Stones and steels

A steel browns the base faster and recovers heat quicker between pizzas, because metal conducts heat several times faster than stone. A stone is cheaper, lighter to handle, and gentler if you tend to overcook the base. For a home oven chasing New York or pan pizza, a steel is the stronger upgrade; a stone is the budget pick.

Put the cold stone on a middle or upper rack, set the oven to its maximum, and give it a full 45 to 60 minutes after the oven beeps. The air reaches temperature long before the stone's core does, and a stone that is not fully saturated with heat leaves the base pale and soft. Patience here matters more than any other step.

Cordierite is a ceramic that resists thermal shock, meaning it can go from cool to very hot without cracking the way cheap terracotta stones do. That durability, plus a low price, is why it is the most common material for pizza stones. It holds heat well and works in both an oven and a covered grill.

Yes, and it is a good way to reach higher base heat than an indoor oven allows. Put the stone on the grate, run the grill hot with the lid down for 30 to 45 minutes, and the closed lid gives you top heat as well as a hot base. Cordierite and glazed stones handle grill heat well.

Most pizza stones are cordierite, a ceramic that survives the thermal shock of a cold stone meeting a hot oven without cracking. Others are clay or terracotta (cheaper but more fragile), glazed ceramic that wipes clean, or steel, which is metal rather than stone and conducts heat several times faster. Cordierite is the common all-rounder for its price and durability.