Pizza ovens play a very important part in the flavor of the food or pizza, more so than the ingredients, sauces and other elements. When choosing a good residential pizza oven for your home, it can be quite tricky to choose the best one for you as there are many different types in the market.
The wide array of gas pizza ovens, wood fired pizza ovens, countertop pizza ovens, portable pizza ovens, and commercial pizza ovens can be overwhelming.
The four (4) guidelines should help you learn what to look for so you can decide on the perfect pizza oven to meet your needs.
1. Space Available at Home
Measure the space available for the installation of your pizza oven, so that it will fit comfortably in your entertaining area and give you enough space to move around for cooking and socializing. In addition, wood-fired pizza ovens put off smoke so consider a long chimney to move the smoke out of the chef's way.
If you’re not moving anywhere in the next 5 years, you may consider a heavier oven or building an oven into the existing structure of your home, either indoors or outdoors. There are beautiful authentic brick ovens from Portugal that are heavy so would need to have a permanent location until you decided to move it. There are also pizza oven kits, like the CBO-750 Bundle, that allow you to enclose your oven with your choice of materials.
If you don’t have enough space, you might want to consider a portable oven like the Maximus from Authentic Pizza Ovens so you can move it out of the way when not in use.
2. The Amount of Food You Plan to Cook
Different homes and needs will require different kinds of pizza ovens, and the amount of food you are planning to cook in your pizza oven will be perhaps the biggest factor when it comes to the size of the oven you need.
Some home pizza ovens, like the Alfa Ciao, can cook one to two pizzas, while bigger ovens, like the Italian-designed 4 Pizze, will be able to accommodate more food for a bigger family or those who frequently host a bigger group of guests.
The best outdoor pizza ovens will last a lifetime so consider the type of capacity you may require 5 to 10 years down the road.
3. Design and Materials
The design of your residential pizza oven is important; a common mistake many customers make is that they often choose a less expensive pizza oven model that is not built efficiently enough to support their needs.
The types of materials used for a traditional pizza ovenis as vital as its design. Different kinds of materials such as brick, stone, steel or other materials will directly affect the efficiency of the oven and its price.
For example, the patented design of the Authentic Pizza Ovens, combines 100% clay, refractory cement, ROCKWOOL insulation, and a steel door, to hold heat for up to 3 hours making it one of the best wood-fired pizza ovens.
4. Fuel Options
The kind of fuel you use for your oven will definitely affect the taste of your food. If you prefer the flavors of wood-fired pizzas, go for a wood-burning pizza oven, which is a popular choice for residential pizza ovens; besides the fact that they produce excellent flavors for your food, they also do not need an electric power point. Other fuel types you can choose include gas, electric or charcoal.
If you are looking for a pizza oven that lights and heats super fast, you may want to consider a gas pizza oven. Many of our gas pizza ovens, like the Chicago Brick Oven CBO-750 Hybrid, allow you to use gas as the primary source but add a piece of wood while cooking to give you the wood flavoring you desire.
Final Thoughts
When buying a pizza oven for your home, doing your research is often the key to finding the best residential pizza oven for your house. As you've learned, there are many brands and models of both indoor and outdoor pizza ovens.
It's often not possible to physically touch different outdoor pizza ovens before purchasing so get to know your retailer. Give them a call, tell them exactly what you are envisioning, and let them help you find the perfect pizza oven. (and, when we say "THEM", you know we mean "US", right?)
Give us a call and we'll point you in the right direction to find an oven that fits your requirements and budget.
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Indoor Pizza Oven Considerations