Pizza Oven Advice

Since moving house recently, our Ooni has been sitting neglected on the patio so been forced to rely on bought pizza which, generally, I dislike. Came across Crosta and Mollica range - for bought pizza, they’re much better than anything else IMO.

Son has a friend stopping Tonight so he chose a local Italian restaurant for takeaway pizza

Absolute shite

One slice rest is going in the bin

After a long time on the fence I am going to pull the trigger on an Ooni and come down the pizza making rabbit hole.

My question is - how often do Lakeland run the 20% off deals? I am willing to wait to save a little extra over the 10% discount I can get direct from Ooni.

Ando fairly regularly. The codes are often posted on the Ooni UK Facebook group. If I get a voucher, I can send it to you.

Emc2 That would be magic, thanks. I sacked social media a few years ago so miss out on stuff like that

Emc2 Managed to source 15% discount so trigger has been pulled.

Late comer to this discussion. I built an oven about 15 years ago and while I love it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the small gas or pellet options. I’ve used them at friends’ places and they certainly have aspects that improve upon the “real” thing. Quicker heat up time, easier to control temperature and less environmental impact to name a couple advantages. I’ve also never understood the debate about the flavor of wood smoke in a large pizza oven. The temperatures are too hot for aromatic smoke, not to mention the height of a dome generally eliminates smoke reaching anything on the oven floor.

Of course, a big oven is great for feeding crowds and it’s much easier to roast a whole chicken, make a large dessert or overnight a pot of Italian beans.

Bought a gas burner for my Ooni Pro. It’s convenient to use if you’re baking back to back but it doesn’t get as hot as using wood.

Systemic

That’s surprising. I would think that’s more of an insulation issue than a fuel issue, but they’re both variables on the same side of the equation. Are the gas burners really small?

The advantage (and disadvantage) of a big brick oven is that the amount of insulated mass retains heat really well. Takes forever to heat up though. I plan on 2 hours of lead time before cooking in my oven, but it will still be warm the next day.

If I had the money I’d get the best of both worlds and get the Gozney Dome - big enough to bake bread or a roast chicken but small enough to heat quickly. Looks cute like a baby full size Gozney too 😂

My friend also had the same issue with the gas burner on his Rocbox not getting up to as high temperatures. Having said that, having used his Rocbox I now prefer a slightly lower temperature to bake at.

I just cooked a pizza from scratch for the first time in my oven (290C). Fantastic.

The pizza dough was so much easier to do than I expected. Just throw it in a bowl, mix and let sit for 12+ hours.

Has anyone tried both the Ooni Koda 16 and 12?

I’ve had enough of faffing with the Fyra I have.

Amazing pizza under the perfect conditions but can be frustrating to keep it burning consistently, especially in any kind of wind.

So I’m going to buy a Koda and use gas. I’m not hugely fussed about the larger deck for bigger pizza but I notice the 16 has an L shaped burner vs a straight single burner on the 12. What I’m wondering is whether this benefits the cooking at all, other than making it quicker?

The trade-off is that it’s quite a bit larger (obviously) and I’ll probably be storing it indoors so the 12 will be much easier to store.

dutchy101

Thanks yeah definitely leaning towards the 16. Do you leave yours outside or pack it away?

dutchy101

Nice yeah I had the cover for the Fyra.

I think I’ll go with the 16, I’ll regret it if I get the 12 I reckon.

I won a 12″ Gozney Roccbox from Rave Coffee in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday raffles this year. Always wanted one. It’s not really the right weather, so I haven’t yet sorted it out. I’m going to need a garden table of some sort.

What are people doing about the gas cylinders? Any recommendations?

I use gas and wood with my Ooni. Gas is easier if cooking several pizzas back to back. Downside for gas is oven doesn’t get as hot as when using wood so pizzas take bit longer to cook.

Reviving this thread to ask if anyone’s used the Gozney ovens?

I’ve had enough of the Ooni. It’s great when the stars align, but too many times now it’s blown out in the slightest breeze.

I’m tempted by the Arc XL. Mainly for the size and side burner as I’ve launched the pizza into the burner a couple of times on the Ooni.

I know the Roccbox gets a great write up but I’m wondering if anyone’s used one of their dome style ones.

dutchy101

Yeah mine is the gas one. I used to have the Fyra which was pretty good but wanted gas for the ease of starting / holding temp etc.

Our Koda seems to go out regularly if there’s a bit of breeze.

I’d guess the Karu is much better with the door on the front.

Admittedly there is a part of me just looking for excuses to get the Arc XL…

HarveyMushman Reviving this thread to ask if anyone’s used the Gozney ovens?

If I was going for gas only option, would go for the Arc. There’s a guy on Youtube who has a pizza van and uses a couple of Arcs. Think the Arc achieves higher temp than the Ooni if that’s a deal breaker.

Systemic

Thanks, good to hear.

I definitely found the Ooni (both wood and gas) goes high enough for a Neapolitan pizza but one perk of gas is that lately we’ve been trying more NY and New Haven style pizzas at a slightly lower temp.

Never found I could get my Ooni Pro temp as high as wood when using the gas burner. No big deal - pizzas took maybe 30-40 secs longer to cook. With the Karu 16, only used gas so far - temps similar to the Pro. Beauty of gas is you can turn out pizzas back to back as long as you want without having to build up the wood fire to get to the temp you want.

I like the way the Gozney gas burner works - the way the flame rolls across the top of the oven - seems more aggressive than the Ooni.

Systemic

Yeah I’m a bit torn between the Karu and the Arc XL.

There’s a chance the Arc will be as affected by the wind given the large opening whereas at least the Karu has a door. I suppose the burner being on the side may help a bit as the wind can’t really blow straight into it.

I might see if there’s a shop nearby to see it in person. If I get the Arc then I’d be looking at the table and cover too so the price difference becomes pretty significant.

Im looking at these two also:

Raja123

Timely video! Thanks for posting.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/shopping/gozney-arc-pizza-oven

https://www.homesandgardens.com/shopping/ooni-karu-16-pizza-oven-deal

In depth reviews of both ovens

Now I’m weighing up just getting the Dome.

By the time you price up the Arc XL, and the cover and table, it’s not a million miles off…

Actually the Dome is way more expensive than I remembered.

There’s this though! Side burners and huge cooking area:

https://uk.ooni.com/collections/gas-ovens/products/ooni-koda-2-max

Keep your eye for discounts. Got my Karu with 20% off. With gas, you can churn out pizzas back to back with ease. I made five 16 inch couple of nights ago.

I am the lone voice for the Ooni volt 12, but I will keep banging that drum and even louder when it is freezing cold and peeing it down outside, and I am enjoying my freshly home cooked in 90 to 120 seconds Neapolitan Pizza. 😉

Wimp😀