moisture in the dough and gives you perfectly golden brown crust every time. Its non-stick nature makes it easy to get the pizza out once it’s done. It will just slide off.

Having a non-stick surface means this thing is easy to clean. It literally takes seconds to scrub away any cruds and crumbs.

Pampered Chef stone is non-porous, so it doesn’t retain any flavors and odors. Your chocolate cookies won’t smell or taste like pizza and vice versa. This means you won’t need to line the stone prior to baking anything. That’s very convenient.

This stone is excellent for use in a convection oven, microwave, and conventional oven too. It’s not made for the grill, though, so you should not try that.

Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone

After using this Emile Henry pizza stone, you’ll notice an immediate improvement on your homemade pizzas. Great crust every single time.

This stone comes with handles so that you can take it out of the oven easily. It’s a nice touch.  This thing is a bit heavy, and it’s easier to keep it level when you carry it with two hands. Pizzas, cookies, and anything you bake on it won’t stick, so there’s always a chance that they’ll slide off when you accidentally tilt the stone while taking it out of the oven with one hand.

Once you’re done baking, cleaning it up is easy. You can use a paper towel, brush, or light abrasive pad to scrub off the crud or any leftover. This thing is dishwasher-safe too. If you feel like it, just pop it in the machine.

Another amazing thing about this baking stone is that you can use it on a grill, even the really hot one. It holds up to really high temperature like it’s nothing. You can crank up the heat all the way to 700F, and it won’t crack. With a two-year warranty, you can buy one without worry. If it cracks after a couple of normal uses, then you simply ask for a replacement.

Breville BOV800PS13 Pizza Stone

This stone is specially made for use with the BOV800XL Smart oven. That oven actually comes with a pizza crisper pan, but this stone outperforms it by miles. This stone is made of real stone, and it has quite a heft to it. It may seem too big to fit in the small oven, but it fits nicely on the middle shelf. Breville smart oven heats up quickly and can heat up the stone in about fifteen minutes. You can bake and enjoy your homemade pizza real quick when you use this combo.

That being said, you’re free to use this in any other oven. It measures 13-inches x 13-inches and is perfect for baking any kind of pizza it whatever oven you already have in your kitchen. You’ll get beautiful and crispy crust on the bottom like a proper gourmet pizza. Same thing when you use it to bake bread. If you love the smell of freshly-baked bread in the morning, get this thing and enjoy your perfectly baked bread everytime.

This pizza stone is advertised as one inch thick, but it’s a bit thinner than that. It’s only about 0.75 inches, but it serves its intended purposes well, and that what matters most.

Bialetti 3 Piece Pizza Stone Set

Instead of just a stone, Bialetti makes it so you get a combo of a pizza stone, rack, and cutter. The stone is made of non-glazed ceramic and heats up quickly in the oven. It works well for baking pizzas and calzones. It doesn’t matter if you make them from scratch or buy them frozen from the store. They will come out great regardless.  You will get a nice and crisp crust that’s not dry with evenly cooked topping. The stone works well on a grill too. If you’re having a backyard barbecue party, you can bake potato wedges, shrimps, sweet corn, and a whole more foodstuff.

The wire rack makes handling and serving pizza easier. You can get the pizza out of the oven along with the stone easier with it.  Bialetti does recommend that you use a pizza peel to help you transfer the pizza to the oven. You make the pizza on the peel, adding the toppings and everything, then use the peel to put the pizza on the stone without needing to worry about making a mess.

The large pizza cutter is just a basic cutter, nothing to write home about, but it cuts well and will serve you for a long time. All in all, this combo is a great value.

Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone

If you’re planning on making a bigger than personal pan pizza, this 14.5-inches x 16.5-inches rectangular pizza stone is a nice one to have. It will fit a large pizza without any part hanging on the sides. Its rectangular shape means it won’t waste valuable space in the oven, and you can fit more on it. The stone is made of lead-free clay, so it’s safe to be used in the kitchen. It’s heavy and feels solid. No wonder some people still using it after five years and more.

