Lighting An Ooni Pizza Oven
Exterior pizza ovens are ending up being rather preferred as well as it’s not difficult to see why! They provide a simple and fast method to get that wood-fired pizza flavor right in your very own yard. They’re as practical as a classic grill yet very versatile because they can get to such a heat as well as cook all sort of foods.
We had actually been desiring an Ooni pizza oven forever and also finally got ours simply a couple of months back. I recognize you’ve been curious regarding whether I think it’s worth the hype or not so I’m below to share my tricks, pointers, as well as ideas – AND whether I assume the Ooni deserves the investment!
Ooni pizza oven on a steel table outside on a deck
Complete disclosure – Ooni gifted me this pizza oven. As constantly, all ideas and point of views are my very own.
THE OONI PIZZA OVEN
The Ooni is a mobile, exterior pizza oven. It heats up to regarding 950 degrees in 20 minutes and can cook your pizza in 60 secs. It has a pizza rock inside that provides you that delicious, crispy crust of a typical wood-fired pizza oven.
VARIOUS MODELS
Ooni has a number of versions to pick from, which suggests there’s likely one that will fit your demands as well as budget. They offer 12″ or 16″ ovens that are either timber pellet or gas-powered or utilize both timber and also gas. They vary in cost from $299-$ 799 depending upon the dimension as well as specifications you choose.
We went with the 16″ Koda because we suched as the ease of being able to utilize gas and likewise wanted a larger size so that we had the option to prepare larger pizzas or other things like fish, steak, and so on.
AN INVESTMENT
At $299 for their base model, the Ooni pizza oven is most definitely an investment. Adding a pizza oven to your outdoor location may truly stimulate some happiness for you and make pizza night much more interesting!
Additionally, this is a durable, top quality cooking device that is going to last for years as long as you look after it. While it is a bit spendy, in my viewpoint – if you’re going to utilize it at the very least a pair times a month or more – it’s absolutely worth it!
Overhead shot of a pepperoni jalapeno pizza on a wood pizza peel
SETTING UP
The Ooni comes almost totally set up out of the box. All you need to do is unravel the legs as well as put the pizza stone in it!
If you’re obtaining a gas-powered Ooni, you will need to acquire a 1 pound or a 20 extra pound lp tank. I’m not sure why, but right here on the West coastline, we had a heck of a time locating a gas container, and after that as soon as we located one we had to discover a place to get it filled.
HOW TO USE THE OONI
Utilizing the Ooni pizza oven is easier than you may believe! Reduced the warmth, throw your pizza in, and also let it cook for a pair mins.
The wonderful component is that the oven only has fires on the back as well as left side, so the front ideal side is the great area which provides you a lot more control over exactly how the pizza is food preparation. The 16″ Koda offers you plenty of area to relocate the pizza around and also a great range in between the fire and the pizza itself in case it begins to prepare as well swiftly.
FOOD PREPARATION TIME
Ooni’s claim to fame is that it can prepare a pizza in 60 seconds – which it entirely can. Nonetheless, for newbie pizza chefs like ourselves, we found a pair YouTube video clips that said transforming the heat to cooking as well as reduced it for a bit longer at a reduced temperature may be less complicated. Keeping that stated, our chosen food preparation technique is to:
- Warm the oven on high for concerning 15-20 minutes.
- Decrease the warmth to reduced and also include a pizza to the oven.
- Cook the pizza, rotating it every 20-30 seconds approximately for about 2-3 minutes depending on the dimension of the pie and also the quantity of garnishes
Goat cheese and also tomato pizza going into an Ooni pizza oven
THE LEARNING CURVE
I will certainly say I was a little bit nervous about the discovering contour of cooking with the Ooni. I believed it was going to be a little complicated to get the warmth perfect as well as maintain it relocating. Nevertheless, I was happily shocked to discover that after just a couple pizzas you truly begin to master it!
I believe we get a little much better each time as we best the dough shaping as well as covering. Yet honestly, we maintained our Ooni in package for a few weeks due to the fact that I simply wasn’t fairly prepared to tackle what I assumed was mosting likely to be a tough cooking process. I could NOT have been extra incorrect. Making use of the pizza oven is super very easy as well as I wish we would have opened our Ooni the day we got it!
FOOD PREPARATION TIPS
- Gently flour the work surface area where you’re making the pizza. And also gently powder the pizza peel as well. This will make it simpler to relocate the pizza to the pizza peel as well as move it to into the oven. I’ve listened to semolina flour works best, however we make use of all-purpose with no issues.
- Don’t roll the crust out as well large unless you’re really comfy with the procedure of relocate. You’ll need to set up the pizza, after that relocate to the pizza peel, and afterwards run it off the peel and also right into the oven. The smaller your pizza, the less complicated it is to do. The bigger the pizza, the more probable it is you’re mosting likely to end up with a mangled mess. Although the 16″ Koda can take care of a 16″ pie, we still maintain them around 10″ -12″. I normally separate a one extra pound sphere of dough in 2, and then present two pizzas from that.
- The key to getting that signature pizza crust is touching the dough as little as possible. I really lucked out due to the fact that my partner utilized to make pizzas for a living so he’s basically a specialist. This will certainly offer you that trademark timber fired pizza oven structure you’re looking for.
