Pizza oven kits

Pizza oven kits / pizza oven kits outdoor

I am going to explain the different types of pizza oven kits out there. I have been cooking pizzas for over 25 years. My family has a combined over 100 years in our pizza restaurant that has been in business since 1974. So We know a few things about pizza ovens and pizza oven kits.

A pizzaioli making a pizza with pizza tools like a pizza oven

The pizza oven has been in existence since the dawn of human history, and virtually every civilization has used the pizza oven in one way or another. The brick pizza oven, for example, can be traced back to ancient Pompeii in barely its perfect shape and can still bake with just a few minor renovations. The pizza oven has since become one of the best ways to cook, and not only pizzas, due to their ability to heat and maintain the temperature.

 Agreat deal has changed since the time of old clay oven and now the modern day pizza oven. The ancient Greece has a significant contribution to the evolution of pizza ovens. They invented the clay ovens and started experimenting it with different shapes of bread for commercial purpose. Along those trials came the original pizzas called plakous.

Types of pizza oven

There are various types of pizza ovens on the market: commercial pizza ovens and residential pizza ovens, portable and fixed pizza oven, assembled pizza oven kits and DIY pizza oven kits. Pretty much whatever your needs are, there is a pizza oven for you.

Pre-assembled vs. pizza oven kit

Pizza ovens kits have become a way of life. They harken back to times when friends, family, and neighbors savored mouthwatering home-cooked food. With the explosion of Pizza oven kit DIY that shows affordable price tags and promises easy installation, is it effortless and economical as proclaimed?

The truth about pizza oven kits

There is no definitive answer as to whether the Pizza oven kit DIY is the most satisfactory type of pizza oven kits. For someone who has the time and quick understanding of instructions, then a Pizza oven kit DIY is a great idea. However, some find the installation procedure complicated with the toughest DIY’rs making difficult decision regarding safety and ergonomics.

The pre-assembled pizza ovens

To those who want a unique cooking experience of an outdoor pizza oven without facing the challenge of building a unit from the ground up, an assembled pizza oven is the option to go. They came ready to use and easily adjustable. Pre-assembled pizza ovens are constructed a mounted by a team of experts hence require no intricate installation guides. The hard work is already done with the baker allowed to focus on the joy of cooking, eating and making merry with loved ones. Whether you are looking for a home pizza oven kit or a commercial pizza oven kit, you are assured of the best if you purchase it from the right manufacturer.

Wood fired pizza oven kit is one of the pizza oven kit outdoor that has withstood the test of time since the ancient Roman civilization. Today, this pizza oven serve the same purpose as it did before. So, hearken back to the traditional Italian cooking style and prepare your friends and family with that wood-smoked Neapolitan pizza everyone craves. Here are some of the pizza oven kits that heats up faster, reaches high temperatures and holds the heat longer among residential pizza oven kits available in the market.

Casa pizza oven kit outdoor

Casa home pizza oven kits is an outdoor pizza oven open with an option for wood or gas. The Pizza oven kit DIY is easy to install even if you are a novice. The Woodfired pizza oven kit provides fast heat up times with enough space to cook and entertain in large parties. It takes 30 minutes to heat and start baking not only pizza but other perfect foods such as hearth bread, grilled meat, and roasts.

Casa pizza oven kit is available in four sizes: 44”, 40”, 36” and 32” all with 8” oven landing. The gas-fired version of Casa oven kit outdoor provides a pizza baking experience matching that of an actual Wood fired pizza oven kit. Each of the case pizza oven kit comes with everything one needs to install the pizza oven. All you need to provide is a stand and stucco.

Giardino pizza oven kit outdoor

The Giardino is a model of small Pizza oven kit DIY which requires a minimum installation skill. A fully customizable Giardino pizza oven for sale dome is available in 24” and 28” cooking surface, an area that can accommodate 30 pizzas per hour. This design of pizza oven kit is only recommended for outdoor kitchens. It can be installed on a screen porch when using a UL103 HT rated chimney. The Pizza oven kit for sale is only available in the wood-fired oven only.

Premio pizza oven kits

Premio series of pizza oven kits are available for outdoor and indoor cooking. It’s featured with a thicker and more substantial dome, thicker insulation and an insulated oven door. This masculinity makes the pizza oven kit a professional wood-fired cooker and baker at home. The pizza oven kit is available in 48”, 44” and 40” cooking surface, enough to bake over 100 pizzas in an hour. Premio series is popular with bakers, chefs, and caterers who want a high performing pizza oven for their home or mobile pizza trailer.

