Help choose steel or stone.. and which
I am trying to decide whether I should buy a baking steel or stone.
I have never baked with a stone or steel piece before, neither have I seen someone use one in front of me. I am learning about them and seeing the good results people apparently get with them, I would like to get one. I am completely dependent on reviews and recommendations.
I will use it for pizza and baking breads like baguette. Maybe naans. And probably my repertoire will grow.
Is a baking steel and baking stone interchangeable? I have seen the steel recommended for pizza and of course the stone is everywhere for a long time. Can you bake equally good bread on a steel? The steel does not burn bread, as the bread has to sit on the steel for much longer than the pizza? And does a stone bake as good a pizza as steel? My understanding is that the stone wicks away some of the moisture from the dough giving the bread its desired qualities. The steel isn't doing that but you would say it works well?
If I were to get only one which should I get, steel or stone? Or its best to have both? Of course, if it can work out that way, I would just like one thing as there is less stuff to deal with. But I am open..
And which product is good? On Amazon there are steel ones by Baking Steel that are either .25, .38 or .5 inch thick. And there are some other brands that are cheaper.
And for stone there is stone and cordierite. Which one is preferred?
Please help me decide!
Thank you!
I have a couple of basic pizza stones (circular) and an oven full of steel plates. By full I mean I replaced the 3 grids by 3 x 10mm thick steel plates 530mm x 330mm. (It's a GN1/1 size oven) I bake the breads directly on the plates - I have some plywood boards made up the right width that I use as big peels to load the oven with.
The stones I use in my regular domestic oven.
You ask if the steel can burn bread - well yes, if you leave it there long enough....
After I put the steel plates into the big oven I immediately got far superior results. Better oven spring and better baked loaves all round.
The other advantage of steel is that it won't break. Might break your foot if you drop it on it though. You also might find it cheaper if you know a local steel fabrication place - just give it a sanding and season it the same way you'd season an old cast iron frying pan.
-Gordon
If you use an electric oven with the bake element on the bottom, the reflective steel can act as a heat shield and go a long way toward preventing burnt bottoms.
I use a small round aluminum pizza pan with a small round baking stone on top. The advantage of this arrangement is that I no longer have burnt bottoms.
Hi Katyajini,
I have a couple of stones, and get some good results from them with adding steam to the oven (and stopped using a La Cloche, which I found a bit limiting on what I could bake).
However, I've also been thinking about getting a steel, partly because I want to bake several loaves in rapid succession, with minimal reheating between bakes.
This one from Modernist Cuisine in the US looks good: http://modernistcuisine.com/shop/baking-steel/
For those of us in Europe (where the shipping the above from the US would be prohibitive) this one is probably going to be my chosen purchase: http://pizzasteel.uk/shop/. Not only do you get a steel - available in three different sizes - but you also get two transfer peels sized to match and a spare dough cutter (can you ever have enough dough cutters?)
In short, I think you can achieve good results with either. Stones are probably less expensive, but stones can also chip or crack, of course. Both stone and steel are going to be quite heavy, and will cause damage if dropped (I have a dent in my kitchen sink to prove it, but fortunately still have undamaged feet, which would be far worse!)
Best wishes and happy baking,
Colin
Thank you Colin. This is not tongue in cheek or a joke. I am asking a genuine question. Why do you need more than one dough cutter? I have one and it seems enough. I have seen some videos where two are used to slide in from two sides of a very slack, proofed loaf, to transfer it. But other than that? Am I not knowing of some useful techniques?
I like the Modernist Cuisine steel too!
Thanks.
Hi Katyajini - I have two metal dough cutters of different sizes. Occasionally one is in the dishwasher and it's handy to have at least one spare. But basically, when it comes to kitchen equipment, I am a bit of a magpie :-) Best wishes, Colin.
:) :) :)
FWIW: The steel plates I'm using weigh just under 17Kg each.
Here they are in the oven.
-Gordon
Lovely looking loaves, Gordon. I can almost feel the oven spring! And, oh! to have an oven so large! Best wishes, Colin.
It's a Lincat EC08. GN1/1 size oven - 530x330.
Hm. Looking at that photo which is quite a few months old now the bottom light was out... Which I replaced. And last week the top-light went out. Looks like a 6-monhly consumable part for the oven )-:
Cheers,
-Gordon
I know a fair number of people who have one they (almost) never use. If you do too, you can try borrowing one (or more) to see how they work for you before you decide.
