After working in pizza places that had gas 4 steel shelve revolving ovens and ones that had the standard gas pizza ovens with stone, the steel recouped heat much quicker and was able to make comparable pies one after each other. The stone ovens couldn't as the stones couldn't recoup the heat. Almost 10 years as the leading pie maker in NY.

I was watching another video and the chef suggested that if you already have a pizza stone and want to switch to a steel, you can, even better, put the steel on top of your stone. The stone is like a battery back up to the steel.

For those of us who are trying to perfect our pizza, nobody shows us the way like Vito. So thankful for these valuable lessons in the beautiful art of pizza-making

"Cannot eat two pizzas by myself"... You don't even need to hold my beer.

1) "let's leave the steel pizza a bit longer in the oven, so the crust is nicer" 2) "The steel pizza bottom is more cooked than the stone one" Scientific test Italian style --- :-)

Steel has a higher thermal conductivity than stone. So no surprises there. In a wood burning oven steel would probably become too hot, and burn the underside. For a domestic oven however, steel is great.

These videos make my whole day better.

The bigger difference would be the second or third pizza you make on the same sone/steel. The steel will make them all the same whereas the ones from the stone would be less and less crispy as you continue to make pizzas. This is because the heat in the steel is replenished much quicker due to higher conductivity.

i found this as soon as i bought a pizza stone!!!! I cooked one in a skillet one on the stone the base was so much crunchier, now I'm going to make a pizza steel that fits perfect. thank you for putting your time and effort into these videos Vito much appreciated!!!! my pizzas are getting better every time.

I went from stone, to cast iron to steel. Each improved the cooking finish better. The steel cut the time down from 10 on stone to 8 on cast iron to 5 minutes on steel with a better bottom finish with the steel. Steel for regular oven is the best outcome

I'm fortunate to have made a wood fired pizza oven and love it. I learnt over the years that for the pizza base to get the crunch it deserves , the temp on the pizza stones needed to be around 350C (660F)...which seems crazy hot, so I guess that is why fire based ovens work so well..and why the steel would be better for consumer ovens. It's not really about the stone vs steel as much as it;s about the fact the normal ovens can't get the heat like the real thing.

Glad I found this. My pizza stone cracked on the grill yesterday. I think I’ll try switching to steel.

I have a steel plate in my (home) gas oven. its a game changer for baking pretty much anything. I couldn't see myself ever going without it.

I'm so glad that I find this video this morning because I am about to order the pizza stone from Amazon. Thanks Vito. Be safe and healthy. Looking forward to see more videos from you.

I'm learning so much from your channel! My husband loves pizza and I'm enjoying trying to improve the art of making pizza. I've tried the poolish method and will soon try the biga method so I can compare which is better. I've purchased the stone bricks as you recommended. Question: how do I clean them, and is there anything I need to do before I start making pizza on them. Thanking you in advance for your response.

4:44 a little bit of the mozzarella... A little bit of olive oil on the chees... on the mozzarell... on the pizza

Vito, I adore your videos. If you don’t do it already you should host pizza sampling events demonstrating the difference between different doughs etc.

You're a beast with the peels baby yea!!

Thank you so much for your videos! Your lessons made me love neapolitan pizza and I bought a little pizza oven to make a good pizza - love it!

my grandpa was a tiger-ace in italy during WW2, after the tiger was hit by an aircraft, it blew out the entry hatch where the crew entered and exit the tank. He took it with him and since then our family is making pizza on this german tiger steel. Bellissimo

Very helpful experiment, I was wondering about this myself recently. Will have to mess around with a metal sheet

Maestro! Thank you for your videos! I have learned more about making pizzas from two of your videos then I have ever even known was possible! Please, could you list the equipment you use at your restaurant, and your home kitchen? What type of dough machine do you use? What types of ovens do you use? Wonderful videos!

Interesting and entertaining. Thank you.

Thank you for testing the steel vs stone. I have used both and also found the steel cooked the pizza better.

Leaves the one on the steels longer and says "we do them the same time" but steel is better for the bottom xd

Another very important thing the steel has over the stone is how quickly it pre-heats. I've used both and the stone usually takes about an hour to get to a working temperature whereas the steel takes at most 45 minutes.

The stone pizza was taken out sooner than the steel one.. Thats why the difference.

I'm going to cook the pizza tomorrow, and I didn't have a stone. I found two in my backyard and they look like the ones you have. Thank you for showing us this tip.

We bought the BakingSteel in 3/8" and it has changed the game for home cooked pizzas. We are going to try it on our cowboy grill this weekend. Best purchase

Dude you have drunk too much coffee, so much energy😂, love it

Surprising outcome! Thought stone would turn out better. Thanks for this experiment 🙏

This guy has such passion i love it

Yes, just subscribed! Love cooking and love pizza!

