The Ultimate Pizza Oven Buying Guide - Everything You Need To Know

 

Perfect amounts of flour, sauce, cheese, and heat are the basis of the most beloved food on the planet. Two out of ten of the biggest fast-food franchises in the world are small pizza outlets or restaurants. It's evident the pizza business is booming in the country. Homemade pizzas are no longer the notoriously tricky endeavor they used to be.

At home, it's hard to have the right equipment to get those finer points of charred crust and bubbled mozzarella. Most grills can't get to the right temperature to even bake a perfect pie. With your pizza oven by your side, your family has the utmost freedom to enjoy healthy food without any time restrictions.

 

Every pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself. — Bill Murray

 

So, if you're thinking of opening a little pizzeria or updating the pizza ovens in your regular restaurant or café menu, or simply wish to spend quality family time over pizza chatting by your backyard pizza oven, you're on the right track. For this, you need a fireproof business plan, skills, and all the know-how to consider before buying one. Follow the Firefly Pizza Ovens buying guide to discover the perfect pizza oven for your needs!

How Does A Pizza Oven Work?

 

 From preheating, cooking, and cooling, it all comes down to heat. Whether you're using a gas or wood-fired pizza oven, the first step is preheating it. A fire started within the oven helps to retain temperatures and radiate the heat evenly across the cooking area until the pizza oven is ready to use.

 Similar to a battery charging up, the materials used in the walls absorb heat energy from the fire, later releasing the heat back into the cooking chamber. The components of a pizza oven come into live action when the curved shape radiates heat evenly onto the food. This cooks your pizza evenly from the inside out, giving it that crispy outcome.

The best pizza oven will retain heat for long periods and doesn't need much additional heating support. Depending on the type of pizza oven you're using, especially wood-fired options, it takes time to cool down completely as it stores a vast amount of heat within the walls. Notably, some can take up to a day to cool down based on the material they’re built with.

Regular Oven VS Pizza Oven 

Characteristics	Regular Oven	Pizza Oven
Features	●     Timer and delayed start options ●     Glass doors ●     Convection heating ●     Time-consuming	●     It is easy to set up ●     Display cooking ●     Heat-up speed ●     Weight and stability ●     Portability ●     An economical and energy-efficient cooking process
Purposes	Baking, roasting, and broiling	Pizza, roasting, barbecue grilling, slow-cooked meats, crusty bread, and warm desserts.
Models	Gas, electric	Electric, gas, wood fire, freestanding, built-in, countertop, portable
Temperature	150–500 °F (65–260 °C)	200–1000 °F (90–540 °C)
Texture	Regular ovens dry out pizza crust from longer cooking time, making it tougher to consume.	Far superior, pizza has a crisp crust with a moist interior for a delicious taste.
Cooking Duration	20–25 minutes	60 seconds–15 minutes
Easy to clean and maintain?	Standard cleaning and maintenance are required.	Yes, cleaning and care are required although most ovens take minimal effort as the heat does most of the work.
Costs	$1000–$9000	$200–$15000

We've got a wood-burning pizza oven in the garden - a luxury, I know, but it's one of the best investments I've ever made. — Gwyneth Paltrow

What Pizza Oven Accessories Do You Need?

Before you fire up your pizza oven, ensure you're all set for success and safety.

❖ If you're using freestanding or portable pizza ovens, you're good to go with skipping this step. However, if you're using other options, get the exact measurements and purchase sturdy cart or stand that is slightly bigger than the pizza oven so you don't have to crouch down to launch and retrieve pizzas.

❖ Where to stretch and top your dough? Your prep platform can be as fancy or as simple as you like. Determining it's close to the pizza oven is essential to working quickly with heat. Invest in a bar-height table or a modular table for easy access.

The scene is set; gather your pizza-making tools. Here are the must-have pizza oven accessories:

❖ Pizza peels to launch and remove pizzas.
Pizza peels are made of various materials and are in different shapes, which include;
● A wooden or bamboo pizza peel
● Metal Pizza Peels
● Round-Turning Pizza Peel
We recommend you think it through and pick the right pizza peel.

❖ Long-handled offset spatula to keep the dough from sticking to the peel.

❖ Use an Infrared thermometer to maintain and regulate the temperature.

❖ Some protective, durable, heat-resistant gloves to go with your supplies.

