“An essential for the home baker. My loaves improved greatly using this little gadget. Just recently I forgot to fill it and got a blow out on my loaf! It is tiny, but it gives exactly the right amount of steam needed and you don’t need to remove it mid-bake like with most other methods, reducing also the risk of getting scalded. This little dish lives permanently in my oven and I wouldn’t be without it.”
“Decently made product but it's way too small. I expect the makers know that and just want to sell this before the inevitable "XL" version is released. As the other reviewer said stick to a pan of lava rocks.”
“I have used this product a few times now and it has actually made a noticeable difference to the crust of my bread. It is simple to use and has clear instructions to follow. It does make a difference what temperature water you use to fill the “brick” just before you put your bread in the oven; the warmer the water the sooner the steam is released. If you can run your oven without the fan element on, this will give you the best results. I place the brick on the floor of my oven and it gets nice and hot there and you will need to leave it in place to cool down, which takes quite a while. Using something like an old HP sauce bottle to pour the water in makes that part of the job much easier too. I think the steam lasts for about 5 minutes or so and I can’t help thinking a slightly larger “brick” might be useful so that the steam could be retained for a little longer. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase.”
“Possibly an expensive gimmick. Bought for use in a new 90cm Gaggenau oven. I normally use a tray of lava rock as this absorbs the water and releases the steam very efficiently. Thought that this would work better and take up less room. However when it arrived today it’s really tiny and the reservoir is only 80ml. Also it says only heat oven to 230-250°C. I often start bakes at 280-300°C - not sure whether it designed for that temperature. I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve tried it but I suspect I’ll go back to using lava rock.”
