ThermiChef 16x16 Pizza Steel, 1/4" Thick, 17.6 lbs - Cooking Steel for Oven & Grill - Made in USA

I seasoned this steel according to the included instructions and have been using it primarily on my grill for about a month. It’s been excellent. The 3/8” thickness holds heat extremely well and recovers quickly between cooks. I’ve made multiple pizzas on it, and the results are consistently good — crisp, well-browned crust with even cooking across the bottom. The steel heats evenly and delivers the kind of heat transfer you want if you’re trying to get closer to restaurant-style results at home. I’ve also been using it for smashburgers, and it really shines there. Once it’s hot, it delivers fast searing and great browning, and the surface performs exactly like a heavy-duty flat top. After seasoning, food releases cleanly and cleanup has been straightforward. The steel feels solid and well-made, with no warping after repeated high-heat use on the grill. Overall, it’s been versatile, durable, and easy to live with. Bottom line: If you want a thick, high-heat cooking steel that works great for pizza and absolutely excels at smashburgers, this one delivers and feels built to last.

I got the XL size because I wanted to be able to use it as a 2-burner griddle, and for that, it works perfectly. Just in the first few days of owning it, I cooked 6 tortillas at once for tacos, browned 3 lbs of chicken in one go, and slowly caramelized 6 onions while keeping other pots and pans free for other tasks. For pizza, its intended use, it produces crisp crusts like a champ, and its size and shape make it perfect for chilling and using as a pastry slab for croissants. It's the ultimate "pan" for cooking for a crowd, and it makes my 12-inch cast iron skillet look small and cramped by comparison. Downsides? It's a thick slab of steel. It is quite heavy and, despite its versatility, it isn't enjoyable to move from oven to stove to fridge to counter all the time. Second, it takes a long, long time to properly heat and cool, which is why I wouldn't want to leave it in the oven permanently. Its heat sink abilities work against you in this way; it takes a lot for this thing to change temperature, and that's good if you're making bread or keeping something cold, but it's also a drag when you're trying to get it up to temp. If I'm using it as a griddle, I'll turn on the burners before I even get out the flour to mix the tortilla dough. Definitely not good for impromptu or short-notice cooking. These downsides come from the same qualities that make this steel so great, so they're not at all surprising. This is a tool that is both versatile and specialized: versatile because its ability to store heat on a large surface is useful in myriad applications, but specialized because that ability to store heat comes with some significant practical drawbacks for everyday cooking. This steel will get you great results for a particular set of tasks, and if you have the ability and luxury to plan ahead, it can't be beat.

Super heavy, solid, and gets piping hot! Our oven struggles to maintain heat and this steel not only produces phenomenal homemade pizza in a traditional oven, but it also helps to regulate our oven temperature. Be aware that this product is HEAVY! I leave mine in the bottom wrack when not using for pizza to maintain consistent oven temperatures.

I was using a stone in an electric oven. The pizza was OK, but the bottom was a little too white and the round shape was a little stressful to land the pizza on. I was thinking about switching to steel anyway then the stone broke while warming up so I gave this a try. It came promptly, the packaging was intact, and the finish work was very fine. One thing to be aware of is that it is very thoroughly sand blasted down to bare metal (silver) to remove foundry scale. Some cheaper brands leave that to you. The seasoning instructions were easy and the result appears to be good. I was concerned that the oil seasoning would scorch under the broiler, but apparently not. It is easy to land the pizza on it (it nearly covers the whole oven rack, with an inch around for heat flow). I have a laser thermometer and it takes about a half hour longer to heat up than the stone, which illustrates its increased heat capacity, which is the point of a stone. It is big and heavy so the hanging hole in the corner may come in handy. However, I'll probably just leave it in the oven and never look at it. The instructions were clear and enthusiastic. It is made in the USA. So very pleased with it. It is strange that the review asked about ease of cleaning because basically you don't the instructions say to never use soap on it or you have to re-season it, like any iron frying pan. As for gifting, it would be a great one for someone who wants it, but I'd check first because otherwise they will have a hard time disposing of it. One addition. The edges are rough and sharp enough to cut you, given how heavy it is. The product would be better if the manufacturer were to slightly chamfer the sharp edges. I did it myself in 10 minutes with a file and sandpaper so it wouldn't slice my wife's hands, but they have a machine shop so it would be faster and easier for them to do it.

I have been making pizza at home for a very long time. I have used several different kinds of stones all with decent results. I kept hearing about the steel but I didn’t see anyone talk about it being so much better. It is so much better! I heat it for a good hour before use. It cooks the pizza quicker and it produces a much nicer bottom crust. I leave it in the oven and for other uses, I just do normal preheat and It helps to stabilize the temperature. Seasoning is not a big deal, it delayed me but don’t let it delay you. This is a good value. But beware, it is heavy, much heavier than the stones.

Absolutely wonderful for cooking homemade pizza in the oven! Cooks the crust and the top evenly and results are crisp and tastes fantastic. Highly recommend, I use avocado oil to season it. I’ve been cooking with pizza shells and can’t wait to try it with fresh dough.

Came quickly, well packed, and in excellent condition. I washed it with mild soap, applied a thin coat of oil, and seasoned it in the oven at 350 °F for one hour as instructed. While doing this, I kept my pizza stone in the oven to compare performance—actually giving the stone a slight advantage since it was positioned closer to the heating element. Despite that, the baking steel clearly outperformed the stone. It reached maximum temperature faster (measured with an infrared thermometer) and, more importantly, retained heat significantly better after 15 and 30 minutes with the oven turned off. I purchased the 20 × 14 × 3/8 inch version so I can bake two pizzas at once. This is a solid piece of steel, and its ~30 lb weight is not a drawback—it’s actually a major part of why it performs so well. The higher mass (and therefore thermal capacity) allows it to store more energy and transfer heat more efficiently into the dough, resulting in better oven spring and crust development compared to a stone. Because of that weight, I plan to keep it in the oven unless necessary to remove it. The dimensions listed on the product page are accurate, so in my opinion, complaints about it not fitting or being too heavy are not particularly justified—the specifications are clearly stated. Overall, a very worthwhile upgrade over a traditional pizza stone.

Wanted to get a pizza steel, and everything online said thicker is better, it'll hold more heat etc etc, so I bought the 3/8" plate. First of all, it does what it says - expect pizza and flatbreads to puff up nicely and really crisp up the crust. I really enjoy doing fresh pita in the morning on this thing. It's exactly what it says it is. Now for the downsides (none of which are the fault of the product itself). 1.) It takes a while to preheat. Easily 30 minutes or more for it to actually come to temp in the oven. If you're hitting it with an infrared thermometer, it might seem like it's up to temp, but in reality, you're getting the reflected heat from the top of the oven - remember, infrared is light radiation, so it can bounce. To get an accurate reading, use a pan or other object to "shade" the top of the pizza steel when you point your IR thermometer on it. 2.) It's heavy. Like annoyingly heavy, you have to be very careful moving it around in a domestic kitchen, as it's liable to destroy anything you drop it on. In conclusion, great product that's exactly what it says, and good price. But I'm planning to relegate my 3/8" steel as a welding fixture plate and find something a little thinner for bread use - I don't thing anyone's disappointed with the 3/16" plates.