How to clean the refractory stone of the Spice Caliente pizza oven

The refractory stone being made of porous material absorbs, it is therefore completely normal that after a few uses it will bring back dark spots, other than condiment residues fallen on the stone blackened by the temperature of use, as mentioned it is completely normal and does not in any way affect the functioning of the pizza oven Caliente or of the stone itself, indeed some they even claim that an "aged" stone gives better flavor to pizzas over time.

Obviously often, even the eye wants its part, and here is that for some that dark color and those spots are not pleasant to see, in this tutorial we explain how to clean in the best possible way (as of porous material that absorbs) the refractory stone of the electric pizza oven.

Mistakes to avoid when cleaning stone

1) never, ever use detergents to clean the stone

as previously said, the refractory stone is made of porous material therefore it absorbs, the use of detergents on the stone would cause the absorption of the detergents by the stone that it would release during cooking, and a soap pizza would not be appreciated further that unhealthy.

2) use of highly abrasive media

do not use highly abrasive means such as sanders or other machines or means such as sandpaper to remove stains, this practice would involve changing the size of the stone which would affect its use and in some cases assembly correctly.

3) immerse the stone in water

immersing the stone in water even for a long time is useless, and if the stone turns out to be hot and the water cold there is also a strong probability that it will be irreversibly damaged.

4) use cleaning oils

NEVER use any type of oil on the refractory stone, the stone absorbs and at the first ignition you will find an incredible production of burnt oil, smoking the whole house

5) put the stone in the dishwasher

never do it if you are lucky and it doesn't crack or break it would still be thrown away for the absorbed material

So let's see how to best clean the refractory stone

the only way to clean a refractory stone at best without compromising its functionality is the Pyrolysis or the prolonged high temperature that generates a thermochemical organic decomposition, in this way the high temperature it will carbonise the food residues absorbed by releasing them in an easily removable powder form, obviously a pyrolysis in the true sense of the word is a complex operation as it should be done in the absence of oxygen, but below we will teach you how to clean the stone with a similar system and in total autonomy with your caliente.

Procedure for cleaning hot refractory stone

1) clean by rubbing the stone with a blunt spatula and non-abrasive visible and raised excesses of charred residues on the stone such as mozzarella or other embossed bodies.

2) pass a cloth dampened with water only on the stone to remove the dust generated by the previous rubbing

3) at this point it depends on what level of dirt you have and how much you want to make your stone clear, you can simply turn on the oven at maximum power and let it go for about 45 minutes, if the stone is not particularly dirty it will be sufficient, after this operation you have to wait for the stone to cool and then pass a cloth moistened only with water again to remove the dust generated.

4) is the stone very dirty and needs a more powerful pyrolysis?

turn the stone !! this operation is quite simple and has the advantage of immediately having a white stone as if it were new just made, and also turning it and putting the blackened part in direct contact with the lower resistance for a long time (with each new use the heating generates pyrolysis that cleans it) and in a more restricted environment and therefore with higher temperatures it will clean the stone over time, so that you can turn the stone again in the future and repeat the operation over time always having an acceptable stone. / p>

How to turn the stone

ATTENTION during this operation, the hot pizza oven must necessarily be DISCONNECTED FROM THE ELECTRICITY. Never perform this operation if the product is connected to the power supply or even worse in operation.

1) unscrew both screws that hold the stone stop ring on the two sides of the oven

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2) remove the stone stop ring by pulling slightly outwards

3) turn the stone making sure that the part of the stone with the steel edge returns to its original position

4) mount the ring nut. pushing slightly inwards, making sure that it covers the stone on the entire edge, stopping it correctly and tighten the two external screws