Baking Stone vs. Steel: Which one is worthier?

[arcane-luxury]

I've recently got a huge interest in baking stones and steels (also known as pizza stone/steel), so have watched many videos and articles about them. However, most of them mainly focus on the perspective of baking pizza, so I think there is a lack of information about how versatile they are for general purpose.

Someone says stones are more versatile than steels because steels could burn the bottom of what I bake due to higher conductivity, but stones wouldn't. On the other hand, I could see some examples to bake nice breads or others than pizza with steels. For pizza, many people agree steels are much better, but I could also see that stones produce nice pizza as well.

The biggest problem that I thought is, there is no unified criteria to test both materials. 100 testers have 100 different environments. Even some of them seem quite biased to show what they want to show. That's why I'm still concerning between them.

So, I want to ask you and collect more details based on your actual experience and feeling. I totally understood there are some major differences between them: price, durability, conductivity, and so on. I'm ready to pay for anything if satisfactory.

If a baking steel is versatile enough to bake any general breads or something else, I'll get it.

or, I'll get a stone because it's still able to produce nicer pizza, and versatile as known.

Additionally, if there is anyone lives in AU, please let me know affordable stones or steels in AU. Most of information and products come from the US, I should pay much more if I want to get them. So envy you, US mate!

 

[Mona]

I've found that both baking stones and steels have their benefits. Stones are versatile and great for even baking, especially for cookies and bread, without burning. Steels heat up faster and are perfect for pizza, giving a crispy crust, but can burn things if not used carefully. If you bake a lot of pizza and want the best crust, go for a steel. If you want something more versatile and easier on the budget, a stone is a solid choice. For affordable options in Australia, try checking local kitchenware stores or websites like Kitchen Warehouse or Myer.