In every pizza lover's quest to approximate a fiery-hot brick pizza oven at home, a pizza stone is first on the list of necessary equipment. But of the variety of materials available — stone, cast iron and even steel — which one is the best pick for you?
Picking the right pizza stone depends on your personal needs and kitchen habits. Are you looking for a stone that produces an ultra-crispy crust? Does it need to move easily in and out of the oven? Are you a pizza professional, willing to pay any price for the latest equipment? Here are some of the pros and cons of each material.
Clay or Stone:
The classic pizza stone absorbs moisture as the pizza bakes, resulting in a crisper crust. Stones come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some people even DIY stones with inexpensive unglazed quarry tiles.
• Pros: There are a wide variety of stones to choose from at various price points. Produces a crisp pizza crust.
• Cons: Must be preheated in the oven for at least 30 minutes (longer for thicker stones). Difficult to clean. Can crack or break.
Cast Iron:
If you want to make pizza without buying any new equipment, you can use a cast iron skillet to cook pizzas on the stove. Or you can try Lodge's cast iron pizza pan, which heats up in the oven quickly.
• Pros: Heats quickly. Easier to clean than stone. Has handles for maneuvering in and out of oven. Won't break or crack.
• Cons: Heavy. Lodge pan has a lip that some reviewers have complained about. Lodge pan is recommended only to 400°F, which is cooler than ideal for cooking pizza at home.→ Find it: Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan, $46 at Amazon
Steel:
The baking steel is a new product that we learned about through the folks at Serious Eats Pizza Lab, who give it a big thumbs up. (Watch for our own review later this week.) Baking steels conduct heat better than stone, and can cook food more evenly at lower temperatures.
• Pros: Cooks pizzas more quickly and evenly. Stabilizes at a lower temperature than stone. Won't break or crack.
• Cons: Expensive ($72 for the 1/4-inch version). Very heavy and does not have handles, so it can't be easily moved once it is hot.→ Find it: Baking Steel, $72 at Stoughton Steel Company
What kind of pizza stone do you use?
Related: How Do I Take Care Of My Pizza Stone?
(Image: erwinova/Shutterstock)
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
We have a large square clay stone we got from a Kitchen supply store that we use for pizzas and larger batch baking, and a smaller thinner round stone from Pampered Chef for smaller items.
I've never had an issue with any of my stones ever cracking or breaking and we're not exactly gentle with them. I do have to remind my wife that she can't soak the crispies off the stones without possibly breaking them later while baking.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 many of the stones in the churches exploded because there was still moisture in them and the fires around were heating the stone. Reading some of the accounts it almost sounds like grenades going off... I don't want that in my oven.
I've been abusing my Pampered Chef stone for seven years with nary a problem.
I recently replaced my inexpensive clay pizza stone, as the old one broke (after about 10 yrs of use). I suspect it was from being washed, and the absorbed water expanding in the heat (nod to you, @somewhiteguy).
Don't love the clay, but it does give me excellent pizza crusts.
I have many Pampered Chef stones, and use them for everything. I never preheat them. If you do so, and place a frozen pizza on the stone, it could very well crack as a result of the dramatic change in temperature. IMHO, they produce the best crust on a pizza. And way less pricey than the options you listed as alternatives.
I HAVE had one break, and with a very large amount of velocity. My b/f turned on a burner under one that was cooling on the stovetop on accident. The stone made a huge popping sound, and broke into approx. 1,000 pieces. I was completely heartsick. Of course, he didn't see what the big deal was... seasoning over a matter of years, it was perfect by that time. LOL Anyway, I wanted to enter my vote for the stones. :)
We use bricks in my family. I think they cost 20 cents each when I bought some for my sister. We put them on the very rack in the oven and preheat. Cheap, easy, as big as I need, and it makes my oven a brick oven.
A few years ago, I bought a round stone one on sale for something like £5 GBP. Then last Christmas we were given another identical one as a gift, which was great as we can cook two pizzas at once (we have a fan oven).
I didn't expect the cheap stones to last very well, and said that when they break I would replace them with paving stones which are cheap but thick and great for this sort of thing, but so far they're holding up just fine. I think the trick is to never ever wash them. Just scrape off any burnt bits. And my husband has cooked many an emergency frozen pizza on them with no problems, and no explosions.
Wow, that baking steel sounds like just the ticket for me! A nice heavy thermal mass to even out those temperature spikes in my electric oven. Right now I do my baking on a cookie sheet balanced on top of a cast iron skillet. this would be even better (no wobbling or hot spots), and no handles to get in the way, which was my big issue with the Lodge pizza pan.