Cathy Mitchells Easy Baking With Refrigerated Dough

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Steel baking sheets have earned a cult following among discerning home pizzamakers thanks to their ultra-conductive properties that cook pizzas quickly and produce crispy crunchy crusts.
The Original Baking Steel is credited as the first commercially available pizza steel with its Kickstarter launch in 2012, and it continues to be one of the most popular options.
Dough-Joe followed soon after with The Samurai , which hit Amazon in 2014, and has attracted a following among home pizza makers.
After testing both, I prefer the Dough-Joe because it's large enough to fit pizzas up to 15 inches in diameter, has a hole in the corner for hanging, and is more affordable. However, the plates are nearly identical, and I'm certain you'll be happy with either.
For more buying advice, check out our guides to the best pizza-making tools, the best baking stones, the best pizza pans, the best pizza cutters, and the best pizza peels.

Steel baking sheets — commonly referred to as pizza steels, steel baking plates, or by the brand-name baking steels — are slowly supplanting pizza stones as the best surface for home chefs to cook gourmet pizzas.

Posters in online forums have discussed how well steel would work for making pizzas for years. But, it wasn't until Nathan Myhrvold mentioned it in his seminal work "Modernist Cuisine at Home" that someone acted on the idea. Andris Lagsdin hit his modest goal within 24 hours of launching a Kickstarter campaign for the Original Baking Steel in 2012, and the rest is history.

Since then, several other pizza steel brands have popped up, including the Dough-Joe Samurai, which hit online stores in 2014. Unlike Baking Steel, Dough-Joe already had a foothold in the pizza stone space so steels were a natural pivot.

What is a baking steel?

At their most basic, baking steels aren't all that sexy. They're essentially a slab of quarter-inch-to-half-inch-thick carbon steel. Most come pre-seasoned so you can put your raw dough right on it and not worry about it sticking.

Which is better a pizza stone or pizza steel?

Big names in home pizza making, including Serious Eats' J. Kenji López-Alt and Ken Forkish (author of my favorite book on the topic "The Elements of Pizza"), prefer pizza steels to pizza stones. The main reason steel is such a popular material is that it stores heat and conducts it faster to make crispier pizzas with a black-spotted crust. Crustier breads can also benefit from baking on steel.

Pizza steels produce an effect called "oven spring." This is the quick expansion of water and air in the dough upon coming into contact with a heat source. Oven spring is responsible for the beautiful crust hole structure found in the best pies.

Steel baking plates are best for Neapolitan and New York-style pies as well as any other ultra-thin crust styles. However, you should avoid cooking buttery pastries and other light, flaky baked goods directly on the steel because the heat gets too intense and can cause scorching.

What is the best pizza steel?

The Baking Steel and Dough-Joe both sent me their steel baking sheets to test. Each has weaknesses and advantages. Below, we compare the Dough-Joe Samurai to the Original Baking Steel in a few key categories: price, specs, return policy, warranty, set-up process, and special features.

Based on my testing, the Dough-Joe is the best pizza steel because it's large enough to fit pizzas up to 15 inches in diameter, has a hole in the corner for hanging, and is more affordable. However, the plates are nearly identical, and I'm certain you'll be happy with either.

Keep reading to see how the Original Baking Steel and the Dough-Joe Samurai compare.

Comparing prices and specs

Baking sheet versus specs — We compare the Dough-Joe Samurai to the Original Baking Steel to see which is best.

Winner: With its lower price point, slightly larger construction, and addition of a hole for hanging, the Dough-Joe Samurai wins this category.

The Original Baking Steel and the Dough-Joe Samurai share several features, but there are a few minor differences. The biggest one is the dimensions. The Original is 16 inches by 14 inches, while the Samurai is 15 inches square. These dimensions make the Dough-Joe slightly larger at 225 square inches versus 224. Though it's pretty unlikely you'll notice the size difference, the dimensions may play into how large of a round pizza you can make. The Dough-Joe has a 15-inch-diameter maximum versus 14 inches on the Original.

