A product review by Annie (a Bad Idea Supply team member):
For more than 6 months I have been experimenting with the Pryo Baking Steel. I was very partial to my air baking sheets so I was a little apprehensive about trying out a new baking product with the idea that it could possibly ruin a batch of my family's beloved chocolate chip cookies. I am beyond impressed! I haven't used any other baking sheet since day 1! In fact, I requested Mike and Jesse let me have another one to keep in my second oven.
The Pyro Baking Steel is 1/4 inch plate of steel that is oiled with Good Ol' Fashioned Metal Rub. I also use this oil to keep my cast iron skillets seasoned and it's the best thing I've ever used. I actually stripped and then reseasoned all my cast iron pans with this oil after seeing how well it kept my pans being nonstick and seasoned.
Back to the Pyro Baking Steel...
So initially I used this product in our Pyro tower with cooking kit. I used it primarily for baking pizza at 750 degrees or hotter! The Pyro Baking Steel can take extremely high heat without any warping or damage occurring. Be warned though that it will retain heat for quite a while and you'll need a good pair of gloves to remove if doing so while it's still hot. We were obsessed with the pizzas produced with this combination of products. As Mike said, "This is ridiculous! I don't even know what's on this pizza but it tastes so good!". So there's one awesome use for this Pyro Baking Steel, however it gets better!
I baked cakes, cookies, and delicious bread in our Pyro Tower with Cooking Kit using the Pyro Baking Steel. With a little experimentation I found that I can bake outdoors just as I would in my oven. The advantages to baking outside are that during hot months of the summer my kitchen won't get hot, it's fun, and in case of an apocalypse and all electrical or gas products won't work my Pyro Tower and Pyro Baking Steel will always work and I can cook or bake anything! I know the last reason is a bit of a stretch but it's true. :)
Then the outdoor temps dropped below zero and my booty decided it was time to bake inside again. So I moved my Pyro Baking Steel indoors and placed it in my oven. I was interested to see how it performs in an oven. I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT OUT! I have always been such an air baking sheet fan that I didn't think my beloved baking accessory could be replaced. Well I have now reformed to baking only with my Pyro Baking Steel. It never leaves my oven which is great because they're a heavy, very sturdy (will never break) product. I love how thick it is because it feels like a product that will last forever and I can pass down to my children with many years of baking experience on it. Just like my cast iron skillets.
I placed the Pyro Baking Steel in my oven while it preheated to 375 (my baking temp needed). I knew that it would take a bit for the baking steel to get up to necessary heat in the oven so I didn't worry about scorching my cookies. Once the oven was preheated I placed my dough balls on the baking sheet. Immediately I saw the Pyro Baking Steel magic working! My cookies usually bake for 9 minutes (depending on size of dough balls) but with Pyro baking steel I'm at 7 or 8 (depending on size of dough balls). Since steel is a conducive metal and it's so thick, it injected heat into the dough faster than any other baking sheets I've used. The cookies baked perfectly even and were so yummy! I baked all my cookies without having to take the Pyro Baking Steel out of the oven to cool, however I believe that if you are baking for long periods of time you may have to take it out to cool as you would regular baking sheets.
I have since baked scrumptious rolls, bread loafs, and pizza on the Pyro Baking Steel in my oven.
When baking the pizza I preheated the oven to 450 with the Pyro Baking Steel in the oven during preheat. Then using the Pyro Pizza Scrape I placed my pizza on the Pyro Baking Steel in the oven. Then turned my oven on Hi Broil. After 5-7 minutes my pizza was finished! It was so good and pretty darn close to tasting like I baked it in the Pyro Tower. Obsessed!
When I'm not using the Pyro Baking Steel (like for casseroles) I simply place it on the unused rack in my oven and leave it in while other foods cook. It does not affect the baking of other foods. It also seasons while doing a long slow cook with other foods (after reapplication of Good Ol' Fashioned Oil).
I clean the Pyro Baking Steel just as I would my cast iron products. I keep it seasoned by applying Good Ol' Fashioned Oil after each cleaning and letting it slowly cook in while cooking other food.
I can confidently say you'll LOVE having this product in your baking arsenal.