Take Another Little Pizza My Heart

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I know you know this, but sometimes the most expensive, hyped thing isn’t the best tool for the job. I learned this once again in our new guide to pizza stones and steels, written by Lesley Stockton. I first heard about baking steels when they came out about seven years ago, during the ascent of science-y cooking writing and Kickstarter. Pizza obsessives raved.

I’m always attracted to the shiny, new, harder-to-get option—won’t it last longer and be better?

Not always. I’m glad I read through Lesley’s guide before getting one. No question, the baking steel excels at pizza. But I make a lot more bread than I do pizza, and for the right versatility-to-excellence ratio, I’m going with her pick, the FibraMent-D Home Oven Baking Stone (which can be cut to fit in my little oven).

Lesley was surprised to learn that, besides the stone’s thickness, it was the stone’s surface texture that seemed to improve browning. And the proprietary ceramic mix of the FibraMent was rougher than the more standard cordierite ceramic. “FibraMent isn’t cordierite, and they won’t say exactly what it is,” she said.

She compared ceramic stones with The Original Baking Steel, ⅜-inch (still an also-great pick). If you are an avid pizzaiolo, steel will give you the charred, puffy crust you find at serious pizza places with roaring wood fires. But, as our kitchen editor Marguerite Preston told me, it’s a one-trick pony. That intense heat will blacken the bottoms of bread loaves and pastries. Also, this thing is 23 pounds! Moving it from shelf to shelf would add more wear and tear on my arms than I want for a dish I rarely cook.

Finally, three tips:
1. All pizza dough recipes (registration required) have pretty much the same few ingredients, but Lesley told me that the secret to puffier and chewier pizzas is diastatic malt powder; that is the oomph I’ve been missing in homemade dough.
2. Get your dough to room temp, maybe even warmer, for a stretching that stays put.
3. If you want to impress people, make the Franny’s clam pizza recipe—a total stunner and easy-peasy, despite how complex it tastes. (RIP Franny’s, formerly my favorite pizza restaurant in Brooklyn; at least we still have its cookbook.)

New this week

The Best Pizza Stone and Baking Steel
Published March 25

The Apple Card Is Here. Is It Worth Getting?
Published March 25

List: How to Sleep Well (or at Least Better) While Traveling
Published March 25

The Best Rain Boots for Men and Women
Updated March 25

The Best Travel Car Seats
Published March 26

This Couple Has 8 Credit Cards. Here’s How They Juggle Them.
Published March 26

The Best Comforter
Updated March 26

The Best Bug Repellents
Updated March 26

Lessons From the Asus Hack: How to Keep Your Computer Safe
Published March 26

The Best Refrigerators
Updated March 27

List: Urban Gardening Starter Kit
Published March 27

The Best Workout Headphones
Updated March 27

Americans Are Terrible at Saving Money. Can They Trick Themselves Into Doing Better?
Published March 27

The Best Smartwatch for Android Phones
Updated March 28

The Best Plug-In Smart Outlet
Updated March 29

List: Gear to Organize Closets
Published March 29

Why You Should Tip at Priority Pass Restaurants and Lounges
Updated March 29

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“We’ve all been in that meeting, either as host or reluctant participant, when suddenly a racy notification pops up, or everyone’s eyes are focused on an interesting tab name. Screen sharing is dangerous.”

—Medea Giordano, assistant updates editor

The Group Getting Queer People Outside Together [Outside]

“Hiking has traditionally been a very white and cis activity—but groups like The Venture Out Project are working to get more diverse people interested in the outdoors, by leading LGBTQ+ hiking groups.”

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The Last Kingdom [Netflix]

“The series exploring the conflict between the Danes and the Saxons is addictive with its charming cast of characters, especially the hero named Uhtred of Bebbanburg.”

—Rozette Rago, photo editor