seasoning a pizza stone?

[PitRow]

OK, so probably not the right place to ask this, but I figure with all the pizza makers in here someone might be able to help me.

I just received a pizza stone a couple weeks ago (pampered chef) and I was wondering if there's anything I need to do to it before I make pizza to "season" or break it in? I've seen conflicting info... Nothing... Use Crisco for the first couple times... Vegetable oil... etc.

I know it's porous so similar to cast iron, no soap for cleanup and all that, but I'm trying to figure out if it needs to be seasoned like CI.

[Texas-Hunter]

I just purchased on for my Weber and the manufacture said NO Seasoning.. They will season themselves as you use them..

Never wash with soap and water just water and a scrub brush to get the baked on pieces off..

[Detroit Lions]

I season my cast iron pan with olive oil after cleaning.You could put on a light coat after each use.Good luck.

[Pandemonium]

They are different because the first one I bought said to season with oil like you said the first few times but the new one does not say to so ask the manufacturer.

[HawgHeaven]

Don't season it with anything... get it hot first, then let the pizzas do the work. Be aight!

[MrsB]

No seasoning needed. I have a pampered chef one also and never had to do anything. Did you get the little brown square scraper with it? I don't think I could clean it without that thing. Bought extra cuz it seems everyone in the house finds other uses for them. Will scrape anything with very little effort.
And I use my stone for a ton of things. Besides pizza, I use it for rolls, taquitos, burritos, cookies, etc Love it!

[Mark R]

Don't season it with anything... get it hot first, then let the pizzas do the work. Be aight!

Yup!

[PitRow]

Thanks all, I'm even getting conflicting information from the manual that came with it. In one spot it says never to spray it with non-stick cooking spray because it'll leave a sticky residue that won't come off, then later in the manual it says to spray it with cooking spray for the first couple uses.

It also says you're supposed to put the cold food on it then put it into a pre-heated oven. That sounds contradictory to everything else I've read about pizza stones. So I think I'm going to totally disregard the manual and go without seasoning it.

[ganny76]

We have the round pampered chef and the square pampered chef. We didnt season either one and never heated them up before cooking with them. They have been fine going on two years now. They are great.

[Pandemonium]

Yea the cold stone defeats the purpus of what its for, you gotta have it hot when the food hits it, dont know why they sell them and say that in the instructions on some brands

[Mark R]

Yea the cold stone defeats the purpus of what its for, you gotta have it hot when the food hits it, dont know why they sell them and say that in the instructions on some brands

Yea, that (cold stone) doesn't make sense to me. Naaa, the whole point is the stone holding heat and keeping the temp consistent. With pizza it cooks the bottom of the dough. If you put dough on a cold stone and then put it in the oven to heat, it will stick, never get it off.

[Abelman]

I have 2 stones. One is Pampered Chef and the other I think Bed Bath and Beyond. Both work great and are fully seasoned. I use them on the BGE and the oven. We never really seasoned either.

I would advise against something like veggie oil as it has a lower burn temp. If you're going to use the stones for pizza and such, the oil will burn/smoke and leave a residual burnt taste in the stone.

If you really want to use something, I'd use bacon grease. If an oil, something higher in burn temp like peanut oil.

End of the day, it's easiest to just keep it simple and let the foods do it for you. Cleaning is jsut as important but that's been covered as well.