Are pizza stones worth it?

What a stone does

A metal baking tray heats quickly and holds little heat. When you put dough on it, the tray cools and the base bakes slowly, often staying pale and soft. A thick stone soaks up heat during a long preheat and releases it into the dough when the pizza lands. The base crisps faster and more evenly.

Stones are also porous, so they draw a little moisture out of the base. That helps the crust crisp rather than steam.

What a stone cannot do

A kitchen oven tops out at around 250°C to 275°C. Even with a stone, a pizza takes 6 to 10 minutes. In that time the crust dries out a little and the top cooks by hot air, not by radiant heat from a low dome. The result is a good, crisp homemade pizza, but not a soft, blistered Neapolitan one baked in 90 seconds.

If that is the style you want, read pizza oven vs kitchen oven and is an outdoor pizza oven worth it.

Stone vs tray vs steel vs oven

A summary of the main options for baking pizza at home, from the cheapest to the hottest.

Getting the most from a stone

Preheat it for 45 to 60 minutes at the oven's top setting, on a high shelf so the top of the pizza is closer to the grill element. Some cooks switch the grill on for the last minute to brown the top. Launch with a peel or upside-down tray dusted with semolina. Our how to use a pizza stone at home guide has the full method.

Keep the stone dry, never oil it and let it cool in the oven. See do you need to season a pizza stone and why pizza stones crack.

When a stone is not worth it

If you mainly make thick pan pizza or traybakes, a heavy baking tray or cast iron pan does the job. If you want very thin, crisp bases, a pizza steel transfers heat faster than stone. Our pizza stone vs pizza steel article goes into that choice.

And if you make pizza every week and want real pizzeria results, put the money towards a pizza oven. A small gas oven or an indoor electric pizza oven gets far hotter than a kitchen oven. Compare them in our best pizza ovens under £400 and best electric pizza ovens for indoors guides.

Buying a good stone

Look for cordierite, which handles rapid heat changes better than basic ceramic or clay, and a thickness of about 1 to 1.5 cm for a home oven. Thicker stones hold more heat but take longer to preheat and weigh more. Square stones give more baking area than round ones of the same width, which helps with launching. Our what are pizza stones made of article explains the materials.

Avoid stones with a glaze unless the maker states a maximum temperature that suits your oven, and check that the stone leaves a gap of at least 2 to 3 cm around the edges so hot air can circulate.

Stones for BBQs and pizza ovens

Stones also work on a lidded BBQ, though top heat is still the limiting factor; see pizza oven vs a pizza stone on the BBQ. Every pizza oven has a stone floor too. Those are thicker and made to handle 500°C, and replacements are model specific.

If you are buying a stone on its own, check the size fits your oven with a few centimetres of clearance on each side for air to circulate.

Frequently asked questions

Does a pizza stone make a difference? Yes, in a kitchen oven. It gives a noticeably crisper base than a tray.

Is a pizza stone or steel better? Steel heats the base faster and suits thin pizza; stone is more forgiving and does not rust.

Do I need a pizza stone for a pizza oven? Pizza ovens already have a stone or steel floor. You do not need a separate one.

How long should I preheat a pizza stone? 45 to 60 minutes at the oven's top temperature.