Will this pizza stone work?

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

I got the new Williams Sanoma catalogue & they're showing this pizza stone that is used on a gas grill. DH insists it won't work. I'm dying to get one.

What do you think? Would it work?

best.




edited to add: whoohoo. my first picture.

:now, how the heck did I do that?:

[eleny]

1. Looks like fun!

About the pic - did you right click on the pic, select Properties and copy the url to paste it into your posting?

Btw, how much do they want for the pizza stone and does it come in that metal housing? Nevermind - I just found it. $99.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. I don't know why it wouldn't work, but I also ask why you would

buy this one instead of a $20 one at any local kitchen store. Judging only from the picture, I see a plain old ceramic pizza stone wrapped in a stylish stainless steel frame. What does the stainless add to the stone?

I use my pizza stone on the grill. It is the same one I use in my oven.

But the best way to make grilled pizza is to just grill it on the grill. The recipe at this link is a good description of the method. I can't vouch for the actual recipe, but the process described is spot on.

http://www.americanpasturage.com/recpizza.htm

I like grilled-on-the-grate pizza better than pizza on a stone cooked on the grill. In my mind, if you're going to use a stone, do so where the stone is intended to be used ..... in an oven. While I have experimented with using a stone on the grill, my best success has been with grilling the pizza right on the grate ... no stone.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

3. I want it because it's 'stylish'

I'm a very shallow person. :)

Actually, I'm leary of anything from W-S. Cook's Illustrated has given them many bad reviews on their products. I don't think CI is the be-all & end-all, but I gotta agree with them that W-S stuff is always more expensive.

DH thinks it won't work because he doesn't think the cheese, etc would melt. If you say it works, I'll just grill our next pizza on the BBQ.

Oh, does that work w/a pre-cooked pizza shell? Sometimes I just grab a Bobelli from the freezer.

best

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Grilling right on the grill is actually kinda like a Boboli .......

You cook the shell before adding the toppings.

The shortcoming I always had with the stone was getting the toppings to melt/cook properly. The reality is that even with the lid closed on the grill, an oven gets hotter above the stone than the grill does.

[Gregorian]

5. I think grilled pizza is done without a stone.

The last issue of Cooks Illustrated had an article on barbequed pizza. As usual, they ran the gambit of tests to figure out which type of dough , and other things, worked the best. I see no mention of a stone. And in fact, their pictures all show the pizza directly on the grill.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

6. Oh well, I just saved myself a 100 bucks! n/t

[Kolesar]

7. I thought pizza stones were designed to dissipate water vapor

If you cook on a pan, the water gets "trapped" in the crust, and you end up with a tough crust. The stone absorbs the water. You can also bake right on the grill.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Yes, water vapor dissipation ... but also more than that .....

The stone 'stores' heat. It is a thermal mass. The more mass, the less it 'notices' a cold pizza slapped down on it and the better and more even the pizza cooks. There is no dip in temperature as there would be with a pan.

Because of the thermal mass, the pizza is heated immediately and the crust that forms, forms fast. In any other method (except for grilling) there's a significant drop in temperature as the cold pizza gets heated ..... and that results in a slower and therefore less crispy/smokey crust.