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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:51 am 
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Posts: 1531
Location: Ottawa, ON
jim262 wrote:
The steel pushes so many BTU's into the bottom of the pizza that the only way to provide balanced heat for top is run the broiler. If a broiler gets nervous and turns itself off because of an upper limit thermostat [like mine] the steel has a tendency to cook the bottom much faster than the top.


I can't agree with your summary. The article says

Quote:
The steel produced a tall, airy crust with large bubbles and a bottom surface that was more crisp and deeply browned than the stone-baked crust.


and that was for the regular, non-broiler method as far as I can tell. It was only when they tried the 'super heated' oven that they got the over cooked bottom; in that method, they actually used the broiler to basically overheat the oven, then shut off the broiler. In a 'nervous oven' (as is mine as well), it would have refused to run the broiler under those circumstances anyway, topping out the heat at 500 with or without the steel. As the oven cycled, it might heat the stone/steel over 500 though, if it was close enough, as the stone/steel could be hotter then the oven for a short period (quite short for the steel).

In my reading they developed a technique using a stone, and had to modify the technique to use the steel, not surprisingly. I'm not sure either item would do their super-heated oven method on my oven due to its refusal to run the broiler if you are over 500.


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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:26 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:41 pm
Posts: 1884
Location: Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
My brain hurts now. But I still want a steel.


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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 11:25 am 
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Location: Portland, OR
Lu,

I doubt that the steel requires appreciably less preheating time. Maybe 10 minutes at full temp instead of 15, but still substantially the same.

Jim, Paul,

Well, Kenji left CI, so can you really trust any of their baking comparisons now?

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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:24 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2011 3:27 pm
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Location: Finger Lakes Wine Country
Yes, CI is still a trusted source in my house.

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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:58 pm 
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Posts: 237
OK, I had to order one of these today.....I'm in the pizza mood, and the only Italian market in my area started carrying 00 flour a few weeks ago, although I do no know what brand......Yeah!!!!!

Karen


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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:14 pm 
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Location: Ottawa, ON
jim262 wrote:
Yes, CI is still a trusted source in my house.


Yah, I actually do too, to the extent of their limitations. I think they are flawed, but I couldn't name a better source in general. I use them a lot less for recipes now though, but that is my changing taste I think, not theirs.

I like Kenji a lot, but he suffers some of the same flaws they do, trying to get 'best' while compromising some aspects, like technique. A risk-free approach to excellence. It certainly has its place, but it isn't always what I am looking for; some days, I am willing to take a risk to rise to a higher level.


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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 11:55 pm 
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As mentioned in Cooking Related Presents (viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3514&p=35685&hilit=pizza+steel#p35685), I made use of my FIL's metal shop over the holidays to make my own pizza steel out of scrap metal. Result: definitely worth it.

I started with a 21" X 13.5" piece of 1/2 inch thick scrap steel from the scrapyard, for about $9. I removed all the rust off it, then we used my FIL's Christmas present (a plasma cutter) to cut about 2.5" off the end, since 21" was too long. Then I spent 3 hours or so grinding down the edges and rounding them nicely, and scrubbing the steel clean. Result:

Image

It weights about 17lbs.

Next I put it in my oven and heated it to around 500F. Turns out I should have trimmed about another 3/4" off the length; it's just a little too close to the edges of the oven, which restricts airflow. Oh well, next trip.

Image

You'll notice that I'm NOT using the broiler method recommended by Kenji. This is because I have a bottom broiler, and I really don't want to deal with trying to slide pizzas in and out some 4" off the floor.

Continued ...

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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:04 am 
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I made pizza dough using my standard flour-and-corn-flour recipe (based on one from Sunset Magazine). I rolled that dough out to about 1/4" thick and 12" diameter. Then I topped it with pecorino sardo cheese, rosemary, olive oil and just a few rehydrated dried tomatoes. Then in the oven!

Image

Speaking of which ... does anyone know how to clean an oven window?

So, first thing I noticed: on the steel, the pizza cooked in about 1/2 to 2/3 of the time it takes on a baking stone. Usually I can prep the next pizza well before the pizza in the oven needs to come out; this time, I couldn't keep up, which meant the steel had a chance to reheat between pizzas.

Image

So far so good. But aside from the speed, that pizza looked just like one on the baking stone. Was there a difference?

I'd finished the pizza on baking parchment. This is because I discovered that my wooden pizza paddle wasn't quite wide enough for it, and I've found that pizza will stick to my metal paddle even with cornmeal for sliding. I was concerned that the limited contact with the steel would prevent it from being effective, but the parchment turned out completely not to matter.

Image

The pizza steel is mostly about getting a nice blistery bottom to your pizza (at least, it is to Kenji), and it certainly delivered. In fact, I'd left the pizza a couple minutes too long; that bottom is just a bit burnt.

More ...

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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:11 am 
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The other reason to use the steel is to get some nice puffy air bubbles in the high-hydration dough. Again, here the steel did well, although the difference with a baking stone was less noticeable (though still an improvement) Couple pics:

Image

Image

(pizzas above are: zucchini and roasted bell pepper with caciocavallo, and corn/olive/onion with mozzarella)

Overall assessment: the pizza steel definitely delivers improved results over a pizza stone. The pizza cooks faster, the bottom is crispier and blistered, and the dough has as good or better rise. Also, there is no reason to pay $100 for a fancy pizza steel; any 1/4" plate of steel (or 1/2" of aluminum) will work fine.

I did need to watch the pizza carefully and pull it out as soon as it looks done; the steel cooks so fast I don't have the usual 2 minutes of leeway I expect with a pizza stone. Also, unlike the stone, I can't just leave the steel in the oven all the time; it restricts airflow too much and slows the oven's cool down too much, and also would tend to burn any baked goods placed on top of it using standard cooking times.

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 Post subject: Re: Baking Steel
PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 6:41 am 
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Location: Springfield, IL
TheFuzzy wrote:

...I'd finished the pizza on baking parchment. This is because I discovered that my wooden pizza paddle wasn't quite wide enough for it, and I've found that pizza will stick to my metal paddle even with cornmeal for sliding. I was concerned that the limited contact with the steel would prevent it from being effective, but the parchment turned out completely not to matter.


Fuzzy,

I have the same problem. A wood pizza paddle with some cornmeal does not stick. Use the wood peel to make the pizza and the metal paddle to turn/remove the cooking pizza.

tim


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