Floor prep?

[wlively]

I have question that just popped into my head. My std oven pizza stone I have used over the years has a very nice oil "coating" that has built up over use and makes it very non-stick and easy to clean. Got me wondering about the oven floor. Has anyone ever lightly brushed their oven floor with olive oil and "baked it in" ?

Should I just let it happen over time naturally?

[james]

Hey Wade,
Your oven is too hot. Everything just burns off -- every time. I love this part. Your brick oven cooks hotter than the self-clean cycle in your regular oven.

I've put a pizza stone through the self-clean cycle, and it burns everything off there as well.

James

[jjerrier]

I was speaking with Salvatore Olivella of Olivella's in Dallas yesterday. In addition to his little restaurant, he has a consulting company that builds ovens. He was telling me about a few things he does...

- for 2 days in a row, when the oven is not hot, he brushes extra virgin olive oil into the oven floor.

- after cooking pizzas and the wood has burned down to ashes, he spreads the hot ashes over the whole floor and then throws some salt on them. The next day, he cleans out the ashes.

Thought it was interesting...

[james]

Tell us more. What do you think that does for the cooking floor?
James

[Chris]

The only time I ever had anything stick is when I tried to turn an 18-inch pizza before the crust was set. It ripped in half, and cheese was stuck to the floor as I flipped it upside down trying to get it out.

I gave up, raked a bunch of coals over the mess, waited five minutes, brushed them away, and presto! A nice clean floor!

Another handy fire tip:
If the flames have died down and it's too dark inside the oven, and you want to see how the pizza is cooking, throw a small handful of semolina onto the coals. It will ignite in a blazing fireball, allowing you to see your food better!

[RTflorida]

I like that, a blazing fireball. Could have used that trick on Saturday night when I attempted my first after dark cooking experience. Flashlight worked, but a blazing fireball would have been a nice effect.

RT