Old Stone Pizza Kitchen Rectangular Pizza Stone for Oven and Grill, 14x16-Inch

11/13/2017 Update:Still serving our needs after 10 years of use/abuse. Looks totally black now which only adds to it's character and attests to it's reliability, I read several comments regarding initial odors, etc., I don't know if the supplier has changed and I received a different make. All I can tell you is the one I received has served us well. I am attached a picture of the way it looks today.We've had this for several years and it gets used/abused no less than 3 to 4 times weekly. We use it so often because it does an excellent job baking bread, pizzas, etc. The trick is making sure it is preheated to the desired temperature first (Typically 425 to 500 degree F). You will be amazed at how quickly things bake after that. Whether you are baking a couple of pizzas or dozens of pita bread loafs, it becomes a production machine and you need to keep your eye on it. At these temperatures you definitely need a good tool (peel or similar) to accompany the stone, depending on the typical things you anticipate to bake on it.Unlike the round stones, the rectangular shape affords you more versatility when baking items other than round pizzas. You can experiment with the placement of the stone (which rack/level) depending on what it is you are baking. Start with the middle rack and utilize the Broil function when you want to force or expedite browning.True Dimensions (L, W, H), Weight, and Bottom Side Description:- Length: slightly longer than 16" inches by a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch- Width: slightly longer than 14" inches by a 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch- Height: 5/8" of an inch (not including the height of the 8 risers underneath - more on that below)- Weight: 11 to 12 poundsAlthough it may be insignificant to some, I'm being very specific about the dimensions because these were pluses for me. You have some wiggle room when placing a 14" pizza without exposing one of the sides. If you like placing four 7" inch flat breads at a time, you have enough room to do it without overlap or exposure. As for the height, 5/8" of an inch thickness retains a lot more heat than 3/8" or 1/2" inch, not to mention it makes the entire stone less fragile.The bottom of the stone is not flat. It has 8 protruding risers/legs underneath. Four are L-shaped around the corners and four are equally distanced from the center. This makes it easy to place on the rack and pick up when you are done. Between that and the thickness, it does make it slightly heavier than other stones, a compromise I welcome given the advantages.Admire the looks of this stone when you first receive it because it will never ever look that good again! If you have obsessive compulsive tendencies and like to maintain all your kitchen tools the same way they looked when you first bought them, this stone is not for you. Yes, you can add a piece of parchment paper if you like (but not foil for goodness sake), but you will discover, spills and black spots are unavoidable and add character to the stone. Eventually, they do cover the entire surface if you use it enough. I just give it a good scraping now and then and back in the oven it goes. Attempting to use abrasives and soaps will only shorten its life span and the stone will end up soaking chemicals you certainly do not want to serve.This stone is not cheap. Possibly slightly overpriced. You can certainly go to your favorite home improvement store (HomeDepot, Lowe's, etc.) and get a cheap alternative (<$1) as one of the reviewers suggested, or consider some of the other offerings on Amazon. I've tried most of them. I'm a strong believer in "you get what you pay for". Considering the number of years we've enjoyed it, and continue to, it was worth the investment. It makes for a unique gift for cooks that like baking breads and pizzas. I've given these as gifts four times thus far and every single recipient has enjoyed it just the same. Our four kids have lots of fun with it, because we no longer waste half an hour mediating pizza ingredients, too much sauce, not enough cheese, on and on with "have-it-your-own-way" branding! They all make their own individual 7" inch pizzas and can pile whatever they want on it! We can bake four of them at a time. A great hit at birthday parties, I must add!My only wish about this product is a bigger version. Ideally a 21" by 16". This would allow the baking of a 16" pizza and/or 6 loafs of 7" pitas (like Kontos pocketless pitas) at a time, instead of just four.This is my first review ever on Amazon. Benefited so much from other faithful reviewers. It's about time I contribute and make a habit of it because I buy so many things on Amazon. Did my best to share what I appreciated the most in other reviews when making a comparative buying decision. Please let me know if I missed something that would have been of value to include in the review.

I go through a stone every couple years-they eventually crack and break from being jostled around in the oven and kitchen. This is my first rectangular one, and I like it a lot better than the round ones. It gives a little extra room to work, and fits nicely on my oven rack. I broke an oven glass with a round stone when it worked its way forward and banged into the glass when I closed the oven.I have used this stone so far for pizza and bread, and both turned out well. As with all stones, it needs some time to get hot- I usually leave it in the oven for an hour or so before baking anything on it. I also never clean the stone, just scrape off any burned residue with a metal spatula. Other than that, no maintenance at all.The stone was shipped in enough packing peanuts to protect a small space shuttle, and arrived safely. Thank goodness I opened it outside-I'd much rather have the peanuts blow around my yard than my house.OK, as promised- my pizza dough recipe.I use a Kitchenaide mixer, although I have kneaded this dough by hand many times- no big deal. Just remember when you knead dough, you want to get air into the dough, so keep folding in over onto itself.In a large bowl or mixer:1.5 cups warm water1 package dry yeast1 tsp olive oil1/2 tsp salt (or less-stimulates the yeast)1/2 tsp brown sugar (or less- just enough to get the yeast awake)1 heaping tablespoon gluten4 cups Caputo "00" flourStart with the warm water, and add in the salt, sugar, olive oil and yeast. Mix for a minute or so on high speed, and then let sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the yeast to "bloom". Next add 1 cup of flour and the gluten. Allow to mix for a few minutes- until the mixture is alive with air bubbles and smooth. Begin adding the rest of the flour, slowly while mixing. I don't really measure flour, I just keep adding it until the dough comes together. I like to leave the dough a little soft and sticky- it makes a better crust. Let the dough knead for five minutes or so, and then turn into an oiled bowl. Let rise for an hour or so.Break off a ball of dough about the size of a softball and place on a floured surface. Since I like to keep the dough soft, you can't really toss it in the air like the pizza places- I just roll it out with a rolling pin. Depending on how soft and sticky your dough is, you will need to sprinkle flour on both sides of it as your roll. After you have it rolled out, fold a 1/2 inch or so lip around the edge over to make a crust.Place the rolled dough on a peel sprinkled with corn meal to keep it from sticking, and brush the top with olive oil. Put whatever toppings you desire on, and slide into the oven on the stone. I don't put anything on the stone. Sliding the dough from the peel to the stone can take a little practice, but is easy after you get the hang of it. Make sure the pizza slides on the peel before you attempt to place it in the oven- gently work a spatula under any sticking areas.Cook for about 5-10 minutes at the hottest temp your oven has. Bake time depends on the dough and your oven. If you are adding mozzarella, wait until the dough is just about done before adding it. I typically remove the pizza from the oven to add the cheese- this way you can keep the door closed so the oven does not cool down.Enjoy. FYI- Gluten is available online and in some stores. It gives the pizza that chewy "east-coast" texture craved by serious pizza connoisseurs. This will make about 4 pizzas, but just increase the amount of water you start with to increase the recipe yield. You can double (or more) this recipe without adding any more sugar, salt, or oil. You can substitute regular flour for the "00" flour, but the "00" flour is fantastic-try it at least once. It is available from Amazon and many Italian food stores.Mange!