How to Season a Baking or Pizza Stone
You don't need to season it. First, completely submerge your baking stone in warm, clear, plain water, with 1 for 15-20 minutes
A
baking stone should be placed on the lowest oven shelf and preheated with the
oven. Once pre-heated, the stone evenly transfers intense heat to the food
being cooked, ensuring a particularly crisply baked base.
As to if it might crack, this I do not know, as I have never had it happen. I
always place the cold pizza stone in a cold oven. I then turn on the oven to
400 degrees F. to preheat oven and stone. Once the stone is hot, I do not
remove it from the oven. I place the pizza on the hot stone in the oven.
Following is my tip that I use when making pizza and using the pizza stone:
CLEANING
THE STONE: Think of your pizza baking stone as a sponge;
it will soak up everything put on it. These "stones" are actually
molded sand, tightly compacted under high pressure. Like sand on the beach,
they will suck in any liquid exposed to the surface. Anything else in the water
-- including soap -- goes right into the stone. Manufacturers warn you to use
only clear, plain water to clean a baking stone.
I think it is time to buy a new pizza stone, but just in case the following might
work, give it a try first:
First, completely submerge your baking stone in warm, clear, plain water for
15-20 minutes. This should thoroughly saturate the stone with clean water and
dilute the soap residue. Next, remove the stone from the water and place it on
a pie cooling rack on your kitchen counter. Allow the stone to dry completely
overnight.
Repeat the same soaking and drying process five or six nights in a row. After
the last round, bake some pizza dough on the stone. If the pizza stone still
smells, I'm afraid your stone is destined for the trash.