Clean a Pizza Stone

A pizza stone is a portable stone slab that allows home chefs to get more crispy crust for pizza and other foods. In general, you should not need to clean your pizza stone on a regular basis, as cooking pizza on it will season it. However, if you do need to clean it, be sure to do it correctly. Some methods, like soaking or using soap and water can ruin your stone forever.[1] If you find yourself in a situation where you need to clean your pizza stone, there are some simple techniques you can use that won’t ruin the stone.

Steps

Cleaning Your Stone By Hand

  1. Let your stone completely cool off. Before handling, you should allow it to cool off in the oven for an hour, otherwise there's a possibility it could crack, especially if you expose it to cold air or water.[2] Make sure that your stone cools to room temperature before you attempt to clean it.
    • If you must handle it when it is hot, use heat-resistant gloves so you do not burn yourself. Be sure any surface it is placed on is heat-resistant.
    • Pizza stones can also crack if you put a cold stone into a hot oven.
  2. With a blunt tool, brush or scrape stuck on pieces of food. You can use a stone brush or plastic spatula to get any excess pieces of burnt food that have stuck to your stone. Scrape gently on the surface of the stone where the baked on food is.
    • Using a metal spatula may put scratches in your stone.
  3. Never use soap on your pizza stone. Although it may seem intuitive to clean your stone with soap, doing this can ruin the stone for good. Pizza stones are porous, and soap will get inside of its pores and make your food taste like soap.[3] Once you ruin your stone with soap it may never be the same.
  4. Wipe your pizza stone with a damp cloth if necessary. Damp a washcloth with warm water and wipe down the pizza stone. Wipe off any pieces of loosened food that you were able to get detached from scraping.
  5. As a last resort, soak your pizza stone in water. Burnt or baked-on gunk may need to be soaked to soften the material for removal. In plain water, soak the pizza stone overnight, and try scraping again. Keep in mind that in soaking, your pizza stone will absorb quite a bit of water, so let it dry completely for a week or so. Even if it looks dry, it has a lot of water in it.
  6. Let your stone dry completely before using it again. Another reason that a pizza stone can crack in the oven is because it hasn’t fully dried before being put back into the oven. Remember to store the stone in room temperature before you heat it again. Water gets stuck in the pores of the stone and reduces the integrity of the stone when it’s reheated again.[2]
    • Allow your pizza stone 1-2 hours to dry before using it again.
  7. Avoid putting oils of any kind on the stone. Olive oil or any other fat can cause your stone to smoke when you cook food on it.[4] While some people think that this seasons the stone like a cast iron pan, the pores in the stone actually soaks up the oil instead of creating a non-stick surface.
    • To create a non-stick surface, use cornmeal on the top of your stone.
    • Oils from food will naturally leach into the pizza stone, and will do no harm...in fact it will make it better to use. However, as mentioned above, do not season it as you would a cast iron skillet.
    • Your stone will become naturally seasoned after cooking pizza or other foods on it.
  8. Embrace your discolored pizza stone. A well-used pizza stone typically has many dark, discolored areas. It does not look like a brand new slab right out of the box. But a pizza stone actually gets better over time. Do not try to scrub your pizza stone in an attempt to make it look brand-new, or think once it looks "old" it is time for a new one.

