The best wood-fired pizza ovens can add home-cooked flair to your life. Transform your home from an ordinary abode into a full-fledged Italian eatery.
While some might say that wood-fired ovens aren’t necessary to cook the best pizza pies, it certainly doesn’t hurt the cause. These ovens let you reach those high temperatures most conventional ovens cannot reach. With your pizza oven, you can achieve a crunchy crust, perfectly cooked toppings, and slightly browned melting cheese.
The best wood-fired pizza ovens also let you add a layer of complexity to your kitchen. Today we’ll review some of the wood-fired ovens on the market that are game changers. Let’s get into what makes certain wood-fired pizza ovens more desirable than others.
What Makes for a Good Pizza Oven?
In our eyes, a quality pizza oven can cook up a pie in just a few minutes. That means it needs to be able to run hot. While most conventional ovens only reach maximum temperatures of around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, this isn’t hot enough if you’re going for a legitimate pizza. Authentic thin-crust pizza needs to be hot and cooked quickly to reach the right pizza dough consistency and the proper cheese stringiness. Plus, toppings need to be cooked thoroughly, especially if you’re going with meat toppings that might’ve been raw before being thrown into the oven.
Quality pizza ovens should also be made with durable materials that can stand the test of time. Materials like tempered glass that won’t crack under high temperatures and carbon steel, which retains high heat extraordinarily well and helps cut down on cooking times. When cooking pizza, your cooking surface needs to be more than piping hot – it should be white hot. That means an oven equipped to handle just about any high temperature you can throw at it – even if it is almost 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Difference Between a Pizza Oven and a Regular Oven
The cooking temperature is the most significant difference between a pizza oven and a conventional oven. While most conventional ovens heat to a few hundred degrees, the best wood-fired pizza ovens reach very high temperatures (above 500 degrees).
The stone-heating surfaces in pizza ovens are excellent conductors of heat, which deliver even heating across a wide surface area. What makes it so perfect for pizza is that the short cooking times will crisp up the crust and pizza dough, giving it that distinctive New York “crunch.” Because the pizza cooks so rapidly, the toppings will retain some moisture and thus not burn.
Pizza ovens can cook more than just pizza. Many chefs prepare steaks, potatoes, naan, and other bread in pizza ovens.
Does the Material of My Pizza Oven Make a Difference?
There are many kinds of pizza ovens around the world made with glass, brick, clay, stainless steel, and other types of materials. The materials used play a vital role in the oven’s overall quality.
The best wood-fired pizza ovens can be built with a variety of materials as long as it’s constructed correctly. Below we review some of the best pizza oven types.
Alfa 4 Pizze Stainless Steel Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
This oven can cook four pizzas at once – in only 90 seconds. That’s a big reason why this oven has a steep price tag. You won’t want to invest in a machine like this unless you’ll be getting plenty of use out of it.
Its stainless steel coating lends an air of professionalism. As a bonus, it has a wooden storage shelf. When it comes to luxurious pizza ovens that will change the way you interact with your food, this is one exciting piece of machinery.
Ooni Fyra 12 Wood-Fired Outdoor Pizza Oven
With a unique design that will fit into any modern decor, the Ooni Fyra 12 is a pizza oven most home cooks yearn to have in their backyard kitchen. This outdoor oven can reach a ridiculous cooking temperature of over 950 degrees Fahrenheit. The Ooni Fyra 12 is made with a carbon steel shell that helps it retain heat and cook your pizza as fast as possible. This oven is affordable and easy to use.
Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven
The Ooni Koda 16 is an oven that delivers wood-fired results using propane gas. This makes this Ooni pizza oven a favorite choice when you just want to keep it simple. It’s intuitive and easy to use, with a user-friendly manual. With its elegant shape and design, it doubles as a bit of an art piece.
Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Outdoor Pizza Oven
If you’re searching for a versatile pizza oven, look no further. This Ooni pizza oven burns wood, charcoal, or gas. The Ooni Karu 16 is a beauty with a mounted viewable thermometer and full-glass oven doors.
Portable Outdoor Roccbox Pizza Oven by Gozney
Portability is a feature that most pizza ovens lack. You can use gas or wood. You can also easily hook up multiple burner attachments. This oven is also coated with a silicone skin that will help reduce the likelihood of cooking accidents or injuries due to excessive heat.
Gozney Dome
If you are willing to pay for a bit of pizza oven luxury, the Gozney Dome is one option. This professional-grade oven burns either wood or gas. It weighs a whopping 128 pounds, so this one is not portable. The Gozney Dome comes with two color options and a five-year warranty. Most people fall in love with it at first sight.
Cuisinart CGG-403 3-in-1 Pizza Oven Plus
While Cuisinart might not be the brand that comes to mind when considering pizza ovens. Their CGG-403 made our list. Cuisinart is well known for producing highly reliable kitchen equipment, and the CGG-403 is an excellent example.
This oven comes with a 13″ pizza stone, a grill, and a griddle. We’re also big fans of the CGG-403 storage shelf, perfect for holding kitchen utensils, spices, ingredients, and more.
Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven
Writing this list without including the Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven would be irresponsible. This portable pizza oven is made of stainless steel. It can reach a max temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit (perfect pizza in minutes). This oven has been optimized to produce an evenly cooked pie on all sides without burning toppings or undercooking crusts – even deep dish styles.
So Many Ovens, So Many Correct Choices
Only you can decide which pizza oven is the right choice for you. There are so many to choose from. We hope our curated list of the best wood-fired pizza ovens helps you narrow down the possibilities.
