How much of an improvement is it? I was considering getting "the original baking steel" for crispier crusts but wasn't sure if it was worth ~$80 for a hunk of metal. Is it significantly crispier crust than a regular old oven rack (which really isn't very crispy at all)?
yes, it retains way more heat than your oven rack or a typical sheet pan. The real question is how much better is it than a ceramic pizza stone? Better, but probably not a huge amount better.
