Clean Your Stained Pizza Stone With A Handy Kitchen Ingredient You Already Own

Just because your cooking pieces are meant to endure wear and tear, that doesn't mean they have to show it. If your pizza stone has seen better days, it might just need a little refresh from a pantry staple that has proved its worth when it comes to cleaning. Baking soda can be used to banish unpleasant laundry odors, as well as a general kitchen cleaner, but it might just be the surest way to remove stains and food mess from your stone. Turning it into a simple paste could leave this piece looking like new: so why not pull out your baking soda and give it a try?

Stains can contain various acids, which is why they stick and can be harder to remove from certain materials. Baking soda is an alkali, and this solution burrows into acidic ingredients to loosen and remove them when applied. Your pizza stone comes into contact with cheese, sauce, vegetables, and other grease-infused items, which can leave behind stains that make your surface look dirty, and while it mainly sees the inside of your oven, you don't want detritus accumulating or old food particles stuck to the stone. Cleaning these pieces doesn't have to be hard, but there are common cleaning mistakes you might be making with your pizza stone. By avoiding these and relying on baking soda to help with tough stains, your stone should remain in good condition for longer.

After you've removed the stone from the oven, set it on a heat resistant surface where it can cool completely before you attempt to clean it. If you were to add the hot material, which varies depending on what you purchase but is usually either ceramic, composite, or cordierite, into water while it was still hot, it could cause the entire thing to crack. While these materials are durable, the immediate change from hot to cold can affect them and lead to breakage.

This is also why washing your stone with soap and water isn't highly recommended. If not completely dry upon your next use, the materials can also crack in the oven's heat because of the moisture. Letting your pizza's oils soak into the stone is a great way to make it non-stick, and a damp rag or scrubber can help with build up. You don't want soap to soak into the stone, which is why baking soda makes a great cleaner that won't affect your food's taste after it is used on the pizza stone.

This cleaning hack only requires two ingredients: baking soda and water. It can be handy to have a rubber or plastic spatula nearby, as this can be used to scrape away mess like crumbs or even sauce buildup. Once you've cleaned off as much as you can, mix equal parts of your water and baking soda. This can be one tablespoon of each or more if needed. Spread the paste on your stone, focusing the thickest paste on super dirty or greasy spots.

If you have a dish brush, this can be used to scrub the paste into your stone, helping the baking soda to pull up whatever is staining it. By scrubbing in circles, you can work the mixture in properly. If you have tougher, stuck-on areas, apply the baking soda mixture and allow it to soak into the stone for at least five minutes. A wet sponge or the dish brush can be used to remove the paste, then wipe and dry the entire stone completely. It should be totally dry before you try to use it again.