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For restaurant-quality pizza at home, finding the best pizza stone is a must. Whether you’re a whizz in the kitchen always knocking up your own pizza dough, or are more familiar with the supermarket version, all pizzas are improved by being cooked on a designated stone.
So how do they work? This clever piece of kitchen kit functions in three ways. First, it gently absorbs any moisture from the dough resulting in a crisp base. Second, it withstands extreme temperatures for that authentic fired flavour. Finally, the stone remains hot for an extended time which keeps your pizza warm after serving while you munch away.
Its ability to endure high temperatures means you can use your pizza stone on the barbecue, or in a designated outdoor pizza oven if you’re lucky enough to own one. Provided your oven is cranked up as high as it can go, you can also achieve great results from the warm, dry comfort of your own kitchen. As a bonus, pizza stones can also be used to cook items other than pizza: breads, cakes, pastries and pies can all benefit from being baked on a stone, should you wish to branch out.
If you’ve never used a pizza stone before, be sure to check out our buying guide below, which has some tips on what to look out for while browsing. Below this, you’ll find our top picks for the best pizza stones you can buy right now.
Pizza stones are fairly inexpensive and most retail from £20-40 depending on size, material and durability. Unless you’re looking for a huge stone or designer branded one, then expect to pay around this price.
Most pizza stones are ceramic, with some made from particularly durable cordierite stone, which lasts without being off-puttingly heavy. Metal ‘stones’ are also popular and while they don’t have the absorbency of actual stones, they are lighter, easier to store and more versatile while still suitable for searing BBQ temperatures.
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Use: Consider where you’re most likely to be using your pizza stone. If you plan to use it in your usual oven, be sure to check the dimensions as many of the rectangular stones are too big for conventional home ovens. Similarly, for kettle barbecues, make sure your grill space is adequate.
Weight: We’d also suggest taking a look at the overall weight. The feeble-wristed among us should take particular note, as these things can weigh a lot. And if you’re looking to serve from the stone, it makes sense to have one that includes some kind of serving plate – not many dining tables can withstand the heat of a pizza stone without protection.
Cleaning: Many pizza stones are unable to be washed in the traditional way. Scraping and brushing is usually recommended instead and they must never be soaked or put into cold water while hot.
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Price: £30 | Buy now from Amazon
One thing you may not have anticipated when buying your pizza stone is that it’s pretty tricky to get your freshly made pizza off the worktop and onto the stone. That’s why a stone and pizza paddle combo might be the best way to go. With a flick of the wrist and a bit of practice, owning one of these is definitely the easiest way to ensure there are no dough disasters before your pizza hits the flames.
We rate this set, which has an aluminium and wooden pizza paddle included, as well as a high quality, rectangular cordierite stone for both indoor or outdoor use. Get to grips with this combo and you’ll be showing off your pizzaiola skills in no time at all.
Key details – Size: 38 x 1.2 x 30cm (WDH); Material: Cordierite; Weight: 3.38kg
Price: £25 | Buy now from Horwood
This classy-looking pizza stone from kitchen equipment experts Judge is made from durable ceramic, making it lightweight yet excellent at withstanding high temperatures. Measuring in at 13 inches, this is made to accommodate a standard 12in pizza comfortably. It also fits into our oven with room to spare.
The thing we like best about this pizza stone is that it comes with a chrome rack that doubles as a carrying cradle, so you can avoid handling the scorching stone or even use it as a serving rack to save your dining table from damage. What isn't so great about this stone is that you can only cook on one side. Meaning you can’t flip it after each use to better burn off any cheesy pizza remnants. Careful cooking and scraping should keep your stone in good condition, though.
Key details – Size: 33 x 4 x 35cm (WDH); Material: Ceramic ; Weight: 1.2kg
Price: £40 |Buy now from Kettler
Heston Blumenthal has put his name to this cordierite forged pizza stone (it’s quite literally embossed in the centre) and we can see why. A solid 13in of stone with a 1.5cm thickness – the thickest we’ve seen – means this baking stone is able to reach extreme temperatures safely, and will retain heat for longer too.
It’s oven-safe up to a whopping 1000℃ and once properly preheated, cooked our fresh pizza in just two minutes. The stone cooks evenly and gives a fantastic crust whether used on the barbecue or oven. It’s not stipulated how best to clean this stone, but as it’s porous cordierite, we’d suggest using the brush method and never soaking it.
Key details – Size: 33 x 1.5 x 33cm (WDH); Material: Cordierite ; Weight: 1.8kg
Price: £40 | Buy now from Sous Chef
If you’re looking for a barbecue-specific pizza stone then this might just be the best you can buy. With a massive 15in diameter, you’ll need to make sure your barbecue can accommodate this large piece of kit. If it can, you’re in luck, as its brilliant design means you’ll be turning out the most authentic pizzas with ease.
Made from ceramic, it’s lightweight and comes with a genius carry rack that fits directly onto the grill along with the stone – or will replace the grill if you have a ProQ BBQ – meaning you can easily lift the whole thing out once your pizza is perfectly cooked. Look carefully and you’ll notice the markings on the stone indicate it can be only used on one side to cook, so you’ll need to get that brush or scraper out regularly to maintain it.
Key details – Size: 38 x 1 x 38cm (WDH); Material: Ceramic; Weight: 3kg
Buy now from Sous Chef
Price: £20 | Buy now from Lakeland
Designed specifically to fit the Ooni Koda 12 and the Ooni Fyra 12 outdoor pizza ovens, this baking stone measures just over 13in sq, making it the perfect size for cooking up crisp 12in pizzas. It’s made from super-resilient cordierite, which is excellent at retaining heat, so it’s good to serve on too – just be careful when handling, as there are no handles or base to stop it damaging synthetic surfaces.
At 1cm thick, this stone is solid enough to maintain heat while also being light enough to easily manoeuvre around. It was too deep for the rack in our range-style oven but easily fitted in our large kettle barbecue, so keep the dimensions in mind if you plan to use it in appliances other than the Ooni. To clean, Ooni stipulates that soap and water must not be used to clean it. Instead, use a specially designed pizza oven brush once cool and flip over for its next use to burn off excess flour.
Key details – Size: 33.6 x 1 x 34.2cm (WDH); Material: Cordierite; Weight: Not stated
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