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Knowing how to properly clean your pizza stone is definitely a good skill to have especially if you like making your weekly dose of fresh pizza.
Pizza stones are ceramic slabs used for cooking baked goods like pizza. They can heat up quickly and easily and retain heat for a relatively long time but why should you clean a pizza stone?
A pizza stone will need cleaning to stop bacteria, and germs and ensure your pizza cooks properly and does not absorb the flavours of previous pizzas and food.
If you are not sure how to clean a pizza stone, then this article is a must-read for you. In this easy-to-follow guide, we will be sharing a quick and effective cleaning method that will leave your pizza stone spotless and ready to use for your next pizzas.
If you don’t have a pizza stone or are looking to buy a new one, take a look at our 6 Best Selling Pizza Stones article.
What to Use to Clean a Pizza Stone
With the right tools and materials, cleaning a pizza stone can be very easy. Below we listed down all the tools and materials you will need for cleaning a pizza stone.
- 1. Water
- 2. Baking Soda
- 3. Plastic Spatula
- 4. Metal Scraper
- 5. Pizza Stone Brush
- 6. Soft Rag/Cloth
- 7. Time
Just a reminder, do not use cleaning chemicals, soaps, and oils in cleaning your pizza stone. Stones are porous materials. That means that they will absorb the soap and chemicals used to clean them. These chemicals will later be released when the stone is heated affecting your pizza’s taste.
Furthermore, although we mention that you can use water to clean your stone, you will want to use it very sparingly. As pizza stones are porous they will absorb large amounts of water used to clean them. If water gets trapped inside the stone you will find that your pizza will not crisp up properly and you could end up with a soggy base.
How to Clean a Pizza Stone – Step-by-step Guide
No matter how much you avoid getting your pizza stone dirty, food debris, grime, oil, and odors can still accumulate on its surface over time. Hence, you should know how to clean your pizza stone accordingly.
Here is a step-by-step guide on cleaning your pizza stone so you can cook your next pizzas without the smell and residues from previous pizzas you made.
A quick reminder, do not clean your pizza stone while it’s hot. Always let your pizza stone cool down before touching and cleaning for your safety.
Additionally, applying water to a hot stone can cause it to crack so make sure that it has already cooled down before cleaning it. If your pizza stone has already cooled down, you can proceed to follow the steps below.
Step 1: Scrape food debris
Using the plastic spatula, scrape the stuck-on food debris on your pizza stone. You don’t need to scrape intensely because the remaining dirt can loosen up later with baking soda and water.
For slightly more stubborn debris you can gently use a metal scraper but just be careful not to scratch or gouge the stone. Wipe the food debris and move on to the next step.
Step 2: Use some water
If required, use a very small amount of water. Don’t soak it but gently wet the surface with a small amount of hot water to loosen the dirt. If your stone isn’t clean move on to step 3 or step 5 if it is.
Step 3: Make a baking soda paste
The baking soda paste will be your main cleaning agent for cleaning. It is non-toxic and will not cause any damage to the stone. To make a baking soda paste, mix equal parts of baking soda and water with a spoon until properly combined.
Step 3: Apply the baking soda paste to the pizza stone surface
Spread the baking soda paste on the pizza stone, making sure you cover all the stains and grimes you want to remove.
Step 4: Scrub the pizza stone
Take your pizza stone brush and brush your pizza stone’s surface. The baking soda paste will help loosen up the dirt so you don’t need to scrub intensely.
Step 5: Wipe the pizza stone
Damp your rag or cloth with water and wipe down the pizza surface. Make sure that the rag is just slightly wet because if the pizza stone gets too wet, it may affect the stone’s effectiveness in baking pizza crusts.
Step 6: Allow your pizza stone to dry for at least 1 hour
It is essential to let your pizza stone dry before using it. Exposing a wet stone to a hot temperature can cause it to crack. Simply air dry your pizza stone and use it again when it has completely dried.
How to Clean a Moldy Pizza Stone
So you’ve forgotten to take your pizza stone out of the oven and it’s been sitting there for a while. You open the door and remove the stone to find it’s got mold on it but how do you clean a moldy pizza stone?
To clean a moldy pizza stone you simply follow the cleaning instructions above using a paste made from baking soda. This will ensure the mold is removed and your pizza stone is clean to cook on again.
Although alternative cleaning products such as bleach, sterilising fluids, and mold remover do kill mold, we strongly suggest you do not use any of them to clean your pizza stone. Many of these chemicals are toxic and harmful and as we’ve mentioned before, pizza stones are porous meaning you could end up poisoning yourself or your guests.
Why You Should Clean Your Pizza Stone
Cleaning your pizza stone plays an important role in the taste of your finished pizza. When your pizza stone is full of grime, dirt, oil drippings, and other food debris, it can produce smoke that will affect your pizza’s taste. Hence, regularly cleaning your stone is a must to prevent any weird taste or smell on your pizza.
Final Thoughts
Like any cooking tool, a pizza cooking stone can accumulate dirt over time. The deposited grime, oil, and food debris on the pizza stone can affect the pizza’s overall taste and smell. Hence, it is important to clean your pizza stone regularly.
Cleaning a pizza stone can be a boring chore but it can surely help you bake your pizzas properly every time. So if you have a dirty pizza stone at home, start gathering your cleaning tools and start cleaning with the steps we mentioned above.
If you don’t have the appropriate tools you can find the best pizza stone brush, Plastic Spatula and Metal Scraper by clicking on the appropriate links.
Don’t forget, if you clean your stone after every use it really does make the job easier!