How To Clean a Pizza Stone So You’ll Have It Forever

Jessica Wrubel
·8 min read

We turned to the pizza pros for their best tips.

If you consider yourself a serious baker and you love to experiment in the kitchen, chances are, you have invested in a pizza stone. These heavy slabs of porous stone (or ceramic) material are imperative for making sure the pizza you make at home has those nice, crispy edges.

And don’t think a pizza stone is just for pizza either! You can be baking up all kinds of delicious goodness in your oven from cookies to pita bread on a well-seasoned stone. But pizza stones can be tricky to clean. Can a pizza stone be washed? How do you get the stubborn burnt or black off a pizza stone? Can pizza stones be germy?

There’s a lot of advice out there and some of it can be confusing when it comes to how to clean a pizza stone. We’ve turned to a mix of experts from pizzeria owners and chefs to specialty kitchen and cooking companies to set the record straight. So get ready to spend less time worrying about your stone and more time thinking up delicious combos to make on it.

Related: Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

Here at Parade.com, we're all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Can a pizza stone be washed?

Pizzaman Frank Pinello is the chef/owner of Best Pizza in Brooklyn, NY & Pizzeria La Rosa in New Rochelle, NY—plus the host of "The Pizza Show" on Vice—so clearly we went straight to him for answers. Pinello is quick to point out that the first lesson is water and pizza stones do not mix.

"The main thing is just not to use water or wet cloths,” Pinello says. “The water can cause the stone to crack and I’ve even seen stones get almost brittle. The water can really damage the stone for so many reasons.”

Soap and other cleaning agents you might think of spritzing on a stone are also not recommended, says Wes Martin, the culinary director at Christopher Kimball's Milk Street.

“As with cast iron, I never use soap or cleaning solutions on a pizza stone as it is porous,” Martin says.

View the original article to see embedded media.

The resident pizza and pizza equipment expert also notes that pizza stones will become seasoned like cast iron, so the care of the stone is similar. However, unlike cast iron pans, you should never oil a pizza stone to season it since you’re cooking at fairly high temperatures and the stone can smoke and burn.

Pequod’s Pizza in Chicago notes that submerging your stone in water is a bad idea because if there’s any water trapped in the stone, your next crust may turn out soggy.

Williams-Sonoma test kitchen director Isabelle English says that pizza stones cannot go in the dishwasher. English says that although some people do choose to wash their (dry, cooled) stones by hand and if you do decide to use soap (or if you accidentally use too much soap), be mindful as it can seep into the materials of the stone and your food can take on a not-so-pleasant aftertaste that is difficult to get rid of.

Related: How To Clean an Instant Pot

How to clean burnt food off a pizza stone?

Pinello says that for tough messes stuck on the stone, regular salt works wonders.

“If there's any gnarly stuff stuck, you can sprinkle a little salt. Use that with a dry cloth to get any stuff that's really stuck.“

Martin agrees and says he likes to sprinkle coarse semolina on the stone for even more abrasive traction, scrub it with a sponge or brush, and wipe it off with a damp towel. For any stubborn messes, he recommends a wire brush or spatula to scrape away any baked-on residue.

The experts agree that it can be helpful to use a plastic bench scraper or dry brush regularly after using the stone to keep it in good condition.

How do you clean the black off a pizza stone?

<p>iStock</p>

iStock

Sandy Wolner, the manager of culinary content at Pampered Chef, recommends the following steps for deep cleaning a stone with black marks or stains, or that is beyond scraping with a brush.

  1. Allow the stone to cool to room temperature then scrape off dried-on food with a nylon scraper or a kitchen brush.

  2. Prepare a baking soda paste by mixing ½ cup (125 mL) baking soda with 3 tbsp (45 mL) water, spread on the stoneware, and let stand for 10–15 minutes.

  3. Scrape off any paste, rinse in warm water, and dry completely before storing. Repeat steps if needed.

Wolner says unglazed stoneware gets darker and develops a natural nonstick finish or seasoning the more you use them, so cleaning off every last stain isn’t necessary.

How do you store a pizza stone?

A condition called “flaking” can occur if stoneware is stored in an oven and exposed to baking cycles when it’s not in use, according to Wolner. This can actually burn off the seasoning that you’ve tried so hard to build up. She recommends storing your stoneware in a cool, dry place when not in use and not keeping it in the oven.

Related: America's Best Pizzerias

Are pizza stones germy?

As far as germs go, Kenneth Collazo, the pizza chef at Nolo in New Haven, CT says that home pizza chefs don’t have to worry about cross-contamination on their stones.

“It’s too hot; the heat kills everything,” Collazo says, adding that home ovens, while not at the typical 700-800 degrees that restaurants use, still have the power to kill off any germs. Collazo stresses the importance of keeping the stone clean in between uses, however.

“Maintain it and keep it clean for sure,” he says, “but everything burns off.”

Can a pizza stone affect the taste of your pizza?

Yes, says English, if there is residual burnt flour left on your stone or cheese that has crusted on, it can affect the taste over time. She says to make sure to clean after every couple of uses, depending on how messy it gets. Martin agrees and says it’s important to get into the habit of removing any bits of food so they don't burn on and stick to the pizza or any other food that you’re baking on the stone.

Related: How To Clean an Oven

How to clean a pizza stone

There are only a few steps to cleaning an unglazed stone so it’s not as complicated as you might think.

Supplies needed include a metal spatula, butter knife, dry dishcloth and a scrub brush or metal brush made especially for pizza stones.

The first thing to do is wait until your stone is cool enough to handle it completely. This will not only benefit the care of the stone but also help to prevent burns from handling it too soon after cooking.

After it’s cool, scrape off any large bits of food with a metal spatula or butter knife. Try to scrape everything off dry, but if you need a tiny bit of water while you scrub, that’s fine too.

Give the stone a sweep with the scrub brush or metal brush. Finally, wipe with a dry dishcloth If you used a bit of water while you were cleaning, make sure to let the stone completely air dry for 1 to 2 hours before storing it.

For stubborn pieces of cooked-on food, Pinello recommends putting it back in the oven, then trying to clean it again.

“For my stone at home, I let it burn out if there is any sauce or burnt cheese, and when it cools down I wipe with a dry towel,“ Pinello says.

What about how to clean glazed pizza stones?

Susan Jardina, the PR/marketing representative for Emile Henry USA, says that glazed stone care is a bit different. The glazed stones do not absorb water and soap so you can safely wash the stones to get them clean. These stones can take a bit more of a beating than unglazed ones.

“You can safely cut on the stones, use a scrub brush, and apply a baking soda paste or vinegar,” Jardina says, noting that since the stones are lightweight, they heat up and cool quickly.

Jardina shares that for burnt-on residue, you can soak the pizza stone in hot water and vinegar for about 10 minutes and then wash by hand or in the dishwasher. She adds that glazed stones develop a dark patina, which is normal, especially if used on the grill.

Sources

Next: 80 Best Homemade Pizza Recipes