Great comparison, Vito. Thank you!!!

First of all, after 2 hours in a oven 2 objects will have the same temperature no matter their material. What changes is the speed at which they get there and the speed with which they lose heat. Stones have a lower thermal conduction, so they will heat and cool slowly, whilst steel has a high thermal conduction hence it will heat and cool way faster (as you noticed). For the same reason steel will also transfer heat to the pizza faster than the stone, so theoretically it should cook faster on the steel, but the stone is a porous material, therefore it draws and absorb moisture from the dough. The 2 things kinda balance each other out, so there really is not that much difference. The advantage with the stone is that you can open and close the oven door many times without affecting its temperature, while the steel slab will cool and drop a few degrees (not that it really makes a difference for the average Joe). By the way you cannot use an infrared themometer to measure the temperature of different materials, because of the physical principal it uses to calculate the temperature. You must use a contact thermometer, or just not use it at all because in this case it is in fact useless (again: after 2 hours they have the same temperature).

I just cut me a 14'' round by 1/4 '' thick steel plate. I still need to season it but can't wait to try it. This video came along at the right time for me. Thanks' Vito.

You have to take into account that IR thermometers don't measure well the temperature of shiny surfaces such as metals. You need use different settings for the emissivity.

Thanks Vito, you are the best.

He handles the pizzas like an artist making a masterpiece! ** Arrivederci to my pizza stone! Hello to a new steel !

Thx for not being afraid to share your knowledge about pizza, you're the best! Greetings from germany.

I love your channel :) Thank you for so many tips ;)

Omg it's so helpful to me

Thanks for this test. I hoped for clear challenge results but it doesn't seem to matter.

Hi Vito! Awesome content. When i cook pizza on a stone in a normal oven, should i place the stone on the bottom og at the top? Have seen you do both

I have a Gorenje oven. I turn on the top grill to the maximum (275 C) and convection. An hour later, the stone has a temperature of 320-340 ° C. I put the stone on the second shelf from above. I can send a photo)

I would have liked to see the crust at the end How long did you precook the pizza for? My oven reaches around 230°C so I'm assuming my pizza stone should reach similar temperatures as this one Should I always let the pizza stone preheat for at least 2 hours? I left it for one hour today and I was wondering if that's the reason why it didn't come out soft and crunchy

Thanks again Vito, for great tutorials your an inspiration buddy.

Good tips for cooking in home oven.

Bravo Vito! Once again, solving my pizza related conundrums... Steel vs Stone. My stone cracked recently but now I know what to replace it with. Steel is Real!

Yes very good test,I have a metal one and it’s good. Thanks for video sir

thanks for the video boss. i never realized that i had to precook the pizza before i put the cheese and other stuff. My siemens oven has a pizza setting to 300C...don't know if it reaches that temperature though?

Love all your videos, homie. Thank you!!!

My Pizza Steel is amazing! it made a huge difference in my quality of pizza making.

one other thing to mention, im unsure if it was because of improper use but my father went through like 4 pizza stones, they kept cracking. the durability of pizza steels is better for domestic ovens

Hi maestro, is there a specific type of steel for the steel plate? Also how thick should the steel be?

What temp & fan setting do you use on that oven? How long did you pre-bake that crust? Just curious for a starting point as I have the same oven.

that is science here...thanks again!

In the end it boils down to heat conductivity and and heat capacity. While both depend on on the type of material, the latter also depends on the mass

@vito iacopelli: Thank you so much for posting these on youtube. You have inspired me and helped me to be a better pizza maker (for my own benefit). I am German and live in the United States and for about 6 years now, I've made my own bread and feel I've gotten quite good at the craft. I love traditional Margherita Pizza and through your videos am learning every day and really enjoying the craft of making good pizza. So, thank you so much for showing your craft and expertise to the world. Something I found... using a pizza pan with the holes works much better if some semolina flour is spread on it before the pizza is put on the pan. It seems to really help the crispiness even more. Made my best pizza a couple of days ago. So proud. :)

My biggest question is did you temp the stone and steel after the cooking to see the temps of each? My stone drops a good 25% after a cook and needs a lot of recovery time.

Well done Vito on showing the difference in cooking surfaces.. Bon Appetite 👍🤓🍷🍷

grande Vito! grazie per questi fantastici video!

So, thoughts on how to get that smooth a sauce at home, without needing a hand blender or a food mill?

I love your passion for pizza.

