Baking stones are heavy and take up a lot of space.
And yet I own at least a dozen of them.
I love my baking stones. I have all shapes and sizes, ranging from small flat ones to big, heavy 9x13s to a couple of covered bakers.
It's like a little family of cookware.
A few people on Twitter this week said they had stones sitting unused in their kitchens, and they asked me what they could use those stones to make.
Oh my!
As with the original tool in this series (the bundt pan), I was shocked that people have stones that they don't use. I use one or more of mine at least once a day.
I decided to focus on the flat "pizza" stone today. The following list is just a small sample of its possible uses.
As is my tradition, I didn't include the original, intended use for the stone on my list. That means neither homemade pizza (not even heart-shaped pizza) nor frozen pizza appears below.
{Following the list, please find some tips for cleaning, seasoning, and using your stone.}
10 Uses for a Pizza Stone
- Convenience foods. Honestly, this is probably what we use our flat stones for the most, aside from pizza. Chicken nuggets, frozen french fries, jalapeno poppers, biscuits, frozen pizza, Hot Pockets, pizza bites... all of those frozen convenience foods will cook better if you put them on a stone in the oven.
- Homemade (and healthy!) chicken nuggets - To make homemade chicken nuggets, combine corn flake crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese (the freshly grated stuff, not that white powder in the can). Cut a chicken breast into strips or bite-sized pieces. Dip the pieces into beaten egg, then into the corn flake/cheese mixture. Bake on a stone at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Homemade (and healthy!) french fries - Basically, you just cut the potato into fry shapes, season, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350.
- Homemade (and healthy!) snacks - To make potato chips, cut the potato into thin slices, season, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350. Alternately, cut pitas or tortilla into wedges and bake for 8 to 12 minutes at 350.
- Falafels - I like to make falafels on my stone. The nice thing about stoneware is that the stone absorbs excess moisture. That makes your falafels light and crisp and not at all soggy. Perfect!
- Homemade pretzels - When we made these, we used a kit from Auntie Anne's, but you could just as easily use a recipe and make pretzels from scratch. Want a quicker way to make pretzels at home? Use prepared breadstick dough, form into pretzel shapes, and bake.
- Quesadillas - Take a tortilla, add a handful of cheese and whatever toppings you like (sliced black olives, mushrooms, and salsa if you're Joe and me), top with a second tortilla, and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Mushroom bread - Roll out a package of crescent rolls on the stone. Add a tablespoon of melted butter to a pound of sliced fresh mushrooms, toss to coat. Spread mushrooms over the crescent rolls, top with grated Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
- Apple strudel - This particular recipe is amazing, and it is super easy to create because it starts with crescent rolls.
- Giant cookie - Cookie dough is naturally thick, so you don't have to worry about it running off of the stone. Use commercially prepared dough or a homemade recipe, spread it thick on the stone, and bake. You'll have to check it often; the large cookie will take a lot longer to bake than smaller cookies from the same recipe. When it's finished, you can decorate like a cake or top with fruit to make a dessert pizza.
Tips for Using a Baking Stone
- Did you notice that cookies were conspicuously absent from my list of uses? It's because I don't like cookies prepared on a stone. I think they turn out better on a metal baking sheet. I wanted to state that explicitly.
- If you're using your stone for the first time, bake something fatty on it or spritz it with a bit of cooking spray. Don't go overboard on the cooking spray, though, because it can make the stone sticky.
- Once the stone has become seasoned, it will have a non-stick quality.
- Don't ever use soap on your stone. Clean it with very hot water, scrape the debris off, and put it away. It's as simple as that!
Beth says
I just used mine this evening to make homemade bread sticks. They. Were. Delicious.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Awesome! Will you share how you made them?
Heather says
I use mine for roasted veggies all the time. Other than pizza, that's the most frequent use. I still freak out at my husband if he tries to "clean" my baking stones. He never gets the gunk scraped off! Just counted in my head. I have 7 different baking stones. Love them all 🙂
Katja Presnal says
Ok, I don't have one.... I know! I must buy a pizza stone right now. I used to make homemade pizza all the time, and then we moved to NY and have an amazing Italian pizza place right around the corner.. and I never make pizza anymore! But it's a great idea to use pizza stone for other things as well!
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
That would be a tough decision to make... order in or make it at home. I bet it's cheaper to make it at home, if that's a consideration. 🙂
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
i was a Pampered Chef consultant for a few years, so all of mine came from them. I haven't tried them from any other source, so I can't say how they compare. Maybe someone else can comment?
suzannah {ShoutLaughLove} says
we make pizzas on restaurant supply metal pans, but i've wanted a pizza stone ever since i saw a recipe at kitchen stewardship for homemade wheat thin crackers using one. you've given me lots of ideas:)
NerdMom says
Finally! Someone else who doesn't make her cookies on the stone! I felt like I was the only person who liked stoneware who didn't do cookies on them.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
I've tried and tried, preheating, not preheating, greasing, not greasing. I just don't like hoe they turn out.
Julie Wilson says
My flat stones are as old as my marriage... GREAT shower gift! 🙂 12 1/2 years later they are VERY seasoned! 🙂 I use them for chicken fingers/french fries all the time, and homemade pizza! Totally agree on the cookies, we stopped using the stone for those a long time ago!