With this thing in your arsenal, soggy pizzas are things of the past. Delicious and crispy crust is what it gives you each and every time. While most stones are rated up to 500F, this one goes up to 2000F. It’s highly durable and works well in ovens as well as gas grill. Summer barbecue parties just get better with this. It has raised feet at the bottom to make it easier for you to move it around in the oven and on the grill.

Old Stone has been making pizza stone for over 40 years. Their products are widely used in homes around the USA. If you’re craving for seriously delicious pizza and bread, just get this one.

Crustina Rectangular Pizza Stone

Having a great pizza stone such as this one will make your pizza taste better all around. Making great-tasting pizzas with perfectly baked crusts that you can be proud of are made simpler. You can brag about your pizza-making skills during game nights with delicious pizzas served as evidence of your skill.

This stone has excellent heat retention and distributes it evenly across its surface. Handling the stone is made easier thanks to the feet at the underside of the stone. It weighs 11 pounds and feels really solid. Make sure you use both hands when getting the stone in and out of the oven.

The stone comes in a nice box, and there are recipes printed on the back of the box for the dough, tomato sauce, and traditional pizza. The box also has a brief history of pizza stone plus some clean and care instructions.

Measuring 14-inches x 16-inches, this stone is good for one large pizza or four small ones. The rectangular shape lets you maximize the limited space in your oven. It’s also good for bbq grills.  It’s truly something you will use over and over again for your pizza, bread, and bbq needs. This thing is also simple to clean. Whatever fall on it can be easily scrubbed off.

Dough-Joe® Pizza Stone

This is a unique pizza stone. Instead of a single block of stone, you get five pieces that can be assembled into one large stone.  Combined, it measures 15-inches x 18-inches. Perfect for when your friends are coming over, and you need to make extra-large pizzas. As a whole, they weigh 15 pounds.

Having the stone in pieces like this may make you worry that the pizzas won’t come out perfect at the seams. You don’t need to worry, though. The tiles line up perfectly, so your pizzas are guaranteed to be evenly baked through and through. With this stone, even the average Joes and Janes can make mouth-watering pizzas and bread at home.

Each small tiles measures 6-inches x 9-inches x 0.75-inches. They are versatile for making baking cookies or small-size bread.  These little pieces also allow you to use them in ovens of various sizes. The small tiles weigh 3 pounds each. That’s quite heavy for such a small size and explains why it retains heat so well. The added advantage of these small tiles is they are less prone to cracking compared to one large slab of stone. If you had been disappointed with broken pizza stones even after handling them with extreme care, you might want to give this a try.

Coolaispo Black Ceramic Pizza Stone

This stone has ceramic coating, so it’s non-stick for everything. You don’t need to wash it, ever. Even the stickiest of cheese can be wiped away easily. That means this thing will stay looking like brand new for a very long time. It’s very common for pizza stones to have discoloration after a couple of uses even when you line them with baking sheets. That’s not going to happen with this one.

This round stone is 15-inches in diameter. It works flawlessly on ovens and stove tops. Whichever you choose, you homemade pizzas will be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

When the pizza is done, you can serve the smoking hot pizza right on the stone itself. You can cut the pizza right on the stone without worrying about leaving scratches. As a bonus, you get a small pizza cutter. It’s a circular blade in a plastic housing without any handle. As flimsy as it is, it still works well for cutting pizzas when the topping isn’t too thick.

The stone comes in a simple box without any instructions of any kind. That’s okay because you can read about pizza stone care, the right way of preheating below, and many more tips below.

CHEFS Round Pizza Stone

This round pizza stone is 16.5 inches in diameter. That’s pretty big. This is one of the largest you can find on the market, so you should make sure your oven will fit this before you buy it. The size is perfect for making pizza and cookies for the whole family. You can make a large pizza in one go instead of making a couple of small ones.

The stone is rated at 600F, so you can crank up your oven up to 550 when preheating, and it will do just fine. No cracking problem whatsoever. It’s made of cordierite ceramic. Its low thermal expansion property makes it less prone to cracking due to thermal shock. For that reason, this stone is safe to use on a grill over direct fire. It also means you can use the hot stone when serving the pizza and not worrying if the surrounding cold air might cool the stone too fast and do some damage. This thing will easily outlast clay ceramic stones for sure.

