Cast Iron vs Stone for Pizzas

[AnakiMana]

This weekend I was rolling a lid-less kettle with my well-used pizza stone ($14 Walmart years ago) sitting on the grate and the kettle tipped. I didn't let it hit the concrete, but my stone fell off and cracked in half.

I haven't used it for pizza on a kettle yet, but was mostly making biscuits on it. I was under the impression that, for pizza, I needed a super hot setup like the KettlePizza or Weber's new pizza thing - not just a standard 22.5" kettle.

But when I started shopping on Amazon for a replacement stone, I saw a cast iron pizza pan with reviewers saying it's better than stone and works great on the Webers as well as a stove top griddle, in an oven, over campfires, etc. Sounds good to me!

I got enough birthday money to buy a KettlePizza, but what's the benefit? Does anyone have experience cooking pizza on a kettle with just stone or cast iron pizza pan? It would be great to have spending money left over if I got just the CI pan. It would be so durable... outlive me, and I really enjoy cooking on CI. But if KettlePizza or Weber's unit is better, I'll do that (and probably later get the pan anyway!)

Opinions?

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[1buckie]

"(and probably later get the pan anyway!) "

 cut to the chase & do what you're going to do anyway?

 how often will you do pizza?

and, will you be able to use the pizza equip. for other things, like you can w/ the cast?

[AnakiMana]

Well, I would like to do pizza every week. I'm just confused as to whether 400-450 degrees in a standard kettle is sufficient after hearing discussions about how hot people get their kettles for KettlePizzas. Some are saying they won't use their nicer kettles because they don't want to ruin them. If the CI pan isn't ideal for kettle pizza cooking, I'll spend the money on a KettlePizza instead.

The more I think of it, a Weber kettle is basically an outdoor oven. We cook pizzas in our kitchens at 425 or so... So there shouldn't be a problem. Maybe the KettlePizza has to be hotter because it has an opening in the front letting heat out constantly?

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[MacEggs]

I have a KP adaptor, and I think it is awesome!
With a few minor and inexpensive mods, it's a great pizza cooker.

Ya, I bury the needle ... goes past 700°.
But, then after all the flames have died down, I wait for it to stabilize around 600-650°. That's when I slide the pizza in.

I don't use a stone, or cast iron. I use a kiln shelf that I picked up at a pottery supply store.
It can handle temperatures over 2000°. Never had an issue.

I now have a dedicated-only Weber kettle for the KP.
When I first used the KP on my everyday kettle, it burned off all of the amazing seasoning that it had built up over all of the previous cooks.
I want to keep that seasoning there for regular cooks, so I needed to acquire another kettle. 

Here is a thread of mine from last summer after I first got the KP adaptor. It's a lot of fun. 

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/kettlepizza-first-time-firing-it-up/

[1buckie]

I'm sure you can turn out a great pizza @ 400~450 or even somewhat higher & still not crack the sides of your kettle.....

People like MacEggs & other pizza pros like to run them screamin' hot & singe the top, melt cheese, fry onions, etc. but that's one particular style of pizza......Accidental, or.........Occidental, or.......Neapolitan, yeah that's it, Neapolitan !!!!


I've got a C I pie plate that I'm going to do small deep dish ones in......

Check into different types:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/pizza3.htm

 There he is......swear the guy can HEAR the word "pizza" over the Internet, even when it's not on........

[Winz]

The more I think of it, a Weber kettle is basically an outdoor oven oven. We cook pizzas in our kitchens at 425 or so... So there shouldn't be a problem. Maybe the KettlePizza has to be hotter because it has an opening in the front letting heat out constantly?

My advice: If you are going to cook pizza once a week, I would highly recommend the kettle pizza.  The major advantage of using the kettle pizza is that you leave the kettle lid on at all times, even when you are putting in/taking out a pie.  That allows you to keep the top of the cooking area hot, which is key to cooking your toppings without burning your crust.  Without a kettle pizza, you have to take the lid off your kettle to put the pizza on the cooking surface, which allows all of that valuable top heat to escape.

I recently let my kettle pizza unit go because I was not using it.  But if I were cooking pizza once a week like you are planning, I would still have it.

Winz

[AnakiMana]

The major advantage of using the kettle pizza is that you leave the kettle lid on at all times, even when you are putting in/taking out a pie.

Ah, I didn't think about that!  It makes a lot of sense, especially since I'm going to make several pies in a row.

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[1buckie]

as long as we're talking pizza.......I'm trying this out........

Mayo Jaga

Crazy combo Japanese pizza.......



Mayo Jaga is made with tomato sauce and its toppings are onion, corn, potato, pancetta, paprika and mayonnaise. The taste of potato and baked mayonnaise is very popular with customers. It is brightly decorated, making it fun to look at too.

[AnakiMana]

Nice, 1buck, how are you cooking it?

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[1buckie]

 Not quite sure on that one......surely will do deep dish in the C I pie plate ( thin amount of tomato sauce on top, veg stuff under that, thick layer of sausage & cheese at the very bottom)

But this one above, I think, needs to be thin...............

[Troy]

i think a lot of the answers you're looking for will depend on what your expectations for pizza are.

what is  your ideal pizza?

[addicted-to-smoke]

... The major advantage of using the kettle pizza is that you leave the kettle lid on at all times, even when you are putting in/taking out a pie.  That allows you to keep the top of the cooking area hot, which is key to cooking your toppings without burning your crust.  Without a kettle pizza, you have to take the lid off your kettle to put the pizza on the cooking surface, which allows all of that valuable top heat to escape.  ...

Doesn't seem that cut and dried to me. Consider:

1) The Weber accessory has a "bottom" portion to it that helps retain (and block) heat from getting to the bottom of a pizza (and therefore, it would seem, from escaping when the lid is opened.)

2) Because the Weber accessory's lid is so short, the "hot area" at the top is closer to the pizza's top, which probably allows it to work with less overall oven temp.

I got no dog in this fight but would imagine any accessory or pizza cooking method requires some adjustment to get the best from it.

[saxart]

1) The Weber accessory has a "bottom" portion to it that helps retain (and block) heat from getting to the bottom of a pizza (and therefore, it would seem, from escaping when the lid is opened.)

2) Because the Weber accessory's lid is so short, the "hot area" at the top is closer to the pizza's top, which probably allows it to work with less overall oven temp.

This is what I found during the first cook on the Weber Pizza Oven.  We were worried that lifting the lid was going to lose all of the heat, but found that it didn't really seem to affect things due in part to the bottom design.

[MINIgrillin]

http://www.pizzacraft.com/perfect-pizza-grilling-stone.html

I use one if these. Works good.

[HankB]

If you decide to go CI you might look for this one: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/camp-chef-14-inch-cast-iron-pizza-pan/1017375490

I have that and have also used firebrick. The CI gets hotter. They both work. Your dough recipe probably matters more.

Some folks go for really hot temps for pizza and I think the results may be worth the effort but you can get a decent pie at 450°F too.