Pizza Baking Steel

[anneforums]

I saw there is a guy in Melbourne selling pizza baking steel for Pizza etc. He has different sizes of baking steel. 10mm thickness and 6mm. The reviews from people who have bought them have all been 5 stars. I'm thinking of getting one. Does anyone know if 10mm is better than the 6mm? 

[paulraphael]

This is discussed in another thread or two. 10mm is definitely better if you're making multiple pizzas back-to-back.

 

The weight difference may be a deterrent. My 12mm steel weighs around 32 lbs. I love it but would not recommend to my mom. 

 

There's some opportunity with these things to pinch a finger or smash a foot, or dislocate an oven rack, or burn someone if they forget that it's still going be blazing hot an hour after you take it out of the oven.

[justjackie]

Annforums  I am in Sydney and just about to buy pizza steel from Melbourne.

Did you buy one and are you happy with it

[HungryChris]

I went to a local steel fabricator to get a pizza steel cut and while I was waiting, I noticed a bin of scrap steel of assorted dimensions, marked down quite a bit. I had them cut my steel from a 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) piece. It weighs close to 30 lbs and you would not want kids or pets around your feet when you move it, but it works very well. I had it cut rectangular, but if I had it to do again, I'd have the corners a little rounded. 

HC

Edited January 9, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[paulraphael]

It's definitely worth checking out a fabricator or scrapyard or two. Here in NYC the prices they quoted were way higher than the manufactured pizza steels, but it seems like in most places you can get a better deal by going that route. You may have to put in some work to get a finish on the steel that you find acceptable ... be prepared for rust, a rough mill finish, and sharp burs on the cut edges. 

[boilsover]

24 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

It's definitely worth checking out a fabricator or scrapyard or two. Here in NYC the prices they quoted were way higher than the manufactured pizza steels, but it seems like in most places you can get a better deal by going that route. You may have to put in some work to get a finish on the steel that you find acceptable ... be prepared for rust, a rough mill finish, and sharp burs on the cut edges. 

 

Agreed, scrap yard is cheaper.  Find a piece of scrap steel the right thickness and pay by the pound.  Most places can cut even thick plate for a small additional charge.  My 15"x 21" x 1/2" piece cost about $50 and that included one cut.  Filing/deburring the edges and sanding off the mill scale is no big deal.  Run it through a self-clean cycle or two, wire brush it, wipe it clean and then a light coat of cooking oil.  Easy.

[haresfur]

On 6/8/2016 at 1:13 PM, anneforums said:

I saw there is a guy in Melbourne selling pizza baking steel for Pizza etc. He has different sizes of baking steel. 10mm thickness and 6mm. The reviews from people who have bought them have all been 5 stars. I'm thinking of getting one. Does anyone know if 10mm is better than the 6mm? 

 

Oooh. Where? How much?

[justjackie]

Hi,His name is Peter Turnbull,from Melbourne.Google Pizza steel Australia.

He is also on ebay Australia.

Got the largest one 10mm thick.

Straight in gas pizza oven outside with a coating of coconut oil on the steel.

Used Antico Molina Caputo flour for Pizza as per Modernist Cuisine at Home.

Made the dough the night before.Brilliant. Baked for a few minutes and then grilled for

a couple more in Roller grill pizza oven inside.Light as air just like their photo.

Get the flour from Deni International in Mascot 25 kg bag.

[TicTac]

Would love to hear more and perhaps some actual suggestions on Pizza Steel's

 

I have looked a bit on Amazon and ones being touted as a "Pizza Steel" are in fact Iron, which is not what I want.

 

FWIW - This would be going to Ontario, Canada.

 

[btbyrd]

The original Baking Steel people ship to Canada. It costs a lot ($49, including all customs fees) but steels are heavy so it makes sense.

 

I did a quick search on Amazon.ca, and one of the first results was a steel from Pizzacraft that's inexpensive and has free shipping. There are a few other options available. None appear to be pure iron. But all the steels I'm aware of (including the Modernist Cuisine version I got from Baking Steel) are vulnerable to rust and should be kept dry and well-seasoned like a carbon steel pan.

[TicTac]

Thanks btbyrd.

 

I emailed the owner of Baking Steel - shipping is expensive, so perhaps he might be flexible (as I might order multiple).

 

Pizza craft is made out of Iron, which is not what I am interested in.

 

The Baking Steel one appears to come pre-seasoned, which I am a big fan of.  What is the upkeep like?

 

 

[btbyrd]

Pizza Craft sells stainless ones in addition to some ceramic, Thermabond, and cast iron pizza things. Their steel comes pre-seasoned as well.