Even though this ceramic stone is porous, it’s not any stickier than non-porous ones. Your pizzas, bread, and cookies can slide off easily. Overall, this is an excellent stone for serious pizza making at home.

Round Pizza Stone By Culinary Couture

With professional grade label, one can expect great things from this pizza stone. This stone is made of high-density cordierite clay that has been known to have high durability. It’s 15-inches in diameter and 0.75-inches thick. It has high heat resistance and able to withstand extreme temperature. It’s rated at 1000F. That’s insanely high. Whatever grill or oven you have at home, this stone will be a great match for it.

If you haven’t been making many pizzas at home, you will be once you get your hands on this stone. It bakes delicious pizza with evenly crispy crust and chewy, but not soggy, centers. Want to throw a barbecue party next Sunday? Put this stone on the grill and impress your neighbors with your homemade pizza.

This baking stone comes in a nice packaging and is secured with Styrofoam. A small pamphlet is included with prepping steps that you should do before first use, some guides on best practices when using a pizza stone, and some cautionary points. The included recipe e-book is fascinating. It has recipes with interesting twists that you should try on your next pizza night.

Now, since the stone is rather heavy, you may want to keep it on the lowest rack in your oven. Less risk of accidentally dropping it while moving it in and out of the oven.

Pizza Stone Guide & FAQ

What To Look For When Buying Or Comparing Pizza Stone.

• Shape. A rectangular stone maximizes the available space in your oven. You can also pack more small cookies or bread on a rectangular stone compared to a round
• Size. If you’re only interested in cooking for one, then a 14-inches stone will suffice. But if you enjoy making pizza for the whole family, you should get the 15-inches or bigger. Just make sure your oven is big enough for it. If you’re using a convection oven, you typically put the stone on the lowest rack, because on the fan is usually located on the middle rack.
• Ease of cleaning. A glazed stone is far easier to clean than non-glazed ones. However, if you always use aluminum foil or baking sheet, then all stone are super easy to clean.
• Feet. Some stones have small raised feet at the bottom. They are practical for handling the stone because it’s easier for you to grab the sides. Handles or wire rack also makes handling easier, so a stone that has either of those three will make a fine choice for you.

How To Care For Your Pizza Stone

Your Pizza stone will last longer if you do the proper maintenance. The first thing you need to know is that you may need to cure it. Curing is done by baking it on a low temp of 350F for two hours. The purpose of curing is to prevent thermal shock that may crack the stone later when you bake it at higher temperature. Note that you do not need to season it before curing. It’s not a cast iron cookware. There is no benefit of seasoning it with oil.

Secondly, when you use it for baking something saucy or something that has strong flavor like fish, put a sheet of foil down first as a precaution. Some stones are non-porous and don’t absorb flavor easily, so this may be a redundant thing to do, but if you want to be extra sure, just line it first. Lining with foil is also a good thing to do if you want the stone to remain spot free. Any spills will fall on the aluminum foil instead of directly on the stone.

Next is cleaning. Unless the manufacturer specifically says that the stone is dishwasher safe, never put that thing in the dishwasher.  You should not let your stone touch water when it’s still hot. Hot objects will crack when cooled too fast. Let it cool down slowly on its own and then use a brush to get the cruds or crumbs off it to prevent buildup. Don’t have a brush? Use a spatula then wipe it with a cloth. Any stain that doesn’t go away after you brush it is there to stay. They are okay, though. They will not affect the baking process, and you don’t need to worry about them.

If you have a self-cleaning oven, you may leave the stone in it while the oven is going through its cleaning cycle. Any sticky melted cheese will be burnt off, and your stone will be easier to clean.

Last, but certainly not least, is never use the stone as a cutting board. You’ll dull your knives, and you will leave scratches on the stone.

How Long Should You Preheat A Pizza Stone?

The short answer is, it depends. For the long answer, read on.

