Pizzas are a beloved meal for all the family. Yes, it's great to order a pizza in, but making your own is really easy and gets the whole family involved.
Cooking a pizza in a typical kitchen oven doesn't give you the classic taste or texture from a pizza oven.
Therefore, to improve your home pizza’s it may be time to think about purchasing a pizza oven.
There are a few things you need to consider when purchasing a pizza oven, such as the space available, cooking style and the budget you have. We have got all that covered, so you don’t need to worry about anything.
In this article, we have provided you with everything you need to know about buying a pizza oven.
In a pizza oven, you are using three different types of heat at the same time. This involves using convection, conduction and radiant heat.
Although, there are certain types of pizza ovens that are much better at using these three heat sources more efficiently than others.
The fire in the pizza oven produces radiant heat. This heat is also produced by the floor of the oven and the dome as well. You could compare radiant heat to the heat that is produced from an oven broiler.
Then, we are talking about conduction heat, this is the heat which is transferred between any substances that have direct contact with one another.
For example, conduction heat happens, when the hot floor of the pizza oven makes contact with the bottom of your cast iron skillet or pizza itself.
Finally, there is convection heat, which is due to the air which is circulating around the dome in the pizza oven.
This air then passes over your food, to help it cook. A lot of people like to control convection heat, by either opening or closing the door to the pizza oven.
A lot of people would like a wood fired pizza oven, yet they aren’t sure what they need to look out for. There are a couple of key things to consider when it comes to a wood fired pizza oven.
The first thing to think about is the quality of the oven and the insulation. The insulation is really important, as you need your oven to be able to retain its heat as much as possible.
This way, it will ensure that your pizza cooks as evenly as possible. Then you need to think about the size of the pizza oven that you want.
You want an oven that is big enough to accommodate all sizes of pizzas that you plan on making. You don’t want to limit the size of the pizzas that you want to be making.
The final consideration is all about the construction. As we mentioned above, you want to use high quality materials, so that you can rely upon your oven and believe that it will last and retain the heat.
Thus, using high quality materials will ensure that your pizza oven will last you years. This is also important because wood fired pizza ovens aren’t always that cheap.
The price of a wood fired pizza oven can vary depending on the features the oven has and the type of oven you have chosen. Although, prices can range between $1,000 to $5,000.
What you can cook in your pizza oven depends on the type of oven that you have hot. Now that we have a clearer understanding of how pizza ovens work.
We look at some of the most popular types of pizza ovens that are out there on the market for you to choose from
There are various different types of pizza ovens out there, made from aluminum or bricks. These are great additions to any backyard, but the different styles can affect what you can cook in the oven.
With a brick oven, this is one of the most iconic pizza ovens. A refractory oven is often built from stone or bricks that have a domed roof. This domed roof allows the oven to retain as much heat as possible.
Customers of pizza ovens love brick ovens as they are known to be able to produce high quality pizza due to their ability to be able to distribute the heat efficiently.
Another advantage of a brick oven is that they can retain their heat for long periods of time. Thus, they can create and maintain radiant heat much better.
Once a brick oven has been heated to a particular temperature, they can then hold onto that temperature and heat for hours.
Although bricks are known to absorb heat, a brick pizza oven can take a lot of time to get to the desired temperature.
It can take 45 to 1 ½ hours to get your brick oven to the desired cooking temperature. However, this time, you can prepare your food and pizzas, so that they are ready to go in once the oven is preheated.
A metal pizza oven is great when you want things to be cooked as quickly as possible. This is due to these ovens taking much less time to heat up. Thus, the oven is able to reach the ideal temperatures much quicker.
With that being said, metal ovens are known to not be able to retain the heat they create as well as brick ovens. Hence, the temperatures will drop and cool down much faster once the fire begins to die down.
With a metal oven, you can complete various different cooking styles, however, for slow cooking then you will need to maintain the fire a lot more. This is because the temperature doesn't drop too low while cooking.
You should think about how much use you believe your pizza oven will realistically get. If you only plan to use the pizza oven occasionally, then it may be worth spending your money on a cheaper model.
Although, if you plan to use your pizza oven quite regularly, then a high-end model with various additional features may be more suitable for you.
In addition to that, you can purchase pizza ovens in various sizes and configurations. Therefore, you need to select one that has enough cooking space to suit your needs.
For example, for a home pizza oven, you won’t be cooking that many pizzas every hour. Unlike at a traditional pizza company, that could be cooking 30 pizzas every hour.
Thus, for a home pizza oven, you can get away with cooking less pizzas slower, as there isn’t a need for large amounts of pizzas in a short period of time.
The size of the cooking surface in your pizza oven will affect how many pizzas you can cook simultaneously. Typically, people like to cook more than one pizza at the same time, which is possible as long as there's another cooking space.
