Is the wood fire pizza oven worth it?
The answer to this is yes and no.
There's an undeniable quality in having a wood fire oven; that much is undisputed. The sight, sound, and warmth of a wood fire oven is an experience in and of itself. A unique cooking experience that offers mouth-watering results for many years to come. Of all the wood-fired ranges available on the market, how will you know which model meets your requirements and expectations?
This post will be an ultimate guide. This will be a breakdown of what goes into owning a wood fire oven, from start to finish and everything in between. With all this information, you'll have what you'll need to answer your questions and determine if a pizza oven suits you and your outdoor kitchen.
Why A Pizza Oven?
There's no denying the unique flavour of a wood-fired pizza. One of the oldest cooking practices has lasted throughout the generations for a good reason. While the most known pizza is one of many things, you can cook a wood-fired pizza. Your crisp and tasty pizza is just the beginning if you're smart about your usage.
A good oven should be well insulated. This is the job of the refractory materials within the stove that produce and manage heat. The heat will be so efficiently insulated when you have a quality pizza oven. The heat is retained that if you closed the door the following day, you could still cook bread and small pastries.
This is an example timeline of what you can do with your range, given how well their pizza ovens are insulated.
- At 300˚C, this is the time to cook your pizzas and roasts.
- When the fire cools to around 220˚C, you can add bread, meats, and vegetables to your spread.
- 100˚C is the perfect stage to cook in a crockpot full of beans and other smaller foods
- And last, at 60˚C, you can dry fruits and vegetables.
Materials
Woodfire ovens can be bought and created from many different materials, each with benefits and drawbacks. Here are some of the most popular options and a few key features:
Brick:
- Exceptionally fuel efficient, retaining up to 85 % of the heat generated by the fire.
- It can take longer to fire up; however, the bricks can retain heat more efficiently, minimising the needed wood.
Stone:
- It has a similar heat efficiency to a brick used for pizza ovens.
- This can be an expensive option depending on the type of stone you choose.
Steel:
- Stainless steel is a trendy choice in contemporary homes.
- It will require less maintenance than some other materials.
- Connecting a modern-style oven to gas as a fuel source is easier.
- It can heat up quicker than the other options, usually for 20 minutes. However, it is less efficient with its heat retention.
What Size Should My Pizza Oven Be?
How are you planning on using it? Do you plan on feeding a few people now and then? Are you the type to entertain regularly with a couple of pizzas for special occasions? Happy to put in the effect for a larger gathering with many more mouths to feed than just a few? The amount of food you can see yourself wanting to serve is the ultimate decider of how big your oven needs to be.
This is one of many factors, of course. But it's an excellent place to start. Your next step is how much room you'll need to have available. The good idea is to stand in the space you have planned for your outdoor kitchen, picturing how much of it will be taken up by your pizza oven and where you want everything else to be located. This point will be more accessible with the help of an outdoor kitchen specialist.
They'll be able to provide you with a 3D rendering of what your kitchen will look like, taking away the guesswork for a detailed visual so you can get a much better idea. A good pizza oven will last a lifetime, so while it's essential to be critical about what you'll need now, having an idea in mind of what you will need 5 – 10 years down the road is helpful. It's better to leave room for growth.
What Kind Of Wood Should I Use To Fire My Oven?
All types of wood can feed the fire within your oven. However, conifers (like pine) are not recommended. Other woods will work perfectly, along with minor woodcuts, kindling, pruning, dead leaves, etc. When starting up your wood fire oven, the first fire you'll light will be using thin sticks, leaves, and similar materials near the range's mouth.
Once the fire has started growing, you gradually add the larger pieces of wood to feed the flames. Gradually adding the wood is essential to provide the flame without smothering the fire. After about 10 minutes, you can move the wood to one side of the oven and slowly add more wood. In most wood-burning ovens and high-domed ovens, pushing the fire to one side will heat the oven quickly and efficiently, taking advantage of the heat to cook your food without the risk of it burning too quickly.
Fuel Options
Wood Burning:
The traditional and most known option. For those who love the flavours of a wood fire pizza, the crispy bases unique to this cooking method, this is the method for you. A popular option for residential ovens because, for the most part, wood burning is self-sufficient and doesn't need to be connected to any amenities.
Charcoal:
Pizza ovens can also be fueled with charcoal for people wanting to try another flavour. This option tends to be less efficient and less Eco-friendly.
Gas / Electric:
An increasingly popular option in recent times, a gas or electric pizza oven is much cleaner without sacrificing any flavour.
Alfa” Forno 5 Minuti
The "Alfa" Forno 5 Minuti is a pizza oven with a cooking floor of 60×50 cm. To fit in with your design, this oven can either sit on your benchtop or have a stand where it can be placed independently of the construction of your outdoor kitchen.
Here are some of the key features you can expect with this model:
- The cooking floor of the 5 Minuti oven is made of refractory material like pizzeria ovens.
- The internal dome is made the thermal, light and robust stainless steel.
- The ignition of the oven is rapid; the cooking temperature easily exceeds 300˚C
- The 5 Minuti oven can bake over 30 pizzas per hour without missing a beat. At the end of the evening, if you let it cool for a few minutes, you can bake up to two 1.5kg loaves of bread.
- Using the wheels, it can be easily moved indoors and outdoors without a problem.
- A pizza oven is also available as a benchtop model. Remove the legs and place them on your benchtop.
- Able to have eight pizzas ready in 15 minutes
- It takes 5-15 minutes to heat up to its perfect temperature.
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