I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone when I say that I adore our new Ooni Pizza Oven. It was a purchase I thought a lot about, having wanted one since last summer. I read a bunch of articles rating various brands of pizza ovens and pretty quickly decided on Ooni, but then there was still the matter of deciding which model to get. I knew I wanted gas, but thought it would be cool to have the option of using wood, too. I talked to a couple of friends who have Oonis and got their take. And then I read a very thorough review from America’s Test Kitchen (I’d link to it but it’s behind a pay wall) which basically said that the pizza isn’t in the oven long enough to really impart any flavor from the wood smoke and it also pointed out that maintaining a hot enough fire with just wood is tricky.
I’m practical enough to know that any sort of barrier to using an item like this is going to mean I don’t use it at all, so I pretty quickly gave up the idea of wood fired and went with the Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven. I bought a bundle directly from Ooni so I also got a pizza peel, an infrared thermometer, and a carry cover. Knowing that we’d use it more with a permanent place to keep it set up, I bought a stainless steel cart with wheels from Amazon. My investment in this was just over $650. Like I said . . . not cheap. But 100% worth it. We’ve made 18 pizzas now which brings the per pizza cost down to $36. Ha!
I made my own dough using the recipe from Ooni. It makes enough for 4 pizzas and when I don’t make all 4 I stick the extras in the freezer. My hope is to have a stash of frozen pizza dough for those times when I don’t have the inclination to make it fresh. I also use the pizza sauce recipe on the Ooni website and it’s simple and quick and delicious. It’s even better now that I’ve got my own basil growing.
As for types of pizzas, my favorite is a simple margherita pizza with just sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Dale is partial to pepperoni. On Mother’s Day I got a little bit fancier and made one with fig jam, goat cheese, and arugula. The trickiest part of the process is launching the pizza into the oven. Sometimes it sticks and I haven’t been able to understand why that happens seemingly randomly, although I’m starting to suspect it’s when the dough is too warm to start. Out of the 18 we’ve made I’ve only had one be a total loss so I think that’s pretty good. And, as a friend said to me, even when it’s not perfect . . . it’s still better than anything I can get where I live. You know what else is better? A pizza cooks in 60 seconds. Yep. 60 seconds.
I’m looking forward to using this more as the weather gets warmer. I’m thinking pizza parties under the pergola all summer long! I sure wish you could join us!
I believe I’m drooling! This sounds and looks so good and I can’t believe a pizza cooks in 60 seconds! Amazing.
Yum! Really… YUM! (and you are so right, we don’t use ours nearly as much because of the fiddly-ness of wood pellets)
I am going to have Steve read your review! 🙂
I’m sure your pizza cost will be coming down as you make more over the summer! I was wondering if it might be a bit too much trouble for me, but then I came to that 60 seconds. I certainly can’t have pizza delivered that fast. Friday night snacks (and lots of other occasions) have gotten more delicious!
I’m glad you’re so happy with your new pizza oven, Carole! The pizzas look divine. . . 😛
(That was the absolute wrong emoji thing. Not sure how that happened.) XO
I have no doubt that this investment will be well worth it, especially given that you will likely continue to use it for years. The appeal of having fresh pizza in 60 seconds is a big one! My mouth is watering just looking at the photos. You’re going to have such fun with your pizza parties this summer!
I think your investment is well worth it, the pizzas look delicious and you’ll have a lot of fun making pizzas! Enjoy!
Thanks for reviewing this. I feel like you could maybe do some other things in there, but I’d have to read up on it. If you can control the temp as the site suggests, couldn’t you bake focaccia and maybe some other artisan bread in this baby. That would be especially nice for the summer when you don’t want to turn on the oven. Your dough might be sticking a bit if it’s a little wetter than usual, too (maybe humidity effects?). I can definitely see your per pizza cost coming down this summer. At 60 seconds to bake, it would be huge fun to have a pizza party and let people create their own masterpieces to share with the crowd. I bet everyone would find some new combo they like.
Try some corn meal on the pizza peel before you put the dough on it. Before putting it in the oven give the whole thing a little shimmy to make sure it is loose enough to move. That is what my husband does when he makes pizza in the regular oven.
We bought a pizza oven right before Christmas, but not an Ooni. We have a Bertollo. And we love it. But we decided if we are going to spend that much, that Saturday night needs to be pizza night. We make three small pizzas. Then we have leftovers for lunch. We have been trying to get creative with toppings. My husband’s favorite is pepperoni, but he has also made and loved taco pizza and cheesesteak pizza. He has also done a pierogi pizza. I tend to stick to ones with lots of veggies on them. My favorite is to use pesto as the ‘sauce’ then add broccoli, thinly sliced mushrooms, onions and peppers with a tiny bit of cheese. Ours does have the option to add wood and we have found it does add a slight smokiness to the crust. Yours look delicious!
oh Carole – wow! Pizza is my favorite and I love every single thing you shared here (and even your initial investment is less than I expected). Fun! and Delicious!