I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. I left the pizza stone
on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) Would this affect the baking time?
Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
and hang the recipe instructions? It seemed to take a long time for
the fritatta to be 'done' and screwed up the timing of the other
breakfast items. I think maybe the stone blocked the heat from the
bottom coil?
Another thing: should I have increased the oven temp because of the
stone's presence?

Maybe next time, I'll just do it stove-top in a big skillet, but I had
the other burners doing other things.

On Aug 10, 7:36*pm, Kalmia > wrote:
> I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
> upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. *I left the pizza stone
> on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) *Would this affect the baking time?
> Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
> and hang the recipe instructions? *It seemed to take a long time for
> the fritatta to be 'done'

Oops - it's frittata........before anybody yells about my spelling.
Sorry to piggyback.....

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
> upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. I left the pizza stone
> on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) Would this affect the baking time?
> Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
> and hang the recipe instructions? It seemed to take a long time for
> the fritatta to be 'done' and screwed up the timing of the other
> breakfast items. I think maybe the stone blocked the heat from the
> bottom coil?
> Another thing: should I have increased the oven temp because of the
> stone's presence?
>
> Maybe next time, I'll just do it stove-top in a big skillet, but I had
> the other burners doing other things.
>
The stone will absorb heat until equalized. If you didn't heat to
equalization the cooking temperature would not be up for a while. If your
oven preheat temp was met then no problem at all.
Tom

On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:36:20 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
>upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. I left the pizza stone
>on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) Would this affect the baking time?
>Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
>and hang the recipe instructions? It seemed to take a long time for
>the fritatta to be 'done' and screwed up the timing of the other
>breakfast items. I think maybe the stone blocked the heat from the
>bottom coil?
>Another thing: should I have increased the oven temp because of the
>stone's presence?
>
>Maybe next time, I'll just do it stove-top in a big skillet, but I had
>the other burners doing other things.

My main oven is gas, and I leave an old pizza stone up high. If I
do a frittata in it (I usually use a smaller convection oven instead)
the stone radiates heat down to help finish the top. DItto for
pizza.

I gather yours is electric? If so, I don't think my experience
applies.....

Alex

On Aug 10, 8:13*pm, "Tom Biasi" > wrote:
If your
> oven preheat temp was met then no problem at all.


Yes, it was. I think my oven is not as hot as it's set to be. I need
to get an oven thermometer. Have bought many, but they seem to
disappear as fast as wire hangers seem to breed on the closet.

Need a fridge thermo, too, come to think of it.

Thanks.

On Aug 10, 8:27*pm, Chemiker > wrote:

> My main oven is gas, and I leave an old pizza stone up high. If I
> do a frittata in it (I usually use a smaller convection oven instead)
> the stone radiates heat down to help finish the top. DItto for
> pizza.
>
> I gather yours is electric?

Yes,

On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:36:20 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
>upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. I left the pizza stone
>on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) Would this affect the baking time?
>Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
>and hang the recipe instructions? It seemed to take a long time for
>the fritatta to be 'done' and screwed up the timing of the other
>breakfast items. I think maybe the stone blocked the heat from the
>bottom coil?
>Another thing: should I have increased the oven temp because of the
>stone's presence?
>
>Maybe next time, I'll just do it stove-top in a big skillet, but I had
>the other burners doing other things.

If you keep the stone in your oven, you need to give it time to heat
up. After it's fully heated, it will help even out minor oven temp
fluctuations.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
>I made a fritatta this morning - the recipe said to bake it in the
> upper third of the oven, so I moved a rack up. I left the pizza stone
> on the rack below ( in mid-oven.) Would this affect the baking time?
> Should I have removed the stone or just put the fritatta on the stone
> and hang the recipe instructions? It seemed to take a long time for
> the fritatta to be 'done' and screwed up the timing of the other
> breakfast items. I think maybe the stone blocked the heat from the
> bottom coil?
> Another thing: should I have increased the oven temp because of the
> stone's presence?
>
> Maybe next time, I'll just do it stove-top in a big skillet, but I had
> the other burners doing other things.
>

I don't understand the upper third thing. If you have a pan or stone, the
radiation would be blocked and at that point, heat is heat. In a gas oven,
it would make no difference if the heat is properly distributed.

As for the stone itself, Tom B has it right in his reply.