Washing Your Stone With Baking Soda

  1. Mix equal parts baking soda and warm water in a bowl. Mix it together until it forms a paste. It should be around the consistency of toothpaste. This solution will be able to remove deeper stains from your stone that a regular wiping can’t.
    • Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate and is great for cleaning off dirt and grease.[5]
    • Since it’s only mildly abrasive and won’t alter the taste of your food, baking soda is the safest cleaner for your pizza stone.
  2. Remove large burnt chunks of food with plastic spatula. Before you scrub your stone with the solution you just made, you need to make sure that the bigger chunks of food that are stuck to your pizza stone are removed.
    • Be gentle when handling your pizza stone because repeated handling increases the chance of it cracking over time.[6]
  3. Scrub the solution into your stone with a brush. Using a toothbrush or stone brush, make small circular motions and clean the problem areas of your pizza stone first. Aim for the discolored or dark areas on the stone and then work your way around the rest of the stone.
    • If there are still areas that have deep, baked-in stains, you may have to come back to them after wiping your stone.
  4. Wipe the stone with a damp cloth. Once you have scrubbed your stone, you should have a layer of your baking soda cleaning solution on the stone. Wipe this down with a damp cloth when you feel like you won’t make any more progress by scrubbing.
    • Revisit the problem areas of the stone after wiping if you aren’t satisfied with how clean it is. Repeat the process until the stained area is lighter or has disappeared.
  5. Allow the stone to fully dry. Since this method of cleaning will probably allow more moisture into your stone then simply wiping it off, make sure you wait a day before using it again. Any leftover moisture could damage your stone.[7]
    • You can store your stone in the oven so that it stays room temperature. Just make sure to take it out when you are cooking other things.

Using The Self-Cleaning Function

  1. Limit the use of this method to one time. There’s a chance you’ll crack your pizza stone, even if you follow these directions.[8] Use this method only once, and try to do a thorough job so you don't have to do it again.
    • If there’s too much grease, it can start a grease or oil fire which is incredibly dangerous.
    • Some self-cleaning ovens have a self-lock feature when self-cleaning is on. If there’s fire inside of your oven, there is sometimes no way to open the door.[9]
  2. Clean your oven until it’s completely clear of grease and dried food. Stuck on grease or any other fat will create a lot of smoke if you use your self cleaning function. Wipe down greasy rails with a rag and use an oven cleaner.
    • Make sure that your oven is dry before using the self-cleaning function.
  3. Wipe off your stone with a dish rag. Clean off the initial grease and dirt buildup on your stone. Even though the self-cleaning feature will clean the stone, this initial cleaning will prevent smoke.
    • Make sure to remove any large chunks of food that are stuck on.
  4. Place the stone in the oven and set it to 500 degrees. You need to gradually increase the heat of your oven to prevent your pizza stone from cracking from a change in heat. Allow the preheat function to gradually increase the temperature of the stone. Leave stone in oven for at least an hour once it's reached 500 degrees.
    • The same method should be applied if you want an even cook on your pizza.
  5. Turn on your self-cleaning function. The self-cleaning function on your oven will super-heat it, and is meant to burn away any excess grease or dirt.[10]
    • Allow the full cycle to run. Do not disrupt it unless there is a fire.
  6. Watch your pizza stone through the window. Make sure to keep an eye on your pizza stone and oven. You should see grease bubbling on the surface of the stone. Do not open your oven while it is self-cleaning because of the smoke.
    • If you see a fire, turn off the self cleaning function and call the fire department.
    • Oxygen will cause an oven fire to grow when exposed to air and could create a dangerous backdraft. For that reason, keep the door on your oven closed.
  7. Allow your pizza stone to cool. Fully cool your pizza stone overnight. The self-cleaning function should have removed any remaining dirt or spots on your stone.

Warnings

  • Use the self-cleaning function as a last resort to clean your stone.
  • The self-cleaning function can possibly start a fire.
  • Cleaning your stone by hand is the best way to clean a pizza stone.
  • Always wear heat resistant gloves when handling a hot pizza stone.

Related wikiHow Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.pizzacraft.com/blogs/pizzacraft-blog/67413379-how-to-clean-a-pizza-stone
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.bakingsteel.com/blog/why-pizza-stone-cracked
  3. ↑ http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/blog/clean-pizza-stone/
  4. ↑ http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/blog/use-pizza-stone/
  5. ↑ http://oconto.uwex.edu/files/2011/02/Baking-Soda.pdf
  6. ↑ http://theboatgalley.com/using-a-baking-stone/
  7. ↑ http://www.thekitchn.com/baking-tools-wear-and-care-of-52351
  8. ↑ http://www.thekitchn.com/why-you-should-almost-never-use-the-self-cleaning-function-of-your-oven-175110
  9. ↑ http://www.appliance411.com/faq/cleanlock.shtml
  10. ↑ http://www.thekitchn.com/our-adventures-in-oven-cleanin-76625

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