The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Farberware pizza stone on sale $7.99

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

Farberware pizza stone on sale $7.99

Does anyone know what this stone is made of, or how well it holds up? Linens & Things has it on sale right now, and there's no shipping if you do an in-store pickup. Interestingly, it's still $19.99 if you just buy it in the store.

 

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1356043

Floydm's picture
Floydm

That is a very good deal for a stone like that.

I had 2 of those that I broke in less than 3 months before I invested in something more substantial. I don't recall which brand I bought, but I'd caution that most of those small, round stones are fairly brittle. I'm not saying you shouldn't go for, just don't expect it to last forever unless you are *really* careful (which I will admit, I was not).

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

LOL, I don't know how careful I'll be. I think for $8 it's worth a try - especially since I can get this one today, and I'd have to wait for a better one!

BROTKUNST's picture
BROTKUNST

Is it not better to invest in one larger, rectangular (high quality) stone that you can use for all purposes ? The one I bought is thick, large and heavy ... hard to imagine that it would break sometime soon.

I personally prefer one quality tool for many years instead of several cheaper versions for the same purpose over the same period of time. The baking stone is a key element in home baking.

Anyway, I don't know that particular stone. Maybe it is very good. You can always return it. (Atlthough the ones I saw a few months ago at that retailer appeared to be thin and cheaply made). The handles and the 'free' cutting wheel suggest that you could/should cut your pizza on the stone - a certain way to send your baking stone into the trash can very soon. Apart from that what are the handles for ? They'd be 500F hot and you probably would not want to handle it without thick gloves anyway  ... Thick gloves, thin handles - a recipe to drop the stone on your oven door or kitchen floor.

BROTKUNST

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

In general I agree.  I'd much rather buy one good (though more expensive) tool that I will enjoy using and that will last a long time.  But instant gratification won out today.  I rationalize the purchase by comparing the cost of the stone and ingredients for 2 pizzas to going out for wood-fired pizza. If the stone survives tonight's 2 pizzas,  it's paid for itself.  Anything else is gravy.

What looks like handles is actually a rack that you can set the hot stone on.  Thanks for the pointer about not cutting on the stone. I normally cut and serve frozen pizza on my large cutting board, so I guess I'll so the same with this one.  This is the first time I've made homemade in several years.

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Good luck!

rubato456's picture
rubato456

I bought that stone at linen n things about 3 weeks ago; at that time it was on sale for $9.99 down from 19.99. i have been baking up a storm on it....i've made about 18 pizzas in that time......oven to 500 degrees and not had any problem with it. i keep it in my oven no matter what i am baking.....for the price it's been great.  i went to sur la table and looked at their pizza stones and they looked identical only they were charging a lot more.

i would advise you to buy it. 

 

deborah

KipperCat's picture
KipperCat

Well, the pizza was very good.  Definitely better than the national chains, though not quite as good as the local wood-oven-baked pizza place.  The first crust I shaped wasn't that great, but the 2nd was much better.

 We decided to bake it on the grill after all, and the stone survived.  I think it was baked around 550.  I suspect I would have very similar results in the oven on the stone.  If we do it on the grill again, it will definitely be with some wood chips for smoking.

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

Pizza stones are just fine for pizza and baking small quantities of bread.

 

However, when you want to bake more than a loaf at a time, the pizza stones have issues.  They are round, so you can't put two of them on an oven rack.

 

As Floyd commented, they are fragile, and at the list price they are an annoyance to replace.

 

If you have the money, Fibrament makes great oven stones that are made specifically for your oven.  They are thick and very nice.  And pricey.

 

My approach is to buy unglazed quarry tiles at Lowes, Home Depot or better yet a local flooring company.  They come in various sizes and the idea is to tile the rack, leaving a bit of space to each side of the tiles to insure good air flow.  I got my last batch of tiles for 77 cents each.  If I drop one and break it, I just get a new one for 77 cents.  Not a big deal.  For less than ten bucks I tiled both racks in my oven.  Using strapped bread pans, I can bake 16 loaves at a time in my home oven.  If the breads are free form loaves, I can bake 4 to 6 at a time.  I lOVE strapped bread pans when I'm trying to bake lots of bread.

