Baking Stones - Glaze in tiles

I bought some unglazed terracotta tiles recently as well as a pizza stone, i also started a thread because i was concerned bout the same thing. will try to post a link, i've used both and got a better result with the tiles, for both normal breads as well as pizza, but not giving up on the pizza stone...

found it

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/18126/using-terracotta-quarry-tiles-baking-stones

hope this helps

I understand being on a budget. If you are not sure if you are interested in baking bread,use an inverted cookie sheet/jelly roll pan with parchment paper. If you are hooked after 2 loaves, invest in your future hobby. Buy a stone. For about $50, you'll be all set, not have to worry about toxins and be happy camper with awesome bread!

You'll save a whole lot of time and frustration!

Betty

You're right, completely natural tiles with neither surface glaze nor any "non-staining" ingredients would have been better. Some stores carry them, but other stores in the same "chain" don't. You want the "low tech" tiles, the ones that tend to be the least expensive. I unfortunately don't know for sure the answer to your specific question; what I do know is I'd be "leery" about any tile that advertised stain resistance.

Tiles can be a way to save money IF the right kind is readily available in small quantities and in stock. But if not, tiles can easily become just as expensive as a pizza stone so there's no point. The blanket recommendation of tiles made sense back when Julia Child did it, but is perilously close to outdated these days.  Looking around for a good price on a pizza stone that fits your oven can be a good way to go.

Your experience with a store clerk actually giving some advice about baking is quite unusual. Most store clerks will simply demur about baking, saying something about "not approved for food use". Just ignore them (don't bother arguing with them). Most clerks not only have been told to avoid saying anything that could result in a liability lawsuit, but also are pretty clueless about baking tiles. If it's kilned at high temperature, not slate, not glazed, doesn't say "stain-resistant", and doesn't have any warning on the package about causing cancer, it should be okay (even though the clerk won't ever say that).

I went that route about three years ago, spending a lot of time and gas money visiting home improvement stores and tile/stone shops looking for unglazed tiles I could use as a baking stone.

After reading the warnings about the release of carcinogens on the side of a box of unglazed quarry tile, I asked myself if I really wanted to use a product manufactured for flooring and pathways in preparing my food.  A product that could release carcinogens if it was scratched or cracked.  Nope.

It also dawned on me that I had probably spent more in time and gas money searching for tile than the $37 (which includes free shipping) cost of a food safe baking stone at Amazon.

I know some like using floor tiles in their oven because it's cheap.  I just personally prefer the comfort of using a stone manufactured solely for food prep/safety. 

In answer to your question, mido-mijo, you may want to research the health hazards of the chemicals used in the glaze incorporated into your tile to make it stain resistent.  Am guessing you are not going to like what you find.

From Botswana. In the shed I found some left-over tiles from outside our kitchen. Hope to try them out tomorrow :-) Photos don't seem to want to load.