Artigiano Italian pizza oven kits

The Artigiano pizza oven kits series is a family of modular Italian brick oven kits. The ovens kits make based on ancient Rome design and perfected in Naples. It’s available in 48”, 40”, and 32” by 48” cooking floors. You can make up to 6 pizzas at a time, or 120 pizzas/hour. It is suitable for pizza oven kit outdoor and as Wood fired pizza oven kit only.

Pompeii Pizza oven kit DIY

The Pompeii brick pizza oven kit is made of same material as refractory pizza oven kit. This feature gives the baker flexibility to build the pizza oven from scratch hence not for the faint heart. You can get Pompeii Pizza oven kit for sale in 36” and 44” internal dome design. Pompeii oven kit DIY comes in many types of brick, firebricks, insulation, and mortar. With the pizza oven kit, you can bake five pizzas at a time. Note that assembling the Pompeii pizza oven kit DIY need masonry skills hence imperative to read extensively or seek help from an online forum before building it up.

A pizza man using a traditional brick pizza oven and using a long handle pizza peel
By: Dimitri Neyt (DimiTalen, DimiCalifornia)

Using a pizza oven

A pizza oven is not limited to just baking homemade pizzas. In fact, there is a myriad of used including roasting meat, cooking pastries, baking bread and cakes. The pizza oven often provides food with a fantastic flavor that cannot be achieved with other types of cooking. Follow this process and start enjoying baking food you have always dreamt about.

Choosing the right firewood

Woodfired pizza oven kit uses wood to burn. The type of wood you use will largely depend on your geographical location. The predominance wood, medium-hard or hardwoods, vary from N. American west coast to east coast, same from the south to the north. Whichever one you choose, avoid burning sappy, oily woods, e.g., red pine. Also, never burn laminated woods like plywood, painted timber, chemically or glued woods. From the wood burn construction off-cuts from 2by4s and use the broken up pelts to kindle the fire. The thumb rule is only to use dry and seasoned wood.

From the woodfired pizza oven kit, you will get hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash, fruit and nut trees, beech and birch. Fruits woods are best as they not only burn well but are also fragrant. Hardwood is dense, three times as much as softwoods, hence give off more heat and last longer.

Firing your pizza oven

Once you get your wood fired pizza oven kit, the next step is to build the oven then get it to use. To build a fire in the center, use 7-9 sticks of dry kindling non-toxic starters and 2-3 pieces of season medium or hardwood. Alternatively, you can light your fire using a butane torch which is both easier and faster compared to traditional lighters. Avoid sawdust fireplace starters or wax as they could leave an off taste in your pizza.

Once the fire gets going, add several pieces of wood such that its flame reaches the center and front of the pizza oven dome. Once the fire has established, add more wood and wait for 20 minutes. To know is the dome is ready for cooking, check the color of a small spot at the top center of the oven. If it’s clear or white, it means the temperature is about 700 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to bake.

Controlling the pizza oven temperature

You can test the pizza oven heat from many places: the top of the hearth, from refractory material behind the dome, the cooking floor face or the air circulating in the oven. Each of these pales gives an understanding of how the pizza oven is performing and what should be done to manage fit. Managing the pizza oven heat is fundamentally simple. When the pizza oven is clear, it means the temperature is okay. If the oven begins to turn black, then you need to add firewood

Getting started with pizza oven kit outdoor

  • Always start a pizza oven kit outdoor using the right hardwoods when either smoking meat or for a fireplace. Some pizza oven kits allow the use of high-quality lump charcoal.
  • Do not use any chemical agents to ignite the fire. If you do, the chemicals will soak into the woods and oven, later to affect the taste and quality of your pizza. The same goes for wax starters.
  • To begin using the pizza oven kit start by placing smaller pieces of kindling wood then add larger wood logs once the fire is ignited.

Once the fire is set, give the oven time to reach the desired temperature. You can use pizza accessories (infrared thermometer) to monitor the temperature of the oven. Once the desired temperature is achieved, add some allowance time for the heat to be absorbed into the inner surface of the oven.

Cooking with Woodfired pizza oven kit

When using a pizza oven kit, many variables will affect the outcome of the pizza. The cooking technique, temperature, material used for the fire, the thickness of the pizza dough, toppings and the outside temperature and humidity are some of these variables.

When baking a thin crust pizza, the standard practice is to cook it at 400 -500 degrees for about 4-6 minutes depending on individual taste and preferences. A thicker crust and layer of toppings require a longer cook time, 10-15 minutes.

