Food Guide

Pizza Stone Turned Black: Why It Happens?

Pizza stone turned black
( Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases at NO additional cost to the customer.)                                          

A pizza stone serves as a compact brick oven, generating crusty and delightfully toasted pizza crusts.

You can turn any kitchen into a fashionable pizzeria with no work and a dependable pizza stone.

A pizza stone has nothing to detest as it provides you with a tasty pizza with a delicious crust.

But when it comes to cleaning a pizza stone, though, things might get a little tedious.

The overflowing cheese, toppings and different sauces on the pizza make the pizza stone filthy.

You may even notice your pizza stone turned black after a while of using it.

So, you must clean it carefully.

What Are Pizza Stones Made From?

Pizza Stone by Hans Grill Baking Stone For Pizzas use in Oven and Grill / BBQ FREE Wooden Pizza Peel Rectangular Board 15 x 12 " Inches Easy Handle Baking | Bake Grill, For Pies, Pastry Bread, Calzone

Pizza stones are constructed of ceramic, clay, cordierite, cast iron  material.

So they can vary in terms of heat conductivity from model to model.

Ceramic

Ceramic is the most common pizza stone material. It’s an inexpensive material that helps to crisp the pizza by transferring heat and absorbing moisture from the pizza crust.

As ceramic is a heat-resistant material, it is a great choice for a hot oven to control the temperature.

But there are some disadvantages of a ceramic pizza stone. Due to a brittle material, which means it is likely to crack due to thermal shock.

So, you have to be careful when heating and cooling the pizza stone to avoid cracking.

Another drawback is that ceramic pizza stones are that they are difficult to clean as most ceramic stones come with a rough surface.

Clay

Clay is a type of ceramic used for constructing pizza stones.

It is made from fine-grained natural soil with the addition of water.

The clay is then heated at a high temperature to make a hard baking surface.

Clay is one of the cheapest pizza stone materials,

It is a porous material and cracks easily which is a huge drawback of clay pizza stones.

So, you have to be careful when handling pizza stones made from clay. It is also essential to avoid huge, rapid changes in temperature.

Clay is similarly hard to clean. The pores absorb oil easily, which is very hard to clean out.

Cordierite

Cordierite is a mineral that arises as crystals, which are added to ceramic to make it stronger.

The Ccordierite pizza stones are a stronger, more durable material than regular ceramic and clay.

They are less prone to cracking.

Cordierite has the same conductivity and heat retention as other ceramic pizza stones.

Like ceramic, these pizza tones made from cordierite are harder to clean.

Pizza stones made from cast iron are pretty rare, but baking pizza in cast iron skillets is more common.

Cordierite pizza stones are more durable and long lasting.

They are typically a little more expensive than ceramic.

Cast Iron

Cast iron material is an iron alloy that contains carbon.

The cast iron is prone to rust due to its carbon content.

So, it needs more maintenance, in the form of seasoning.

As it has a rough surface, food soils tend to easily get stuck in there. You can minimize this issue with proper seasoning.

Why is My Pizza Stone Black?

Heating a pizza stone on a daily basis might result in a charred surface.

This seasoned exterior generally doesn’t present any issues until it begins smoking.

At that point, you may find yourself in the irritating scenario of a black pizza stone that generates smoke whenever you heat it up to make pizza.

Burnt Oil

It burns because oils and fats have been soaked into the porous substance while cooking.

Most oils burn at high temperatures, and if kept for an extended length of time, they may have become rancid, emitting foul scents or a burning stench.

Moisture from the Ingredients

Handling a pizza peel may be challenging at times.

Especially when the dough begins to cling and the toppings begin to splatter all over your stone.

Oily toppings, like cheese or pepperoni, drip over onto stone and melts.

Because the stone is porous, it would absorb any moisture, and therefore the oil will permeate the substance.

It can also draw in any particles or flavors included in the oil.

The main reason of a pizza stone turning black is not knowing what to do and what not to do after you make a pizza.

How to Clean Pizza Stone That is Turned Black?

A pizza stone is an excellent tool.

But you must still exercise caution when cleaning it.

Since the stone is absorbent, whatever soap or wash you use on it will be absorbed, so never wash it with anything that can kill you.

You should also always check to see if it’s cold before cleaning it, since unexpected temperature swings might shock the stone and shatter it.

And soaking it in water will keep the moisture in for a long period.

1.Make sure the stone is absolutely cold before you begin.

Wet the stone with a tiny amount of hot water.

Then, using a pizza stone brush, scrape the surface.

This affordable cleaning tool is worth the investment, but if you don’t have one already, a nylon dishwashing brush would suffice.

2. Now scrape off pizza bits stuck on the stone.

Usually, pizza stone brushes include a built-in scraper for removing stuck-on food particles, or you may use a nonstick pan scraper.

