Pizza steels will transform your home oven into a pizza-making machine that cooks restaurant-quality pies. A pizza steel is a simple tool that conducts heat to create a crispy crust for pizzas. Moreover, pizza steels will give you a crisp crust without burning the top of the pizza.
When you’re making pizza at home you’ll want a pizza steel for home use. These are small, rectangular pizza steels or square steels that fit in most ovens. When it comes to quality, it’s tough to beat pizza steels and even wood-fired ovens benefit from them.
Unfortunately, finding the best pizza steel is easier said than done. The good news is that we’re here to help. We’ll cover the best products and what you need to look for before you buy.
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Stone vs Steel
Stone vs steel is one of the biggest debates when it comes to pizza stones. Many professionals swear by pizza stones but not many people have professional pizza ovens. For people who don’t have professional pizza ovens, pizza steels are the next best thing.
Pizza stones and pizza steels serve the same purpose but with a few key differences. The biggest difference is that pizza steels are made of steel, whereas pizza stones are made with stone or composite materials. For pizza steels, low-carbon steel is the best option and for pizza stones, ceramic baking stones are the best choice.
The material is all the difference when comparing pizza stones and steels. Steel has better heat conductivity than stone, which makes pizza steels better for crispy crust and thin-crust pizzas. Pizza steels work by collecting heat when they’re preheated in the oven – once the heat is collected it gets transferred to the dough.
Pizza stones work in the same way but they take longer to get hot. It’s also important to note that pizza stones are more prone to cracking due to rapid changes in heat. Cracking due to rapid temperature changes are known as thermal shock and pizza steels are resistant to this problem.
The only drawback of pizza steels is that they’re more expensive. It’s also easier to burn yourself on pizza steels because they reach higher temperatures.
If you’re interested in looking at pizza stones, check out our article on Best Pizza Stones for Great Pizza on the Grill.
Features to Consider
When shopping for the best pizza steel you need to consider a few features. You’ll want to consider the size and shape, its thickness, and evaluate its versatility. We’ll take you through the features below.
Size and Shape
The size and shape of pizza steel are essential features to consider. Size and shape won’t usually impact a pizza steel’s performance but they will limit the size of your pizza. When considering the size and shape first consider the dimensions of your home oven.
Most conventional ovens have some limitations when it comes to size, so you might want a smaller pizza steel. Also, choosing a rectangular pizza steel or one with a square shape will help you maximize the surface area you have for cooking.
On the other hand, people who have outdoor wood-fired ovens have more options. Larger pizza steels will help you make a homemade pizza that feeds the whole family. Choosing between the different shapes also comes down to personal preference.
Thickness
Thickness plays a big role in a pizza steel’s heat capacity. In fact, pizza steels that are between a quarter and half an inch are thicker than most cast iron pans. More thickness means more heat, which can help you cook Neapolitan-style pies in less than five minutes.
The best pizza steels usually have a thickness that’s between half an inch and one inch. Pizza steels of this size will help you cook just about any pizza. It’s also smart to look for pizza steels that have raised edges if you’re worried about the pizza moving.
Versatility
Pizza steels offer a lot of versatility depending on the type you choose. Unlike pizza stones, pizza steels have a heat capacity that’s high enough to cook calzones, flatbreads, cookies, and pitas. Pizza steels may also come with handles, which help you remove the pizza from a hot oven.
You may also want to look for pizza steels that are multi-purpose. Some examples include pizza steels that can help you replace iron pans or stovetop griddles.
Overall, with faster cooking times and comparability with most home ovens, pizza steels are versatile tools.
Care and Maintenance
To get the most out of your pizza steel it’s important to focus on care and maintenance. They’re not difficult to clean or maintain but spending a few extra minutes with your pizza steel goes a long way. In fact, it can be the difference between a burnt pie and a delicious pie.
Using
Pizza steels aren’t challenging to use once you get the hang of it. That said, the most important part of the process is preheating the pizza steel. Always place it in the oven while your oven is preheating.
Below we list some steps to follow to help you use a pizza steel for the first time.
- Make sure there’s enough room in the oven to place and remove the pizza.
- Preheat the pizza steel in the oven and set the oven temperature to between 500°F and 800°F (wood-fired ovens).
- Add some flour or dough to the pizza steel to prevent the pizza from getting stuck.
- Place the pizza onto the pizza still; we recommend using a pizza paddle.
- If you’re cooking a Neapolitan-style pizza, give it 5-10 minutes to cook.
- Remove the pizza with a pizza paddle.
Following these steps will help you use a pizza steel for the first time.
Cleaning
Pizza steels are easy to clean. Plus, steel is much easier to keep clean compared to ceramic pizza steels or cordierite stone. We take you through the steps to clean a pizza steel below.