When using a pizza oven kit, it’s essential to monitor oven temperature. This is because a majority of the pizza oven kit outdoor do not use a pizza stone. However, other pizza accessories such as pizza peel are available. Use cornmeal or flour to help the pizza raw dough slide easily from the pizza peel to the oven surface.

Use the pizza peel to rotate the pizza ensuring it’s evenly cooked. The pizza dough will become firm after being placed on the hot pizza oven floor so it should be easy to rotate and remove the pizza especially when using the right pizza peel.

Pizza oven kit care

Taking good care of the pizza oven kit is fundamental for optimal performance. Here are some instructions which will help cure any faults that might impact the oven heat retention.

Why is curing the pizza oven kit vital?

When woodfired pizza oven kit is not in use, moisture concentrate in its interiors and has to be baked out to strengthen the dome. If the process of heating the moisture out is too fast, the water will seek to escape abruptly cracking the dome in the process. After installing the pizza oven kit, there is a great deal of dampness emanating from mortars, vermiculite, heart concentrate and the oven chamber. Each of these components should be air dried as merely letting the oven sit for days does not “cure” the moisture.

Is it possible to cure the pizza oven kit without installing decorative facades and insulation?

The answer is yes. However, doing so is not recommended for a couple of reason.

Without the insulation, the pizza oven kit outdoor will have an enormous heat loss making it tedious to manage the right temperatures. Lack of insulation also present a fire and safety hazard.

Before you begin the curing process, let the pizza oven kit sit for a week as moisture often assists in the natural strengthening of the refractory material. Note that this only applies to pizza oven kit DIY and not to fully assembled pizza oven.

The process of curing the pizza oven kit

Within the first two days of the curing process, it’s imperative to maintain consistent, low temperatures fires. The entire process will take five days.

Day 1: 140 degree Celsius

Kindle fire at the center of the interior dome wall, not the back nor the sides of the woodfired pizza oven kit. The fire should not get too high to touch the dome directly. Use the analog temperature gauge provided in the pizza oven kit frame. For more accuracy, you can opt to use a digital infrared thermometer. Note we measure the temperature at the dome of the pizza oven kit, not the floor or side walls. The heat will vary, but try to keep it lower rather than going above the stipulated temperatures.

Day 2: repeat the process at 176 degrees Celsius

Day 3: repeat the process at 204 degrees Celsius

Day 4: raise the temperature to 232 degrees Celsius

Day 5: raise the temperature further to 260 degrees Celsius

Essential notes during the pizza oven curing process

Exclusively use wood as fuel. Do not use charcoal, sappy timber or any other material apart from dry medium or hard firewood. The same goes for liquid fuels in both starting or maintaining the woodfired pizza oven kit fire.

It’s allowed to start the fire using acetylene torch or food grade fire starters. Any other products specified not to be used, as per the Pizza oven kit for sale model, should be avoided. When extinguishing or lowering the temperature inside the oven, never use water as it will intensify wear and tear of the oven.

All pizza oven kit DIY should be given resting time between the completion of masonry work and the start of making actual fire. The longer the time, the better to allow cement and mortar to cure.

Safety measures when using a pizza oven kit

Caution should be taken when using any pizza oven kit. During the cooking process, outer parts of the pizza oven will become extremely hot. Therefore, it’s essential to use protective mitts or hot pads as a safety measure. With the oven sometimes reaching a temperature of 700 degrees, extra vigilance when cooking is required. One way is using a long-handled pizza peel to keep ones knuckles a safe distance from the furnace.

Some pizza oven kit comes with metal doors that are heavy and can get very hot. Other are not attached to the oven calling for extra caution when removing and replacing. When using pizza oven kit outdoor, a proper clothing should be worn with all the combustible material kept at a safe distance from the oven and any other open flames.

Significant pitfalls of the pizza oven kit

Pizza oven kits for sale have soared in popularity in the last decade. The surge in demand might have brought beneficial competition but is accompanied by several challenges. New manufacturers have jumped on the pizza market bandwagon flooding the market with inferior products. Here are some of the major pitfalls that have made cooking pizza a disaster, a potential health risk and has exposed customers to a colossal investment mistake.

Regulations

Majority of pizza oven kit buyers do not have a clue that woodfired pizza oven kit require certifications (if to be operated in a smoke-controlled area). Some years back, the authority did not bother, but now they are active in checking an oven certifications. If you fall foul of such a regulation, you stand to incur a hefty fine on site.

