My opinion is that something that heavy stays in the oven all the time and everything else goes on it.

As for temperature you'd have to crank up it up to max - most ovens only go to 500F maybe 525F. Commercial pizza places have ovens to 700-800F.

What reason do you have for wanting a pizza oven? It might be better to put your pizza on the grill where you can get major heat and wouldn't need a pan.

I do not want a pizza oven - I just want the cast iron pizza pan, like the one Sol used to make her pizza.

My indoor oven gets to 550°, and that has worked okay for pizza, but I can get the BGE hot enough to melt aluminum, although when I grill pizza, I do not allow it to get that hot.

I'm not sure whether the heavier Lodge pizza pan will function better than the Camp Chef pizza pan, but I am leaning toward the Lodge pan at this time, and even though it weighs 10.5#, I would not store it inside my oven.

I have been checking the pizza making forum for info about this as well, as several of the members there have used cast iron pizza pans, and they have several different techniques for using them.

I'd think the heavier the better.

That's what I would normally think except when I consider the problem of moving it and storing it. Ten and a half pounds is a lot to move around on top of the stove, and I'm still not sure where I will store it - perhaps on the floor next to my other griddle.

Heavier, better.

You may want to take a look at Modernist Cuisine 's method, supposed to be tested to be the best. The method uses 1/4" thick steel plate. which weighs more than 20 lbs.

Steel is better because of much better heat conductivity.

Someone sells one 1/2" thick pizza steel, which weighs more than 40 lbs.

dcarch

Thicker is not always better. Cast iron that is thinner is usually of better quality. If it's thinner and heavier, then heavier is better because of the thermal mass. Or something like that. I understand the concepts but don't know the words as well as I should. There are also enamelled cast iron pizza pans.

Before you decide on an iron pizza pan, do look into Baking Steel. I have a very fancy clay pizza stone that has its own electric element (an accessory for my oven). I do prefer it for baking, but have the Baking Steel as well, and it can be put near the broiler. It's a really fabulous ol' slug. :) It's VERY heavy, but worth it. I have a case that's made out nylon and old billboard which makes it much easier to move around the kitchen. It can be stored vertically if you have a place to slot it in. And this is like a stone, where you use a peel to take the pizza in and out, and let it cool in the oven. Or on the grill, because you could also use it there if you wanted to.

I agree, heavier is not always better. The old Wagner and Griswold pans that weigh half what my newer ones weigh are wonderful pans. I broke the baking stone I had and so I bake bread on a cast iron griddle, an old Griswold, and it works wonderfully. I just baked a loaf today, but the griddle isn't really big enough for pizza. However, barring the luck and expense of a nice old cast iron piece, Lars is going to have to get a new one.

Lars, I know you did not want a pizza oven, I just wanted you to know that we do own some CampChef items and are happy with them, and that they are located in Utah. I know some Lodge items are made in Tennessee, although the enameled ones are not, so I don't know if CampChef items are made in Utah or elsewhere and it's not readily apparent on their website.

Good luck!

Annie

I

Thanks, Annie! I did decide that Camp Chef was okay to buy, based on your info, and we went to BB&B this afternoon (because Kevin wanted a huge; i.e. 20 oz, thermos for coffee), and I asked someone in the store about the cast iron pizza oven. The guy that I talked to said that they did not stock them, but he offered to order one for me, and he took the 20% off coupon that I had. I also asked him whether he could have it shipped to the store without me having to pay shipping, and he said that Fedex did the shipping, but he did offer to waive the shipping cost for me. With that much incentive, I went ahead and bought the Camp Chef pan for $21, and it will be shipped to my house. For that price, I felt I could not go wrong, and I think I will be happier with a pan that does not weigh 10.5#.

I do not understand why Kevin needs 20oz of coffee in the morning, however. I only drink one or two cups of tea each morning and no coffee. I did drink quite a bit of coffee in Italy, however - mainly because it was so good there.

We'll be expecting pizza pictures!

And don't worry about Kevin, I'm thinking 20oz is probably a low average for regular coffee drinkers. :)

I agree with FOAS, 20 oz. doesn't seem like a lot of coffee to me, I think I drink quite a bit more, although I like small cups. They stay hot long enough for me to drink them, but I have to drink about 3 cups worth! I have an old Jadeite mug that I use and it holds 6 ounces.

I did find that my all-metal Thermos travel mug can take a beating and not leak, and I can fill it with hot coffee and stick it in a snowbank for 5 hours while I'm working outside and it'll still be hot when I want it. Now THAT'S a coffee mug. I think it only holds about 16 ounces, though....

