How to Remove Soap from a Pizza Stone

Never use soap to clean a pizza stone unless you like soap-flavored pizza. A pizza stone, also known as a baking stone, consists of a large, porous slab used to evenly transfer the heat of the oven to food cooked on it. Its porous nature easily absorbs odors and flavors, including soap. To remove soap from a pizza stone, you will need to soak it out over several days. This method is chemical free and will not harm your stone.

Things You'll Need

• Pizza stone
• Deep bowl of water
• Baker's cooling rack
• Baking soda
• Scrub brush

Instructions

1. Thoroughly soak the pizza stone by placing it in a deep bowl of water for 20 minutes.

2. Transfer the wet stone to a cooling rack to air dry overnight.

3. Repeat the process of soaking and drying the stone daily for one week. This will break down and wash out any soap within its pores.

4. If food cooked on your stone still tastes soapy, place your pizza stone on the floor or bottom rack of your oven, and leave it there to regulate the oven temperature--but do not cook food directly on the stone. Use other baking pans and set them on the oven racks above the stone.

Tips & Warnings

• In the future, scrub stains and food off the pizza stone by adding just enough water to baking soda to make a paste. Apply with a brush. Rinse the stone off with hot water and air dry before storing.

References

• What's Cooking America: Seasoning Pizza Stones
• Williams-Sonoma: Pizza Stone Use and Care
• "Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen"; Alton Brown; 2003