Cooking pizza is a social art; nothing makes a better entertainment centerpiece than the perfect oven.
When shopping for a pizza oven, there’s a lot you have to consider, from price and type to brands and accessories.
This article goes over six essential things you should know before purchasing a pizza oven to help you determine if this is the ideal outdoor cooking experience for you.
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Contents
Pizza Oven Varieties
Unfortunately, a pizza oven isn’t just a pizza oven — there are many types to choose from, and the best one for you depends on your preference. The basic options are:
- Portable pizza ovens: This is the most popular type of pizza oven, with the top brand being the Ooni Pizza Oven from Botanex. You can use this oven in your garden or when you’re out and about. These ovens typically come with a carrying case. Wood, charcoal, and gas-fired options are available, and they can cook pizza in as little as two minutes.
- Barbeque pizza ovens: These are simple pizza ovens that are usually placed on top of the barbeque and use the heat below it to heat up. You’ll have to check your grill dimensions to ensure you can fit one. These ovens cook pizza longer than any other type.
- Free-standing pizza ovens: If you’re an enthusiast happy to have an oven take up ample space in your garden, this is the ideal oven for you. Most are charcoal or wood-fired; therefore, skill and patience are required to reach and maintain a constant cooking temperature.
2. Pizza Oven Pricing
The cost of pizza ovens differs greatly depending on the size and type; they can go for as low as $50 or as high as $300.
Most portable pizza ovens usually cost between $200 and $300. Barbeque pizza ovens are the cheapest and available for less than $100.
Free-standing pizza ovens are the most expensive as they are often custom-made to fit your yard and offer the ideal amount of insulation, cooking space, and ventilation.
Be wary of going for cheap brands since they usually have bad reviews.
3. Fuel
Before purchasing an outdoor pizza oven, you must know what type of fuel they use. There are three types: wood, electric, and gas-fired ovens.
The kind of fuel readily available will determine what kind of oven you prefer.
It’s essential to note that controlling temperature with wood-fired ovens isn’t easy; however, people prefer these ovens since they give pizza a distinct flavor.
Temperature control is easy with electric ovens, producing evenly cooked pizza.
Gas-fired ovens are also easy to regulate as all you have to do is adjust the flame.
Remember that the gas and electric-fired ovens are more eco-friendly as they don’t produce soot.
4. Pizza Oven Style or Aesthetics
Before buying it, you should consider the oven’s general aesthetic and how it’ll fit into your outdoor space.
A permanent brick pizza oven will easily blend with a traditional brick house.
On the other hand, a stainless steel oven will blend well with a more minimalist, modern, or chic house since it looks simple and polished.
Select the oven based on your style. However, remember the first rule of design: form follows function.
Therefore, ensure the pizza oven you go for doesn’t only meet the aesthetics but also your cooking needs.
5. Ease of Operation
This is an essential factor since different types of ovens require different levels of operation when in use.
For example, with a wood-fired oven, you’ll have to constantly add some wood and remove some to control the temperature, and even then, you can’t be sure if it’s well regulated. You have to give it all your attention once you start cooking.
On the other hand, with a gas oven, all you have to do is regulate the flame.
Therefore, you don’t have to invest all your time in it once you start cooking; this is also true for electric ovens.
6. Space and Oven Size
If you’re considering installing an outdoor oven, you’ll want to purchase an oven that is proportional to the available space.
This way, the oven will fit comfortably and give you adequate space to move around when cooking.
The oven capacity is also something that you should factor in.
If the pizza oven is for commercial purposes, you’ll need an oven that cooks many pizzas at once, while for an at-home oven for entertaining guests, it’ll suffice if it can cook one pizza.
Additionally, if you want to purchase a wood-fired pizza oven, you have to consider the available chimney space in your kitchen, as wood emits smoke when it’s burnt.
Bottom Line
When purchasing a pizza oven for your home, doing your due diligence is often the key to finding the ideal pizza oven that best suits your needs.
There are several brands of indoor and outdoor pizza ovens to choose from. Therefore, you have to be clear about what you want.
This will simplify the process of purchasing a pizza oven.