Kalmia > wrote:
>On Aug 10, 8:27*pm, Chemiker > wrote:
>> I gather yours is electric?
>Yes,

And you were using the bake/lower heating coil setting and not the
broil/upper coil right? Then the pizza stone will block the radiant
heat from the coil and slow things down. (there are of course some
"it depends" factors)

I've noticed with many gas ovens, when on bake, most of the hot gases
come up around the sides and back edge. In this situation, a stone
or pan, lower down and in the middle won't matter as much.

Flip side is a pan or other cooking container is close to the sides or
back, it will get a hot spot/edge there.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
On Aug 10, 8:13 pm, "Tom Biasi" > wrote:
If your
> oven preheat temp was met then no problem at all.


Yes, it was. I think my oven is not as hot as it's set to be. I need
to get an oven thermometer. Have bought many, but they seem to
disappear as fast as wire hangers seem to breed on the closet.

Need a fridge thermo, too, come to think of it.

Thanks.

I always keep a stock of oven thermometers from the $.99 store so I really
know what the oven temp is. They're every bit as good as the $6.00
thermometers you buy at the supermarket. In one of our ovens we have a
fairly heavy 16" pizza stone on the bottom rack at all times. It does take
at least 30+ minutes to warm the oven middle rack to where it you want it. I
think this is true no what the oven temp says. The pizza stone, as Tom
says, acts as a heat sink, so it helps keep the temp. more uniform when you
open and close the door.

Ed

"Theron" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Kalmia" > wrote in message
> ...
> On Aug 10, 8:13 pm, "Tom Biasi" > wrote:
> If your
>> oven preheat temp was met then no problem at all.
>
>
> Yes, it was. I think my oven is not as hot as it's set to be. I need
> to get an oven thermometer. Have bought many, but they seem to
> disappear as fast as wire hangers seem to breed on the closet.
>
> Need a fridge thermo, too, come to think of it.
>
> Thanks.
>
> I always keep a stock of oven thermometers from the $.99 store so I really
> know what the oven temp is. They're every bit as good as the $6.00
> thermometers you buy at the supermarket. In one of our ovens we have a
> fairly heavy 16" pizza stone on the bottom rack at all times. It does
> take at least 30+ minutes to warm the oven middle rack to where it you
> want it. I think this is true no what the oven temp says. The pizza
> stone, as Tom says, acts as a heat sink, so it helps keep the temp. more
> uniform when you open and close the door.
>
>
How many times do you open your oven while cooking... I rarely open my oven
other than to put something in or take something out, maybe to baste a
holiday turkey a couple three times, and that perhaps once a year, maybe
twice, and then there's no room for any stinkin' stone anyway... and to just
take a peek that's why most every oven nowadays has a glass door. You're
defeating your own argument... if it takes 30 minutes more to heat your oven
with the stone then you'd have be opening your oven many times over a long
time to break even on energy costs, or so you'd think... and those silly
stones do absolutely nothing to improve baking in a residential oven, and in
fact they are not good heat sinks because they are porous.. ordinary glass
ovenware makes a better heatsink, which is why one needs to use lower
temperature for baking in glass. Actually those stones cause an oven to
bake improperly because they inhibit the normal convection that was designed
into residential ovens... many manufacture's add a warning in their user's
manual that use of an oven stone voids the warranty. Because of major
design differences it's not possible to turn a residential oven into a
commercial brick oven by placing anything in it. Those so-called pizza
stones are a slick sales gimmick aimed at those with more dollars than brain
cells, anyone who passed Physics 1 should know that.

On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:13:03 GMT,
(JJ) wrote:

>Kalmia > wrote:
>>On Aug 10, 8:27*pm, Chemiker > wrote:
>>> I gather yours is electric?
>>Yes,

To tell the truth, I do my frittatas in a non-stick skillet. I start
them on the cooktop, using a low heat, then remove them
to the convection oven, but set to broil. A short time in the
oven finishes them nicely, and they slip right out of the
skillet, because it has rounded sides. No worries.

This method would avoid your problem altogether.

Alex

On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:34:09 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...

>
>I don't understand the upper third thing. If you have a pan or stone, the
>radiation would be blocked and at that point, heat is heat. In a gas oven,
>it would make no difference if the heat is properly distributed.

