One of my friends has an Ooni pizza oven which gets up to 900 df. We had talked about what else he might be able to cook in it. I talked about using it for tandoor cooking although I was (& am) concerned about the flavoring cooking into the pizza stone. My first thought was to use a cast iron or carbon steel pan -- but then I found a reference that at that temperature the seasoning cooks off the pan. That would be very sad and a deal breaker. I'm not willing to sacrifice a well-seasoned pan to the effort.
Then last week I got an email from the folks at Made In and they're now selling some carbon steel pans specifically to be used in your pizza oven.
Do you know if the comment about the seasoning burning off is accurate?
At 900°F, the dominant flavors are smoke and char—there’s very little nuance at that temperature, so it’s unlikely that any subtle flavors will permeate or be absorbed by a pizza stone. That’s why pizza stones don’t retain the flavors of spilled cheese, sauce, or toppings.
With cast iron or carbon steel cookware, though, the oil-based seasoning will start to degrade at such high heat. Many pizza makers prefer stainless steel pans for high-temp baking, they hold up well, though performance depends on the quality of the steel.
One important thing to note with cast iron: always check the manufacturer’s recommended maximum temperature. It can vary quite a bit depending on the alloy they use. I can’t speak for Made In’s cookware specifically, but I once had a ceramic bakeware piece from them that was rated for high heat and still cracked at 400°F. They replaced it, but the experience made me more cautious.
Thank you. My initial thought ("If anyone would have the answer, it will be Nik...") rang true. I had seen comments about some of the cast-iron pans having cracking problems at high heat. I think I'll check w/my friend and see if he wants to borrow a shallow AllClad saute pan I have. Thank you again for all you do.
One of my friends has an Ooni pizza oven which gets up to 900 df. We had talked about what else he might be able to cook in it. I talked about using it for tandoor cooking although I was (& am) concerned about the flavoring cooking into the pizza stone. My first thought was to use a cast iron or carbon steel pan -- but then I found a reference that at that temperature the seasoning cooks off the pan. That would be very sad and a deal breaker. I'm not willing to sacrifice a well-seasoned pan to the effort.
Then last week I got an email from the folks at Made In and they're now selling some carbon steel pans specifically to be used in your pizza oven.
Do you know if the comment about the seasoning burning off is accurate?
At 900°F, the dominant flavors are smoke and char—there’s very little nuance at that temperature, so it’s unlikely that any subtle flavors will permeate or be absorbed by a pizza stone. That’s why pizza stones don’t retain the flavors of spilled cheese, sauce, or toppings.
With cast iron or carbon steel cookware, though, the oil-based seasoning will start to degrade at such high heat. Many pizza makers prefer stainless steel pans for high-temp baking, they hold up well, though performance depends on the quality of the steel.
One important thing to note with cast iron: always check the manufacturer’s recommended maximum temperature. It can vary quite a bit depending on the alloy they use. I can’t speak for Made In’s cookware specifically, but I once had a ceramic bakeware piece from them that was rated for high heat and still cracked at 400°F. They replaced it, but the experience made me more cautious.
Hope this helps!
Thank you. My initial thought ("If anyone would have the answer, it will be Nik...") rang true. I had seen comments about some of the cast-iron pans having cracking problems at high heat. I think I'll check w/my friend and see if he wants to borrow a shallow AllClad saute pan I have. Thank you again for all you do.