Maintenance

Every pizza oven consumer needs to be aware of the poorly built pizza oven kits on the market. Such ovens need a regular change of oven floor. Some of these pizza oven kit outdoor floor cannot be replaced, rendering the whole investment redundant. Others have to be dismantled entirely to replace the floor, a waste of time and resources.

Insulation

Insulation is a health and safety issue in many pizza oven kits in the market. With the aim of cutting cost, some of the Pizza oven kits for sale are un-insulated leaving the consumer at the danger of hot exteriors. In some pizza oven kits, the insulation is not correctly encased creating dust particles on the pizza.

Size and weight

Many of the pizza oven kit DIY comes with one large kit making it difficult to maneuver it through doors and tight places. Such a feature force the buyer to make property alterations to get the pizza oven kit in place. A good oven should be assembled in situ, allowing parts to be carried through a door of any standard.

Dual fuel

Some pizza oven kits are operating with gas and wood. However, the regulation on legality remains unclear. As a result, any carbon monoxide poisoning or fire that occur during operation could invalidate the owner insurance policy.

Energy efficiency

A prospective pizza oven kit buyer should question how much fuel the oven will be consuming, how long it takes to heat and how well it maintains the heat. The right pizza oven kit for sale should retain heat even after the actual fire is extinguished.

Testing

Many of the Pizza oven kit DIY flooding the market have no testing to point their performance, or certification to prove their performance as claimed. Every buyer should demand to check out credentials and other certifications to back up the pizza oven kit outdoor performance.

Manufacturing materials

Pizza oven kit is made from an array of materials. The problem comes in when some manufacturers use replicated material in an attempt to retain the oven heat and cut production cost. For example, creating an oven dome that has metal within the clay construction. Such alterations cause the dome to disintegrate quickly, creating food safety issues from possible metal contamination when the pizza or other foods are being cooked in the oven.

After-sale support

In the current here-today-gone-tomorrow pizza oven kit, it becomes a risk to purchase an oven with no assurance about after-sales support. The thumb rule is not to buy a pizza oven kit DIY unless you are given assurance about its quality, reliability, and support if the products fail.

Product training

Learning how to get the best from your pizza oven kit outdoor is equally important as buying a quality pizza oven kit. With the right training, you will maximize the energy efficiency of the oven, create better pizzas and prevent potential damage that presents themselves with improper use of pizza oven kit. You will notice that majority of Pizza oven kit for sale with a cheap price tag, out of the box, have no training available. This is because the seller has no experience to pass. To be in the safe side, get your Woodfired pizza oven kit from a genuine distributor and take advantage of the try-before-you-buy offer

Pizza oven kit outdoor accessories

No outdoor pizza oven kit is complete without a set of accessories. From scrapping the oven floor, flipping the pizza at the right time to adding wood is all part of the ritual. If you need to master the art of baking, then you will need the right tools for the job. Here is everything you need to keep your pizza oven kit in the perfect working condition plus the tools you need to cook ideal bread, meat, pizzas, etc.

Cleaning kit

The cleaning kit help to preserve the utility and beauty of pizza oven kit outdoor. It contains a nonabrasive, stainless steel protectant, all –organics cleaner, sponge and gloves to protect your skin when cleaning. Use the cleaner to remove any dirt or food particles, and follow up with a protectant to give the metal an extra layer of protection.

Temperature gun

The temperature gun gives precise data on the oven temperature for a perfect cooking result.

pizza oven tool

Pizza Peels

This is an essential pizza baking tool. It allows its user to place the dough in the oven, flip and retrieve the pizza at a safe distance from the high temperatures. For the pizza peel to be effective, the handle needs to be long enough. You could also get pizza peel holder to accommodate different pizza peels.

Pizza oven kit brush

The brush is a must-have tool for caring the oven. The soft bristles gently brush away the ash, food debris and wood remains from the hearth.

Pizza bubble popper

The pizza bubble popper has many uses. First, it’s used to pop bubbles that form when the pizza is baking. The tool is also great for rotating and moving the pizza. It’s also handy in removing pans fall deep in the oven.

Other Woodfired pizza oven kit accessories include ash shovel, ash vacuum cleaner, pizza cutter, pizza tray among other.

Once you have acquired and assembled your pizza oven kit, the next step is to know the procedure of baking pizza. If using a Woodfired pizza oven kit, the setting up is quicker and easier than you think. If you keep in check the temperatures, have the right recipe and pizza making at your side, then there is no reason can’t bake a properly cooked, slightly charred Neapolitan–style pizza you have been craving.

