Making pizza is not only a delicious activity, it is also fun. Gathering the toppings and laying them all out on the pizza is a great way to bond with friends and family. Each and every person involved in making the pizza will have loads of fun and once the pizza is baked, they’ll get to enjoy their food as well.
Back in the day, people used old-style metal baking sheets to cook their pizzas. But with the advent of pizza stones, those metal sheets are considered a thing of the past (at least when it comes to pizza-making) and are quickly replaced by such a beneficial invention.
In case you are interested in getting one, it pays to read reviews of different models from a variety of brands. In this article we are going to review Pizzacraft’s Rectangular Cordierite Pizza Stone. Let’s see whether this model makes the grade!
Features
- Great for heating and warming frozen baked goods like pizzas and other varieties
- Capable of crispy-crusted pizza results
- Includes wire handle rack for easier and safer transport
- Does not need any kind or prep work like seasoning prior use
- Has a measurement of 15-inch by 12.1-inch
- Comes in beige/off-white color
Advantages
An excellent pizza includes those required crispy crusts with that balanced golden brown hue. A good pizza stone should be capable of getting rid of hot spots while baking to make perfect pizza results. This Pizzacraft pizza stone made with cordierite comes in a rectangular shape, and because of form, allows for making bigger pizzas.
The unit does not require any oiling or seasoning beforehand; consumers can actually make use of the item first thing straight out of the box. The company recommends that the oven needs to be pre-heated to 500 degrees F with the stone positioned in the center of the grill for 30 minutes. To keep things from sticking to its surface, its best that the stone be dusted with cornmeal before placing the pizza.
The item can be used as a baking aid for other kinds of baked foods from bread to cookies. Then again, the company suggests users that particular foods like bread and pizzas can make do with being baked directly on its surface, while certain foods like cookies may require the addition of a thin layer of foil placed between the food and the cooking surface of the stone.
The stone contains cordierite, a mineral that fortifies the stone’s thermal-shock resisting capabilities. It makes the stone durable too, and it easily withstands extremely high temperatures. I did experience a particular minor odor that comes with stones containing cordierite the first time I used it, but with each succeeding use, it went away. The smell that went with the item is non-toxic too, the company reminded.
The model was given a structure upgrade last year; while the stone’s width still has the same measurement, its overall length was lessened by 2.5 inches. The changes were provided to accommodate customer response since many complained that the length of the item was too long for common ovens. The company also improved its thickness to make it more durable. Also, it has a rectangular shape so you can make larger pizzas for parties and get-togethers.
Thus, apart from providing a good pizza, the company has great customer service and the stone promises durability too. As for cleanups, a spatula helps in getting rid of food remnants. Once the stone has cooled down, users can run the item under warm water while scraping with a brush. Using soap and other kinds of detergent is not recommended.
The stone will darken due to use, thus users should not worry in case this happens. After cleaning, air-dry the stone and store the item in the oven.
Disadvantages
The smoke and the smells were its drawbacks; it was the number one complaint among dissatisfied customers. However, the company made sure to accommodate each complaint, and they obliged their customers pretty well.
Verdict
If durability and surface area are important for you when it comes to pizza stones, Pizzacraft’s Rectangular Cordierite model is for you. It did its job well. However, for those who are wary with the smell, you may have to look for other stones.
24 Month Update!
So we like to come back to our reviews and let you know how the item has performed since we started using it. Its a key thing that we think the vast majority of reviews miss out! I don’t want to spend money on something that will only last a few months or years.
With that in mind we go back to all our pizza stone reviews after a two year period and let you know exactly how it has performed. Did it malfunction in any way? Did the pizza stone crack? Did it continue to produce amazing pizzas for my family and friends?
Also what was it like to live with? How easy was it to clean? was it easy to store? etc etc.
Well the good news is that Pizzacraft’s Rectangular Cordierite pizza stone is without doubt one of the most durable pizza stones we have tested. On average I would say we used it once a week so it had some pretty thorough testing. It didn’t miss a beat and kept on producing fantastic pizzas time and time again.
Cleaning was a little more tricky just because of its shape. A circular stone just fits into a the sink easier! That being said it wasn’t really that bad. Maybe a little quicker to clean a round pizza stone.
It has no cracks, chips or splits in it and it did get accidently dropped a couple of times! Some more inferior stones have been damaged when that happens. Its always a bit of a heart stopping moment when you drop one (bit like dropping your cell phone!) that it might shatter into a load of pieces but this one survived no problem.
So all in all a very very good pizza stone that will last you well into the future.
made by https://www.pizzacraft.com
