Abaking stone is a portable cooking surface used inbaking. It may be made ofceramic,stone or, more recently,salt.^[1][2] Food is put on the stone, which is then placed in an oven, though sometimes the stone is heated first.^[3] Baking stones are used much likecookie sheets, but may absorb additional moisture for crispier food.^[4][5] Apizza stone is a baking stone designed for cooking pizza.

Due to thethermal mass of baking stones and the material's property as a poor heat conductor,food is less likely to burn when one uses a baking stone instead ofmetal orglass bakeware. Baking stones are a variation on hot stone cooking, which is one of the oldest cooking techniques known. Some cooks recommend sprinklingcorn meal or flour on the baking stone to prevent the crust from sticking or usingparchment paper atop the stone.^[6][7][8][9] Baking "stones" may be purchased as unglazedceramic tiles, unglazed fired clay tiles and quarried tiles, from tile shops andhardware stores.^[2][10][11]

To preventfracturing of the stone bythermal shock, some bakers place the baking stone in a cold oven and heat it over at least 45 minutes,^[2] then allow it to cool slowly inside the oven after switching it off. Because of the possibility of rapid temperature change,^[12] baking stones should not be left in an oven while it is inself cleaning mode.^[13]

Baking stones can be cleaned with a drybrush orscouring pad followed by plainhot water.^[13] Because it is porous, a baking stone will absorb anyfluid it contacts,^[5] includingdetergent. Use of any detergents may taint the stone, imparting the flavor of detergent to foods later cooked on the stone.^[14]

When designed for cookingpizzas, a baking stone is often referred to as a pizza stone. Using a pizza stone more or less mimics the effects of cooking a pizza in amasonry oven. Theporous nature of the stone absorbsmoisture, resulting in a crispier crust. Small pizza stones can be purchased to fit any conventional cookingoven or an enclosedbarbecue-style grill. High-end ovens sometimes offer optional pizza stones that are specifically designed for each oven model and may include a specializedheating element. In addition totraditional methods, a pizza stone can also be made out of metal.^[15][16]

A usually 16 in (410 mm) long x 16 in (410 mm) wide x1⁄4 in (6.4 mm) thickA36 steel plate^[17][18][19] conducts heat better than stone and is safe to use with any broiler or grill, but gives off too much heat for bread, cookies, and croissants.^[20] Its carbon steel is heavier thus it needs to be pre-seasoned before use. The optimal thickness is determined by the oven temperature.^{[21][22][23][24][25]}

• Earth oven – underground ovens
• Masonry oven – colloquially known as a brick oven or stone oven

• Food preparation utensils
• Cookware and bakeware
• Pizza
• Stone (material)

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata