Ok, what's the verdict on using pizza stones?
In a multi-purpose electrical kitchen oven, sure.
In a hotter, dedicated gas pizza oven such as a Ooni or Roccbox, the supplied ceramic stone works perfectly, and a steel would cook too fast.
Now we use the steel only in the oven, which gets up to about 525-550F, and our outdoor Ooni.
Should I read that as "we use the steel only in (the oven, and our outdoor Ooni)" or "we use (the steel only in the oven), and our outdoor Ooni".
If it's the former, then why, and how?
If the latter, have you considered using a semicolon as high-precedence comma, e.g. "Now we use the steel only in the oven, which gets up to about 525-550F; and our outdoor Ooni."
When the tiles finally crumble to bits, if I don't find identical replacements, I'll probably get a piece of steel. I wonder how aluminum would work... I sometimes see pieces of it in the scrap bin, with small holes drilled and tapped, but I don't think that would adversely affect pizza.
I've read a lot about pizza making, and have satisfied myself that the home cook needs to give themselves some leeway as to how "authentic" or "particular" they want to be about it. Depending on where you live, it might be better than commercial pizza by default. You can make it as heavy or light on cheese as you want, and maybe not feel bad about having it more often. You can surround it with salad, wine, and the company of your fellow humans. As one who really doesn't enjoy restaurants at all, the home cooking experience is just better.
Similar dough and process leads to nice foccacia and bread sticks.
And, how would Italy have risen to greatness as a nation if there was no margin of error on making pizza at home?
Experiment and enjoy!
I bought a similar piece of 6 mm. steel slab at an online shop (in NL, Misen doesn’t ship to here).
Home pizzas are also better made slightly thicker with a little bit of oil in the dough like pizzerias with deck ovens do, the super thin Neapolitan style pizza with leopard spots are tricky even with a proper oven.
I do strongly recommend the cast iron technique for beginners, though, since it requires no special equipment at all—otherwise, you'll want a stone, and you're probably gonna have a really bad time unless you also get a peel, since transferring off the stone to e.g. a cutting board when the pie's done isn't bad, but transferring onto the stone without a peel makes the single trickiest part of pizza-baking even trickier. Cast iron technique skips all that, you just need a pan, great way few newbies to convince themselves they can make passable pizza at home, before investing any money in it.
One trick I use is that I hit the top with an electric heat gun or propane torch, just a little, while I'm waiting for the oil (you oil the pan) to start sizzling so I can transfer it to the oven. Only needs a smidge of broiling at the end, that way, less risk of getting distracted and burning it. But that's optional.
I've been happy with mine.
Cast iron also works better than stones I found.
It took some skill to bake pizza consistently in those, and also not get burned. That is why they were replaced by the conveyor ovens, which any idiot can use but which also produce an inferior pie.
In my case, a Gas-fired Ooni that reaches 500C / 930F at the back, and comes with a ceramic "stone"- As does the roccbox.
Having a pizza oven changed the game.