Q&A for How to Cook Pizza on a Pizza Stone

The pizza shouldn't stick to the stone. You might want to preheat the stone in the oven, however, then use an oven mitt to take it out, or slide it out enough to slide the pizza onto it. Also, never use soap on your stone, only a stiff bristle brush and hot water to clean it after it has cooled.

You can. Step 3 of Method 2 talks about adding sauce, cheese, meat, vegetables, etc. for toppings.

Yes, you could, and it might give it some crispness, which is it's main purpose -- for pizza. If your strombolis are not meant to have crispiness, then it might be best to cook it with the original method, whereas if they are going to have crispiness, then that's a good idea.

Yes, well done hamburger meat crumbles should go on a pizza, because the amount of time to cook a pizza is less than the amount of time to cook raw hamburger.

You should let the stone preheat in the oven for at least 20 minutes after your ovens preheat beeper goes off.

Of course! Try looking at recipes on YouTube to find a good one.

Yes. Just wait for it to cool down before you move or clean it, or else it may crack.

Yes, you do need to season or oil the pizza stone to prevent your pizza from sticking to the pizza stone.

I see that both of them say cold water -- just pick one, either the 1/4 or 1 cup, and make one warm or tepid, like testing a baby bottle on your arm. This is only to "bloom" the yeast.

Yes. Depending on the type of stone, there's cleaners that you can use to clean it that won't cause damage or corrosion.

Pizza has to be on a hot stone plate or it will not cook. Heat up the stone plate.

Read the instructions that came with your stone. Many say to not season with oil. As to sticking pizza, I've had great results with increasing the amount of flour or using cornmeal underneath the pizza. Baking paper also works great. At high temperatures, it will brown and could become brittle with time, but a pizza is usually only in the oven for five to ten minutes.

Some pizza stones recommend this, especially those used on barbecues. If your pizza base keeps getting burnt, try some cornmeal on the stone.

Yes, you can. You can also use flour (as the article recommends).

preheat the stone in the oven to the temperature that is recommended on the pizza box, then put the frozen pizza on the stone and cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Personally, I don't grease my pizza stone with oil or fat. Instead, I dust flour or cornmeal under the pizza base to avoid stickiness.

To make your own sauce, check out wikiHow's article on making pizza sauce. Once your sauce is ready, just spread it on top of the crust and cover it with toppings.

When you first buy it, season it. Then, your pizza stone will be ready.

No. You want the pizza to cook evenly, and it won't do that if it's only being heated from below.

No, use the same cooking temperature and time.

Yes, and I do it often! I use a mixture of dry wood and charcoal to get the heat up. Start with a small charcoal fire in the oven and add two small pieces of wood. When it's turning to cinders, bring the heat right up and it gives your pizza a woody flavor without risking any of the flavors from the charcoal.

Leave the pizza stone in the oven while preheating to 500°. You can sprinkle cornmeal or flour on it to prevent sticking. Place the pizza on the hot stone and cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

Pizza dough should be room temperature. If it is cold, you may crack the stone due to sudden change of temperature.

Placement in your oven isn't the issue, temperature is. If you have an oven thermometer in there and it is the right temperature I would put it in the middle of the oven. As for seasoning, that isn't necessary at all for pizza stones.

Different types of food such as bread can be cooked on a pizza stone. Check your pizza stone's package instructions for more ideas and uses of your pizza stone.

It should be always be closed.

It doesn't matter how big it is, just so long as it can fit and you have sufficient toppings and dough.

If you preheat the stone, your pizza will get a crispier crust. That is the purpose of a pizza stone.

The best temperature for a pizza cooked on a pizza stone is 550 degrees F.

First time: to obtain the best performance from your stone, the ideal is to "temper it" before use. Remove from the packaging and do a first wash. Never use soap, as it can be incorporated into the stone's flavor, due to its porous surface. Let it dry well and grease the stone with oil, without exaggeration. Spread the oil well across the surface with kitchen paper. Repeat the operation whenever you use the stone, preventing the dough from sticking to the surface.