Thank you everyone, it seems steel is preferred.
But here is a BIG question I think. How do you steam with steel? I here these rust. I can't imagine baking baguettes or some other breads without steam.
And what thickness works best?
Thanks!
For several reasons. If you get a DIY approach like mine, then you'll "season" it first - ie. you basically burn oil on it - both sides. I used rapeseed (canola) oil on mine. Stinks a little, but works a treat. The other main reason is that its essentially a non condensing environment - steam is invisible - when you see clouds it's condensed into water particles. You won't see clouds inside the oven. You'll also not be steaming the oven when its cooling down.
I steam my oven that has the steel plates in it by pushing a button. This opens a water solenoid (like the ones used to fill washing machines) so I get mains pressure water being jetted directly onto a steel plate at the back of the oven in-front of the fans.
-Gordon
thank you drogon!
I have the Stoughton Steel Co baking steel and I use it for bread and pizza and just leave it in the oven and put baking dishes right on top of it. My oven is a KitchenAid electric convection oven. When baking bread I use the wet towels in a baking pan for steam generation. Bread is baked without convection for the first half and then the towel pan is removed and the bread baked with convection for the second half at a slightly lower temperature. All the moisture is driven out of the oven by the convection fan the crust browns and the steel is perfectly dry after the bread is taken it. Also remember that the steel takes a fair time to cool down to room temperature so any residual moisture will evaporate and be gone.
The steels are also seasoned with flax oil so moisture is not readily absorbed. If by chance you see a rust spot, just sand it down with very fine sand paper and re-oil it.
AlanG - I've recently been using my baking steel -- previously reserved for pizza -- for sourdough bakes, as I also love the oven spring it produces. I'm having a recurring issue with burnt/scorched loaf bottoms, though, and was wondering if anyone here has experienced the same with the steel, took some mitigating measures? I've tried propping up the loaves on an inverted sheet pan halfway through the bake, but the damage seems to be done in the first 15 or so minutes. I use small pieces of parchment to load the dough, and am going to experiment with sprinklings of corn meal next, see if that helps. Does the steel just transfer too much energy/heat to use it for these types of bakes? I’ve seen others use the steel with great success, so I’m guessing it’s more about me than the materials, but any advice from you might have would be great!
on the oven so the steel is not too hot. :)
Do you have one of those ovens with elements at the bottom and top? If-so, maybe turn the bottom one off when you put the bread in? If not, then turn the oven down...
-Gordon
Another one for steel. I had one made to the dimensions of my oven - otherwise you've always got gaps down the side of your trays (or your stone).
One advantage I like is that it doesn't require any extra time to heat up, whereas a stone does. Plus it's more manoeuvrable than a stone.
Good luck!
I have a baking steel that I originally commissioned for baking pizzas. Turns out it works GREAT for bread as well. Never had a burnt bottom crust yet (and oddly enough, I did often when using a cast iron dutch oven). I think it's more versatile.. That's my 2 cents.
Thank you so much everyone. I will get steel. I need to figure out the thickness that will be best for me...Thank you again.
two great links on how to use the steel:
1) http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-pizza-lab-the-baking-steel-delivers.html
2) http://www.nerdchef.co/
I bought the 1/2" thickness and love it although is is heavy at 22 lbs, which i don't mind. Allows superior heat retention as we bake three pizza pies back to back. However the 3/8" would be a minimum thickness (vs. 1/4") if you feel the need to go lighter. I bought mine from nerdchef which had fast delivery and good prices and pre seasoned.
For pizza, I prefer the broiler method with the steel about 6" below the top broiler and a stone about 4" off the floor (already had the stone). Heat one hour at 500 degrees, switch to broil. Then roll out pie. put on steel for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to bottom stone for a minute. Superb pizza! Keep an eye on it as it goes fast. article one mentions how and google pizza broiler method for more... Steel is superior, period.
Nickisafoodie - Thanks for sharing the link to Serious Eats, which is really useful. Responding to this thread promoted me to order a steel and as I make a decent pizza every so often, that link has given me some inspiration (though I'm way too hungry to wait 4-10 days for my steel to arrive). Best wishes, Colin,
Thank you!
I hadn't seen the nerdchef. that looks like a really good too.
its good to know i can steam as usual.
