On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:22:30 -0500, "Pete C." >
wrote:


>>One note since you mentioned "new pizza stone" - Be sure to run your
>oven full bore, like 500-550F and give it an extra 15 min or so of
>preheat after the stove indicates it's at temp, since the stone still
>isn't at that point.
>
>I've known a lot of folks who got pizza stones and then stopped using
>them. When I asked them why they always said it didn't seem to help
>anything at which point I'd ask the oven temp and get some lame answer
>like 375F. Every single one who got the stone back out and tried it at
>500F+ like I told them was suitably amazed at the difference and
>continues to use it.

Peter Reinhardt recommends that when you are baking pizza, to heat the
oven for a full hour at least, at it's highest setting, which is
usually 500 or 550. With the pizza stone in it: like you said, you
want both the oven AND the pizza stone blazingly hot.

I do this for bread as well...other than just pizza.

Christine