They're very thick and heavy. About 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" thick and weigh nearly 20 pounds each. If it appears that the oven racks are sagging a little ... they are!
The one on the bottom is set into a half sheet pan. The one on the top is not. I use the one on the top on my gas grill in the summer to do outdoor pizza. Not the same as a brick oven, but with the lid closed I can get a good amount of heat.
These puppies are made of the same stuff as the hearths of the ovens made by these guys.
http://www.woodstone-corp.com/factory.htmWhile their oven floors are a monolithic pour of some 3" to 6" of a special ceramic material, mine are much thinner. As they make their oven floors by hand, and since the pour must be made in one operation or the floor is scrap, they must make extra slurry in case some spills during the actual pour. They cast these little guys from that excess and give them away. I heard recently that they plan to start making these specifically, and with a better finish, and start selling them, but I don't know where you could buy one or what they would cost.
In operation, these need at least an hour to preheat, with an hour and a half or two hours being more usual for me. I use one on the oven bottom (But never on the oven floor - most will not tolerate a pan being directly on the floor and those instructions that came with yours, but which you've no doubt lost long ago, will specifically say that.) and one at the top. This is closer to what a true hearth oven is like inside ..... but not quite.
My old oven was a little faulty in a good way. It was hotter than the dial indicated. When set at 550 (its highest setting) it was closer to 625 inside. My new oven, sadly, won't do that. 500 is the highest it will go and my thermometer says it is just about right on that. The net result has been no change in the pizzas I get, but the cooking time is longer by a minute or two.
As you can see, these are all speckled and spotted (to say nothing of my oven floor! :)) I have never washed these, although unlike a more porous material, they could probably take it. In no case would soap ever be appropriate unless you like the taste of Palmolive Liquid!
I'll try to remember to take some pictures next time I decide to make pizzas. Funnily enough, I tend to make them more in the Summer than the winter. Go figure. :shrug:
Anyway, that stone of yours will give you great results. Once you do the usual pizza, try branching out a bit. here's a neat one that I do.
Cedar Plank Salmon
Buy a few cedar shims at the hardware store. The ones that are actually reject cedar shakes or cedar siding. You need them to be a few inches wide, not the little door stop sized ones.
Soak the cedar in hot water for an hour or three. While the cedar is soaking, clean a salmon fillet and cut it into portions that work for you. 4 to 6 ounces each is probably about right. Season the salmon as you wish (salt and pepper, at least) and then lay a sprig of rosemary (or even dill) and a few thin slices of lemon on top of it. Put each salmon portion on its own cedar "plank". Put a few stalks of asparagus on each side of the salmon and pop 'em on the baking stone.
The salmon will, of course, cook from the oven heat. But the stone will cause the cedar to quickly release the water and help to cook the salmon with a little steam. This also serves to keep the fish very moist. The cedar itself will impart a flavor to the fish, too .... a nice, woodsy kinda taste. Subtle, but for sure there. The top will brown on the edges that aren't covered by the lemon slices. Maybe 7 to 10 minutes later (depending on the actual temp of your oven and the potrtion size of the fish), its done!
Note: you want the cedar to feel damp, not be dripping wet, before you lay the fish on it.
By the way, I am told (but have no first hand experience) that Saltillo or quarry-type tile will work as an oven stone. Get one that is the right size or bigger, and as thick as possible, and cut to the size you need. If all you can find are small ones, just use two or four layed next to each other. It also needs to be an unglazed tile.