A picture of a brick pizza oven with a open fire.
By: Arnoldius

Pizza making oven

Do you want to bring family and friends together and create moments to cherish? A pizza making oven will help make long lasting memories of a life well-lived. As outdoor cooking continue to advance, there is more than ever pizza making ovens for aficionados of gourmet food. These pizza ovens come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, from DIY kits to pre-assemble units, from stainless steel to cast iron, from built-in units to portable ovens.

With such a wide variety of pizza making oven, the purchasing process can turn to be a daunting task. A little guidance will help you to get the perfect pizza making oven.

Portable or built-in pizza making oven

Your choice between portable or built-in pizza ovens depends on some factors. Portable pizza making ovens are best for tailgate parties and backyard bashes. This is because they offer versatility and maneuverability. The go-to oven needs no installation hence convenient and economical. They are built small and light in weight making them perfect for confined spaces.

The other type, built-in pizza making oven, is built directly into an indoor cooking space or backyard patio offering immersive and individualized cooking experience. Built-in ovens need prior planning and professional installation. While the initial cost plus cost of in stallion is high, nothing beats built-in oven’s authenticity especially ones tailored to fit the consumer home style.

The size of a Pizza making oven

From friend’s bashes to a family get-together, different occasion requires different food cooking capacities. A small pizza making oven suffices a modest gathering while a bigger fete calls for a more significant pizza making unit.

Pizza oven comes in three distinct sizes: large, medium and small. Choosing the right size of pizza oven depends on the size of your kitchen, backyard and future party plans. Smaller pizza making ovens have better maneuverability more so in confined spaces. Large pizza ovens are best in taking advantage of a spacious backyard or ample kitchen space.

Single chamber or dual chamber pizza making oven

A single chamber pizza oven is well suited for pizza baking, but a dual chamber pizza oven offers even better temperature control. The dual-chamber oven is designed to allow the heat to rise and travel on both sides of the oven, limiting the amount of oxygen flowing to the fire. With a dual chamber oven, you have three levels of temperature control hence a better baking experience.

Cast iron or stainless steel pizza making oven

A cast iron pizza oven is durable and fast to heat. However, iron is heavy, tedious to use and to clean. On the other hand, we have stainless steel pizza oven which is durable and ideal for home pizza cooking. Just like cast iron, stainless steel pizza making oven heats up quickly even at lower temperatures. Using this material of pizza oven means you will spend less time preheating and more time focusing on making a crispy pizza crust.

Brick ovens are also fuel efficient. They retain 85% of the heat generated from either wood or gas. This has made bricks oven a trendy choice for building an outdoor pizza oven.

Similarly, stone ovens are heat efficient. However, you need to be sure of the type of stone used. One of the reasons why people choose a stone to build pizza making oven is because of its aesthetic value. To reduce the cost that comes with stone pizza ovens, you can opt to use the material to façade the oven rather than using it as a baking chamber.

Clay is another material used to construct pizza making oven. Clay ovens are incredibly fuel efficient but tricky to build and maintain.

Wood burning, charcoal or gas/electric pizza making oven

If you love traditional pizza flavors with slightly charred, crispy bases, then the wood-burning oven is what you need. They are very popular residential oven due to their independence.

The charcoal burning oven can be used in place of a wood-fired oven to get the same quality of pizzas. However, coal is considered less efficient in burning and less eco-friendly.

For a more contemporary style, an electric pizza making oven is the way to go. However, installation of gas/electric pizza ovens is slightly more expensive compared to other pizza ovens.

Dome or barrel vault pizza making oven

While there are many styles of pizza ovens, the two most common ones are dome oven and barrel vaults. The dome shape is the traditional shape of pizza ovens, also known as Pompeii style. It features a dome-shaped baking chamber with a chimney at the top. The advantage of this style of pizza making oven is that it has even temperatures resulting in more consistent pizza cooking.

Bare vaults are quite similar to dome-shaped pizza ovens, only that its structure extend further back creating a larger oven. The style suits a baker who not only want to bake pizzas but also other food such as bread and roasting meat. Due to the elongated shape, the barrel pizza making oven is susceptible to cold and hot spots calling for a careful monitoring when cooking.

In the end, your choice of pizza making oven depends on the kind of cooking experience you are after. From a large gathering in a rustic setting to a small family get-together, there is a pizza oven perfect for every environment and festivity.