Yuckie Greasy Pizza Stone

[The empressof all]

You all know I haven't been cooking that much lately due to the diet thingie. I normally keep my pizza stone in my oven 24/7. I went in to adjust the racks today because I'm roasting a chicken and needed to take the stone out and OMG....I don't think the SO has done anything more than brush the crumbs off it in 3 months. He makes his greasy pepperoni frozen pizzas on it at least once a week.

Obviously, I don't want to scrub it. I washed it with dish detergent but it still feels way more greasy than I'm comfortable with. I've had this stone for years. It's got the really dark brown patina that you strive for....But the greasy feel is just Gross.

Any suggestions?

[Lucinda]

1. Crank up the oven to 500 and bake it off?

Is it nice enough outside that you could open some windows and just try to burn it off?


I've heard of people running the broiler with the stone on an upper rack, and also running the stone through a self cleaning oven cycle. I don't think i'd do the broiler option, and I'd research how hot my oven cleaning cycle was....

Some people say lemon juice will cut through the grease.

I think i'd just try and bake it off.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Do you have a self-clean cycle?

Most stones can tolerate that if you start them in a cold oven.

I'd worry about the dish detergent. That may now have been absorbed by the stone. Let's hope not.

[The empressof all]

3. I've taken dish detergent to it before without residue problems

It didn't remove any of the seasoning. When the oven cools from the roast chicken I'm going to put the stone back in and crank it up to 500 for an hour. If that doesn't help I'll run it through the short clean cycle but I'm worried that might be too hot. If I come back crying later today with a cracked stone....Somebody better be ready to make me some Cookies!


:hi: and Thanks

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Hahaha

:hug:

[Lucinda]

6. Keeping my fingers crossed. Let us know how the 500 goes!

[Warpy]

8. I'd scrub it with dry Kosher salt

which will absorb an astonishing amount of the sticky goo. Then I'd bake it in a super hot oven for an hour, something that will dry the rest of what's sitting on the surface and add it to the seasoning.

That's what I do with cast iron frypans that start getting a little tacky around the rim and it works very well.

Then I'd get him a damn round pizza pan to use on top of the stone. If the supermarket doesn't have it, the big box stores all do.

[The empressof all]

9. You know I was thinking about using the salt

I'll have him stop by the grocery store on his way home from work to pick up a box as I'm all out.

I think you are right here about the salt. I'll do that first then stick it in the oven.

And good idea about the Pizza Pan but I think that one will come back to bite me on the butt as I doubt he'd clean that either and He'd probably just rinse it and shove it in with the cookie sheets and go back to using the stone. Now that I know he can't be trusted to keep the stone cleaned off properly....I'll be monitoring and doing what I do best with him...Nag....

He's a good guy but we have different standards about things sometimes.....

[Warpy]

11. Just remember to whip the pan out of the drainer

and throw it back into the oven.

[Duer 157099]

4. Here's what I would try

First, make sure the stone is absolutely 100% dry before putting it back into the oven. Or you will end up with a cracked stone. I'd put it out in the sun for a few days if that's possible.

Then I'd go to home depot and pick up 1-2 tiles (saltillo? - they are unglazed floor tiles, about $1/each). Then I'd put my stone upside down on those in the oven and do the heat thing, with the idea being that maybe the grease would heat up and drip down onto the tiles and be absorbed there? Then, as a bonus, those tiles could be backup stones for you, as long as the grease was absorbed well and no residue left on surface?

:shrug:

[Tesha]

7. my stone is fine...

but the instructions were to turn it over every once in a while and use it that way... the heat from the bottom bakes off any 'stuff'

having a 2 sided stone makes that easier tho';)

[The empressof all]

10. Mine is an ancient one from Pampered Chef

Alas the other side is uneven and full of grooves and a little lip

[yy4me]

12. Mine was the same way, too nasty to use so I put it in the oven,

timed the self clean to a short (about 45 minutes) cycle. Came out great. Sticky, greasy feel gone, stains remained but thats OK. Now as good as ever.

[housewolf]

13. I've run all kinds of stones through the self-clean cycle

Never had one crack. Stones are fired at temps much higher than a home oven's self-clean cycle, so I think you could run it through a full self-clean cycle safely. They always cone about great when I've done them.