Pizza stone didn't work. What did I do wrong?

[zinger60]

I read all the posts about the great results from using the pizza stone in the camper oven. I had a round one that fit just fine in the camper oven so I used it for the first time. Had the oven set on 350 for canned biscuits and about halfway through cooking them, we heard a loud pop and the stone was cracked in half. What would have caused that to happen?

[DaveSchwartz]

Ours did exactly the same - cracked down the center, in-line with the burner. And that's the issue... the burner is linear and causes thermal stress that the ceramic stone just isn't built to handle. We still use ours - just now have to put it in in two pieces. Even though we butt the pieces together along the crack, it has not deteriorated further.

Some folks use smaller, square unglazed tiles you can get at home improvement stores and avoid this (but then they still have multiple pieces to handle so... six of one, half dozen of the other).

[scootingranny]

I stumbled across a set of these http://www.amazon.com/Pizzacraft-PC0.../dp/B005IF2YQK at a HomeGoods store on the clearance aisle for $15.99. Undamaged and not sure why they were on clearance. They work well for us. I would say just keep using your pizza stone even tho it's cracked and should work just like this set of four squares.

[BendOrLarry]

We have been using a round pizza stone all spring and summer. My wife has heated pizza baked a few cakes and heated up many things. It has never cracked. It works great to insure even heat distribution. Maybe the ones that crack have absorbed some moisture. We live in a very dry climate so maybe that's the issue.

[doc73]

We use an air bake pan. No troubles with breaking, it's metal, been through two camper and all is well.

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[BigJohnD]

I just use a baking pan the size of the oven, flipped upside down. Distributes the heat well. Has worked for years in every rig. Never burn anything.

[woodman1963]

There are different types of songs I have a wood fired oven at home and the stone I use there I can't use over open fire read the labels closely it does matter whether ceramic or clay

[mysticks1]

The same exact thing happened to mine this past weekend. It had been in the oven and traveled there with no problems and I had used it before but this last trip I had the same thing. A big noise and it was broken all the way through right down the middle. I just threw it away. I am going to try the unglazed tiles next and may try to find the air bake pan that fits as well. My recipe that worked well at home did have overly cooked bottoms even with the stone. I will have to adjust the temp next time.

[beachcamper]

We tried the stones too. They cracked. Have used an sir bake pan like Doc73 for a couple of years now.

[ependydad]

In addition to the stone, my wife puts wax paper at the bottom of many of her pans when she cooks.

[5picker]

My wife uses one of THESE cast iron pans in our oven. Works great!

[zinger60]

Originally Posted by doc73

We use an air bake pan. No troubles with breaking, it's metal, been through two camper and all is well.

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Do you use it to bake on or just set it in the oven to distribute heat when you bake in another pan?

[doc73]

We set it over the bottom. Use just like the pizza stone. Then will use whatever to cook on

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[BusyRetirees]

We bought an expensive pizza stone and the same thing happened. Returned it to the store and got refund. Bought a real cheap one - same results. We don't bother anymore as the oven in our fiver gives us pretty good heat distribution. If I buy another, it will be a big oven baked clay tile.

[retired2]

We use the broiler pan. Works great and have used it for many years

[OntarioFireFighter]

Found a 14" square cast iron BBQ grill pan at the local Lowes - about 1/2" thick - weighs about what you'd expect - a lot.... I think it was about 15 bucks.

Works great to even out the heat in our oven; we make a point of baking something every trip out (cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning breakfast is almost a given now) - and never have a problem (I do still rotate whatever I'm baking 2-3 times during the cooking time, just to keep it even.

[Slp2go]

I never new how to keep stuff from burning in these little gas ovens. (Two boats, three different trailers). We traded for a new Flagstaff in late summer and I decided to use the cast iron griddle in the oven instead of my pizza stone from the house. I have only used the oven once, but my biscuits did NOT burn. In addition, I plan on using the griddle grill pan on the BBQ as well! Double duty is always a plus!

[KewlKamperz]

Wrap the broken stone with aluminum foil. It will keep the broken pieces together, easy to clean, and the foil/stone combination works wonders.

[dvalley]

As a baker I can tell you the reasons that a pizza or baking stone will crack

1) Moisture - can be from being stored in a humid area, condensation, or the stone just getting wet at all. Pizza and baking stones are not meant to be washed and humidity and condensation are not their friend.

2) Heat- warm your stone slowly starting with a cold oven and when done, let it cool in the oven until cold

3) Disparity of temperature- Food should be room temperature and should be heated along with the stone if possible. Never ever put a frozen item on stone, such as a frozen pizza as it will guarantee cracking. Let other items warm to room temperature before putting them on your stone.

4) A crack or fault in the stone. Stones are notoriously easy to develop hairline cracks from bumping when handling and storing.

Hope this helps you all!

[SilhouettePenny]

We had the same cracking issue with store bought stones, then got a California Pizza Stone and no problems since. 14 inch square stone for the 14 & 1/2 inch oven. Order online