I had always kept the stone on the first shelf in the oven but when I
spoke to Mike Colameco on Food Talk (WOR-NY), he said to put it
directly on the bottom of the oven, if you have a gas oven. He said
that it is the best substitute for a real pizza oven and to put the
oven up as high as you can.
I was having a lot of trouble with the dough as it was puffing up
while it baked and I wanted it to come out as thin as possible (NY
Style). He said that if the heat is on really high, you put the pizza
stone on the very bottom and let it preheat for a long time (1/2 -
3/4 hour), and put the dough directly on it, that it won't puff up as
it will be in the oven a very short time and will get crisp on the
bottom. I tried it and it worked quite well.
I find that if you pre-bake the crust, then put on the toppings and
cheese, that the pizza comes out closer to NY style - thin and crisp
and the cheese is totally bubbly!
I have made 3 pizzas since my talk with Mike and each one came out
closer and closer to the real thing. I'd stick with putting it on the
very bottom *unless you have an electric oven.
RisaG