I don’t ask a lot of my pizza. All I want is a rich sauce topped with melty, crispy-in-places cheese and a thin, crisp base.
While the debate between thin and crispy and deep pan rages on (granted, nowhere near as volcanic as the validity of pineapple as a topping - but let’s not pick at that thread right now), the birthplace of the world’s premier handheld food decrees it should always be the former.
Try ordering a deep pan in Naples, the home of pizza, and you’ll be met with cold scorn, unguarded suspicion or outright outrage at such an insulting request. There, pizzas are made with the finest ingredients and fired in a special oven to ensure you’re eating every slice the way it was intended - and have been enjoyed for centuries.
That’s all good and well when you’re in bella Italia, but how can you recreate the method with only a standard kitchen oven at your disposal at home? The secret lies in pizza stones.
Typically made from cordierite, a stone that can withstand molten temperatures and draws moisture from dough for round, even cooking, these pizza accessories promise to take your pie to the next, delicious level - whether you have a pizza oven or not.
They come in all diameters and are often perfectly circular or in a rectangular shape, the latter sliding neatly onto oven shelves. BBQ heavyweights like Weber and Kamado Joe offer them to use with their grills, expanding your cookout menu, and outdoor cooking brand Ooni has a version that can be used in normal ovens as well as its pizza ovens.
The proof is in the pudding. Cooking on oven racks or a pan versus a stone elevates every single pie (frozen or not), not to mention cookies, flatbreads, scones, calzones and all sorts of other things you can use with it.
If you’re looking for the best pizza stones on the market, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find the best selection for all cooking implements, from the humble oven to the BBQ and a bona fide pizza oven.
Shop now
Ooni Pizza Baking Stone
If you've already got an Ooni pizza oven, step one is complete. Now you need the pizza baking stone to crisp up your bases until there's no distinction between yours and the pies flinging out of Naples-based parlours. The 12-inch cordierite stone will even work when used in domestic ovens, with the porous surface helping to bake fresh pizzas evenly.
Buy now £43.93, Amazon
Silk Route Pizza Stone and Paddle Set
Partial to a pizza? There's nothing like homemade. With Silk Road's set, you'll be making pies like a pro in no time. Along with a non-stick cordierite pizza stone that should sit happily on most oven shelves, you'll also get a bamboo wood paddle to help you manoeuvre fresh creations in and out of the heat.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon
ProCook Pizza Stone
Cooking for a crowd? Though fresh pizzas will bake quite quickly, your crew will be all the happier with larger slices to chomp on. ProCook's pizza stone measures 15 inches in diameter and comes with side handles, meaning it's easier to make and retrieve larger pies. The stone is crafted from heat-retaining ceramic, which will keep slices warm for up to half an hour after serving. It comes with a one-year guarantee.
Buy now £18.00, ProCook
Villeroy & Boch Pizza Passion Pizza Stone
Make space on the table for this cordierite stone with handles. The ovenproof design promotes an even heat distribution to help pizza bases achieve the perfect level of crispness, and it can be used to bake pastries, bread and even steak.
Buy now £12.45, Amazon
VonShef 33cm Pizza Stone Set
Deliver restaurant-quality pizzas with VonShef's pizza accessory set. It comes with a round stone for making 13-inch pizzas, fitted with chrome handles for easy lifting in and out of ovens. The moisture-absorbing stone can resist heat of up to 650°C, so it can be used in traditional ovens, on the BBQ grill or in a specially-made pizza oven.
You'll also get a pizza wheel to make divvying up slices of heaven all the easier.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
Pizzacraft Pizza Stone and Peel Set
Your mates will be lining up for an invite to your next pizza party with this set.
The heat-resistant stone comes with a thermal spiral to cook pizza faster and retain more heat to keep it warm once served. It's safe to use in temperatures up to 800°C with the cordierite stone drawing away moisture so you're always serving up a crispy base.
It works on fresh and frozen pizzas but you can use it for all kinds of baking, from making flatbread, calzones and scones to oven-warm chocolate chip cookies.
You’ll also get an extendable paddle to make serving easy as pie.
Buy now £42.99, Amazon
Weber Crafted PizzaStone
Designed by the BBQ specialist, this pizza stone was created to sit on a Weber grill grate. The black disc is made from cordierite, famed for its moisture-drawing and heat-retaining properties - just the features needed for serving up crispy Neapolitan-style bases.
Spanning 26cm, the non-stick surface is easy to keep clean; just wipe it down with a damp microfibre when you're done playing pizza chef.
Buy now £30.69, Amazon
Emile Henry Ridged Pizza Stone
Unlike other pizza stones, which are typically crafted from cordierite, Emile Henry's option is formed from refractory ceramic. The base is ridged for higher heat efficiency while cooking and retention when it's served on the table (but do place a trivet or serving board underneath as the plate will be scorching hot). It will get the base perfectly crispy and make crusts an event too. Just provide plenty of dips and watch it vanish before your very eyes.
Buy now £78.00, Amazon
Kamado Joe KJ15090720 Soapstone Cooking Surface
Get more out of your Kamado Joe by adding this soapstone cooking disc to your grill accessory collection. The non-porous surface makes a great setting for delicate foods; besides pizza, you can also use it to grill fish, veggies and tender meats without worrying they'll fall into the flames. This one will fit a Joe Junior grill.
Buy now £89.90, Amazon
