January 18, 2009 - 4:52pm
Can I use these in my oven?
Just bought 10 of these in the 6x6 size. Will they be alright to use in my oven for a stone?
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=160017-34692-G3TG16&lpage=none
Cara
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Cara,
I wonder if the image is of the product on the web site. If they are totally unglazed and feel like dry clay on the surface, they should be OK. I'm a little puzzled by the detail on the web page where it says impervious to water. They should have no glaze at all.
Eric
trying to save money. If you are not sure you are really into baking bread, I would buy an inexpensive pizza stone ($15.00). You won't have to worry about whether it's healthful or not....or drive around (wasting gas) searching for unglazed quarry tiles.
In the past 3 years the general feeling I've gotten is that the tiles and cheap pizza stones break. It you do find some long lasting tiles..then it's dealing with moving them in and out of the oven. If you're cool with that, so be it.
If you are into this for the long haul, then invest in a good stone. You can get one for about $50. Watch for free shipping, not available right now..Betty
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Stone-14-Inch-16-Inch-Baking/dp/B0000E1FDA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1232334491&sr=8-2
I bought a set of tiles from the instructor at a French bread class I took, and I'm quite happy with them. I just leave them in the oven most of the time. When I do take them out, they are easy to stack and stash away. My instructor was wise enough to sell me 8, knowing that I would use 6 in the oven at a time. So now I have extras in case I break some (knock on wood, I've been using them for about 5 months with no fatalities).
Total cost: less than $5
I, too, looked for tiles 3 years ago, when I first started. Believe me, I'm a bargain hunter. It just became apparent that what was good for me was the baking stone. Glad you were able to find safe tiles that have worked for 5 months.
I'm not knocking it..the stone works best for me.
what is the pattern on the surface??, I would be alittle bervous using anything bt straight terra cotta tiles. The tiles you posted look like they have some kind of color and/or texture on them.
Looking at the Lowe's link for this product these should be ok.
I, too, was concerned about the 'impervious to water' part, but then saw they were porcelain tiles. Porcelain is a very high-fired clay, fully vitrified, and is naturally impervious without treatments or glazes. You may or may not have breakage issues with the thermal shock of putting something cold on the hot tile, or from splashing water if you are steaming in the bake. These are designed to be grouted in place with a cement called thinset, and not to be floating around free in an oven or elsewhere.
Toxicity-wise, though, they look ok, and for less than three bucks per square foot it's not a big gamble. I think I'd want to use parchment between the tiles and the bread. Good luck.
I have friends from Mexico who bake all the time on regular (untreated) saltillo tiles. they come 12 by 12 and about three-quarters of an inch thick. These are low-fired earthenware clay and break eventually, but they are about 80 cents apiece, so they just replace them. They work.
I purchased 6 Saltillo tiles from Home Depot. They are very plain with what looks like a few bird's foot prints impressed in them. They were 99 cents at my Home Depot in El Cajon, CA. They are pure Terra Cotta.
I plan to use them for making pizza in my gas bbq. I bought the tiles after seeing several tasty, well formed pizzas made this way at an outdoor party.
Bix
I just ended up getting some 6x6 Old Stone Oven tiles. My husband was on a trip in FL and they had some in one of the cooking stores in the mall..............I can use these and feel 100% sure they are safe.