When making pizzas at home, we generally make 6 to 8 inch pizzas, which cook quickly. So no matter the size of your oven, these pizzas will cook quickly, so the pizzas can keep coming.
If you only want to cook one large pizza or dish at a time, then a smaller oven is a more suitable option for you. It is up to whether you choose metal or brick, but metal will heat up quicker.
A smaller oven will be able to cook 1 to 2 pizzas at a time, or one large pizza. However, if you are always hosting, then a larger oven will be able to cook a lot more at the same time.
It is important to note that a larger pizza oven doesn't sacrifice any quality or cooking time. It just means you can cook a lot more food, at once. Which is ideal for large gatherings or parties.
Thus, the same of your oven, should try to meet the needs you think you will have for it, and the cooking space available.
Take time to think about where you will place your pizza oven. You can place it either inside or outside.
For an indoor pizza oven, there are a couple of things you need to think about. The most important being, is that the pizza oven meets all the requirements and guidelines that make your oven certified following your residential regulations.
If you want your oven indoors, then you need to confirm what requirements the oven needs to have. This is because not all pizza ovens are UL-listed, therefore they don’t pass the inspection.
If your pizza oven doesn't pass the inspection, then have to put your pizza oven outside.
If you want an indoor pizza oven, you aren't limited. There are still plenty of options available to you. Both gas and wood pizza ovens are available. You can have a pizza oven that is built in or one that sits on your countertop.
The main thing to consider is that your indoor pizza oven can actually fit in your home. Otherwise, you will have spent all that money for nothing.
When people think of a pizza oven, your first thought will be an oven that is outside. There is no denying that the majority of pizza ovens are much more suited for outdoor cooking.
A pizza oven is a great addition to any outdoor kitchen or backyard. They are great for someone who enjoys cooking outside, or having BBQs in the summer.
When it comes to an outdoor pizza oven, there are still some important factors to consider. One of these factors that not a lot of people think about is whether the oven will be under a cover.
If the oven is under the cover of a lower structure, then you may want to consider venting the chimney of the oven through the lower structure. Or try angling the chimney out of the covering.
A brick oven, is quite heavy, thus you can’t really move it. However, installing a brick oven also presents its own set of disadvantages, due to their weight.
Although there are many ways to get a brick oven installed, it does depend on the layout of your backyard. In this case, a much more lightweight oven might be more suitable.
It may be something that you have ever considered, but you can get your hands on portable pizza ovens.
Sometimes you may want to take your pizza oven with you, or just want a freestanding oven that can be easily moved around your backyard.
Typically, these ovens are made with stainless steel, as it makes them durable but light in weight. This is so that they can be moved around much more easily.
Although, there are some brands where you can get a brick oven which comes with a cart or stand. Then you can have a portable and powerful brick pizza oven.
When it comes to pizza ovens, there are two different types of fuel that you can use. These are either gas/propane or wood.
For a lot of people, they prefer to have a wood fired oven, because the wood helps to give the food a smoky flavor. This smokey flavor can't be achieved with a gas or propane pizza oven.
A lot of pizza purists will tell you that wood fired pizza ovens are the only way you should be cooking your pizzas, for a more traditional pizza.
However, not everyone likes the taste of a wood fired pizza, so the choice is yours which fuel type you go for.
A wood fired pizza is seen as a classic pizza. A lot of people enjoy using these ovens as they are a fabulous way in achieving a crispy and delicious pizza. However, you can use these ovens to cook a lot more than just pizza.
A wood fired pizza oven can cook pretty anything from meat, vegetables, pastries and bread. The wood that you choose will provide its own unique smoky flavors to your food.
Overall, a wood fired pizza oven can be a fantastic addition to any patio or backyard, as it's easy to use and a lot of fun.
These ovens allow you to experience a really traditional way of cooking, where all your friends and family can help and join in. Alongside that, you don't need any training or experience to use this oven, as it's so simple to use.
It is important to know that when you are using wood as your fuel source, then you need to be aware of how much wood you are adding.
The more wood you can add to your oven, then this will increase the overall temperature of the oven. Thus, when you want the temperature of the oven to drop, you need to stop adding wood to burn.
Also, pellet ovens are similar to wood fired ovens. With a pellet oven, they can remain at a high temperature for a very long time. While also, they require very little maintenance as well.
Sometimes you can’t always cook using wood as a fuel source. In addition to that, in some neighborhoods, indoor wood ovens or burning wood in general may be banned. Thus, the only option you have is a gas fired pizza oven.
It is a common misconception that gas ovens will be much quicker to heat up. Yet this just isn’t true, as wood burns much better and more constantly than gas or propane.
When people say this, what they really mean is that gas ovens are much easier to light.
Also, with a gas oven, you can maintain and control your oven's temperature much more easily. You don’t have to worry about adding extra pieces of wood into the oven to keep the desired temperature.
