I don’t know anyone who takes cooking seriously that doesn’t have a pizza stone at home. It’s the closest thing they’ll have to a brick oven in their house, and it pulls off the job just as well. However, getting one clean after use can be a time-consuming process. You have to be sure you have one of high-quality, such as Roccbox, which has served me well the past few years.
To get a Roccbox clean, it’s crucial to avoid moisture as much as possible. Getting a pizza stone of any brand severely wet is severely damaging. Moisture can collect inside the stone, weakening it enough to crack or even break more easily.
It’s something you have to learn quickly if you expect your stone to live a long, healthy life in the kitchen. If you do it after each use, the cleaning process will be a lot less intensive, though occasionally, you’ll need to give it a more thorough once-over. This post explains how to best attend to your Roccbox, while also highlighting why it’s one of the best stones on the market.
Cleaning a Roccbox Pizza Stone The Right Way
As important as it is to stay away from moisture, you’ll also want to avoid any cleaning products – not even soap. Soap and other products will get in the pores of the stone, and you’ll be sure to taste them later.
Here are some things you’ll need when cleaning your stone.
- A plastic spatula. Don’t use metal as it can damage your stone.
- Dough Scraper
- Blunt metal table knife
- Stone brush
- Sandpaper
- Scouring pads
- Toothbrush
- Damp rag
Honestly, my motto here in listing all these is “be prepared”. You won’t necessarily need every single tool listed above, but it helps to have them nearby in case you have some particularly stubborn food particles.
- Make sure to let your stone cool for a few hours before cleaning it. Stones are made to retain heat, and you don’t want to touch it too soon or you’ll be icing some burn wounds later.
- Wet the surface of the stone with a warm, running stream of water. Be sure to use as little as possible. In this instance, water is not your friend.
- With the stone brush, scrub the surface hard in circular motions.
- Rub the surface with a damp rag, wiping away any particles that haven’t been removed.
- Let the stone dry on its own.
Remember that you may not need the water at all. It’s better that you don’t use any, though occasionally you don’t have the choice. Once the stone is dry, store it away. I find it’s best stored right in the oven.
As for germs, you won’t have to worry much about them, as they can’t survive temperatures over 140 degrees. So they’ll be dead long before any food comes into contact.
The last issue is whether or not you can tolerate stains. If you can’t, use a mix of one teaspoon water and one teaspoon baking soda to make a paste. Apply that paste to the stain and wipe it away in a circular motion.
But personally, stains give my stone character, not to mention the added seasoning benefit they offer. I swear I get hints of pizzas past on my stone whenever I use it. You can also further aid your stone in the seasoning process simply by baking some buttery cookies on it to seal in even more flavor.
Why Get a Roccbox?
There are a lot of reasons why a Roccbox pizza stone is my personal choice, the first of which is affordability. A Roccbox is at least $100 cheaper than an Ooni, the other popular brand. And though it’s somewhat smaller in size, it perfectly houses any sized dough I’ve ever needed.
It’s also a much thicker stone. How thick your stone is matters quite a bit, as it affects not only how fast your pizza is cooked but also how long it takes between pizzas before you can use it again. This makes a big difference. For example, if you’re throwing a party, you want several pizzas prepared before the guests arrive.
There’s also something to be said for the overall strength of a Roccbox. I can’t see this easily cracking or breaking anytime soon, and it’s lasted a year already. It’s probably the most important cooking tool I have in my kitchen and it impresses guests with each use.