July 23, 2009 - 1:36pm
Is it worth the energy to heat up a baking stone for an hour?
I was telling a friend of mine about Eric's observations (now, mine too) about how much heat baking stones lose as soon as you put dough on them. She remarked:
I think thermal conductivity may come into play. Some materials transfer heat more easily than others -- You can put your hand into a 500˚ oven without much pain, but if you touch a 500˚ pizza stone, you'll burn yourself, because stone conducts heat differently than does air. So although the stone may lose heat, perhaps (and I'm just guessing) it transfers its remaining heat faster than would a baking sheet, etc.
What do you think? Is it worth it to use a baking stone or not? Does a baking stone transfer heat faster than a baking sheet?
--Pamela