Both models are made of ultra-conductive carbon steel and arrive pre-seasoned. They also have rounded corners so you don't need to worry about cutting yourself on a jagged edge.

Other than simply being slabs of steel, the Dough-Joe features a small hole in the corner so you can conceivably hang it on the wall when it's not in use. If you go this route, make sure you have a strong hook or nail that can support the weight.

The Dough-Joe baking steels come in three sizes. All three are 15 inches square and virtually identical, except they vary in how thick — and thus, how heavy — they are. The Samurai ($72.14 on Amazon) is 16 pounds and a quarter-inch thick. This style will be the focus of our comparison since it's the one I tested and the most popular. There's also the 24-pound, 3/8-inch-thick Shogun ($93.51), and the 32-pound, half-inch-thick Emperor ($109.43).

The Baking Steel is available in four sizes. Three of them have the same length and width — 14 inches by 16 inches — but vary in thickness (and heft). The Original Baking Steel ($89 on Amazon) is 16 pounds and a quarter-inch thick. Since this is what I tested, the Original will be used for comparison in this guide. There's also a 23-pound, 3/8-inch model ($109). And, the Big Baking Steel is 32 pounds and half an inch thick ($129).

The Baking Steel also makes a round steel ($109.) It has a diameter of 16 inches, is a quarter-inch thick, and weighs 16 pounds. This is a great option for home chefs who like to make larger pizzas.

For most buyers, the quarter-inch-thick sheets will be enough. The thicker steels take longer to preheat, but they also store more energy and thus are great for cooking several pizzas in a row. However, you need to keep in mind the weight capacity of your oven racks since the half-inch-thick sheets weigh 32 pounds.

Since this is an item you may use for the rest of your life, you should not put too much stock in the price.

Comparing return policies and warranties

Baking Steel 1 — The Original Baking Steel can be used on the grill too.

Winner: Though neither company offers a warranty, Dough-Joe has a slightly better return policy of 30 days from the delivery with up to a year of wiggle room.

Finding the return policies and warranties for both steel baking sheets took a little sleuthing. I was able to track down the information on the Baking Steel website. The company allows you to return the steel if you find it to be defective in material or workmanship when cared for according to the instructions (more on that in the next section) and put to normal household use. You have 30 days from when the item was shipped to get a full refund. Since shipping can take a few days, you essentially have a few days less than 30 days. Baking Steel clearly states that it does not offer a warranty on its products.

I searched the Dough-Joe website, Amazon product page, and the paperwork that came with the Samurai for return policy and warranty information but couldn't find it. So, I contacted Mr. Dough-Joe himself, Joe Hurly. Here's what he said:

"We have an official policy: 'Return within 30 days from the date of delivery for a full refund.' But, if the steel is in good shape, either unused or barely used, where we can recondition it, we will take it back for longer. We don't have any official time on the extended return period, but we've taken them back for up to a year. The 30 days is there as a guideline so people will test their ovens for size and weight limitations."

Hurly did not comment on a warranty.

Comparing the set-up process

The Original Baking Steel cooks pizza in the oven.

Winner: Since we are dealing with virtually identical pieces of steel that come pre-seasoned, the set-up process is the same so both models win this category since they're both simple to use.

Since both steels arrived pre-seasoned, there's virtually no set-up process. You just put either product in your oven and preheat it. In order to give the steel plenty of time to heat up, you typically want to preheat the oven for at least an hour before cooking on it. You should also allow as much space around the steel as possible to let it heat evenly.

Both pieces are susceptible to rusting if you don't take good care of them, but you can easily clean them by using an abrasive material, such as steel wool, to remove the rust. Then, re-season the steel with cooking oil. In fact, after every few uses, it's a good idea to re-season the steel with oil before preheating it.