I think it has to do with uneven temps in conventional ovens. Some of
my recipes advise baking pies in the upper third also. And I always
use a drip pan, but I try to keep it small (oven is gas, 30" wide,
Jenn-aire, and they are cranky about air flow.) TTTT, my pies come
out better in my PerfectionAire glass countertop convection cooker.
I credit the results to the convection fan. When this one goes, I'll
probably replace it with something like:

http://www.naturalsolutions1.com/cookers2.htm

Alex

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> How many times do you open your oven while cooking... I rarely open my
> oven other than to put something in or take something out, maybe to baste
> a holiday turkey a couple three times, and that perhaps once a year, maybe
> twice, and then there's no room for any stinkin' stone anyway... and to
> just take a peek that's why most every oven nowadays has a glass door.
> You're defeating your own argument... if it takes 30 minutes more to heat
> your oven with the stone then you'd have be opening your oven many times
> over a long time to break even on energy costs, or so you'd think... and
> those silly stones do absolutely nothing to improve baking in a
> residential oven, and in fact they are not good heat sinks because they
> are porous.. ordinary glass ovenware makes a better heatsink, which is why
> one needs to use lower temperature for baking in glass. Actually those
> stones cause an oven to bake improperly because they inhibit the normal
> convection that was designed into residential ovens... many manufacture's
> add a warning in their user's manual that use of an oven stone voids the
> warranty. Because of major design differences it's not possible to turn a
> residential oven into a commercial brick oven by placing anything in it.
> Those so-called pizza stones are a slick sales gimmick aimed at those with
> more dollars than brain cells, anyone who passed Physics 1 should know
> that.
>

Well brooklyn, I passed physics, I even taught it for a while.
Any thermal mass will keep the oven at a more constant temperature while
peeking.
I agree on these things:
You don't really need to be opening and closing the door often.
The stones can inhibit (or at least change) normal convection.
I wouldn't put one in other than for the intended purpose, to cook pizza.

But the OP wasn't talking about trying to improve the oven, the OP left the
stone in by mistake.

As for their use for pizza, I totally disagree with you. I have been making
pizza since the 1960's. The stone was the best product I have seen to come
close to a pizza oven.
No it can't compare but I don't have a pizza oven in my ( uh.. or my
wife's ) kitchen.

Why such hostility toward a stone? Did you drop one on your toe one time?

Regards,
Tom

On Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:19:28 -0400, Tom Biasi wrote:

> "brooklyn1" > wrote in message
> ...
>> How many times do you open your oven while cooking... I rarely open my
>> oven other than to put something in or take something out, maybe to baste
>> a holiday turkey a couple three times, and that perhaps once a year, maybe
>> twice, and then there's no room for any stinkin' stone anyway... and to
>> just take a peek that's why most every oven nowadays has a glass door.
>> You're defeating your own argument... if it takes 30 minutes more to heat
>> your oven with the stone then you'd have be opening your oven many times
>> over a long time to break even on energy costs, or so you'd think... and
>> those silly stones do absolutely nothing to improve baking in a
>> residential oven, and in fact they are not good heat sinks because they
>> are porous.. ordinary glass ovenware makes a better heatsink, which is why
>> one needs to use lower temperature for baking in glass. Actually those
>> stones cause an oven to bake improperly because they inhibit the normal
>> convection that was designed into residential ovens... many manufacture's
>> add a warning in their user's manual that use of an oven stone voids the
>> warranty. Because of major design differences it's not possible to turn a
>> residential oven into a commercial brick oven by placing anything in it.
>> Those so-called pizza stones are a slick sales gimmick aimed at those with
>> more dollars than brain cells, anyone who passed Physics 1 should know
>> that.
>>
>
> Well brooklyn, I passed physics, I even taught it for a while.
> Any thermal mass will keep the oven at a more constant temperature while
> peeking.
> I agree on these things:
> You don't really need to be opening and closing the door often.
> The stones can inhibit (or at least change) normal convection.
> I wouldn't put one in other than for the intended purpose, to cook pizza.
>
> But the OP wasn't talking about trying to improve the oven, the OP left the
> stone in by mistake.
>
> As for their use for pizza, I totally disagree with you. I have been making
> pizza since the 1960's. The stone was the best product I have seen to come
> close to a pizza oven.
> No it can't compare but I don't have a pizza oven in my ( uh.. or my
> wife's ) kitchen.
>
> Why such hostility toward a stone? Did you drop one on your toe one time?
>
> Regards,
> Tom

try his ****ing head.

your pal,
blake