Nerd Chef Steel Stone - High-Performance Baking Surface for Pizza .50" Thick - Ultimate

I have the .5" version. I feel the quality is more than sufficient, it will do as fine of a job as any other steel the same thickness, regardless of price. The only improvements I could think of to be made (necessitating higher prices) would be to round all of the outside profile edges over. The edges aren't sharp like a knife, but since this is a fairly heavy piece of metal it is capable of doing some serious damage to whatever it hits if it is dropped or banged against something. The best best, whether the edges are rounded or 90 degrees is to be very careful when handling it. For most fit men and many women, the weight should not be a problem. Since the open oven door requires one to stoop over and reach to put it in the oven, the weight become a little more unwieldy though. If you have help available and question your own ability then two people should make it manageable. If you desire to make pizzas that have puffed up crusts with a thin crispy outside and soft chewy inside, and do it in your home oven, a baking steel or a conventional pizza/baking stone is absolutely essential to get the best possible results. Both types of material have their place, in some ways steel is best, and in other ways the stones are as good or better. To explain the need for baking steels and stones: the faster you can heat the dough in the oven, the more it puffs up before taking a set. Air bubbles in the dough are expanded by heated air and moisture, and "pump" up the crust. This is often called "oven spring". It is like a race and it needs to happen quickly because as the dough begins to cook it will not expand any more. Like most tools, you need to use it properly or it won't perform to it's full potential. The steel and various stone type materials transfer heat to the dough faster than air can, that is the principle of operation. It takes longer to preheat the steel or stone than normal, it needs to be saturated with heat to perform best, think of it as having to cook your stone until it's done, before it can cook your pizza of other bread item. So planning ahead and using patience is a virtue here, but the reward is well worth it. There are certain techniques that can employed, such as placing it on one the higher rack positions and using the top broiler to get the steel or stone to 600 degrees F or higher, measured with a IR temperature gun. If you do not let a baking steel or stone reach the optimum temperature range it will do little or no good at best or even slow down the cooking and make it worse. Until you get the hang of it, and perhaps even afterward, it's best to confirm temperatures of the steel or stone. If you don't have a temperature gun and are not able to get one, allow plenty of preheating time. If you plan to use this to cook frozen pizza on, are impatient, or aren't willing to take the time to make good dough and fiddle around with techniques this item probably will not be very useful to you. Otherwise, I believe you would be very pleased with it. While steel is superior to stone (or fire brick, and etc) in transferring heat faster, it has one draw back. It doesn't absorb moisture like natural porous materials, and while the crust might puff up more and cook faster, the very outside layer will usually not be as crisp as a stone and a little longer cook time. The longer cook time will also give a little more even browning because being a little more crisp. So, there are instances where each material has pros and cons. If you are serious about pizza you might want one made from each material, otherwise choose according to what kind of crust you like the best.

Can really cook napolitain pizza in your oven with this!

So I'm giving 5-stars for the results. It's just so much better than a ceramic stone in my oven. As others have pointed out, it is heavy. Really heavy. I rarely move it from my oven but when I do, I have to be very careful. But the results are totally worth it. I've never made pizza with a better crust. I also don't have to put the oven up to 500, where things start to smoke and my smoke detector goes of (no matter how much I clean my oven). 450 works well because the steel transfers so much heat to the bottom of the crust. I use the broiler trick to crisp up the toppings and the pizza is done in just a few minutes. Middle rack. Another thing to try. I've also been making Detroit-style pizzas in those rectangular metal pans. Pan-pizzas are great because you can get that melted cheese/crust thing going on the edges. But to kick it up a notch, when my Detroit pizza is done, I take it out of the pan, and just drop it on the steel for 30 seconds. It makes the bottom of the crust crispy in a way that the thin-steel pan just doesn't. Pizza snobs love it. Finally, and this does mean that I move the steel around more than I thought I would. It makes a great griddle for an induction range-top. Our induction range has two burners that can be bridged together, but I never really used them because my cast iron griddle still would heat too unevenly (really just tow circular hot spots on the griddle). With the thicker steel I get a big, flat uniformly heated griddle surface for cooking pancakes, diner omelets , patty melts, etc. Reminds my of my younger days cooking at the diner. It takes a little while to get the heat spread out, but it stays at temperature once you do, just like a commercial griddle. That was a fun surprise. If you don't have strong hands, I'd say get the thinner versions, but if you want the full experience, this is the one.

🔥 Game-Changer for Pizza Night! 🔥 Just tried out my new Nerd Chef Pizza Steel from Amazon, and it’s the real deal. Crisp crust, perfect blistering, and an even bake from edge to edge. This thing holds serious heat and turned my kitchen oven into a full-blown pizza oven 🍕💪 The crust came out light, airy, and crispy — no soggy bottoms here. Used it with homemade dough and the results were better than some wood-fired places I’ve been to. Cleanup was easy, and it feels like it’ll last forever. Super heavy-duty! 💯 Worth every penny if you’re serious about pizza. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📸 (Just look at that crust 👇)

T%his is heavy 32 pounds so I am putting it on the racks I have put on the bottom of the oven. IT keeps the oven at the desired temperature, makes great pizza, English muffins and other baked items that require baking. I ave not tries cooking meat on iy as it would be hard for to clean where it is located. If there were a sixth star I would give it to the NERD CHEF and Amizon. Regards from a true baker with years of experience.