Buying a pizza oven might be a pretty costly purchase. Starting at roughly $150 and reaching up to $1,500, the ordinary at-home pizza oven should create restaurant-quality pies in order to justify such an investment. There's a lot of alternatives out there, so we tested out a few popular models to find what ovens are worth the investment and which fall short. We'll also dive into what to look for when looking for a pizza oven and include our top recommendations on getting the finest pie, but here's a preview peek at our favorites:
What to Look for in a Pizza Oven
Fuel Type
There are two basic fuel types for at-home pizza ovens: gas (via a natural gas line or petroleum hook-up) and wood. Many models have the ability to update or purchase separate accessories so your oven can be both gas and wood-burning, and both fuel sources have their merits and cons.
Wood-burned pizza provides the most authentic, wonderful flavour. Similar to barbecuing over charcoal vs. gas, it's hard to top the taste of a pie that comes from a wood-burning pizza oven. The downside?
Wood-burning pizza ovens are much more of a headache. You'll most certainly need some form of starter to get your fire going, and wood-burning ovens take longer to heat up. Wood-burning pizza ovens are also likely to emit more smoke than a gas-fueled oven and require more cleanup due to ash.
Gas-fired pizza ovens are easy to use and heat up faster than their wood-burning equivalents. They're also a breeze to clean. You'll normally just need to scrape out the charred parts leftover from the pizza in a gas-fueled pizza oven.
Portability
Are you intending on leaving your pizza oven stationary on your patio or deck or do you want to carry it on vacation, camping, or store it away easily when not in use? If you want to take your pizza oven on the move, then seek for one that's not only lightweight but also has numerous fuel capacities and is compact. Folding legs and chimneys make traveling with a pizza oven easier.
Temperature Range
To acquire the kind of pizza you'd expect at a restaurant, you'll want an oven that can reach 800-900ºF or more. These temperatures immediately singe the outside edges of the crust and melt the cheese while leaving a fluffy bread base. Ovens that can't achieve temperatures so high can still bake nice pizza, but it won't be the top-notch quality you may be looking for.
Durability
You're investing a significant chunk of money into this pizza oven, so you obviously want one that will last. Most of the pizza ovens we've listed on this list are made of robust stainless steel so you can expect them to last you years to come, but many also come with 1 year-lifetime guarantees for extra assurance.
How to Make the Best Pie
Perfecting your pizza can require a bit of trial and error, but there are three surefire strategies to produce the greatest pie possible:
Always allow your oven to heat longer on the first use. There can be residue lingering from machines on the interior of the oven, therefore it's best practice to allow the oven 20-30 minutes of extra burn time to make sure everything is singed off.
Assemble your pizza on the paddle. This is the quickest method to pop it immediately into the oven without risking getting your hands too close to the open (and very hot) flame.
Cornmeal is your best friend. Dough is, of course, very sticky, so dust the pizza paddle thoroughly with cornmeal before placing the dough on top to make sure it slips easily into the oven.
Turn your pie consistently while cooking. At 800-900ºF, these pizza ovens cook really rapidly, so you'll want to have a long-handled turner ready to go immediately. Give your pizza 10-15 seconds for the bottom of the dough to cook and loosen up from the stone and then start flipping the pie.
Use new dough. Make your own if you can (it's so easy!) or ask if your local grocer prepares some fresh. This is not the time and place for canned dough.
Never take your eyes off the pie. Like we mentioned, these pizzas cook fast. We're talking cook times of 60-90 seconds for most of these ovens. So, always have an eye on your pie to make sure it doesn't burn.
Why Trust Us?
We put each and every one of these pizza ovens through rigorous testing by numerous members of the DeliverIt team to guarantee that they are top-quality and make the restaurant-quality pies we expect.
If any goods didn't match our high requirements, you won't find it here.
1. ROCCBOX by Gozney
The Gozney ROCCBOX requires no assembly and weighs less than 45 pounds. It is designed to be transported wherever pies are desired. Each model comes complete with a gas burner, but you may purchase a wood burner attachment if you like.
The ROCCBOX is one of the most user-friendly pizza ovens on our list, particularly if you use the regular gas attachment. After connecting it to a propane tank, allow it to heat for 20 to 30 minutes before placing your pizza on it (as always, we recommend preheating for a bit longer). Standard for a typical pizza oven, pies cook in approximately 60 to 90 seconds. The hole is just large enough to accommodate a single regular pie, yet you can continually insert and remove pies without losing heat.
Additionally, this pizza oven was built to last. The stainless steel oven has a silicone outer coating, making it safe to touch when in use. It has a sleek silhouette and is available in olive and gray hues.
As the ROCCBOX reaches such high temperatures, it is rather simple to clean. If you use a gas burner, all you'll have to worry about are the charred remnants of the pizza, which should be easily removed with a grill brush.
Buy: ROCCBOX by Gozney
2. Ooni Karu 12
Similar to the Gozney model, the Ooni Karu requires no assembly and is ready to use out of the box. We evaluated both the conventional wood-burning type and the gas connection.