Well, while I was trying to decide what I should get, steel or stone, my oven of more years than I can remember died. Just would not heat anymore. I had learned to cook so much with it and prepared so many meals for my family and friends with it, it felt SAAAAD.
Now I have ordered the STEEL 0.5 inch by nerdchef and it is coming tomorrow. And I have a new oven.
I too used the hot oven + broiler method (sans steel since I didn't have one) from Serious Eats previously when making pizza.
This oven has a "pizza" function. It says this makes a crisp crust and moist top. So just to get started, my question is, should I use this "pizza" function? Or "Convection Bake" or "Convection Roast" or plain "bake" function to make pizza with the steel (along with broiler)?
Does anyone know what a pizza function really is? I had never heard of it before. The manual does not actually explain it. I have not been in the market for stoves for so long...This range also has a Dehydrator (choose 100-175F), a Bread Proofer (85F) and Slow Cooker. I wont be needing a bunch of new appliances.
Thanks!
Hope you see this as you last posted to this thread some months ago. What kind of stove did you get and ate you happy with all its bells and whistles?
My 20 plus year old stone broke the other day. I'm not sure how, but that really doesn't matter. It was tucked away for years and then about 5 or so years ago I started using it Again. We found it a pain in the neck to take it in and out of our oven so it lived on the bottom shelf. I'm a home baker and have a jennair duel fuel convection oven, electric interior, gas top. I truly dislike this oven because the heat fluxuates so much And actually shuts off if it gets too hot or is used too long. Anyway, I found that the stone kept the oven warmer which seemed to help a lot with baking. Now that it's time to get a new stone I'm torn between steel vs stone. I would prefer to just get one. My stone was about 14x12. This time around I would like to get one larger. I was leaning toward the steel, but my husband was in contact with,and asked a tv chef, I will just use her intitals LSQ, and she suggested a stone over steel. Now my husband is convinced we should get a stone :(.
Some of my questions are;
Can I leave this in my oven or will I have to remove it when not in use?
Do I need to leave space around it to use the convection feature on my stove?
And if I leave the steel in my oven, and need to use all three racks for cooking, is there a danger of glass or ceramic cracking even if I put said glass or ceramic dish on a baking sheet before placing on steel?
Thank you in advance for your help.
My oven has its 3 steel plates left in all the time. When using baking trays, cake tins, etc. they just sit on-top of the steel plates.
My oven is a fan oven - that's a standard UK thing with the heating element round the fan which runs all the time. (Actually, it has 2 of these). Air flow seems fine - but it's a little hotter near the sides. I turn loaves 15 minutes into the bake.
I don't have glass or ceramic bakeware - it's all steel or cast-iron.
Hope that helps - a little!
-Gordon
Thank you so much Gordon. I guess now I just have to find out if my glass and ceramic will be safe. Having to remove a steel plate is something I don't want to have to do.So do you prefer your steel plates to a baking stone?
... for my oven with the steel plates installed. I had them made to fit the oven by a local engineering shop (for a fraction of the print of the commercial ones too!) I did consider stone at one point, but steel is so much more robust - I can crash stuff onto it without any fear of anything. They replace the oven grids too - you might need the grids in-place when you use a stone (might need to for steel too unless the guides in your oven are like mine).
My other oven has stones, but it's a Rofco B40...
-Gordon
You shouldn't need to leave space for the convection unless for some reason your fan is in the bottom of the oven. Mine is in the rear wall of the oven, so no worries about anything blocking it. You should be able to leave a steel or stone in there all the time. Not sure about the glass/ceramic bakeware issue. If in doubt, try a slightly lower temperature, but if you're thinking of putting it on top of another baking sheet I would think that would alleviate the sudden shock and it would be no worse than putting it in the preheated oven onto an oven rack. Just my two cents. :)
I am leaning steel and hubby is still leaning stone. :::sigh:::
What temperature do you bake bread?
For anybody who's had their own steel made, can you please tell me what kind of steel you chose and if you were able to determine if it was food grade or not.
I bought mine on eBay. Cleaned it several times with steel wool then cooked it in a 550 degree oven for half an hour before cleaning it again. I always use parchment paper with everything I cook on it (did that with my stone too). Half the price of the one sold by King Authors Bread Co.
I have both stone and a 1/4 steel plate. If you want a crispy thin, crusted Pizza, you need the steel plate, If you want a thick-crusted Sicilian style pie the stone will most likely work better.