How do you clean Cordierite Stone?

[Jon Solberg]

After 5 years of fairly heavy use my Cordierite stone is a hot mess. I know the stains dont affect the performance but man it sure makes for a nasty instagram pic : )

Anybody ever refinish theirs?

[RonB]

Here is some info for you:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Pizza-Stone

It doesn't say what material though.

[Jon Solberg]

That seems to be my issue Ron, I mean it looks like Cordierite but I cant tell. I'd like to even resurface and see if I can make it good as new but dont want to totally mess it up.

[RonB]

If you have buildup as well as stains, I think I'd take a bench scraper to it for the buildup and not worry about stains. You could also try the paste method, but that's likely to take some time.

[Jon Solberg]

I hear ya on the stains but man it looks bad.

[Willy]

Beyond simple scraping with a putty knife or stiff brush (NO soap or such), cordierite cannot be cleaned. Ugly is part of the deal. You could toss it and buy a new one or convince yourself that the stone has a "lovely patina" that will get even better with age.

[Jon Solberg]

I'm going to try and easy the ugly. I may just need to pick up an IG/blog stand in.

[Willy]

"IG/blog stand in"????

[Jon Solberg]

Instagram and blog posts.

[Nate]

Jon I'm convinced that the stand in option is what all the pros do.

[Jon Solberg]

I concur but it's worth seeking a cure

[RonB]

If you are considering replacing it, you might consider a Baking Steel. I do love mine. And if you make laminated doughs, you can put the steel in the refrigerator and work the dough on it without it warming up. It's also possible to make ice cream in about a minute on the steel. Plus, you can clean the steel with steel wool and reseason. All this info is in the link in more detail.