I've been telling people to preheat their steel for an hour. This week, I stopped guessing. I put a thermocouple on an Original, hung a second probe in the oven air, and logged both every five minutes. Here's what the steel does in a home oven. And one thing surprised me.
The short answer
In my 550°F electric oven, the Original (1/4") was there in 45 minutes. The steel measured 592°F at 45 minutes and 597°F at 60.
The thicker MC Edition (3/8") needed the full hour. It didn't pass 550°F until about 48 minutes, and it was still climbing at 60. That's why 60 minutes is my rule. It covers every steel and every oven.
One more thing: preheat on regular bake, not convection. Convection gets the steel hot. Bake brings it back faster between pizzas.
Do this tonight
- Original: preheat 45 to 60 minutes on regular bake.
- MC Edition: preheat 60 minutes on regular bake.
- Before launch: broil 2 to 3 minutes, then launch and switch back to bake.
How I tested it
Same oven. Same method. Both steels. A Monogram electric at 550°F, no convection for the main runs. Cold start, with the steel and oven at room temperature. The steel sat on the second rack from the top, about 7 inches below the broiler, alone in the oven. A magnetic Type K thermocouple sat on the center of the top surface, right where the dough lands. A second bare-wire probe hung in open air above it. I read both every five minutes for an hour on an Omega HH12C meter. Then I ran both steels again the same way with convection on at 550.
The Original is my well-used steel, dark from years of pizza. The MC Edition came straight out of the box. Seasoned, but not dark yet. I'll run it again once it darkens up.
Worth knowing: the probe reads the steel's surface, not the inside.
The data
| Minute | Original steel (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 72.5 | 71.7 | 71.2 | 72.0 |
| 5 | 170.4 | 161.2 | 177.3 | 161.0 |
| 10 | 261.3 | 266.6 | 240.7 | 240.2 |
| 15 | 340.1 | 342.2 | 311.9 | 321.0 |
| 20 | 411.1 | 408.4 | 371.2 | 382.5 |
| 25 | 487.3 | 471.2 | 429.6 | 436.0 |
| 30 | 553.2 | 527.0 | 483.3 | 483.3 |
| 35 | 573.7 | 549.4 | 530.7 | 516.4 |
| 40 | 586.5 | 560.6 | 528.8 | 522.1 |
| 45 | 592.2 | 566.2 | 543.3 | 539.6 |
| 50 | 595.1 | 566.1 | 559.1 | 549.8 |
| 55 | 595.8 | 567.3 | 563.9 | 559.3 |
| 60 | 597.1 | 568.8 | 574.1 | 564.3 |
The Original ran neck and neck with the air for the first 20 minutes, then pulled ahead. The MC ran behind the air until the 30 minute mark. It caught up to the decimal, then pulled ahead too. More steel takes more heat to get going.
Your steel gets hotter than your oven
This is the part to remember. I set the oven to 550. The air topped out around 569. The steel hit 597. That's 47 degrees over the dial. The MC was 24 degrees over at the hour mark, and still climbing.
Here's why. Your oven's thermostat controls the air. The heating element runs far hotter than 550 when it's on, and sends heat straight at the steel. The steel soaks it up and holds onto it. The air can't. So the steel keeps climbing after the air levels off.
That's the whole point of a steel. Your home oven can't make 600 degree air. It can make a 600 degree surface. That's what your dough sits on.
Is the steel ready when the oven beeps?
Depends on the steel. On the Original, yes. The oven beeped at about 31 and a half minutes, and the steel was already at 566.
On the MC, no. The oven beeped at about 35 minutes, and the steel was only at 531. It needed another 13 minutes to reach 550. With a thicker steel, the beep means keep waiting.
What happens when you open the door
After the full hour, I opened the door and left it open for one minute.
On the Original, the oven air dropped from 569 to 401. The steel surface dropped from 597 to 513. Most of that steel loss happened in the first 30 seconds. In the next 30 seconds, it lost only about 3 more degrees.