3. Remove any crumbs or oil with a moist towel, then carefully dry the stone with a dish towel.

4. You might have to use a paste made out of baking soda and water from time to time.

It helps remove unwanted stains from the pizza stone.

If you do use that method, make sure there is no residue left.

Using a moist cloth, remove all of the baking soda from the stone and dry it with a cloth.

Allow the stone to thoroughly dry.

Leave it outside for at least a couple of hours before you store it away.

You need it dry and ready for preparing your next handmade pizza.

You should learn to accept that no matter what you do, your pizza stone will sport some stains over time.

By following the cleaning method above, you can keep your pizza stone clean and healthy for making homemade pizza for a long time.

Just don’t do anything stupid and put your health in danger.

How Do You Know If a Pizza Stone is Bad?

If your pizza stone shows signs of cracking or breaks in half, it is definitely not a good one.

There are several theories as to what causes a pizza stone to break.

We can try to explain why your pizza stone broke and how you might prevent that painful experience from repeating again.

Hot and Cold

Placing a cold pizza stone inside a scorching hot oven may be as shocking to the senses as taking it out of a hot oven and laying it on the stove to cool.

It just isn’t prepared for such a drastic temperature fluctuation.

Too Much Moisture

Avoid washing your pizza stone since the structure can weaken if it’s not dried properly.

Also, avoid using oils directly on the pizza stone to keep the surface nice and shiny.

It can do the opposite and cause your pizza stone to go bad over time.

How to Clean Moldy Pizza Stone?

If your pizza stone is moldy, maybe it was exposed to excessive moisture.

Because mold requires moisture to develop, you could be failing to properly dry the pizza stone before shelving it.

To eliminate the mold, use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.

1.Take a splash of vinegar with about a teaspoon of baking soda until it becomes a paste.

2. Scrub the mold with the paste using a brush

3. With a moist towel, wipe off the stone

Mold can be killed by other things such as bleach, detergents, or hydrogen peroxide.

But remember that a pizza stone is porous and will soak any chemicals poured on it.

Certain mold-killing chemicals are hazardous.

How to Care for a Pizza Stone?

Don’t wash with soap

Don’t wash your pizza stone with soap.

Because the pores will absorb the soap, and your next pizza taste soapy.

Don’t submerge into the water.

Don’t submerge your pizza stone into the water.

Instead of submerging pizza stone in the water, once the stone has cooled down, scrape off any food residue with a dry brush or a plastic scraper.

Or you can also wipe it down with a damp cloth.

Don’t rub oil into the pizza stone

Don’t rub oil into the pizza stone for seasoning.

At high temperature, oil will smoke, and your oven will fill with smoke.

Over the period of time the oil absorbed on the surface will go rancid.

You will end up with an unpleasant burnt smell and taste to your pizza and you will need to replace your pizza stone.

Due to oil will build up you will lose the porous nature of the pizza stone.

Your pizza stone will stop absorbing moisture from your pizza to make it crispy.

Don’t handle your pizza stone too much

Don’t handle your pizza stone too much. Because it is made up of ceramic material which is super brittle.

So handle it as least as possible to avoid knocks and shattering.

Avoid thermal shock

Avoid thermal shock from sudden temperature changes.

Ceramic can’t handle this shock like metal or wood material.

It is very brittle to start with.

Related Questions

What should you do if soap was used on your pizza stone?

If you accidentally washed pizza stone with soap, you can try to get rid of soapy residue on a surface with unrolled crescent rolls.

You have to bake them as directed. Once baking is finished, take out rolls from stone and discard them.

The rolls would absorb the soapy flavor, so you won’t end up with soapy flavored pizza.

Can you use steel wool on a pizza stone?

No, you should not use steel wool on a pizza stone as anything sharp or metallic object could scratch the surface of a pizza stone.

Instead, you can use a stone brush or sandpaper to get rid of stuck debris from pizza stone.

How often should you clean your pizza stone?

To get rid of stuck on cheese or any other pizza toppings, you should wipe off the pizza stone after each use.

So, you should thoroughly clean out the pizza stone only when food residue begins to pile up.

Can a pizza stone go in the dishwasher?

No, a pizza stone is not dishwasher safe.

A pizza stone is porous and it is easily absorbing the detergent.

The detergent used in the dishwasher for cleaning will soak into the material and you cannot remove it easily.

Final Thoughts

A pizza stone is essential for making restaurant-style pizza and other foods at the comfort of your home.

There is a risk of your pizza stone turning black after some usage.

But with the cleaning tips above, you can keep the stone in pristine condition at all times.

 

Sources:

https://www.pamperedchef.com/iceberg-ca/original/pdf/p8539-022015cne-stoneware-qa.pdf

https://www.bacinos.com/how-to-clean-a-pizza-stone/

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-clean-a-pizza-stone-article

 

Related Articles:

How to Keep Pizza Warm For a Picnic?

Can You Microwave Totino’s Pizza?