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Definitely quite a few other options out there beyond the baking steel company. They're probably all basically the same thing; only issue I can see is degree of surface finish and burr removal/chamfering on corners, possible holes to make movement easier, or collection of grease. I've had the original baking steel for a few years. No real issues with it, just make sure you don't store pots on top of it unless they're bone dry as it can lead to it rusting (easy enough to re-season since it lives in the oven, no big deal). I don't see a need for the thicc version, from the reviews I've read it's flat out painful to move, and nearly impossible when it's fully heated at 550 (A hunk of steel at 550 is very different from a cast iron pan at 550, all that weight can mess with the insulation of whatever you're lifting it with and reduce how long you have before you start cooking instead of your dinner.) Unless you're doing large batches of bread or cookies that require opening the oven every 10-15 minutes I would go with the original. Cheaper, lighter and it's still more thermal mass then not having it in there. Now hardcore pizza brahs will tell you to go with the larger version, and if you live and die by the pie then yes the 1/2 thick version will be superior in terms of performance. As someone who uses it as a replacement for a baking stone for bread, and as thermal mass to retain oven temps paying about double wasn't worth it for me. Plus it's nice not having to step in and move for the significant other every time a rack needs shifted. That being said, if I were to pick up another pizza steel I would go with one of the following 2 options. A) Make your own. Find a fabricator, buy a hunk of A36 or similar grade of steel, at a thickness of your preference (if going this route I would actually recommend going the 1/2" route. You can then have one extra cut made on the steel that slices it in half so you'll have two chunks of 1/2" thick steel which let you take advantage of the extra thermal mass while still being lighter to move around.) Note that this requires some leg work, from finding a shop, measuring your oven, determining what steps you want the metal shop to take in prepping your steel slab, removing mill scale, and initial seasoning. Not a tall order, but if you want convenience you can pay for it as most commercial pizza steels come with all those steps done. Could end up quite a bit cheaper, depending on your local material/labor prices and you can custom fit to your oven. B) Get the griddle version. It's more expensive, but it is thicker (again keep the weight in mind, also the size to ensure it fits in your oven while allowing convective air currents around the sides). The main reason I would pick this up is for the grease channels, which open the use of the steel from just being used in the oven to being used on the stove top (or in theory an induction hotplate outside if you want a solid sear without smoking up the house. I've been meaning to test this out to ensure you can safely reach the hotplates control panel with a steel on top). You really can't go wrong in any case, a much better investment then a stone since they tend to have a tendency to shatter. 4/26/19 0935 Edit: Useful link is useful for pizza info. Wield that knowledge how you will. https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=28654.0
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