I give up. Done with the damned pizza stone. Going cast iron.

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Whitewookie

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I'm done, whipped, I give up. Can't get the hang of the stone. The problem is the need to preheat and then transfer an already built pizza to the stone. It turns into a big-assed taco.

I just ordered a cast iron pizza pan from Camp Chef. I'm thinking build it, grill it, cut it, and serve it from one pan. Then just wipe the thing off, throw on a coat of Crisco, do a quick re-season like I do with my skillets and press.

Anybody got any experience with the cast iron pizza gizmos?

VR,
Harold
 
You know, the CI pan also needs to be preheated just like the stone... At least that's how I used to use my Lodge 14" CI pizza pan, either on the kettle or in the kitchen oven.
 
Couldn't you just use a pizza peel/paddle like below to transfer to the preheated stone?

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0037XH3JI?cache=6289a68ddea97c65cab8518ce1109f08&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&qid=1410547235&sr=8-8#ref=mp_s_a_1_8"]Update International WPP-1236 Rubber Wood Pizza Peels, Oblong, Smooth Finish, 36-Inch:Amazon:Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31q5LaHtdBL.@@AMEPARAM@@31q5LaHtdBL[/ame]
 
yea use a peel with some corn meal on it, should transfer over just fine, or use parchment paper and leave the paper under it when placing on the stone, once the crust starts to cook it will slide off the paper.
 
I've done the peel, the corn meal, the parchment paper, tried voodoo, pixie dust, danced around naked and clucked like a chicken... still couldn't get it.

Why would you need to preheat cast iron? I thought the purpose of preheating the stone was so it wouldn't shatter.
 
Even cooking. The preheat is to prepare your surface. It sounds like your dough is too wet and is sticking to your transfer tool. Flour and cornmeal really are your friend.

Good luck with it. Nothing like homemade pizza.
 
I'm no expert, but is your dough too wet/sticky or not enough cornmeal/pixie dust/unicorn tears? :evil:
 
pre-heating the stone is to get a nice good quick cook on the pizza.

Do you build the pies on the peel and then wait for a bit and then try to slide it off. I've found it's best to build the pies right before your going to put them on.

I too used to make lots of calzones and not pizzas cause of the pie sticking and realized that the dough would get sticky again before going on to the stone. You could also try lubing the dough with some EVOO??
 
It probably is the dough, I can slide thawed frozen pizzas around all day long. I never tried unicorn tears, I cant stand it when my unicorn cries. In fact I killed the last three guys I saw abuse a unicorn.:wink:

Truth be told, I like cast iron cookware so I thought I would round out my collection. Maybe I'll figure it out. At least I can clean the damned thing and re-season it when I screw up.

Besides, it was only 35 bucks delivered from Camp Chef....
 
Grimm5577 said:
Do you build the pies on the peel and then wait for a bit and then try to slide it off. I've found it's best to build the pies right before your going to put them on.
Click to expand...

Thats a big no no too. If you are building it on the peel it will always stick. Build on a cool surface like a stone counter top and slide it up the floured peel once you are ready to put it on. If it sits on the wood too long even with flour it will stick.
 
Consider using aluminum/steel pizza pans or screens instead of stones or cast iron. I've used all three methods; gave up on stones after a few spectacular breaks:

IMG_1614.jpg


Went to cast iron from there:

bbq_pizza.jpg


It didn't take long for me to figure out that my lack of skills with a pizza peel (and the fact it severely slowed down the process when making multiple pizzas at the same time) made cast iron not an optimal solution. From there I tried pizza pans (available at your local restaurant supply house) and haven't looked back. Here's just a few examples:

IMG_3257.jpg


IMG_0282.jpg


IMG_2980.jpg


With a light coating of olive oil on the pan, the crust (usually fresh dough from Trader Joe's, but occasionally homemade) spreads out more evenly, crisps up nicely, and I can make several at once which cuts prep time down a lot (and allows me to cook more than one at a time, if I happen to have the grill space).

IMG_1036.JPG


But then, what do I know...
 
Whitewookie said:
Why would you need to preheat cast iron? I thought the purpose of preheating the stone was so it wouldn't shatter.
Click to expand...

You may find your toppings done before the pan has a chance to get hot enough to cook the crust. You need to experiment.
 
I actually have a pan. Never used it on the grill. I am just trying to up my game. I may end up using it to heat subs in the oven.

BTW those pies on the pans look awesome.
 
When the thing gets here, we will experiment and see what happens. I'll post pics of successes and failures. Maybe we can all learn some new stuff. Or at least learn what doesn't work.
 
Sounds like you just need to work on your techniques. That said, good luck with the stone not shattering when even a small amount of moisture from your cooking pizza hits it. I went thru three stones before switching to a real stone- a piece of thick natural sandstone from Home Depot for $7.48. Cost about a quarter of what average stones cost and has lasted me years so far. Hold heat like a mother too, which is what you want for pizza. Works great.
Don't give up. Get a couple good peels, wood and steel. Wood for placing pie on stone and steel for removing it and use corn meal to help it slide.
Btw you aren't currently making pizza tacos- we Italians call them calzones. :thumb:
 
Pictures would help, but are you having trouble with the transfer to the cooking surface? If so, your dough is too wet. I have heard good things about using cheap 16" un-glazed tile (like terracota or natural stones). I have some soapstone in the garage I think I am going to try out soon.

I believe the idea behind using stones and preheating is to get the crust super crisp. By not pre-heating the bottom can remain soft. I always pre-heat even when using standard pizza pans as hot as I can get them. When cooking outside, the distance from the top of the pizza to the top of the cooking vessel will determine how quickly your topping cook and the crust cooks.
 
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