Anyway, congratulations on your pizza griddle. Free shipping to your home plus 20% sounds like a really good deal.

Annie

Lars, did you flirt? Great job getting a great price!

I did not flirt, as far as I know - I doubt that would do me very much good!

I made cornmeal pancakes on my rectangular griddle this morning (which weighs over 10#), and I'm a bit glad that my new pizza pan will not weigh that much. I might even switch to using my comal plus the new pizza pan when making pancakes, and then I can use two front burners. I used to make them in my 10.5" cast iron skillet, and that was not ideal because of the steep sides, although they did cook well, one at a time.

Kevin's new mug is all metal, I think.

When I make tea, I use the red teapot that Sheshebop sent me, and it holds 21 oz. I use one teabag for that much water, and the cup/mug that I use holds 7 oz., and so that makes three cups/servings. On days that I work, I drink one cup of tea at home and then one at work, using a teabag at work. So one pot of tea lasts three days, but I have to store the tea in the fridge and then microwave it on subsequent days. On days that I do not work, I drink two cups (14 oz) of tea in the morning, and that is all the caffeine that I need. On vacation, I will sometimes drink coffee, especially in places like Hawaii and Italy. I was not impressed with Costa Rican coffee - I thought the coffee in Antiqua, Guatemala was better. I drink coffee in New Orleans also, but not in Texas. The Kona coffee in Hawaii was the best I've ever had, and it is not possible to find the equivalent here. Even the coffee beans that we bought on Maui were not as good as the coffee we got at restaurants/coffee shops on Maui. I think the best beans do not leave the island. The coffee we had in Italy was almost as good, but it probably came from Africa - Ethiopia most likely.

I didn't know that Camp Chef is located in Utah. I do remember looking at Camp Chef vs Lodge a couple years ago. The Camp Chef pieces were all made in China.

Too late - I already bought Camp Chef, but if I had known, I would have held out for Lodge. I really prefer to buy domestic iron and steel when possible.

Sherri, as I mentioned, the website says they are headquartered in Utah, but it doesn't say anything about where the items were/are manufactured. I looked on the cooktop/grill but couldn't find any markings, I'm assuming it was somewhere on the packaging or tags.

I also prefer to buy domestic items and do when possible, but it's not always possible, or at least not realistic. I'm still trying to find a pair of American made sneakers that fit!

Annie

Last week I bought a pair of gold lamé sneakers, and they were also made in China. It is next to impossible to find gold lamé sneakers made domestically, but I did buy mine at a local store on Melrose. Mine look like this, except that they are gold with gold lamé lacings.

Well, I ended up buying and rehabilitating a rusted old cast iron pan from a thrift store rather than either the Lodge or CC. Annie, yes, the packaging told me that it was made in China. I remember being surprised at the time.

One of the advantages of being Canadian.... although I tend to avoid Chinese, I'm also not so concerned about "Made in America".

Sherri, I'm not just concerned with "Made in America", although I buy that when I can. I'm also concerned about the resources it takes to ship items long distances. For instance, I'm far more likely to buy beef from Canada than I am from Argentina, since I'm in Michigan and you're right next door as opposed to a continent away. So for me, closer is better.

Lars, now THOSE are sneakers! I was hoping for a pair in white, brown or black, with no crazy colors, I'm not as comfortable with fashion as you are. The Princess did get a pair with rechargeable LED lights in the soles, and a remote that lets you change the colors and the sequence of flashing lights. About blinded me, LOL, but they're definitely noticeable!

Annie

My shoes are not rechargeable, and so when they burn out, they will not light up any more, but I really did not want the lights! The shoes are a bit blinding in direct sunlight, and so I am a bit reluctant to wear them during the day, but that has not stopped me so far. They are fun to look at because the reflect rainbows. I guess they are really some sort of mylar instead of lamé, although the laces are definitely lamé.

Even if I were Canadian, I do not think I would want to buy steel from China, due to the practices of the Chinese steel industry, although I think they are starting to cut back on their use of coal, since people cannot see well enough to cross the street near the steel factories.

Now I'm all nostalgic. When Vans were in SoCal, you could take them your own fabric and they'd make you custom sneakers...

Lars, Makayla's look like these, hers are black:

https://hoverkicks.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Generic&utm_term=led%20light%20up%20sneakers&utm_content=LED%20Light%20Up

I see they do come in gold too!

Plllog, I had a pair of Van's. They were actually "hand me downs" from Amanda, she outgrew them. So she wore them for a year or so and I wore them for a couple of years after. When I tried to replace them, of course, they were no longer stylish and not to be found. The new ones don't fit me well, too narrow in the toe and wide in the heel, definitely not like the old ones.

Annie