I do and I love it. Actually in "Stoneware" I have 3 pieces. A "Pizza" stone and the large and medium Pampered Chef round "bakers" - maybe 1 1/2" deep. The pizza stone does everthing from pizza to open (non formed) bread, eggrolls, really anything that won't leak over the edge but wants to be in the oven.

The bakers I use almost daily. I do fish, vegetables, eggs with mushrooms/sausage/potatoes (kind of a cassarole thing), In the small one I also do bread.

I love the way things cook in/on these. They cook very evenly and hold heat very well. They do require some care (don't drop them, don't ever use soap) but I wouldn't be without them.

All stones need to be "cured". Cooking a few higher fat dishes will fill the bill. My pizza stone is so well "cured" now, it's black! The large baker is deep brown. The small one it not quite there yet (but it's coming. They clean up fine with hot water and a nylon brush but once cured that gets much easier.

As an aside, I just ordered the Pampered Chef roaster (9x13 baker with lid/bowl). I'm really looking forward to this.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it.

Ken

Not only are the baking stones great for the uses Ken listed above, but another feature is since they hold heat so well, they keep your oven up to temperature when you open the door. I keep mine in the oven all the time.

I bought a pizza stone last year because someone said they were great for baking cookies. But my stone's instructions said to avoid oily items (like cookies) because the stone would absorb the oil. Well, my teenaged son used the stone to bake fishsticks (don't ask), and it has smelled of stale oil ever since. It also smoked in the oven. I've tried soaking it in soapy water & washing it in the dishwasher, but it still smells like rancid oil a year later.

So what do y'all think, should I toss it out? Start using it again until it cures? Can you use these things for cookies or not?

Put it in a 450 oven until it stops smoking... You know it ought to quit! Bad habit!! ( sorry....got carried away!)
I don't use mine for cookies....just for breads......I am such a wuss!
Linda C

I have some. Until we get our new oven in, I only really use one of them regularly. It is black on the side I use and for some reason my silly DH uses the other side. !? Maybe he does not want to get the black stuff on his pizza. ?

I also have some stoneware bakeware, but I have not used it yet. It is in a place right now that is a pain to get to, so I just reach for my cast iron dutch oven.

I leave mine in the oven. I don't even remove it when the oven is going through a self cleaning cycle. If you have a quality baking stone you should be able to do that too. I would think that would get rid of any smell left from the fish sticks. I use mine to bake breads and pizza and I'll rest roasting pans on it. But I would never put foods such as fish sticks or chicken, etc directly on the stone.

Ann

I use mine for baking pizza and bread. Otherwise, I remove it from the oven so things don't boil over and get on the stone.

I have heard you can clean them with some Lemon juice and then put in the oven in high heat until everything is burnt off of it. The instructions I have with it say to NEVER wash it in soapy water.

Tim

I bought some unglazed quarry tiles at one of the home stores and lined my bottom rack with them. I bake my pizzas on them as well as free-form breads. When they get crusty with anything spilled (from the top rack) I lightly scrape it off with a thin, flexible spatula and wipe with a wet cloth when they have cooled down.

Don't believe I will ever bake cookies, fish sticks, or anything else but pizza and bread on them.

They are cheap, so if one breaks or cracks, I just replace it. As a matter of fact, I have a few extras in the pantry just in case. I've even put one in my toaster oven when I wanted to bake just one small pizza or re-heat some slices of pizza.

The pizza stone I have can be left in the oven on the "self clean" cycle so whenever I clean my oven, I try to remember to get my pizza stone and lay it on the shelf in the oven. When the cycle is over, the stone is clean except for a gray ash which I wipe off with a paper towel. This may help get rid of the oil stains and fish odor you describe.

Yes! And I DO bake cookies on it - and love them. It takes a bit longer to bake them (2-3 minutes) if the stone is cold. And, you don't look for the slight browning on the bottom - they cook more uniformly. I love making them on the stone, you all should try it!

Also, the stone is great for fattening rolls like Crescent Rolls. It soaks up the extra fat and leaves your rolls crisper. I love those Pampered Chef recipes!

OH I am such a Flintstone.... HEE HEE

I LOVE STONES!!!! I have...
Sm., Md. & Lg Bar Pan
Sm. Md. & Round Stone
Sm & Lg oval
Mini & Regular Loaf Pan
Mini Fluted and Regular Fluted Pan
Square baker. 9x13 Baker, mini baker, deep dish baker, 12 cup muffin stone, pie plates, & a flat rectangle stone.

Wow! I've hardly ever heard of people using these before - except for pizza. Sounds like something worth looking into. What about using a sil pat on top of it when baking things such as cookies?

maggie, if you use a "baking stone" no need to use silpat. Make sure it is a baking stone and not a pizza stone. there is a difference!!! a baking stone can be used for anything a pizza stone is "supposed" to be used for strickly "pizza" ... they are made differently....

STacey

I have 2 Pampered Chef baking stones and 1 loaf pan. My challahs bake much more evenly on the stones/loaf pan than on cookie sheets. I do bake cookies on the baking stones. Yes, they do take a few minutes longer, but they come out crisper and more evenly baked. They clean easily, just scrape with a thin, stiff piece of plastic.

Just got one at a yard sale and don't know how to use it. The notes above are helpful. Question: did I hear you are supposed to have the stone hot before putting the food on it?

For cooking on a stone.... try a piece of parchment to put your food on... one brand I have says it is safe to 420* F