A pizza stone is an unglazed, ceramic or terra cotta tile that can be placed in your oven. It absorbs the high heat in your oven and maintains a constant, high temperature, providing the perfect surface for baking your pizza. In my opinion, this is the best way to cook a pizza at home. Pizza stones come in round, square, or rectangular shapes. Many have removable handles or a rack that is placed along the bottom, making it easy to lift it out of your oven. Your pizza stone is also wonderful for baking breads, reheating pizza, and cooking frozen pizza.

You can purchase unglazed floor tiles at your local home improvement store to use as floor tiles. Be aware, however, that you are taking a risk. There is the chance that these tiles have lead or other toxins in the tiles. These chemicals can be released when the stone is heated and can be transferred to your food. Since it is almost impossible to be sure these types of tiles are safe without getting them checked out by a laboratory, I would recommend buying tiles that are specifically made for pizza cooking.

When buying a pizza stone, look for one that is the largest that will fit into your oven. As they get bigger, they also get heavier, so be sure to also get one that you can lift easily. Here are some tips on using and caring for your pizza stone.