Oven Logistics

• When you use a pizza stone, you heat the oven with the stone inside. Make the pizza on the counter and then transfer it onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. This should produce a crisp crust. When using a pizza pan, put the pizza together directly on the tray, then put the tray into the preheated oven.

Pizza Shape

• Pizzas cooked on pizza stones will be free-form, as you make them on the counter and not on the stone. You'll need to roll and stretch the dough out so it's no larger than the pizza stone, but the shape doesn't have to be a perfect circle or square. Pizzas cooked on trays will be the size and shape of the pans on which they are built.

Crust Texture

• Because pizza stones are already hot when the pizzas go into the oven, the crusts of those pizzas will be crispier. Pizza stones also shorten cook time slightly. Pizza trays produce a crisp crust, although the crust will be less crispy than with a pizza stone. The amount of meat and cheese on the pizza will also dictate crispness, as the toppings insulate the crust from heat. For the crispiest pizza, don't overload it with toppings.

Reminders

• Pizza stones will stay hot for longer after leaving the oven, so handle the stone with care and be careful not to burn yourself. Pizza trays will also be hot once they are removed from the oven. Pizza stones are heavy and break easily if you drop them. Stones should be wiped clean with a wet paper towel or hand towel, while pans can be washed with detergent and warm water.