Pizza steels are made out of solid steel, so they are practically indestructible. Unlike your round or square pizza stone, a pizza steel will not break due to rapid temperature change or from being dropped.

If you are already using a pizza steel or baking steel for an indirect grill griddle, you should know that this tool doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. You don’t even need to clean it after every use. Just apply a thin layer of oil and store it in a safe place. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should not take good care of your baking steel. Here are some tips on how to take care of your pizza steel to make it last a lifetime.

Seasoning your pizza steel 

Nowadays, most pizza steels available in the market are already seasoned with oil. Still, you should build up the seasoning every few months. Re-seasoning helps prevent rust from accumulating on the non-stick surface of your baking steel. If you notice that food is sticking to the cooking surface, it is a sign that you’re baking needs re-seasoning. Here are the steps for re-seasoning your pizza steel.

·       Wash your pizza steel with soap and hot water. Use a stiff nylon brush for the cleaning.

·       Now use a towel to pat dry your baking steel.

·       Next, take a paper towel and dab the surface of the pizza steel with organic oil, such as flaxseed oil. Make sure you apply oil evenly to both sides of the baking steel.

·       The next step is to wipe off the excess oil with another dry paper towel.

·       Now place the pizza steel on the rack of an oven and heat it at 400°F for an hour.

·       Finally turn off the oven and let the pizza steel cool in the oven itself.

That’s it. Your pizza steel is now re-seasoned. Just keep it in a dry place indoors for some time. After that, you can use it again.

Cleaning your pizza steel 

Unlike a round or square pizza stone, your pizza steel doesn’t need cleaning after every use. However, make sure you scrape any food chunks off the steel every time you use it. You can use a dough scraper or steel wool. After removing the food residue from the steel, apply oil to prevent rust.

You should also clean your pizza steel with water every so often. However, do not use soap or detergent for the cleaning. Before you start cleaning the baking steel, let it cool for about an hour.

Once cooled, you should wash the baking steel with warm water. Again, do not use soap or detergent. You can use a soft sponge for the cleaning, but avoid using a hard brush. Finally, pat-dry both sides of your pizza steel with a towel. You can also use indirect heat to dry it completely, just as you would do with an indirect grill griddle. Do not air-dry your baking steel, as this could promote rust.