My countertop convection oven only heats up to 450 deg. Does this stone make a crispy crust at that temp or does it need to go hotter?

I cook at 425 for 25 minutes and the crust is crisp on the bottom. I pile so must stuff on a piece it is about 2 thick and it works for me.

Why the reviewers complain about the chemical smell? It's obviously a fake tile. What is it made of? Does it emmit toxines?

It has not been chemically analyzed by myself. I threw it out. I trust my nose when it comes to most things. If it smells like a super fund disposal site when cooking cinnamon rolls, it goes in the trash bin.

No instructions were included...do you need to season somhow? Or just heat up?

Hello dear customer, all the pizza stone packages should include the instructions. We aplogize for the mistake firstly. We suggest cleaning the stone with water and dry it thoroughly before first use. Below is instruction: How to use my new cordierite pizza stone: Place stone on the lowest rack and pre-heat oven to 500℉/260℃ for 30 min. If using a grill, put the stone in it and pre-heat to the same temperature. When it is time to bake, dust the stone with cornmeal, then use a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal to transfer pizza or other baking food to the stone. Or you can wear mitts to take the hot stone out and put baking food on it, then place them all back in the oven. Clean and care instruction: After using your stone, scrape it to remove the residue. When cooling down, clean it with hot/warm water without detergent. Do not use any detergent because the natural material stone will absorb it and keep the smell. The natural properties of stone will cause it to darken and spot with age - do not attempt to remove the discoloration. Air-dry the stone and store in the oven. Note: This stone is made of natural cordierite with excellent thermal shock resistance, which is the reason why there may be an odor after first use. The non-toxic smell comes from cordierite and will disappear with use. Residues in oven will also create an odor. A clear oven will reduce these smells.