Reply #8: Yes, water vapor dissipation ... but also more than that ..... [View All]

[Stinky The Clown]

The stone 'stores' heat. It is a thermal mass. The more mass, the less it 'notices' a cold pizza slapped down on it and the better and more even the pizza cooks. There is no dip in temperature as there would be with a pan.

Because of the thermal mass, the pizza is heated immediately and the crust that forms, forms fast. In any other method (except for grilling) there's a significant drop in temperature as the cold pizza gets heated ..... and that results in a slower and therefore less crispy/smokey crust.