- Use a bench scraper or steel spatula to remove leftover cheese, crust, and other caked-on ingredients.
- Rinse the pizza steel with warm water.
- Scrub the pizza steel with warm water, a stiff brush, and soap.
- Use a damp cloth to remove any excess grime.
- Dry the pizza steel.
After following these steps you’ll want to store your pizza steel or season it for your next batch of good pizza.
Seasoning
Before cooking with pizza steels you need to season them. Seasoning them will help you get the best results. We recommend using flaxseed oil to season pizza steels but olive oil is also a good choice.
Ultimately, the seasoning will take your average homemade pizza to the next level. To season the pizza steel, apply a small amount of oil and let it sit for a few hours.
The 12 Best Pizza Steels
Getting your hands on the best pizza steel is essential if you want to make good pizza. Plus, the best pizza steels will help you make a delicious pie that’s on par with your favorite pizza joint.
1). Nerdchef Steel Stone
Nerdchef knocked it out of the park with this steel pizza stone. It’s made in the USA, consists of solid steel, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Plus, it’s a large pizza steel with dimensions of 16″x14.25″x.375″ (lowest thickness).
The Nerdchef steel stone is also available in several thickness ratings. You can choose between .375″, .25″, and even .5″. These thickness ratings will help you effectively transfer heat in ovens that reach up to 1,000°F.
The Nerdchef pizza stone is also exceptional in heat conductivity. It conducts 20 times more heat than ceramic and even cordierite pizza stones. This pizza steel comes seasoned with flaxseed oil, so it’s ready to go for your first use.
2). Ooni Pizza Steel 13
Ooni is one of the best pizza product manufacturers you’ll find. With a wide range of wood-fired pizza ovens and accessories, you’ll have all of the necessary tools for cooking pizza. That said, Ooni’s Pizza Steel 13 is one of the best options on the market.
The Ooni Pizza Steel 13 is made with .24-inch thick commercial-grade steel that offers a generous amount of cooking surface area. It’s perfect for cooking a frozen pizza, homemade pizza, and reheating pizza from your favorite pizza joint. While it’s not designed for Ooni ovens, it works for conventional ovens and most home ovens.
What’s more, this Ooni pizza steel is optimized for most home ovens. It works well at 500°F and will give you a faster cooking process overall.
3). TCFUNDY Pizza Steel
The TCFUNDY Pizza Steel gives solid A36 carbon steel a quarter of an inch thick. A36 carbon steel is perfect for getting wood-fired oven quality out of your home oven. Additionally, the steel pizza stone comes seasoned and ready to go.
What separates this pizza steel from others is that it’s versatile. It’s perfect to use in outdoor kitchens as a stovetop griddle, which makes it the ideal choice for any cook.
Ease of use is also a benefit of this pizza steel. Cleaning with soap and water is hassle-free and excess grime won’t give you any trouble because of the smooth surface. Its rectangular shape also makes it easy to cook different types of pizza.
4). Primica Pizza Steel
Primica Pizza Steels are a great alternative to traditional pizza stones. Unlike hot stones, the Primica Pizza Steels give you faster cooking times and better flavor because of their carbon steel. Carbon steel conducts heat 20 times better than ceramic, which cooks pizza faster and keeps the nutrients in.
A Primica Pizza Steel is also great for first-time pizza cooks because of its ease of use. It’s simple to season with flaxseed oil and you can use olive oil to turn it into a stovetop giggle. Additionally, this pizza steel reaches high temperatures that are on par with brick ovens.
Therefore, the Primica Pizza Steel brings you restaurant-quality pies in your own home. Home cooks can become pizza chefs overnight with a tool like this.
5). Pizzacraft Square Steel Baking Sheet
Pizzacraft makes several steel products for cooking pizza. In fact, there are several different shapes to choose from.
There are square and rectangular stones but there is also a circular pizza steel. Circle designs are a great choice for people who love the style of traditional pizza stones.
The Pizzacraft Square Baking Sheet is one of Pizzacraft’s best products. It’s the ideal choice for a crispy crust when you’re making frozen pizza, homemade pizza, or fresh bread. Pizzacraft products are also suitable for baking and can be useful as a steel griddle.
Cleaning and maintenance are also a breeze. As long as you season it with flaxseed oil and clean it with soap and water it will outlast most kitchen products.
6). Pizza Steel PRO by Hans Grill
The Pizza Steel Pro by Hans Grill has a high heat capacity that handles extreme temperatures well. It’s 1.5 centimeters thick, which is thick enough to conduct a lot of heat and thin enough to heat quickly. The Pizza Steel Pro works well for cooking pizza, calzones, and food you make on a stovetop griddle.
