How to Season a Baking Stone

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A baking stone is a cook's delight because it distributes the heat evenly. The result is nicely browned and evenly cooked biscuits, pizza, cookies and scones. Your baking stone is not like other baking ware. You don't toss it in the dishwasher, and you don't try to scrub off the natural browning of the stoneware. The more you use your baking stone, the darker it will turn and the better it will cook that next batch of cookies.

Wash the baking stone. Use hot water to wash the baking stone before using it. Do not use dish detergent or any soap on it.

Spray the stone with vegetable spray. You can also brush vegetable oil on the stone. Be careful not to saturate the stone because you will be cooking with it.

Follow your recipe and place the items on the stone. Following the recipe, preheat the oven and bake the items as directed. The vegetable oil or spray will help season the stone. Use the vegetable spray or oil for two to three times that you bake, until the stone begins to darken.

Bake high-fat items. If you do not want to use vegetable spray or oil, bake some high-fat items for the first two to three times that you use the stone. Good choices are biscuits, crescent rolls or peanut butter cookies.

Follow the recipe. After you decide what to bake, follow the recipe and bake the items on the stone. The stone will begin to darken as you cook more high-fat foods.