Growing up, one of my strongest memories of our family kitchen was all of the pizza stones we had stacked in the oven. You could always tell which family member had been drinking all night when you heard a loud crash as one of the ceramic pans was dropped on the floor and shattered. Unsurprisingly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I have at least five different pizza stones laying around my house between my kitchen and my outdoor BBQ and pizza oven setup.
The Jamie Oliver Pizza Stone is a great stone for those who are looking for a classic ceramic stone. It’s relatively lightweight, really helps the pizza cook evenly, and it even comes with handles that you can use, so you don’t burn your hands when taking the stone out of the oven!
It’s easily one of my all-time favorites. The Jamie Oliver clay pizza stone is classic, simple, and effective. I’ve also found that it has even better non-stick properties than some of the other pizza stones I’ve used in the past. Keep on reading for my detailed review of the product!
Why Jamie Oliver’s Clay Pizza Stone Is A Kitchen Staple
Still not convinced that you should own at least one of these clay pizza stones? Here are a few of the top reasons that come to mind and why I’ll always have one, no matter how advanced cooking and kitchen technology become in the future.
It Absorbs Extra Grease and Moisture
The other day, I reviewed another granite pizza stone that I’ve been experimenting with. All-in-all it was great, with one exception- it didn’t absorb any of the grease or excess moisture. Instead, the grease just accumulated on it and got re-absorbed into the pizza.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of hyper-greasy pizza. I prefer a fresh, crisp flavor that’s reminiscent of authentic Italian pizza. One of the top reasons I love my Jamie Oliver pizza stone is that it’s a simple piece of dried clay earthenware. It’s unglazed and, therefore, can absorb moisture and grease that tend to drip off the crust, resulting in a crispier slice of pizza.
Now, does this mean that the stone will get dirtier faster? Yes, but in my opinion, a “dirtier” stone is worth the reward of better-tasting pizza.
It’s Safer Than Metal Pans
Yet another reason why I will always have an earthenware clay pizza stone in my kitchen is that I can rely on it to be 100% healthy. If you’ve ever seen the docu-film, Dark Waters, then you’ll remember that the entire story was based on a plan whose non-stick Teflon-containing pans were killing people and giving them cancer.
I’m not necessarily saying that all metal pans are bad. However, sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting when it comes to metal cookware. If I’m using a ceramic pizza stone, I have full confidence that I don’t have to worry about any hidden chemicals.
This Pizza Stone Is Good For Most Medium-Sized Pizzas
With a diameter of 13-inches across, Jamie Oliver’s pizza stone is perfect for small and medium-sized pizzas alike. The average frozen pizza doesn’t get bigger than about 12-inches across. So unless you’re trying to cook an extra-large pie, this simple clay pizza stone should be perfectly capable of whatever you have to throw at it!
It Has Versatile Uses
Yes, it’s a pizza stone… But I use it for so much more. I bake cookies on there, use it for baking homemade bread, and even to heat up my Hot Pockets when I’m in a rush. The pizza stone is great at evenly cooking whatever food you put on it, and it gives anything bready a wonderfully crisp flavor that you’ll never be able to get from a metal pan or by placing your food on the oven rack.
Drawbacks Of This Earthenware Pizza Stone
There are only two key drawbacks of using clay pizza stones like this one. However, clay pizza stones are relatively affordable, which means they’re not hard to replace should either of these problems become an issue.
They’re Hard To Clean
Pizza steels and granite pizza stones are incredibly easy to clean. The first only needs warm water and a brush, while the second is glazed and can easily be cleaned with a soapy sponge. However, clay pizza stones require special treatment. To clean these, you’ll need to blend a messy mix of water and baking soda. Then, you’ll need to vigorously exfoliate the stone until it reaches your standard of cleanliness.
They Shatter Easily
Last but not least, clay pizza stones shatter easily. If you drop it, there’s a 95% chance that it will shatter into several pieces. Contrast this to metal or granite pizza stones, which are almost impossible to break.
What About Those Modern Pizza Steels, Though?
If you’ve already read the post I made on my favorite pizza steel, then you may have gotten the idea that I don’t particularly care for traditional pizza stones. Although modern-day pizza steels are more efficient and usually easier to clean than an old-fashioned clay stone, they are, by no means, perfect.
While effective, the steels are immensely heavy and often take longer to cool, which can result in your pizza over-cooking if you don’t transfer the pie to another surface. I’ve been getting more and more used to my steel, but I often find myself returning to my traditional clay pizza oven for simplicity’s sake.