This product is also unique because it’s a cordierite pizza stone. Cordierite stones won’t crack as easily as ceramic stones and they’re better at heat conductivity.
It’s important to note that Hans Grill is one of the best companies in the pizza business. Hans Grill maintains this reputation through quality, customer support, and additional accessories. For example, the Pizza Steel Pro comes with a steel pizza paddle.
7). Artisan Steel – High-Performance Pizza Steel
The Artisan Steel – High-Performance Pizza Steel will turn any average pizza into a delicious pie. It conducts heat well, which results in a crispy crust. For any crispy pizza lovers, you can’t go wrong with an Artisan Steel – High-Performance Pizza Steel.
The Artisan Steel – High-Performance Pizza Steel features ultra-conductive steel that results in faster cooking times. It will also heat up rapidly and cook a pizza as well as a wood-fired or brick oven. Another unique feature is the low friction, smooth surface that prevents food from sticking to it, even at lower temperatures.
This pizza steel is among the most durable as well. It won’t crack or warp when faced with extreme temperatures.
8). Impresa Steel Pizza Stone
When you’re shopping for pizza steels on a budget, Impresa has your back. The Impresa Steel Pizza Stone is one of the most affordable options without compromising quality. Plus, it comes with more innovative features than some of the best pizza steels.
The Impresa Steel Pizza Stone features a smooth surface that has non-stick properties. What’s more, it has great heat retention that will create a crispy crust with every use. Impresa Steel Pizza Stones are also easy to clean and only require a scraper.
Still, the Impresa Steel Pizza Stone also has some other unique features that separate it from similar products. The biggest innovation is the finger hole in the top-left corner. It’s perfect for hanging the pizza steel in any closet.
9). Chef Pomodoro Pizza Baking Steel
The Chef Pomodoro Pizza Baking Steel is a carbon pizza steel that’s compatible with most home ovens. In fact, it’s even suitable for high-end Ooni ovens. It’s also useful as a stovetop griddle on barbecues
It’s made with durable carbon steel that boasts impressive heat retention and it’s a quarter of an inch thick. For its size and quality, it’s impressive that it costs half as much as other pizza steels.
Also, it comes pre-seasoned with flaxseed oil, which makes it easy for first-time pizza chefs. Some additional innovative features are included like finger holes that make it easy to carry and store.
10). The Original Ultra Conductive Pizza Steel
The Original Baking Steel Store is the go-to destination for steel baking products. It’s one of the original baking steels and it was inspired by Modernist Cuisine.
The Original Ultra Conductive Pizza Steel is well-made. It’s made of steel that’s 20 times more conductive than ceramic pizza stones. With a quarter inch of thickness, it’s also perfect for cooking things like calzones, flatbreads, and pitas.
The Original Baking Steel is also durable and won’t break due to rapid changes in heat. When using this tool you’ll also reduce bake times and make your first pizza that resembles pizza from professional ovens.
11). Authentik Oven Steel
Authentik Oven Steels are made in the USA and come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. As one of the few products made in the USA for pizza, that’s a great deal. It also doesn’t cost as much as other pizza steels that have similar features.
As for its performance, the Authentik Oven Steel is tough to beat. It’s great at heat retention and transferring heat to create a crispy crust. Another thing it’s good at is being flexible. You can bake cookies, pizza, calzones, and many other foods with it.
All that said, its impressive features don’t stop there. The Authentik Oven Steel is also useful in low-temperature situations. For example, you can store it in a freezer as a cold plate to manage the temperature better.
12). THERMICHEF Square Pizza Steel
THERMICHEF knows that nobody wants to wait a long time for tasty Neapolitan-style pies. This is where the THERMICHEF Square Pizza Steel comes in clutch. The steel design won’t break due to thermal shock and heats up rapidly to cook pizza in a few minutes.
However, THERMICHEF didn’t stop there. You can choose from several variations of the THERMICHEF Square Pizza Steel. Each variation has a different level of thickness.
The thickest option is 3/16″ thick and the deluxe option is ⅜” thick. There are also different size options to help you choose a pizza steel that fits your specific oven.
Looking for more suggestions to make your pizza making experience easier? Check out some of our other articles below:
- Best Pizza Oven Accessories for Great Pizza
- Best Mixers for Making Pizza Dough
- Best Rolling Pins for Pizza Dough
- Easy Outdoor Pizza Oven Dough Recipe-Never Fails!
As someone from Long Island, New York, Thomas knows what it takes to make a good pizza. He understands that it’s a combination of high-quality ingredients, well-rounded pizza ovens, and a little bit of love. From the dough of a Neapolitan-style pizza to the wood that powers a wood-fired pizza oven, he has you covered. Thomas’ love of pizza is what got him here and he hopes that you’ll enjoy pizza as much as he does soon.
