Fredericka,
About your baking stone. After years of baking, I eventually got a baking
stone. I keep my stone on the bottom rack all the time. I have used mine
in an electric on the bottom rack only spraying the oven with water, not
preheating a pan on the bottom of the oven with pretty good results. I
have also used a preheated pan on the bottom of a gas oven, adding water
prior to baking but haven't really noticed much difference between that and
spraying water so I usually spray.
If you are going to cook pizza on the stone, the recipes that I use call
for the oven to be heated to 500 F. It does take a while for the stone to
heat up. Try 30 minutes and see how it works. I haven't baked frozen
pizza on the stone, but I would heat the oven to the directions per the
package and bake the frozen pizza right on the stone. The stone does take
time to heat up so you will have to preheat longer. I don't know if an
hour is really necessary. I have preheated 30 - 45 minutes with good
results of baking pizza and bread. All ovens are different, you should just
experiment. I have also baked free standing round breads on a sheet pan
directly on the stone with good results.
I leave my stone in the oven all the time. I think it helps the oven
maintain consistant oven temperature and I have noticed better results when
roasting meats. Good luck.
Mary Stackhouse