I've used several pizza stones in the past that were extremely inconvenient, and in my opinion, not very hygienic either.  These pizza stones usually consisted of a tan stone with an unfinished surface sitting in a very flimsy wire rack.  What I hated about them was that they were very hard to get in and out of the oven due to the thin wire rack and they were next to impossible to clean adequately.

The grease from the pizza itself always seemed to seep into the unfinished surface and stay there.  No matter how much soap I used or how hard I scrubbed, I could never get this type of pizza stone clean, which was pretty gross.

But everything that I disliked about the pizza stones I've used in the past was changed with the Emile Henry Pizza Stone.  First and foremost, there was no flimsy wire rack, for the handles were built into the stone itself.  Pretty clever!

This pizza stone was manufactured using Emile Henry's proprietary Flame technology and can easily withstand temperatures up to 750 degrees!  This ensures that the Emile Henry pizza stone can not only be used successfully in the oven, but also under the broiler and even on top of your outdoor grill.

Quite possibly my favorite feature of the Emile Henry Pizza Stone is the Flame-top glazed surface, which allows this pizza stone to clean up completely and easily.  Most of the time, all I need to do to clean this stone is squirt a little dish soap on the surface, wipe it down with a soft cloth and rinse.

The glazed surface ensures that none of the pizza's grease seeps into the stone itself and all of the baked on cheese, sauce and other toppings wipe off easily.  If you don't feel like cleaning this pizza stone by hand and would prefer to put it in the dishwasher, that's not a problem either.  This pizza stone is 100% dishwasher safe!  PERFECT!

This Flame-top glazed surface is virtually indestructible, for you can even cut your pizza with a sharp-edged metal pizza cutter right on this pizza stone.  Now, you don't have to dirty up another plate or serving dish once your pizza is cooked.  Just turn this pizza stone into an instant pizza server!

I both prepared a homemade pizza of my own design as well as heated up a piece of delivery pizza using the Emile Henry Pizza Stone and couldn't be happier with the results.  The crust was crispy and well-baked and tasted absolutely delicious!  As a matter of fact, I thought the delivery pizza tasted better on the second day I ate it after heating it up using the Emile Henry Pizza Stone than on the original day it was made.  Now, that's one wonderful pizza stone! 

If you are a serious pizza connoisseur or just enjoy a great slice of delivery pizza now and then, you will absolutely LOVE the Emile Henry Pizza Stone.  It can be used on any cooking surface and is so very easy to clean.  The built-in handles also ensure that you won't accidentally drop this stone or burn yourself either.  I can't say enough great things about this piece of cookware and recommend it highly either for yourself or as the perfect Christmas gift!