If you want to maintain a long cooking time due to cooking for a big party or for catering purposes, then gas is the ideal option.
Also, gas ovens will preheat much more quickly. Yet, with smaller gas pizza ovens, as long as they are portable, you can take them anywhere with you even on a camping trip.
While it is easier to buy a pre-made pizza oven, if you have the time you could make your own pizza oven. Building your own pizza oven is a great DIY project that will take you a couple of weeks to complete.
Yet, at the end, you will have a great sense of accomplishment when you see that your hard work will last a lifetime.
Otherwise, building a pizza oven isn’t for everyone, and can be too expensive for some people’s budget. For some people, they just want to start cooking, but others like to take this challenge on.
Building your own pizza oven may sound like a great idea and project to take on. There are a very large variety of DIY Pizza Oven kits for you to choose from. These kits can vary in what they include.
They can come with the forms needed or materials and instructions to help you build your own pizza oven.
You could go completely free, and do it all yourself. However, we would highly recommend using a DIY kit. Otherwise, you could end up wasting money or time on an oven that can’t cook your food properly.
Or the oven isn’t able to reliant the necessary amount of heat that is needed. Then you will have to start again. Therefore, a kit will help make sure that you create a pizza oven that will actually work.
With that being said, by building your own pizza oven, you can mold it to kit in with the aesthetics of your backyard. You can even add your own modifications and features to make it more versatile as well.
The possibilities are endless, also it will help you save your money. This is because DIY kits are generally much cheaper than a pre-fabricated oven.
You may purchase a DIY Kit and decide that you can’t handle the construction by yourself. In this scenario, you may want to consider hiring a contractor to build your pizza oven for you. This will still allow you to finish professionally.
For a lot of people, they want a pizza oven that is ready to be used, so that all their effort and focus can go onto baking the perfect pizza. Therefore, a prefabricated oven is the most suitable choice.
When you buy a prefabricated oven, you will be aware that it will arrive at your home ready to go straight into its new home. With that being said, you may want to think about building around the oven.
This will then give you a much more built in look and aesthetic, while also ensuring that you have a perfect oven within that won't let you down.
Prefabricated ovens are similar to DIY kits, but they involve a lot less effort and much easier to complete.
With a kit, you start with nothing and have to build every last detail yourself. Yet with a prefabricated oven, the oven part is already done.
Which means the difficult part has already been done for you, all you need to do is finish the outside with your material of choice. This then not only saves you time, but also money as well.
With pizza ovens, you should really start out with a budget and keep this in mind when looking around. You should be aware that higher end models have a larger price tag, so will be much more expensive.
Yet they do come with a lot more features like a larger cooking chamber, longer warranty, better insulation and temperature gauges. Thus, they are a great investment, as long as they will get plenty of use.
If your pizza oven isn't going to get a lot of use, then you don’t want to be going for a higher end model, as that doesn't suit your needs. Your needs and what you want this pizza oven for, will help decide and limit your choices.
Many people question whether they really need to buy a pizza oven. No one can answer this question, except yourself. The main thing to do is think about what kind of budget you have available and your needs.
If you want a pizza oven that creates traditional tasting pizzas, then a wood fired or brick oven is the best choice for you. Although if your budget is tight, then a smaller and possibly metal pizza oven may be the more suitable choice for you.
People buy a pizza oven for the great experience and enjoyment it gives you. In addition to that, a pizza oven is a very versatile piece of equipment.
It doesn't just have to be used to cook pizzas, you can cook pretty much anything in them. Thus, these ovens can help you create great outdoor dining experiences with your friends and family.
Remember that when cooking with a wood fired pizza oven, it is quite a healthy way to prepare your food. This is due to the food being cooked at a higher heat for a shorter amount of time.
This then allows your food to lock in any important nutrients. Also, wood gives off a naturally smoky flavor. A pizza oven is also a great reason to celebrate any holiday, birthday or event in your or our friends and families lives.
The truth is that every oven is slightly different. However, there are some general tips to follow when it comes to using a wood fired pizza oven.
The best thing to do is make sure you read the manual that comes with your pizza oven. This way, you will know how to safely use it.
With a wood fired pizza oven, you need to give it time to heat up, before you start cooking.
Also, you aren’t limited to what kinds of wood you can use. Try experimenting with different types of wood to get a flavor that you enjoy.
Using all the information we have given you above, you should now know what kind of pizza oven you are looking for. Whether that is brick or metal, prefabricated or DIY Kit, gas or wood fired.
There are various options for you to choose from, which can make this decision difficult. Therefore, it is best to take your time and do your research.
We hope you have found this article useful. Now that you have all the information that you will need, you can start shopping and looking for your ideal pizza oven for your own home.
Then you can start cooking those pizzas to perfection.
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