Beyond the perfect pizza dough recipe, sauce, and cheese, homemade pizza aficionados have a beloved tool key to crafting a perfect pie: a pizza stone. Cooking pizza atop a pizza stone helps retain and distribute heat evenly to result in a perfectly crispy crust without the need for a fancy brick oven. While useful for achieving a crispy yet chewy texture, not all pizza stones are equal — or equally long-lasting, for that matter. However, there is one particular pizza stone brand people swear by, noting it will last for decades: The Pampered Chef.
In a recent Reddit post, one user shared a picture of their multiple Pampered Chef pizza stones, noting, “Just realized mine is over 30 years old.” And they’re not alone. In response to this revelation, the comment section filled with notes from others agreeing that their Pampered Chef pizza stones have indeed lasted the test of time — in many cases, over 20 years. “Oh wow. I just did the math, and I realize I’ve had mine for about 23-25 years,” one person wrote. “I have several that are from the 90s!” someone else responded. “This feels like something passed down from generation to generation,” another said about the ceramic pizza stone made of natural clay. Though some people noted that their pizza stones from the brand had cracked or broken over the years, with the right care, Pampered Chef pizza stones (at least the old school ones) can last for decades.
How to care for your pizza stone for longevity
Pampered Chef came onto the scene in the 80s and 90s with its popular kitchenware, including the infamously quality pizza stones. Today, a variety of the best pizza stones are widely available in multiple brands and styles, including pizza steels, cast iron pizza pans, and ceramic pizza squares. While Pampered Chef isn’t quite as much of a household name as it was around the turn of the century, you can still find its pizza stones online – though they take on a thinner, sleek modern look compared to those of yesteryear.
If you are lucky enough to have a vintage pizza stone from the brand, it’s best to treat it with care to preserve its longevity. Many people are proud of how blackened and chiseled their decades-old pizza stones have become, and some wear and tear and discoloration are normal. It’s even expected for a stone you’ve been using for pizzas, breads, and bakes like galettes for over 20 years. Still, you can avoid any unnecessary damage with some easy pizza stone tips, like seasoning it like you would a cast iron skillet or scrubbing it with a brush and baking soda paste — never with soap and water. Not preheating your pizza stone in the oven is the biggest mistake people make with pizza stones, too, since a cold ceramic stone can easily crack if exposed to extreme temperature changes in a hot oven.