 

At this point someone always starts talking about lead.  How will we know the tiles are lead free?  Lead is an issue with cheap foreign glazes that haven't been correctly fired, not with tiles.  In a great deal of reading, I have seen *NO* sources that suggest there is lead in quarry tiles.  One time, a friend was very concerned so I bought a lead test kit.  Most hardware stores have 'em and they are very cheap.  I tested my tiles and found the tiles had no lead.  You can repeat the test if you like.

Mike

 

sphealey's picture
sphealey

=== At this point someone always starts talking about lead.  How will we know the tiles are lead free?  Lead is an issue with cheap foreign glazes that haven't been correctly fired, not with tiles.  In a great deal of reading, I have seen *NO* sources that suggest there is lead in quarry tiles. ===

That someone is me.  Just to review, I worked 5 years for an industrial refractory maker in North America, Europe, and Oz.  I was privy to the propriatry formulas for industrial refractories, to the formulas for our medical, dental, and laboratory lines, to the MSDS for those products, and to the separation between those products that had human-safe MSDS' and those that had human-toxic MSDS'.  Trust me, you do NOT want to use industrial refractories, or any refractory for which you cannot get an MSDS, in your cooking.

At this point someone always replies that I am wrong.  But never describes their experience in refractory manufacturing. 

sPh

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

Mike mumbled:

At this point someone always starts talking about lead. How will we know the tiles are lead free? Lead is an issue with cheap foreign glazes that haven't been correctly fired, not with tiles. In a great deal of reading, I have seen *NO* sources that suggest there is lead in quarry tiles

 

sphealy replied:

That someone is me.

Not at all. In EVERY forum I've been in over the past 20+ years, whenever someone says quarry tiles, someone says, "LEAD!" And in most cases, with absolutely no understanding of the issues. They just read in a newspaper, or heard on the TV, or heard someone talking somewhere about lead in tiles. And asking them for specifics is like trying to get blood from a turnip. Based on no evidence, they KNOW there's lead in the tiles. There's no talking with someone who's mind is made up and closed.

 

You have reason for your concern and you expressed it well.

 

Next time I'm at Lowes, I'll check the brand of the tiles and then look for an MSDS. However, I did test the tiles for lead and they were clean, as have been every set of quarry tiles I've tested.

 

In over 30 years of baking, I've had no problems I could attribute to lead posioning. I was getting annual blood chemistry tests for the past few years (if you live in Colorado, take advantage of the 9 Health Fair - it is one of the best life saving deals on the planet!) and there were no problems.

 

Mike

 

Oldcampcook's picture
Oldcampcook

I, like Mike, use unglazed quarry tiles for baking stones.  I bought mine at Home Depot.  I took my oven measurements with me and the clerk cut 4 of them for me for 50 cents a cut.

In fact, when the clerk asked me what I intended to use them for and I told him, I ended up going back the next day to share some sourdough starter with him.  Missionary work never stops!!!!!!

I have the tiles on two oven racks and they stay in the oven all the time.

I bake pizza and hearth breads directly on them and, when making panned loaves, just put the pans on the tiles.  No problemo!

Bob

aturco's picture
aturco

I purchased one of these lesser expensive stones from BB&B and within a month it cracked in my oven. I still use it on the bottom of the oven but it probably makes sense to spend a couple more bucks and get a better quaility stone. They definately make a difference.

 good luck

swtgran's picture
swtgran

I purchased my round stone for pizza at BB&B about 8 years ago.  I use it for pizza, free form bread and pitas.  It is still going strong.  Maybe I am just careful with it.  I always keep it in my oven.  It now has a very dark patina and just keeps working.  When it finally breaks I will probably try something square.

LindyD's picture
LindyD

I was about to purchase unglazed quarry tiles at Home Depot earlier this spring. While reading the label attached to the box to determine the country of origin, I came across warnings about carcinogenics. Yes, they were cheap, but reading the fine print coupled with the reality that I move my stone in and out of my oven led me to purchase a large retangular baking stone. I could have gotten a box of the quarry tiles for $10. I paid $20 for the stone. The difference in price was worth my peace of mind.

I highly recommend reading the manufacturer's specs and warnings about a tile product; you'll have the benefit of making an informed decision.