One thing ive noticed cooking pizzas in oven is bottom rack pizza bases are always crispiest. I think its cause they cook slower and can stay in the oven longer without the top being cooked?. I tried your 8 hour fermentation method and the pizza base had a lot of flavor almost too much but was too crispy cooking them as I normally do. I'm yet to try your twice bake method but will give it a shot next time i make 8 hour fermentation pizzas.

hi vito, how are you? what do you recommend if doing this on a charcoal bbq, wsm 22" to be exact?

Thanks Vito !!👍

If anyone is interested in a pizza steel I made mine buying steel plates at a local shop for 30$ and a bit of work (sanding and seasoning). For this price I got 2 8*16*3/8" giving me 16*16*3/8" (40*40*1cm) So much cheaper than most options online and you can get the size and thickness you want! I found a guide about homemade pizza steel on a forum called pizza making, and I really recommend it, I'm happy with my pizza steel plates!

You are awesome man. You made me, for the first time in my life to make pizza dough and make pizzas. I want to open my pizza restaurant hahahahaha. love it. Regarding the home oven, do you use it with the ventilator on or off? Thank you

Ciao Vito - have you ever tried using bricks under a broiler/grill so you can heat them up first and then cook the pizza on top with the direct flame while the bricks cook the bottom? I do it with a crepe pan on the gas burner and then under the grill to cook the toppings. I wanted to know if it’s worth trying with bricks or a pizza stone directly under the grill :)

Vito, have you tried the method of placing the steel about 7cm under the top broiler? I am able to get my steel to about 371C(700F) using this method

I never expected Borat to teach me how to cook pizza! Great success!!

humm might get some 1/4 plate steel try a run in 650 deg oven. I am using 1/4 in uncured tiles in it now with good results I can see that the steel would cook better so. I will see...

Again a very good Video Maestro 😂 which peel do you like the most? The round or the square one?

Hey Vito ! Could you tel me what is the correct weight for a dough patton ? For the moment mine are about 250gr

A very useful video, many thanks.

I have a pizza steel and I use it for all my baking, I get perfect bread and no more soggy bottom pies for me :) A kitchen essential.

Hi thanks for everything. Karl from Malta

I use an 18X18 porcelain tile from home depot for $3. Used it for years.

What oven setting are you using? The fan?

Vito, where can I find the pizza dough recipe? In the video you said i can find the link in the video description, but there is no link for it. I am interested for exactly this dough recipe, not any other (you have a lot pizza dough recipes in your videos).

Great comparison video. Where would you get a piece of steel like that? Cheers!

you did put the pizza back on the steel for another few seconds, did that make a difference?

Thank you ,vito I have just realized the most important thing in pizza preparation is a wood oven

Great test!

I'm not sure which steel I should buy. The 10 mm or the 6 mm thick one. Is 6 mm enough for baking 2-3 pizzas in a row? Will it contain enough heat or is it required to preheat 10-20 minutes between the pizzas? The 10 mm thick is heavy (10 kg) and takes longer to preheat so it is maybe only a good choice for 5-6 pizzas in a row. What do you think?

PIZZA STEEL OR STONE?

Cocina Perfecta

Hello Vito. I have a Ooni Koda 16 Gas Oven. Do you recommend using the Pizza Steel in that rather than the Pizza Stone? I've learned a lot from you thru the years. Big ups!

235 about the same as 231. How about I give you $10, you give me $20..about the same! I very much enjoy watching you make pizza...I just couldn’t resist.

I sometimes cook deep dish in a cast iron skillet... yummo

do you make Panzo's too?

technique, science, you got it all bud. Sub

Steel is hands down better than stone. Aside from the South dead it is virtually indestructible it retains heat just so much better. I've been using a quarter-inch thick baking Steel since 2013 and I've never gone back since.

Metal will always win at home, at lower temperatures around 250-350°C. Another important aspect is that you use much less energy to preheat, you basically only need to preheat the oven, not the oven + stone (20-25 mins vs 40-45). A regular metal grease-catcher that is included with every oven is perfect. Turning it upside down helps with sliding the pizza, and using a baking paper makes it even more managable and therefore the pizza requires less flour to move around (you slide the paper not the pizza).

Hello....I jst love your videos they are jst amazing...you are an inspiration for me...can i know what kind of steel is used in pizza steel...is it any kind of special material or a normal steel plate would work...pls share some info

how long did you pre-cook the pizzas before putting the cheese?

I'm a fan of cast iron for home pizza. Love to watch your dough technique. Been making homemade dough and pizza for years but my dough shaping is weak. I will practice your way.

Do you cook with the fan or without the fan?

I love it! Can you tell us if the pizza bussiness is good?? Thank you