 

Upkeep is just like cast iron or carbon steel. Don't let it hang out around water. I repeat: do not let it hang out around water. When I first got mine, I put it on my grill and used it like a flat top. The steel was too hot to remove that night, so I let it cool down outside in the grill. It did not rain that night, but it was cool, and some dew had condensed, evaporated, and oxidized the steel. Rust spots. Getting those bitches out was several-day long project, but I was able to strip, clean, and reseason it with some effort. The techniques aren't any different from cast iron or carbon steel, but the sheer size and weight of these things presents a bit of a challenge. Just for fun, here are some pics of the process:

 

This was the steel new, out of the box. 

 

 

 

And here it is the next day. I had scoured it with steel wool, so there's a thin, red layer of rust on it, but you can see some of the distinct spots.

 

 

After some time with some metal sandpaper and some oven cleaner, I was able to strip it down to this base layer. It looks a bit dark in places (like the lower left corner) but that's mostly old seasoning that I didn't need to fully remove. 

 

 

 

This is after five rounds of seasoning in the oven. It's jet black and totally smooth. Looks like cast iron, but it's definitely steel.

 

So that was a pretty awful experience, but the seasoning is now top-knotch.

 

KEEP YOURS DRY.

[HungryChris]

Here is the one I had cut from a piece of scrap 1/4 " steel plate I found in the scrap rack at a local metal fabrication business. I first went there to get a heat shield cut and bent for my wood stove flue. The price, including one cut was $19. As others have said, keep it dry and maintenance is not much of an issue.

HC

[palo]

Is stainless steel not a option?

 

p

[anneforums]

I bought my very great pizza steel at Melbourne named Roc Baking Steel! It was very awesome and can bake the pizza perfectly!

[TicTac]

Had a great interaction with the owner of Baking Steel - ended up getting the one bt has above - curious, did you end up with the issues because it was exposed to water - as I understand it, they come pre-seasoned.

 

Really looking forward to generating some nice char on my BBQ Pizzas!

 

Now to find a good pizza peel!

 

 

[btbyrd]

On 9/13/2017 at 1:55 PM, TicTac said:

...Ended up getting the one bt has above - curious, did you end up with the issues because it was exposed to water - as I understand it, they come pre-seasoned.

 

... Now to find a good pizza peel!

 

I mean, the only thing I can think of is that the rust was caused by dew in the nighttime. It went onto the grill new, seared some steak, and then cooled down overnight in the (covered) grill. The next morning: rust. I don't know what the deal is. It might have just been a fluke.

 

At any rate, the seasoning that comes on the steel is pretty minimal. I'd say that it's akin to the initial layer of seasoning on a carbon steel pan. It's so thin that the steel looks steely and metallic rather than the blackened coating that comes with layer upon layer of polymerized oil or years of use. I don't think that it needs to come with that level of seasoning though.

 

As for a good peel, I use the Super Peel. The design is very helpful in getting things on and off the peel.

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

11 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

I mean, the only thing I can think of is that the rust was caused by dew in the nighttime. It went onto the grill new, seared some steak, and then cooled down overnight in the (covered) grill. The next morning: rust. I don't know what the deal is. It might have just been a fluke.

 

I had a similar experience.  I needed to get the steel out of the oven in a hurry. It was hot and I didn't have a handy spot to put it down so I put it on a stone-topped table out in my carport.  I forgot to retrieve it and the next AM, there was rust on it.  

[btbyrd]

You have my deepest sympathies.

[adey73]

As I am truly terrible at shimmy-ing anything off pizza peels... would constructing the pizza on a 2 millimetre deep piece of aluminum and placing that on top of the preheated steel work? 

[KennethT]

@adey73I'd be worried that you wouldn't get great heat transfer doing that.  Unless both the steel and the aluminum were both perfectly milled flat (which they're not), there will be a (relatively) large air space between them acting as an insulator.

[TicTac]

That looks like an ingenious product, bt - thanks for linking it.

 

Now to find out why on earth it costs more than twice as much on Amazon.ca than Amazon.com - I have emailed Super Peel and am waiting to hear back.

[IndyRob]

4 hours ago, adey73 said:

As I am truly terrible at shimmy-ing anything off pizza peels... would constructing the pizza on a 2 millimetre deep piece of aluminum and placing that on top of the preheated steel work? 

 

A baking steel helps pan pizza quite a bit.  I've perfected my Detroit Style pizza with a pizzatools pan and a baking steel.  I haven't yet tried a more traditional style yet because the DS is so good.

 

But it will require some trial and error to find the right temp and steel placement for your particular oven.

[palo]

On 9/12/2017 at 5:05 PM, palo said:

Is stainless steel not a option?

 

p

I ask again...

[Anna N]

4 minutes ago, palo said:

I ask again...

Here