Pizza Pans or Pizza Stones: Which is Better for Your Pizza Dough?
Do you use pizza pans or pizza stones in your restaurant? If you haven’t heard, it’s a big debate. Some say that using a pizza stone is the only way to make truly authentic Italian pizza; and that you need an actual pizza oven to use them. Others say though, that using pizza pans is much more convenient – and cheaper too. So, what’s the final answer?
Truthfully, it’s all just a matter of personal preference and how much time you have to cook your pizza. If you’re using stones, you need to make sure that they are preheated for a long time before placing commercial pizza dough on them. This may not be an issue if you can have many pans in your oven heating at one time. But this may not be practical for all restaurants; and even just one stone can be quite costly.
A myth that should be busted though is that you need to use a pizza oven when using a pizza stone. Pizza ovens have an ability to achieve a very high heat, meaning that pizza only needs to be cooked for a few minutes. But using a stone helps fight that battle, as they’re already very hot when you place the retail pizza dough on them.
Pizza pans on the other hand, can be just as good and are much easier to use. These don’t need to be preheated and, if you buy the non-stick variety, they don’t need to be oiled or dusted with cornmeal either. These pans are often also made of aluminum, meaning that they too, conduct heat very well and will cook even frozen pizza shells very quickly.
You may already know whether you prefer to use stones or pans for the pizza in your restaurant. If you haven’t used a stone, and think you might prefer to use them, just purchase one to try at first before make a final decision.