As with any wood/gas pizza oven, using the gas adapter made the entire process faster and simpler. It will be necessary to utilize small wood chips, necessitating a great deal of chopping or purchasing separately. With the gas attachment, the oven heats up in around 10 to 12 minutes, but it takes about 15 to 20 minutes when using only wood. If you decide to purchase the gas attachment, it is really simple to install and works like a charm, gently singing the pie's edges as you would expect in a restaurant.
The Karu's stainless steel housing allows it to complement virtually any outdoor décor style. Senior Food Editor Chris Michel remarked, "I can picture myself using it for years, and it will just continue to look better as time passes."
Cleanability and portability are the only two flaws we discovered with the Karu. Invest in a grill brush with a long handle in order to thoroughly clean the pizza oven's every nook and cranny. Moreover, while weighing less than 30 pounds, the Karu is surprisingly tough to pack. The legs and chimney fold down, however it is cumbersome and the doors do not latch, so they must be transported individually.
Buy: Ooni Karu 12
3. ALFA Nano Pizza Oven
The Italian-made ALFA Nano is perhaps the closest you'll get to restaurant-quality pies, but it comes at a cost. This is an extremely durable pizza oven. As a pizza oven should be, it is quite uncomplicated and easy to use, but it is somewhat huge. This is not the oven you should transport to the lake and beach on vacation. This is the pizza oven you should have in your outdoor kitchen to bake pies for tailgate parties and backyard gatherings.
The wood-burning Alfa Nano is simple to ignite. Create a small bed of tinder and add kindling or a food-safe fire starter. We set the fire in the middle of the oven and then shifted it to the side just before placing the pizza inside to ensure that the oven heated evenly and that the pizza's crust would be crisp. Keep a close eye on your pizza once you've placed it in the oven, since it only takes approximately 90 seconds to fully cook.
The only big issue we have with the ALFA Nano is not even with the oven itself, but with the base installation. Our tester was able to construct the product in about an hour despite the poor instructions and the difficulty of the task.
Buy: ALFA Nano Pizza Oven
4. Cuisinart 3-in-1 Pizza Oven
It is difficult to beat a pizza oven that serves as both a grill and a griddle. The Cuisinart 3-in-1 is an excellent investment for individuals who want to get the most out of their kitchen appliances, whether for space or efficiency.
And, if we do say so ourselves, it creates an exceptionally tasty pizza. With a temperature of up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, you'll have a more crispier crust than with your oven and a pie more like to what you'd find in a restaurant.
In addition, this pizza oven could not be easier to operate. It is ignited similarly to a grill and takes approximately 15 minutes to completely heat. It takes somewhat longer to cook than the majority of the other pies we tried, between 6 and 8 minutes.
Assembly is as easy as pie (pun intended). You can assemble this pizza oven by yourself, light it up, and have a fairly nice pie in no time.
Buy: Cuisinart 3-in-1 Pizza Oven
5. KettlePizza
The KettlePizza, which is an attachment for Weber charcoal grills, is the least priced pizza oven on our list. Despite not being a standard pizza oven, the KettlePizza is surprisingly simple to assemble and use, and it creates delicious pizza.
With a cook time of 1-2 minutes, the KettlePizza is not the quickest oven on our list, but it is still very rapid. Our Food and Crafts Director, Charlyne Mattox, recommends starting with a chimney full of coals for optimal results. "Once the coals are hot, place them in the grill and place the KettlePizza, along with the pizza stone, on top; heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, rapidly remove the lid and add a number of pieces of dry, chopped hardwood (cut into 4-inch chunks). At this point, the grill's temperature should rapidly increase. Once the temperature reaches 700°F or above (ours frequently exceeds the maximum range of the thermometer), it is time to begin cooking."
Due to the KettlePizza's one-of-a-kind application, you may choose to watch a few videos for tips and techniques from others, in addition to following our top recommendations stated in the introduction.
Buy: KettlePizza
6. BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pizza Ovens
Here is my pre-grill evaluation. I am satisfied up till now. I appreciate the weight of the stainless steel and the craftsmanship. The chimney stack and legs detach and fold for storage or transit convenience. I anticipate many years of use based on the design quality alone.
I must say that I am shocked by this item's inexpensive pricing, given that its competitors are three to four times as expensive. We'll see how I feel following the initial use.
I continue to believe that this is a bargain. I believe expertise and practice are necessary to maintain a strong and intense flame. I believe the pizzas were cooked more thoroughly when a powerful heat was available. It will certainly cook with just hot pellets and no flame, but I love the experience more when flames are visible at the top of the chimney.
As previously noted, it will take some effort to become accustomed to cooking with a constant flame, but this will come with time.
I was unprepared to cook with homemade dough because I did not anticipate that it would require time to rise. Instead, we utilized a fantastic readymade pie crust. You can purchase readymade thin crust and rising crust in the pasta area of your grocery store.
I hope this evaluation has provided you with some insight.
Buy: BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pizza Ovens
