How to clean caramel from pizza stone?

[relizabeth]

I foolishly let my pineapple upside down cake drool on our pizza stone. And now it is smeared with caramel. I scrapped as much off as I could, while melted (and ate it). But how do I deal with the rest?

Thanks!

[twyst]

Id just crank my oven up full blast and carbonize it, then scrape off the ash.

[sunshine842]

and don't worry too much, by the way, if it leaves a spot -- a well-used pizza stone will develop a black patina over time -- and you WANT it to do so -- that black patina is nearly non-stick.

[cumquott]

I been using my stone for 20+ years and it is BLACK and SLICK. I scrape the nasties off with a dough blade.

But wouldn't that black coating prevent it from drawing moisture out of a pizza crust? I'm assuming that drawing moisture out is a Good Thing.

[ScubaSteve]

I run mine through my oven's self-clean cycle when stuff like this happens.

[breadchick]

Blow torch it? When the sugar burns up, you can probably scrape it off. Just a thought.

[Isolda]

Caramel dissolves in water, and it does so pretty quickly. The best way to get caramel out of anything is to just soak it in water for 15 minutes or so. No scrubbing or scraping needed.

[sunshine842]

the problem lies in soaking a pizza stone -- usually considered a big no-no, as the moisture trapped inside can lead to cracking or breaking, and trapped moisture steams your food -- and you use a pizza stone specifically to make a crispy, *dry* crust.

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

I would imagine that putting the stone in a low and slow oven overnight should dry it with a minimal risk of cracking.

[pdxgastro]

Or you could try heating it in the oven with the caramel side down and put a cookie sheet under it to catch any drips.

[sunshine842]

and if that doesn't work, let it cool, then scrape.

I use a paint scraper/putty knife for the really stubborn stuff.

[RNcooks]

Hot water and a scrubber or plastic pizza stone scraper. By the way, I have almost always used dish soap to clean my stone and have never had a problem. I just don't soak the stone in water.