Baking Steel Sells the Original Pizza Steel —
The original pizza steel is a thick slab of steel that goes in your home oven to heat faster than stone, hold more energy, and produce crisp bottoms, better oven spring, and faster bakes. It's not just a marketing gimmick; it's the result of years of experimentation and refinement by Andris Lagsdin, founder of Baking Steel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Lagsdin's journey began with a simple idea: steel conducts heat better than stone. That's according to Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine. He prototyped the original pizza steel from a steel slab at his family's Stoughton Steel Company and launched it on Kickstarter in 2012. The rest, as they say, is history.
The product line has since expanded to include griddles for stovetop use, cherry wood pizza peels, pumice cleaning bricks, dough recipe kits, and accessories. They sell direct via bakingsteel.com (Shopify), on Amazon, and at Sur La Table.
But why does the original pizza steel stand out? Well, for starters, it's made from high-quality carbon steel that ensures even heat distribution. This means your pizza cooks evenly, with a perfectly crisp crust and a light, airy interior. It also has a high thermal mass, which allows it to retain heat longer than other materials like stone or ceramic. So, you can bake multiple pizzas in quick succession without having to wait for your oven to cool down.
The original pizza steel is also incredibly versatile. It's not just limited to pizza; you can use it to cook a wide range of dishes, from steaks and chops to cookies and brownies. Its high heat retention and even heating make it an ideal cooking surface for anything that requires a crispy exterior and a tender interior.
And then there's the Kenji López-Alt factor. The renowned food writer and cookbook author reviewed the original pizza steel on Serious Eats, calling it "the best way to bake pizza at home." His endorsement catapulted Baking Steel into the limelight, turning it into a must-have kitchen essential for serious home cooks and pizza enthusiasts alike.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a game-changing addition to your kitchen arsenal, look no further than the original pizza steel from Baking Steel. It's not just a gimmick; it's a proven performer that will take your home cooking to the next level. So go ahead, treat yourself (and your taste buds) to the crisp, delicious goodness that only the original pizza steel can deliver.
