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Steel Sheet for Pizza


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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Was any testing done on solid sheets of aluminum?

My understanding is that the intent is to dump heat as fast as possible into the pizza crust. If that's the case, aluminum has a thermal conductivity 10X that of steel. The volumetric heat capacity of steel is about twice that of aluminum, but doubling the sheet thickness would still give you a sheet that's half the weight.

Cost wise, a carbon steel sheet is going to be the cheapest, but do the performance gains (i.e. better heat transfer, corrosion resistance, lighter) justify the additional expense?

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I noticed that. I guess that's what inspired the inquiry.

I'm not sure I understand what differentiates the MC baking steel from a regular old steel sheet from a bulk metal seller. The website states that it's pre-seasoned with an organic blend of oils, but I'm not convinced that justifies a 3X markup ($100 vs ~$35). It looks like it's plated/coated which might be nice, but there's no mention of it on the website.

Anybody know what the difference is? Also, still wondering about the steel vs aluminum question from a heat transfer perspective...

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Ok guys, I've been thinking about getting some kind of baking steel ever since I read about it in MC but I'd like to know why the one you have developed is so much better than let's say a chunk of 304 stainless or 316 1/2, 3/4 or let's say 1" in thickness from my local steel fabricator in Brooklyn... does your steel have some kind of unique properties I don't know about? can you help me so I'm not comparing apples to oranges here?

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Check out this discussion along the same lines: http://modernistcuisine.com/cooks/forum/other-appliances/steel-sheet-for-pizza/

The MC baking steel doesn't appear to be stainless. I believe it's made from plain carbon steel (A36 is fine), but it looks like it might have some sort of finish. Stainless would set you back about 3X the cost of mild steel.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Clem,

I talked with a few members of our team about this, and the consensus seems to be that although the baking steel can stain, it shouldn't affect its performance. Even though darker colors absorb radiant energy faster, any color distortion probably won't be enough to even register on a thermometer. It definitely shouldn't affect its performance as an antigriddle, because that capacity uses conduction, not radiation.

As for cleaning, bakingsteel.com has some great instructions, plus a grill cleaning block that we like. It won't get rid of all stains, but it will get rid of any build up.

Here's a link to the block: : http://bakingsteel.com/shop/grill-stone-cleaning-block/?r=c81e728d9d4c2f636f067f89cc14862c

Judy Wilson

Editorial Assistant

Modernist Cuisine

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I almost feel guilty for going to eastern steel in brooklyn and grabbing two 1/2"x12"x18" A36 steel plates for $44 each, but I want to play, too. The edges are sharp and they are not seasoned, so i brought them down to my shop where I'll eventually fix them up all nice... but it might be a little while as I have other things to do... so I guess if 'd bought the MC one i'd already be ready to go....

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got mine from the modernist website. it works great for cooking pizza. that said, it is a sheet of steel. it is preseasoned, but doesn't appear to have any coating on it. what looks like a coating is likely the seasoning on fresh steel. they say it gets dark when you use it. it does. it turns essentially black the first time you use it. not a problem, but it destroys the illusion of a coating. sf-cool.gif

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well, i've been using my baking steel a bit for the last week or two... it's so great. The cooking is so even. no wonder 99% of restaurants are willing to put inexperienced teens in front of these things. they are so forgiving and it's very easy to get excellent results with foods such as fried eggs, hash browns, hamburgers and so forth.

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Nice post and thanks for share your views with us.I also having same problem when using electric oven for making Pizaas using Gas grills. Its upto you which brand are you using some product have faulty gas grills that do leakeges . So its better for you first examine that product which you are looking to buy.Gas will not create any problem during cooking Pizzas.

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