Sorry, the Ooni pizza oven is a must

Summer is approaching, which means it’s time to enjoy the warm weather next to the grill. But let me suggest an alternative: Instead of burgers, hot dogs, and kebabs, why not make pizza? I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and I still love baking, it’s just not the same as pulling pies out of my Ooni Fyra 12.

Pizza ovens used to seem to me like something reserved for the more serious. I would never have thought of buying one myself, because for years I believed I hated pizza – British food wasn’t full of good options in my childhood, in my defence. But after my partner and I were gifted a few years ago, I’ve been making it myself, and I have to admit I’m a complete convert.

The Ooni Fyra 12 was also sold for $349 in the US at launch, but you can no longer buy this model on Ooni’s US website. It uses wood chips, which makes the pizza taste like wood-fired, so a similar option would be about $200. 12-inch oven from Big Horn Outdoors. Otherwise, Fyra’s spiritual successor seems to be Look Karuwhich sells for the same $349 but uses wood or charcoal.

Although the exact amount of oil can vary between pizza oven models, cooking and running should be the same. I found the Fyra to be easy to assemble, only requiring you to include the chimney pipes and fire guards, and it comes with clear instructions for use. Karu is very similar to Fyra, and The setup process is just as simple – The real difference is that you push wood or charcoal into the back room for fuel instead of special wood.

As its name suggests, the Fyra 12 is designed to make 12-inch pizzas. It came with a pizza stone that works well, but you can also use a 12-inch pizza stone and metal pan if you prefer. It also came with an Ooni-style pizza peel (the big paddle that you use to move the pizza), but that feels like crap compared to the colorless version that my mother-in-law has been using for years, so I’d suggest making a better investment. The metal provided by the oven is light, and the plastic handle is not pleasant, well, handle.

But man, the cooking experience? Don’t win. On a recent weekend, I had a friend set up the Ooni because I didn’t want to get my hands dirty before handling the food, and the whole process from assembly to eating two fresh, hot pizzas took less than 40 minutes. It took about 15 minutes to heat up the oven by filling its oil burner on top with wood pellets, then around four minutes to grill the pie to perfection. All you have to do at this point is use the peel from time to time to turn the pizza every minute. If you have a ready-made raw pizza or a second person to prepare the toss, you can make a large meal. very much quickly. I am confident that I can use this well to feed a group of six adults.

Unless you put the pizza in and forget, the result depends on the type of pizza you have-making skill more than cooking skill – something you can easily acquire by buying pre-made flour and sauces, or just making a little. But even a mediocre pizza can be elevated by cooking it over a real fire, and it only took me two tries to get comfortable making a pizza from scratch. It’s like making a pancake: He smells fear The process is simple, but your first step can be overwhelming.

If you don’t want to make a lot of pizza, you will be happy to know that the oven cools down very quickly, so it is still important to try to set even one pie. My pellet stove burned through its oil within 45 minutes, and was cool enough to walk by hand about an hour later. I also find that the oven is easier to clean than the grill in comparison because there is less oil. The stone can be cleaned if necessary, and I only wipe any soot from the inside of the oven chimneys if I notice it getting too thick – usually after two uses.

The oven is easy to transport, too. The legs are collapsible, so you can put everything in a bag and take it to the grocery store or your next barbecue. It also doesn’t get so hot that you can’t put it on a wooden table (we’ve had a few without a table defect), which is great because bending down to turn the pizza while the Ooni is down is a quick way to give your back a break. I’m just cautioning not to place the oven on its back on anything. If you open the front of the grill and chimney, the extra air will cause the fire to come out from behind it, so leave plenty of room.

For me, if the sun is shining and we want to cook outside, this will beat the barbecue almost every time. It’s quick to set up, cooks quickly, requires little cleanup, and gives you a gourmet pizza that’s even better than your average oven. Having that sure fire is something I have found in cooking with a real flame. This awareness has spread through many of our brothers, who are now buying their own pizza ovens to take with them on camping trips, to the beach, and to garden parties.

And now I’m asking you again: Get a dang pizza oven. You don’t have to love pizza anymore – with this, you will learn to.