❖ A good brush to clean off the pizza stone. Your brush should have,
● Sturdy scraper
● Flexible, stainless steel metal bristles
● Extra-long bamboo handle
● Great value

❖ Get a real Pizzaiolo look while slicing through your pizzas with one of these wheel pizza cutters!

❖ Pizza oven covers make it effortless to protect your investment and your pizza oven!

How To Use A Pizza Oven?

1. Preheat the pizza oven according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Test the temperature using an infrared thermometer.
3. Once the oven achieves your desired temperature, stretch or roll out a ball of dough to an 8”–14” round.
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured pizza peel and add cheese, sauce, and other toppings while making sure the dough doesn't stick.
5. Wear heat-resistant gloves; transfer the topped dough to the hot pizza oven.
6. Cook the pizza until the crust is evenly browned and charred in spots on top and around the edges. Depending on the pizza oven model you're using, the baking process could take anywhere from 60 seconds to 15 minutes once preheated.
7. Take the pizza out of the oven using the peel. Let it rest on a cutting board for a while before slicing with pizza cutters and serving.

If not in use, the pizza oven heat will start to go down over time; therefore, cooking times might increase as the oven cools. Cleaning and aftercare are recommended after a cooling period.

The radiation left over from the Big Bang is the same as that in your microwave oven but very much less powerful. It would heat your pizza only to minus 271.3 Celsius—not much good for defrosting the pizza, let alone cooking it. — Stephen Hawking

Which Pizza Oven Size/Type Is The Best?
Determining the size of your future pizza oven is the first step toward making a final decision on which model will work best for you. While varying in capacity, the various-sized pizza ovens essentially cook the same.

The most popular residential and commercial pizza ovens in use are traditional, hybrid, gas, electric, wood-fired, or custom models. The perfect oven for you might depend on several factors, including but not limited to the frequency of use, the number of people you will be feeding, portability needs, kitchen setup, and type of experience desired. Important items to also consider are an oven that would be certified for indoor use or accessibility for delivery in the backyard for outdoor use.

The type of fuel used affects the heat, burn time, and overall flavor of the pizza. Many pizza aficionados prefer the traditional experience of a wood-fired oven and believe the smokey flavor contributed cannot be replicated. With their ability to maintain heat, wood ovens also allow a variety of foods to be cooked outside of pizza. While wood-fired pizza ovens remain warm for a long time, natural gas or propane pizza ovens are thought to be easier to light and the temperature is easier to control. Keep your options open for gas or wood-fired styles for outdoor or indoor selections. Alternatively, you can have the best of both worlds with a gas-assisted wood-fired pizza oven, also known as a hybrid oven.

Get Firefly's detailed analysis below on average pizza oven specifications, measurements, and heat duration.

Oven Size	Cooking Surface	Pizzas (10")	Heat Up (Minutes)
60	24" x 29"	1	20
70	28" x 33"	2	25
80	32" x 40"	2	40
90	36" x 44"	3	45
100	40" x 48"	5	50
110	44" x 52"	6	55
120	48" x 56"	7	75

A portable option that's a space saver as well as lightweight is a good choice for those on the go or with limited space. Clay, brick, natural stone, or steel models are the most cost-effective in material, economically fuel-efficient, low-maintenance, and give that Mediterranean-style aesthetic that suits residential homes and modern commercial buildings.

To effectively use a pizza oven, consider a location that's protected from the elements while having good ventilation. Whether protected from the elements or not, we strongly recommend purchasing a protective cover for your pizza oven to safeguard your investment. Check local government/neighborhood regulations for specific restrictions or guidelines for commercial and residential pizza ovens if applicable.

What Is The Price Of A Pizza Oven?

The best pizza oven is one that fits your needs and budget. Whereas the cost is highly dependent upon your frequency of use, materials, and specific manufacturing models. Some consumers like to get their feet wet with a more economical oven and upgrade after a year or two, while others (especially if building it into a kitchen design) prefer to get exactly what they think they want the first time. We also offer DIY options for those wanting that professional look while saving a little money.

The expensive pizza ovens are commonly used by celebrity chefs and those who wish to cook like them. Usually, it's good to wait until you can afford the most expensive pizza oven model for your occasional usage. However, for regular usage, it's surely worth the investment, and we offer payment plans to help you get exactly what you want.

Residential Pizza Ovens	Commercial Pizza Ovens
$300—$8,000	$5,000—$30,000

 

If you're looking to start and establish your business as a café or restaurant, take a brief look at our following analysis to get a market grasp.

