Thanks to an outdoor pizza oven, real home-cooked pizza may be enjoyed while eating dinner with loved ones outside. It's a fantastic way to start conversations in your outdoor kitchen during parties and gatherings. However, investing money in an outdoor pizza oven is worth considering carefully.
This article will help you determine the type, size, and fuel for an outdoor pizza oven and learn what accessories you need to create the tastiest pizza in your backyard.
Factors to Consider When Buying an Outdoor Pizza Oven
Types
Many pizza ovens—built-in or movable—can be used outside. The method of cooking pizza in every oven, inside and outside, is the same. Here are the different kinds of pizza ovens you can get outside:
Built-in Outdoor Pizza Oven
Most people see an integrated outdoor pizza oven resembling a brick oven at their favorite Italian restaurant. Either constructed into a wall or table, this outdoor pizza oven features a brick or ceramic exterior. This will stay in your outdoor kitchen for good.
Your backyard's design and available space can influence the features of your built-in pizza oven. While most companies contract out the oven's construction, a built-in pizza oven kit lets you do it yourself and saves space and money.
Countertop Outdoor Pizza Oven
Outside pizzerias and food trucks with tiny kitchens is frequently a pizza oven table. Small in size, they don't take up much space on your desk or table. An already-installed outdoor kitchen can be easily expanded to include a countertop pizza oven, which broadens the menu options considerably.
Freestanding Outdoor Pizza Oven
The most popular and flexible option is a pizza oven that stands alone outside. As the name suggests, freestanding pizza ovens don't need extra help and don't take up any counter space in your kitchen.
Some include wheels and integrated casters that can be fastened to make the pizza oven transportable. This lets you move it around as needed without damaging it. There are also many choices with a shelf below the oven for extra storage.
Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven
A portable model offers all the advantages of the greatest outdoor pizza oven, saving you the hassle of moving it. Chefs and food trucks will love this type of oven. Aside from being easy to move and store, these ovens are lightweight and portable.
They can grill anything from veggies to steaks when speed is of the essence. However, their small size restricts the size of the pies they can produce.
Sizes
Choosing the best dimensions for an outdoor pizza oven, whether built-in or portable, requires balancing space management and output. Here are the sizes and their capacities:
Small
When you don't have a lot of room, a small outdoor pizza oven lets you prepare tasty pizza without giving up other kitchen tools. However, this size group can only hold a certain amount, so if you need to turn things over quickly or have many of them, you might want to go with a bigger one.
Small businesses, caterers, and food trucks are the main users. Styles like countertops and foldables are very popular.
Medium
A medium-sized outdoor pizza oven is an excellent addition to an outdoor kitchen that already exists but doesn't serve pizza as its main dish. This size offers a good balance between room and capacity.
Also, because outdoor pizza ovens are flexible, medium ovens can cook other foods in a pinch during the dinner rush. Restaurants with a large menu, an established outdoor cook, and caterers are the main ones who use it. Countertop and freestanding types are both very popular.
Large
A big outdoor pizza oven puts capacity over the room so that you can bake more than one pizza simultaneously. This size increases your work, but the rest of your menu is limited by the available tools in the remaining room.
Also, big pizza ovens are difficult to store, so if you want to save time and effort, consider getting one built-in or fixed. Large businesses with many customers are the main users. Freestanding and built-in styles are two popular designs.
Extra Large
An extra-large outdoor pizza oven is great for your business if pizza is the main thing you serve and you have enough room for an outdoor kitchen. These stoves can hold much food, so baking goes quickly and easily.
Once the pizza oven is hot enough, the only thing stopping you from making more pizzas is how fast you can prepare them. Large pizzerias with a big outdoor kitchen are the main users. Most built-in pizza ovens are popular designs.
Fuel Types or Source
The pizza's flavor, texture, cleanup, and maintenance depend on the fuel type. Some pizza ovens use multiple fuel types, while others use only one. Here are the most common fuel types:
Charcoal
Charcoal is the best fuel for a smoky flavor, high temperatures, and a crispy top. Still, you'll need to clean out any ash like you would with a wooden thing. These charcoal-fueled models are also great if you have a charcoal grill because you must learn to use one fuel type.
Electric
They are easy to use and great for homes without a natural gas line. An electric model can sit on your kitchen table and is perfect for making personal pizzas with infrared heat. Make sure you know what you're receiving when you purchase yours. While some are designed to be used indoors, others might work better outdoors.
Gas and Propane
The ideal pizza oven for your pizzeria works on gas, simplifying things. Natural gas or propane pizza ovens are simple because they feature dials and switches for power and temperature adjustments.
Also, they don't need much care when baking or cleaning, which makes them great for busy places where pizza isn't the main dish. But you give up the tasty, smoky flavor of a standard pizza baked in a wood-fired oven.
Pellet
This more recent fuel type is compatible with barbecues that use wood pellets. This sawdust has been compressed fast and tastes like wood, but it's much easier to use. Though the smoke will be amazing, you won't have to work as much to start and maintain the fire.
Wood
Owning an outdoor wood-burning or pellet pizza oven is a sensible decision for those who appreciate the distinct flavor of wood-fired pizza. These ovens are especially popular due to the ash from the wood and the excellent tastes produced by the Maillard reaction, even though they require more effort and time to clean and bake.
Using a wood-fired pizza oven allows you to create works of art with how you turn the pizza and the type of wood you use.
Multi-Fuel
Many versions are fuel-switchable, allowing you to alternate between the quickness of gas and the flavor of wood-fired cooking. Some let you pick between wood and charcoal. No matter what, make sure you can use the right fuel source for your sophisticated taste.
Accessories
In addition to standard pizza tools and baking supplies, outdoor pizza ovens need extra instruments for cleaning, maintenance, and safety. These accessories are useful for tasks and issues specific to outdoor pizza ovens.
- Ash shovel and rake: Rakes and ash shovels are essential cleaning tools for pizza ovens. They remove ash and flames from wood-fired pizza ovens when not in use.
- Heat-resistant gloves: Heat-resistant gloves can prevent hand burns while you operate and clean your pizza oven.
- Infrared thermometer: Find out how hot your pizza oven is quickly and safely using an infrared thermometer.
- Pizza bubble popper: Pizza bubble poppers pop air bubbles in your dough as it bakes. They have a long handle with a hook tip.
- Pizza peel: Long handles and a level surface on a pizza peel make it safe to place and remove hot pizza from an oven. Verify if the pizza peel you select will fit your oven.
- Pizza oven brush: An oven brush makes it easier to clean the inside of your pizza oven of burnt cheese, sauces, bits, and other junk.
- Pizza oven cover: A cover that is the right size for your pizza oven will keep it running and protect it from the weather, just like a grill cover.
Brand and Warranty
A well-known brand can greatly affect how long your outdoor pizza oven lasts and how well it works. Read reviews from other pizza lovers to learn more about other brands and how long their goods last. Also, pay extra attention to the promise; it can help protect your investment and give you peace of mind.
Budget Considerations
You undoubtedly make decisions influenced by your budget. Superior outdoor pizza ovens come in various styles and cost from cheap to expensive. Keeping your wants and your budget in line is essential. Remember that spending money on a good, durable oven will pay off over time by enabling you to enjoy many years of baking delectable pizzas.
Buy the Best Pizza Oven for Home
Before you buy an outdoor pizza oven for your home, there are a few things you should think about. There is a pizza oven for every price that will make cooking outside more fun, whether you want a built-in, portable, or freestanding oven.
If you want the best homemade pizza, buy the best outdoor pizza oven today! Have fun exploring and making delicious food in your outdoor space.