Comparing special features

Winner: The slabs of steel are almost the same, though the Dough-Joe has the minor benefit of a hole in the corner for hanging it.

Again, since we are dealing with slabs of steel that are almost the same, the differences in special features are minimal. The main difference is the Dough-Joe Samurai has a hole in the corner that can be used for hanging it. However, due to the weight of the steel, you may never use this feature. I have not.

Both steels can be stored in your oven when not in use. This has the benefit of regulating the temperature in your oven even when you aren't cooking directly on the steel. If you go this route, you should plan on an extra 5 minutes of preheat time – 20 minutes if cooking directly on the steel. This extra time is needed to allow the steel baking sheet time to absorb the heat.

I keep one of these sheets in my oven at all times, typically on the lowest rack setting when I'm not using it. I've found it's helpful for even heating and for maintaining the oven temp during a long day of baking. The sheet I'm not using fits conveniently in a narrow cabinet where I keep my baking sheets and cutting boards.

I've had similar experiences cleaning the Dough-Joe and Baking Steel. If some toppings from my pizza fall onto the steel, they typically end up charred and don't need to be cleaned off. However, over time, the steels must be re-seasoned with olive oil. I've noticed if I neglect the steels, they both get some rust patches that need to be cleaned up. But, that is easy enough with steel wool and some elbow grease.

The bottom line

Overall winner: I'm a big fan of both pizza steels, but for my money, I would go with the Dough-Joe Samurai since it's more cost-effective and can fit larger round pizzas.

Steel is steel. Both sheets are made of ultra-conductive carbon steel and pre-seasoned for use out of the box. The only real differences are the dimensions (the Dough-Joe is slightly larger), a hole for hanging the Samurai, and the lower price of the Dough-Joe.

The Original Baking Steel has the benefit of being, well, the original. The company has a track record of performance. However, the Dough-Joe Samurai has been around for almost as long, and the company has been in the pizza baking surface for even longer.

I am confident that chefs will be able to elevate their homemade pizza experience with either steel. A properly preheated steel will produce the crisp crust that gourmet pizza-lovers look for. And, you can cut down on the cooking time significantly. I easily churn out three 12-inch pizzas in under half an hour in my 500-degree Fahrenheit oven. Guests are always full of compliments.

We recommend the Dough-Joe Samurai. But, if you find the Original Baking Steel for a lower price, don't plan on making 15-inch pizzas, and don't need a way to hang your steel, you should consider buying it.

James Brains

Home & Kitchen Reporter, Insider Reviews

James is a Home & Kitchen Reporter for Insider Reviews, where he specializes in sleep, HVAC, and kitchen appliances. He has tested more than 30 mattresses from startups like Casper and legacy brands like Tempur-Pedic, using his background in experimental psychology to develop objective tests and evaluate comfort, support, motion transfer, and more. He authors our guide to the best mattresses. In addition to being Insider Reviews' mattress expert, James has extensively covered robot vacuums, air conditioners, air purifiers, and more within the HVAC space. He's tested more than 20 robot vacs from brands like iRobot and Roborock over the years and is no stranger to keeping his house at a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end all in the name of testing air conditioners. He's a multifaceted writer who has covered everything from health and fitness to consumer technology. His mission is to help people get the most value for their money by guiding them in making informed buying decisions. James is currently based in Lansing, Michigan, where he lives in "The Barn Mansion," a three-story Dutch colonial home, with his wife, two sons, two cats, and a rambunctious rat terrier. When James isn't testing products and writing for Insider, he's helping to run a popular local Facebook group, Lansing Foodies. See below for some of his work: The best mattress for every type of sleeper in 2021, according to our rigorous testing The 6 best robot vacuums we tested in 2021 The 6 best air conditioners we tested in 2021 The best Instant Pots and electric pressure cookers we tested in 2021 10 grilling essentials that chefs and pitmasters swear by for making the best BBQ The 5 best mattress toppers we tested in 2021 Contact info: jbrains@insider.com Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products.