My favorite is my deep dish baker, almost anything baked in the oven (chicken, fish, etc.) gets done in that stone!
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Yes! I think my deep dish baker is my most used, too. I use it for pies and dips, too.
Jay says
do you put your French fries directly on the stone or do you use a cookie sheet that you put on the stone? Thanks for any help.
Tara Ziegmont says
Put the French fries right on the stone.
Anonymous says
Great tips! Too bad I don't own a pizza stone.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Yes, indeed. Keep your eyes open; you might find one at a yard sale or in a thrift shop.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Yep! It's linked in the post. 🙂 https://feelslikehomeblog.com/2009/01/falafels-with-tzatziki-sauce/
Heathahlee says
Love, love, LOVE my stones! I have a ton like you do. I was a PC consultant for three years. I use every one of them. Some not as frequently as others, but they ALL get used.
As far as cookies go, we LOOOOOVE cookies on the stone! We just make sure they cook just a little longer than if they were on a metal pan. And the great thing about it is if you leave them in the oven for 45 minutes instead of 12 (I've never done that, of course...ahem), they DON'T burn. Well, they do get really, really brown, but if they had been on a metal pan they would have been on fire! Not that that ever really happened...just, you know, hypothetically. ; )
I had my first pizza stone for 13 years...it was perfectly seasoned. One day it was sitting on the counter as I was getting something out of the cabinet above it when something fell out and hit it. It was sitting on something so there was a gap between it and the counter top and it broke when the thing fell on it without it being able to absorb the impact. I think I cried. Good thing I had another one as a backup, but it wasn't seasoned! It is now, though, so all is well. : )
robinelton says
We got one for Christmas, made pizza on it, the cheese melted all over it, and we can't scrub it off. It smoked the next time I put it in the oven, setting off the smoke alarm, & I haven't looked at it since. Salvageable? Or did someone get us a cheap stone?
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Do you know what brand it is? I would try soaking it in water over night and see if that helped.
If it didn't help, I would open the windows and cook it at 350 until the cheese all burned off and stopped smoking. (I don't imagine anyone would recommend that, so do it at your own risk.)
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Do you know what brand it is? I would try soaking it in water over night and see if that helped.
If it didn't help, I would open the windows and cook it at 350 until the cheese all burned off and stopped smoking. (I don't imagine anyone would recommend that, so do it at your own risk.)
Stacie Haight Connerty says
I never take our pizza stone out of the oven because it never occurred to me to use it for something else. Thanks for the ideas!
AprilB says
I *LOVE* making pizzas on my pizza stone. I agree, the one time I made cookies on it I didn't like how they turned out at all.
When cheese (or any other toppings) get stuck and baked to the stone, instead of scraping it (I was afraid of damaging it), I just wet some washcloths really well and lay them on the parts of the stone that have cheese burned onto it. In the morning (I leave it on overnight), the cheese and anything else that was cooked rubs right off. It's excessively easy to clean that way!
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
That's an awesome tip! As long as I've had my stones, I've never thought to soak them with a washcloth.
Sarah Peterson says
For all these recipes are you supposed to pre heat the stone?
Tara Ziegmont says
Pampered Chef recommends that you never pre-heat a stone. I'm not sure about other companies.
mike says
A Pizza stone should *always* be preheated. 100%. The stone takes time to get up to temp. I preheat for up to 1 hour before dropping a pizza dough on it. If you do not preheat the stone, then it is effectively acting as a (stone cold) insulator and the bottom of the pizza crust will simply not cook right. If you don't preheat the stone, you're better off using a regular thin baking sheet.
Tara Ziegmont says
That's actually not true. Pampered Chef pizza stones can NEVER be pre-heated. They break if they are heated without food on them. They are designed to heat along with the food. It does take a bit longer to cook foods because the stone has to heat up, but the extra time is worthwhile because the food tastes so good cooked on the stone.
I can't speak for any other brand of pizza stone because Pampered Chef stones are the only ones I've ever used.
Renee says
I just used my PC pizza stone for the first time 2 days ago. My thin crust was not crispy at all. I used a pillsbury refrigerated crust. I've never had a problem with that crust on my metal pizza pan. What did I do wrong?
Tara Ziegmont says
If it didn't get crispy, you probably didn't cook it long enough. Often, you have to cook it a bit longer to give the stone time to heat up and properly cook your food.
Becky L Lansdale says
So many talk about making quesadillas so I tried it. It was very good but I like mine crispier. I pre-heat the stone to 425° then put my quesadilla on the stone to cook for 10 min (i lightly sprayed cooking spray on the up side). The bottom was good but the top wasn't crispy. What should I do different?
Tara Ziegmont says
I would say don't preheat the stone so you can cook it longer. If you don't preheat the stone, the bottom of the quesadilla will get crispy more slowly as the stone heats up, allowing the top more time to crisp as well. Just a thought though; you may have to experiment.
mike says
Definitely keep preheating the stone (no point in using the stone otherwise). To get a better match between bottom and top crisp, you could try lowering your preheat temp a bit which will allow you to cook longer to get the top crispier. Or you could try changing the rack position to a higher position. Lastly, if your bottom crisp is where you want it and the top is still missing just a bit, you could always finish it up with a very brief broil.