I love mine. In fact I love all my stones. We are beginning to think about going at least part time in the
RV, so I am thinking about getting rid of my beloved stones, as the weight and breakage possiblities are not practical in the RV. I will miss them if I give them up.

I live my pizza stone....but don't think the pampered chef one is what you want. They don't recommend preheating the stone.....and there is no point in cooking on a stone if you don't preheat i and slide the pizza onto a hot stone.

I have used inexpensive quarry tiles from HomeDespot for 10+ years now. About $2 each and HD will cut one in half if needed to make a better fit in the oven. I leave mine in there all the time, and in my old range, would run them through the self-clean cycle to clean if needed. Cheap and fabulous. I think pies baked in the stones have a better bottom crust.

I bought mine 8 or 9 years ago and I love it. I bought the extra large rectangular one. I leave it in the oven all the time. It gets preheated, broiled, baked and I have not had any issues with it.

I've had my PC stoneware for at least 10 years, and like Moosemac, I preheat, broil and bake and I've never had a problem. My PC stoneware muffin pans are amazing now - nothing sticks to them and I never even have to grease them anymore.

I've had my PC pizza stone for 20 years. It's black because I have used it so much. You can use it for baking bread, cookies etc. Love love it!!! Not just for pizza

Linda

I read the use and care instructions and it says nothing about pre-heating -- so, I think I will ask the consultant at the party.

My only reservation right now is it doesn't look like the easiest thing to store!

If you go to their website you will see they say; "Do not preheat stone." There is a lot more information there. I have 2 no name pizza stones, small one and large one. I got one at Ross or TJ Max and the other at the thrift store. I like mine because they are flat with no turn up handles so easy to store. I have had them for more than 15 years and they are still going strong. I use mine for bread baking as well as pizza.
Clare

Here is a link that might be useful: Pampered Chef pizza stone

I have a PC rectangular stone, a cheap Pizza stone (like $5 from Walmart) and quarry tiles that were free--my dad brought them to me from a job he was doing.

The PC stone isn't worth the price. It's no better than the Walmart one, but costs many times the price. And the quarry tiles do as good a job as either of them, AND are so much more convenient to use and store. I'd highly recommend saving money and just getting a few quarry tiles.

Whatever you decide, just remember 2 things--ALWAYS preheat the stone/tiles for at least half an hour before you bake on them and NEVER EVER put a frozen pizza (or other ice cold food) on them.

I have two cheap pizza stones and I love them both. Pizza, artisan bread, calzones, naan, stromboli, etc. I have bever used them for cookies.

I not only pre-heat, but I run them thru the cleaning cycle as mabledingledine does to clean it up.

I also have put frozen pizzas on my hot stones with no ill effects.

Can't speak for the PC stone but I like the PC products that I do have so I am sure the stone will perform wonderfullly for you.

Linda

People store their pizza stones? You mean out of the oven? Eeks, I just leave mine in there on the bottom rack. I figure it's too heavy to be lifting in and out, and putting it somewhere else is just a waste of space. :-)

I am getting a new one but it will be the new stainless steel sheet that has come out recently. Will never again have to worry about breakage and it gets and stays a lot hotter. Pizza will cook in 2 1/2 minutes !! Just like at the local pizza shop. I will link to the info.

Here is a link that might be useful: stainless steel baking

Trailrunner, I'm a real fan of Kenji (author of that article), and if he recommends it, that makes the deal. Thanks for the link.

you are welcome sushi ! I had never heard of him but was impressed with the detail with which he tested the plate of steel. Then my DH ..a chemist..chimed in and verified all that Kenji said so I was SOLD. Will post pics when it gets here and I can fire it up with my sourdough crust.

You post pics too ! c

"----I am getting a new one but it will be the new stainless steel sheet that has come out recently---"

I have been using my cast iron pan for small pizzas and cast iron griddle for mid size pizzas.

I also use stone, It all depends on how you want your pizza done and what recipes you are using.

dcarch

Kenji Lopez-Alt is the brains (MIT graduate) behind the perfect prime-rib and other tests from the Food Lab. He used to work for America's Test Kitchen, and is working on a book due out in the spring. He's taken on many challenges and is not just brilliant but very funny, and he's got a couple of cute dogs that go into the Serious Eats offices. I'm a fan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect prime rib

Saw this in the comments to the link that Trailrunner posted.

"My 1/2" x 12" x 12" plate weighs around 35 pounds. Your oven needs to be able to support the weight."

35 pounds!!! WOW!
Clare

Pound for pound, aluminum holds much more heat than steel, and it heats up much quicker than steel.

An alumiinum plate will be much lighter, but much more expensive.

dcarch

dcarch...great point and after doing a little research I found exactly what I think will work. I will link below. There is also a guy that has used it and explains what he did with great pics of his pizza baking. So there is a precedent for an aluminum sheet. c

Here is a link that might be useful: custom aluminum sheet

DH , the chemist, says the reason the aluminum is a bad idea is the exact reason the dcarch points out as a +. What heats up fast also ...cools down fast. So the pizza dough with cool toppings will drop the heat of the aluminum plate too fast. So back to the original plan...stainless steel. And as an aside...if you look at the link for the aluminum at the "cooking pot" grade it isn't expensive at all even at 1/2 inch thick.

This is the lovely thing about cooking communities...info !!

The reason why Pampered Chef pizza stones don't need to be preheated is because they are thinner than most other baking stones.

Thicker and heavier pizza stones are more likely to break if they are cold and you stick them into a hot oven.

Another thing that makes Pampered Chef's stones different and in some cases better is that it's ok to bake foods that have oil such as cookies on them because they have a surface that isn't porous.

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect Pizzas Every Time With The Pampered Chef Pizza Stone

Are you a Pampered Chef representative? If so you are giving out bad information.

Placing bread or pizza on a cold stone and then placing it in the oven defeats the purpose of using a stone.

You don't put the pizza stone into the oven after it is heated. You heat the stone in the oven , minimum 30 minutes at 500ðF. I preheat for an hour. The stone is hot when you place the pizza or bread on to the stone. You want the stone to be porous so that it absorbs moisture from the bread/pizza. Makes for a much better crust.

~Ann

No, I'm not a representative of theirs. I'm just saying the reason why their instructions say not to preheat the pizza stone is because they are built differently from other baking stones.

In other words, Pampered Chef's stones are unique and the rules of preheating are different for their pizza stones.

Victree, I understand why Pampered Chef's stones are not meant to be preheated. But it does defeat the whole purpose of baking on a stone.

I bake pizza and bread at 500ðF and I spray the loaves with water a few times during baking. I just imagine what would happen to a Pampered Chef stone if it got sprayed with water.

The stone might be good for some things like cookies, but it isn't ideal for baking pizza or bread.

~Ann