- Don’t include way too many toppings to your pizza. Another way to make sure that your pizza cooks via, is to cover it really minimally. I would certainly suggest adding half of what you ‘d typically contribute to a pizza you’re mosting likely to cook in a normal oven. Like I pointed out, the transfer of the pizza is a little challenging, and the more garnishes you have, the trickier it is. So maintain it basic and top gently. This is not the moment to make your trademark additional added cheese pizza!
- Don’t get sidetracked. You want your complete attention on that pizza when you’re cooking pizza in the Ooni. With the within the oven reaching temps over 900 degrees, it’s important to maintain a close eye on the pie due to the fact that it can go from completely done, to perfectly melted immediately.
Click on this link to check out the Ooni Pizza Oven
TASTE
I will confess, I was confident however hesitant that the flavor would certainly be close to that of a wood-fired pizza oven. And also divine cow – I was surprised!
The taste is virtually the same to wood-fired pizza even though it just utilizes gas. You get those perfectly charred little bits throughout, the crust is tender on the inside and extremely crisp outside, and celebrity gets ooey-gooey melty in simply minutes.
I can try to remain to explain how tasty the pizza is, but let me simply say, you will certainly be impressed at the distinction in between the pizza you may in your Ooni and the pizza you make in your oven. They simply do not compare.
WHICH DOUGH TO USE
Truthfully, we use dough from the grocery store 9 breaks of 10. They have a actually delicious dough that’s affordable and also cooks really well in the Ooni. We either utilize my No-Knead Pizza Dough or my Quick Pizza Dough if I’m in the state of mind for homemade however.
Expenses shot of a tomato as well as goat cheese pizza on a wood pizza peel
OONI ACCESSORIES
- 16″ Pizza Peel – We enjoy the 16″ pizza peel! The lengthy handle makes it very easy to place the pizza right into the oven.
- Pizza Turning Wheel – We have not acquired the transforming peel yet but I ‘d highly advise the pizza transforming wheel to assist you turn the pizza while it’s in the oven. We currently simply use the pizza peel to do it yet it’s a little bit extra cumbersome.
- Large Modular Table – The large modular table is something I went and also back forth about. I had not been sure if we need to acquire it or just try to discover something else similar online. For $250 you are actually getting your money’s well worth.
- Wood Pizza Peels – We got these cute little pizza peels. Primarily just for ease of having something to make the pizza on and after that something to slice the pizza on after it’s baked. They’re extremely charming and pretty economical.
- Infrared Thermometer – We have not yet gotten an infrared thermometer but I’ve listened to that it’s super handy in knowing if the pizza oven has actually risen to temp and also is ready to cook!
>> Go here to take a look at the Ooni Pizza Oven <<
WHERE TO BUY AN OONI
You can locate the Ooni pizza ovens on their web site, Amazon, or Williams-Sonoma. The prices are pretty similar, but often they have sales, so inspect around to see where you can get the best bargain.
CLEANSING
One point that truly lured me about the Ooni was that you do not have to clean it! The temperature level inside the oven obtains so warm that there’s actually no demand to disinfect or sanitize the inside of it. Undoubtedly, you’ll require to clean down the exterior from time to time as dirt picks it, however besides that no cleaning is called for!
STORAGE SPACE
The Ooni Koda 16″ is 25 x 25 x 20 inches. Then the modular table that we put it on is 30 x 30 inches. We maintain it in the edge of our garage and also it does not occupy too much room. Maintaining it out of the snow and rain will certainly help it last much longer. Ooni does make a weatherproof cover as well if you do not have any covered space to store it though.
A tiny pizza cooking inside an Ooni pizza oven exterior
HELPFUL FOR WEEKNIGHT USE
It could feel like a great deal of work to get the Ooni prepared up simply to make two pizzas (which is what we generally do as a family of 3) however I ensure you, it’s actually not. The Ooni modular table we got makes it easy to wheel in and out of the garage. You simply connect the propane and also let it warm while you make the pizzas. It’s absolutely workable on a weeknight and also we have not prepared a pizza in our oven since we got it!
IT IS WORTH THE HYPE?
The Ooni is worth the price for the experience that it delivers. I do state experience since I believe that making and also preparing food actually can be an experience.
My general ideas on that Ooni are that I was anticipating whatever to be a great deal more work. Generally, I am definitely elated to discover that the Ooni is actually a actually simple, simple, outdoor pizza oven experience. Prepping, warming the oven, as well as cooking the pizzas is pretty very easy.
It’s additionally extremely light-weight and also portable so I can totally see us taking this outdoor camping with us when the wildfires aren’t raving!
IS THE OONI RIGHT FOR YOU?
If you like pizza, have a little exterior space, a little bit of storage room to keep it dry, as well as enjoy having a drink outside while you cook dinner, then of course – the Ooni is for you!
If you’re ready to check out the Ooni pizza oven and choose which one is right for you – CLICK HERE!
It has a pizza stone inside that provides you that tasty, crispy crust of a conventional wood-fired pizza oven.
When you’re cooking pizza in the Ooni, you desire your complete focus on that pizza. If I’m in the mood for homemade though, we either utilize my No-Knead Pizza Dough or my Quick Pizza Dough.
Wooden Pizza Peels – We got these cute little pizza peels. Mainly simply for simplicity of having something to make the pizza on and also then something to cut the pizza on after it’s baked.