A thick slab of steel that sits in your oven and zaps heat to dough is indispensable for pizza, but it can also earn a permanent place in your kitchen even when pizza isn't on the menu. Steel heats up faster than pizza stones and conducts heat to dough more efficiently, producing airier crusts and deeper browning. It can griddle pancakes, press sandwiches, and even reverse its role to keep dishes cold.
How to Choose a Pizza Steel
Don't settle for a pizza stone. Steel heats up faster and conducts heat to dough more efficiently. Baking Steel makes both of our favorite models.
Most Versatile: Baking Steel Griddle
The 3/8in-thick, 25lb slab has a textured side for baking pizzas and artisan breads, while the smooth side functions as a full-size stovetop griddle. A grease trough catches rendered fat, making cleanup easier. $199 at Baking Steel.
Best Value: Baking Steel Original
At 1/4in-thick and 15lbs, it heats slightly faster than thicker models. It can double as a stovetop griddle, but skip fatty foods since grease can spill over the edge and, on gas ranges, potentially ignite. From $129 at Baking Steel or Amazon.
What Else Can You Do with a Pizza Steel?
Griddle Everything
Set the steel over your largest burner and preheat for several minutes. When water droplets slide around the surface but don't instantly evaporate, you can make pancakes, eggs, fajitas, or grilled sandwiches. Save bacon and smash burgers for models with a grease trough.
Chill Foods Without Ice
After a few hours in the freezer, the steel becomes a large cold reservoir. Use it under a platter of raw vegetables, fruit, cheese, or sushi, or as an ultra-cold surface for making ice cream rolls.
Roast Veggies
Preheat the steel for about an hour, then place a sheet pan directly on the hot steel. Potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and zucchini benefit from extra browning. You can also use the steel as a stovetop griddle for peppers, onions, mushrooms, and asparagus.
Bake Artisan Loaves or Flatbreads
Slide dough directly onto the steel or use parchment paper. Preheat for about an hour; aim for a center-surface temperature of about 500F (260C) if using an infrared thermometer.
Stabilize Oven Temps
The steel acts like a thermal battery, minimizing temperature swings and reducing hot spots. Preheating a baking steel beneath your sheet pan delivers intense bottom heat for laminated pastries like croissants and danishes.
Upgrade Your Outdoor Cooker
On a gas or charcoal grill, set the steel directly on the cooking grates to sear steaks or seafood. In an outdoor pizza oven, replacing the factory stone with a baking steel can produce an even crispier crust, but watch carefully to avoid scorching.