Then I closed the door. Ten seconds later, the steel was back to 550. The heat stored inside pushed right back up to the surface. After five minutes, both the steel and air were close to where they started.
| Time | Original steel (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door open, start | 597.1 | 568.8 | 574.1 | 564.3 |
| Open 30 sec | 516.7 | 427.8 | 463.7 | 395.5 |
| Open 60 sec | 513.3 | 401.0 | 484.4 | 369.0 |
| Closed 10 sec | 550.0 | 480.0 | 538.5 | 427.2 |
| Closed 30 sec | 558.0 | 503.0 | 551.4 | 503.3 |
| Closed 1 min | 565.5 | 512.8 | 550.8 | 508.9 |
| Closed 2 min | 571.8 | 528.6 | 564.4 | 521.0 |
| Closed 3 min | 577.2 | 542.6 | 577.8 | 529.7 |
| Closed 4 min | 580.8 | 552.7 | 579.9 | 542.5 |
| Closed 5 min | 584.6 | 559.0 | 577.6 | 547.8 |
The MC surprised me. With the door still wide open, its surface climbed 21 degrees in the second 30 seconds. That's the extra steel underneath pushing heat back up. It was back over 550 within 30 seconds of closing the door, and back to where it started in 3 minutes. One note: the MC was still climbing when I opened the door, so some of that was leftover preheat.
When you launch, work fast. Open the door. Launch. Close it. The steel will bounce back. The less heat you let out, the better.
What the broiler does
I like to hit the broiler before I launch. After the door test, I turned it on and read the steel every 30 seconds.
| Broiler time | Original steel (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 584.6 | 559.0 | 577.6 | 547.8 |
| 30 sec | 624.0 | 588.0 | 623.1 | 563.8 |
| 1 min | 642.0 | 597.0 | 653.3 | 574.2 |
| 1 min 30 sec | 660.1 | 606.2 | 677.7 | 587.2 |
| 2 min | 678.3 | 617.0 | 698.5 | 605.3 |
| 2 min 30 sec | 698.7 | 628.0 | 702.1 | 615.4 |
| 3 min | 708.1 | 632.0 | 636.9 | 599.0 |
| 4 min | 706.1 | 625.4 | 622.3 | 589.3 |
Both steels passed 700 degrees in under three minutes. Then the broiler started cycling. The Original held around 708. The MC's broiler cut out at 2 and a half minutes, and the steel settled back to 622 as that surface heat sank into the thicker steel below. The coils stayed off about 2 minutes. The MC bottomed at 614, and a minute after they fired again, it was back to 670.
On this oven, a few minutes of broiler gets you to the max. More time adds nothing.
That's how I load extra heat into the steel. Preheat, a few minutes of broiler, launch, then switch back to bake.
What about convection?
I've always used convection for pizza night. I thought moving hot air had to be better. So I tested both steels again: same oven, same method, convection on at 550.
Short version: convection works. Both steels were ready to launch within the hour. But regular bake is the better way, especially when you're making more than one pizza.
Preheat. Convection starts slow. At 20 minutes, the Original was at 345 on convection versus 411 on bake. On convection, most ovens heat with a rear element and a fan, so less heat goes straight into the steel. Then around 40 minutes the oven overshoots (the air hit 603 on the MC run while the display read 550), and the steel surges. It settles back by the hour. The Original finished at 573 (597 on bake). The MC finished at 560 (574 on bake).
| Minute | Original steel, convection (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel, convection (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 66.1 | 66.7 | 65.8 | 67.4 |
| 5 | 112.4 | 147.6 | 125.7 | 151.8 |
| 10 | 180.3 | 236.4 | 171.9 | 237.0 |
| 15 | 263.6 | 315.1 | 235.0 | 316.6 |
| 20 | 345.4 | 382.1 | 291.3 | 379.6 |
| 25 | 421.2 | 443.6 | 344.7 | 435.5 |
| 30 | 489.1 | 497.8 | 405.4 | 487.8 |
| 35 | 547.3 | 542.5 | 460.2 | 527.7 |
| 40 | 599.8 | 591.4 | 514.1 | 570.4 |
| 45 | 600.3 | 576.6 | 561.1 | 603.4 |
| 50 | 585.3 | 566.5 | 554.9 | 576.5 |
| 55 | 576.0 | 560.4 | 556.6 | 560.2 |
| 60 | 573.1 | 557.8 | 560.2 | 560.1 |
Door. Bake pulls ahead here. With the door open, the fan keeps blowing room air across the steel. After closing, both steels jumped back to about 540 and sat there for five straight minutes. On bake, the MC was past its starting temperature in 3 minutes, and the Original was back to 585.
| Time | Original steel, convection (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel, convection (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door open, start | 573.1 | 557.8 | 560.2 | 560.1 |
| Open 30 sec | 530.3 | 411.0 | 470.5 | 397.0 |
| Open 60 sec | 465.6 | 378.0 | 453.4 | 366.0 |
| Closed 10 sec | 545.6 | 445.4 | 535.1 | 447.8 |
| Closed 30 sec | 547.9 | 489.4 | 539.1 | 488.0 |
| Closed 1 min | 545.5 | 507.9 | 539.7 | 499.0 |
| Closed 2 min | 541.9 | 513.3 | 539.7 | 507.9 |
| Closed 3 min | 539.2 | 516.8 | 539.1 | 515.4 |
| Closed 4 min | 537.9 | 518.6 | 539.0 | 511.6 |
| Closed 5 min | 538.1 | 521.0 | 538.9 | 521.9 |
Broiler. No difference at the top end. The broiler took both steels to about 700 either way.
