Baking steel – thickness, placement and care
6, 8 or 10 mm? Thickness controls heat-up time and recovery between pizzas. How to choose, where to put the steel in the oven and how to keep it rust-free.
Quick answer: A thicker steel (8–10 mm) stores more heat and recovers faster between pizzas, but needs a longer preheat (45–60 minutes). A thinner steel (6 mm) heats up faster but loses more heat after just one or two pizzas.
Choose the thickness to suit how you bake
If you bake one pizza at a time and have time on your hands, 6 mm is enough and easier to handle. If you bake several pizzas in a row for family or guests, 8–10 mm holds its heat through the whole run without the surface temperature dropping noticeably between pizzas – that difference is what the test baking steel vs pizza stone is set up to measure.
Placement and care
Put the steel on the top or second-highest shelf, close to the grill element, for the most heat from above (see pizza in a home oven). Care: wipe it with paper straight after use while it is still warm, avoid washing-up liquid, which can break down the seasoning, and oil it lightly if you spot any rust. Check the temperature with an infrared thermometer instead of guessing.
If you want to compare with stone, see pizza stone. If the base is still soggy despite the steel, see soggy bottom. Recipes to try: margherita, marinara, diavola and quattro formaggi.