Statista estimated the pizza industry’s market value in North America to reach approximately $56.5 billion in 2021. Where there's pizza, there's an oven. The global pizza oven market size is anticipated to be $522.5 million in 2022. With technological advancement, the pizza oven market’s growth is projected to touch $802.8 million by 2028.

How To Clean And Maintain A Pizza Oven?

Be it for residential or commercial purposes, many restaurants, pizzerias, or home chefs always try to get the most out of their equipment. Like any other cooking appliance, routine care and maintenance help keep a pizza oven working at full strength.

Here are easy-to-follow steps to clean and maintain your pizza oven.

1. Keep the heat going for about 30 minutes after you are done cooking to burn off any remaining food, then let it cool. Before you begin cleaning any models of a pizza oven, make sure the power is turned off and the pizza oven equipment is cool to touch.
2. Wipe the trays and guards clean using a soft cloth and the recommended cleaner by the original equipment manufacturer.
3. Rinse the trays and guards off and set them aside to air dry.
4. Use a soft-bristle brush with warm water to brush off any stuck-on food leftovers.
5. Wipe down the interior and exterior surfaces to take off crumbs and other loose food leftovers with a scraper and soft cloth.

Your pizza oven cleaning and maintenance kit should include:

• Rubber gloves
• Garden hose or spray bottle (the spray gun is optional, but recommended)
• Bucket of OEM cleaner and clean water
• Kitchen sponge
• Pizza oven brush and scraper
• Soft clothes

To avoid serious fire hazards, it is recommended to clean and maintain exhaust stacks every month. If you are not comfortable with this, it is recommended that you use a certified technician. Regardless of your pizza oven’s manufacturer’s model, always cover it when not in use.

Pizza Makes Anything Possible. — Henry Rollins

What To Consider When Buying A Pizza Oven?

To make the final decision call to invest in a new pizza oven, here are some essential considerations to prepare you before you start your shopping with Firefly Pizza Ovens.

• For indoor or outdoor options, what's your space availability for a pizza oven? If purchasing a larger oven, is the location accessible for delivery?

• What is your expected usage on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?

• Do you require more than one pizza cooked at a time, or will one pizza at a time fit your needs?

• What is your pizza oven equipment budget?

• How skilled are you at operating a pizza oven? Have you used any type of pizza oven that you want to buy from Firefly's product list?

• What is your pizza oven type utilization on a residential or commercial basis?

• What is the accessible energy source for your pizza oven and where is it located in your current kitchen setup?

• What are your ventilation, airflow, cleaning, and maintenance requirements that need to be met?

• What is your comfort level with wood-fired vs. gas?

• What is most important to you for your new oven? Most consumers like to consider style, size, fuel type, and portability needs in their decisions. What are your preferences?

Secret Tips To Buy An Ideal Pizza Oven

Take your pizza oven game to the next level with these tips:

• A portable pizza oven option is the most convenient way of turning any outdoor or indoor space into your perfect pizza production kitchen.

• While ordering your pizza oven online, make sure the retailer is certified for original equipment packaging, shipment, and delivery.

• Get good insulation and better temperature control with quality materials that are durable in the long run.

• A freestanding or portable pizza oven offers flexibility in oven location.

• Consider more economical and fuel-efficient pizza oven options with good airflow models.

• If the thought of a traditional wood-fired outdoor pizza oven sounds like a bit too much work, then the natural gas or propane models are the best options with easy-to-cook compatibility.

• Consider protecting the pizza oven from the elements, dirt, weather, and changing climates by getting a safety cover to put over it when it's not in use.

Pizza for Thought

Buying a pizza oven is a sure way to streamline your kitchen operations, be it for residential or commercial uses. This is why researching the right product is an effort well worth investing in.

Firefly Pizza Ovens has all the pizza ovens and accessories you need to get started. We assist you with everything from equipment advice, accessories, manufacturing guidelines, temperature control, and secure product delivery, to name just a few of our services. We help you right from the start till you have your pizza oven delivered to your doorstep.

Not sure where to start with the pizza oven? Contact us to arrange an appointment or inquire with our experts, who will be able to point you in the right direction regarding your setup and provide you with expert advice.

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Browse and scroll through Firefly's extensive range of pizza oven products, book your orders, and contact us if you have any questions to make informed decisions. Book an appointment with our expert advisors today!