| Broiler time | Original steel, convection (°F) | Original air (°F) | MC steel, convection (°F) | MC air (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 538.1 | 521.0 | 538.9 | 521.9 |
| 30 sec | 563.8 | 538.6 | 570.9 | 534.4 |
| 1 min | 594.3 | 559.0 | 602.5 | 561.2 |
| 1 min 30 sec | 616.5 | 583.8 | 629.4 | 585.4 |
| 2 min | 636.6 | 601.6 | 648.9 | 601.2 |
| 2 min 30 sec | 653.5 | 621.7 | 665.6 | 610.0 |
| 3 min | 670.8 | 629.9 | 678.9 | 630.3 |
| 3 min 30 sec | 686.6 | 642.8 | 690.9 | 646.6 |
| 4 min | 701.3 | 634.4 | 667.8 | 638.5 |
My take. I've used convection for multiple pizzas for years. It works. Bake is better. It sends the bottom element's heat straight into the steel and brings the temperature back between pies. For pizza night, I'm keeping it on bake and letting the broiler handle the top.
I've taught convection for pizza night for over 10 years. It's in my class notes, my brochure and posts on this site. Now I've got some rewriting to do. That's the point of testing. Convection still works. I just found a better way.
What's next
This page keeps growing. Same test, same method, more steels and more ovens. Next up, the same MC once it darkens with use, then the Pro and a gas oven. Then pizza on the steel. That's where it really gets interesting.
Last updated: October 21, 2026
FAQ
How long should I preheat a pizza steel?
In my 550°F electric oven test, 45 minutes for the Original (1/4"). The thicker MC Edition (3/8") needed the full 60, crossing 550°F at about 48 minutes. I recommend 60 minutes as the rule for any steel and any oven.
Does a thicker pizza steel take longer to preheat?
Yes. In the same oven, the Original (1/4") crossed 550°F at about 30 minutes. The MC Edition (3/8") took about 48 minutes.
Should I use convection to preheat a pizza steel?
Regular bake is better. In my tests, both steels reached launch temperature within an hour on convection, but after the door opened they stalled around 540°F. On bake they climbed right back. For more than one pizza, use bake.
How hot does a pizza steel get in a 550°F oven?
In my test, the Original hit 597°F after an hour. That's 47 degrees above the oven setting. The thicker MC Edition reached 574°F at an hour and was still climbing.
Can a pizza steel get hotter than the oven?
Yes. The oven's thermostat controls the air, but the heating element sends heat straight into the steel. In my test the air topped out around 569°F and the steel reached 597°F.
Is my pizza steel ready when the oven beeps?
Depends on the steel. On the Original (1/4"), yes: it was at 566°F at the beep. On the thicker MC Edition (3/8"), no: it was at 531°F at the beep and needed about 13 more minutes to reach 550°F.
How much heat do you lose opening the oven door?
With the door open for one minute, the Original's surface dropped from 597°F to 513°F and the air dropped from 569°F to 401°F. Ten seconds after closing the door, the steel was back to 550°F. The thicker MC Edition was back over 550°F within 30 seconds.
How hot can the broiler get a pizza steel?
Both the Original and the MC Edition passed 700°F in under three minutes, then the broiler started cycling. The Original held around 708°F. The MC peaked at 702°F.
About the author
Andris Lagsdin invented the Baking Steel in 2012, after reading in the Wall Street Journal that steel conducts heat better than stone and grabbing a plate off the floor of his family's steel shop. He launched it on Kickstarter that August, Kenji Lopez-Alt tested it for Serious Eats saying it beat his favorite pizza stone, and over 200,000 home cooks have one today.
Every Baking Steel is still made at Stoughton Steel Company in Hanover, Massachusetts, the shop his father started in the 1970s. Before Baking Steel, Andris cooked under Todd English and spent fifteen years in the family steel business. He is the co-author of Baking with Steel with Jessie Oleson Moore.
He teaches free online pizza classes every month and makes pizza almost every day.
In 2026 he launched the 72-Hour Pizza Dough Mix, the same recipe he has been teaching for over a decade, now in a bag. Just add water.