The amount of time required to preheat a pizza stone depends on several factors: the mass of the stone, how hot the oven is set, and which rack you use. A thick and large stone will need more time to heat up than a thin and small one. That’s just physics. More mass means more heat needed. Most people agree that thirty minutes is the minimum amount. If it’s your first time, start with thirty minutes and tweak your preheating time accordingly. Put a little bit of dough and toppings then see how it turns out.

Heating the oven to the max also helps shorten the time needed. Some people dislike this idea because they fear that heating up the stone too quickly may crack it. You need not worry about it too much, though. Pizza stone is made to live in the oven. It loves heat. Crank the heat up to 500F and the stone will heat up faster.

And then there is the rack position. Putting the stone on the top rack will heat it slower than putting it on the lowest rack. Better yet, put the stone directly on the bottom of the oven without the rack. With this setup, your pizza will be done in less than ten minutes. By the way, be sure to knock down the temperature to the appropriate pizza-baking temp ten minutes before you use it. For large-size, thick-crusted pizzas that will be around 400F. 

How To Get The Pizza To The Pizza Stone Easily

One of the biggest challenges of making your own pizza at home is transferring it to the pizza stone in the oven. It’s so easy to mess this up. Luckily, there are some simple ways that you can do to make it easier.

The first one is to use a pizza peel, which is just an oversized spatula. The main idea is you assemble the dough and toppings on the peel before transferring it to the stone. For best result get a wooden peel roughly the size of the stone so you can be sure you’re not making a pizza that’s too big for the stone.

Use coarse cornmeal and rub it on the peel. You don’t just spread it; you rub it evenly on the peel until it forms a thin layer. Roll your dough to shape on a flat surface and put it on the peel. Shake the peel forward and backward a couple of times to make sure the dough doesn’t stick. Quickly add the sauce and toppings while occasionally shaking the peel.

Once everything is set, open the oven, pull the rack where the stone is set, and place the peel so that the pizza will be centered on the stone. Shake in short forward and backward movements until the pizza slide off completely, shove the rack back in, and close the oven.

Now, while cornmeal is commonly used to prevent sticking, you can also substitute it with breadcrumbs. Not only it will prevent sticking, but it also makes your pizza taste better.

The next method is to use a baking sheet or parchment paper. You assemble your pizza, toppings and all on it then transfer the pizza to the sheet onto the stone. Let it sit for about three minutes or until the dough is set, then pull the baking sheet out. You can also use an aluminum foil and just leave it there through the whole baking process. 

Baking Steel VS Pizza Stone – Which One’s Better?

Pizza stone isn’t the only thing you can use when you want to make pizza at home. Baking steel is also a popular option. There are a number of things that make baking steel excel over pizza stone. Number one is baking steel is quick to heat up. Unlike a pizza stone, you don’t need to spend thirty minutes heating it up until it’s ready for the pizza. With a baking steel, you can cut down your preheating and baking time significantly, allowing you to make more pizzas in a shorter amount of time.

Baking steel is also practically indestructible. Drop it from three feet high and your tile floor is the one taking almost all of the damage. Put a frozen pizza on a hot baking steel, and it will hiss instead of crack. That very reason is compelling enough for people to make a switch after their third or fourth pizza stone crack randomly.

Of course, it’s not all nice and dandy with baking steel. It has its own flaws. The biggest one is its price tag. A good baking steel can cost you over 70 bucks. With that kind of money, you can buy a good stone plus a pizza peel, pizza cutter, and rolling pin.

Next is the weight. Baking steel weighs as much as pizza stone that’s three times thicker. Being heavy and slim means it’s going to be difficult to handle and store.

Baking steel also takes a bit more effort to master. Getting crispy crust is easier using a pizza stone. Some people who use baking steel find that the crust is too dry with some burnt spots. You may have to play around with the timing and broiler to find where the sweet spot is.

Conclusion

That’s it for our pizza stone reviews. If you’re a huge fan of delicious pizza with crispy, golden brown crust, then any one of those stones will make a nice addition to your kitchen arsenal. Remember to pick the right size. We suggest getting the biggest your oven can handle even when you only want to make small pizzas. Once the news about how great your homemade pizza is out, your neighbors will start to invite themselves in. By then, a small pizza stone will not be enough.