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Last Updated on October 26, 2021
These days there are so many ways to cook pizza at home. You can use a frying pan, a grill, a fan oven, an outdoor gas grill, a charcoal grill, or even a Kamado. However, many still swear by the traditional, tried, and tested outdoor pizza oven. The basic concept of these ovens has been around for thousands of years, and there are several modern types available on the market today.
You can opt for the traditional wood-fired style pizza oven, or if you prefer to use gas or charcoal, there are models available. Regardless of the fuel type, there’s a reason that outdoor pizza ovens all the rage. But do they deliver superior pizzas to other methods of cooking?
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Advantages to Outdoor Pizza Ovens
Outdoor pizza ovens are popular for a reason, and with their many advantages, it’s easy to see why you’d want to invest in one for your backyard this summer.
Pro #1: Speed and efficiency of cooking
There are many ways to cook pizza, but there is no method as speedy as an outdoor pizza oven. If you’re hosting a party for family and friends or just like to cook multiple pizzas one after the other, an outdoor pizza oven may be the perfect choice for you.
This is especially true of wood-fired outdoor pizza ovens. A wood-fired oven reaches an incredibly high temperature of up to roughly 800°F. You can cook a traditional stone-baked thin-crust pizza at this heat level in as little as 2 minutes. So make sure you have all your pizzas ready to go before you fire up the oven because you won’t have time to make more in between cooking!
Pro #2: Retaining heat for hours
Another reason people love the traditional outdoor pizza oven is its ability to stay hot for long periods. It can take a little while for your oven to reach the optimum temperature for cooking. However, once it’s there, it will stay there for hours.
As a side note, if you’re looking for an outdoor pizza oven that heats up fairly quickly as well as retaining the heat, search for a wood burner with a steel dome. This helps speed up the preheating time, so you can start cooking sooner.
Pro #3: It’s all about the flavor
Any die-hard fan of the outdoor pizza oven will tell you that they just taste better. There is some truth to these claims. If you want to create a restaurant-quality, authentic tasting pizza, there is nothing better than an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. The smoky flavor imparted by a wood-fired outdoor pizza oven is hard to replicate, and you can even vary the taste by experimenting with different types of wood to see which you prefer.
The speedy cooking times of an outdoor pizza oven mean your food often retains more nutrients when cooked this way. Some slower methods of cooking can deplete the nutrients in your food, so a pizza oven not only makes your pizza taste better, but it’s better for you too.
Pro #4: They have a long lifespan
You can say with certainty about an outdoor pizza oven that it will last you for years to come. Especially if you decide to invest in a built-in design, you can be sure you’ll be cooking thousands of pizzas (and even other yummy foods) for a very long time.
Sometimes it can be tempting to opt for the cheaper product, but you get what you pay for with outdoor pizza ovens.
Pro #5: They are eco-friendly
Making purchasing decisions that are good for the environment is incredibly important to many people nowadays. A wood-burning outdoor pizza oven uses a renewable fuel source that is also relatively inexpensive to purchase in bulk. So, if you’re looking for a lower-carbon way to cook outdoors without burning fossil fuels, a pizza oven is a fantastic choice.
Pro #6: Visual aesthetic
One clear advantage of the outdoor pizza oven is it’s aesthetic. It can serve as an outdoor decor item and spice up your backyard’s overall look and feel. Everyone loves to impress guests, and with an outdoor pizza oven, you can do just that. If you enjoy putting on a show for your family and friends by allowing everyone to watch the cooking process, a pizza oven can add some fun to your social gatherings.
Disadvantages of Outdoor Pizza Ovens
Though there are some clear advantages to outdoor pizza ovens, it’s also critical to examine their pitfalls before buying.
Con #1: They’re slow to heat
An outdoor pizza oven can take longer than some other outdoor cooking methods to reach the optimum temperature. However, many would argue that the short time it takes to cook a pizza in an outdoor oven offsets the time spent waiting for it to heat up.
Con #2: They are fairly expensive
An outdoor pizza oven is an investment. It is not a budget option and can cost thousands of dollars. This is especially true if you opt for a bespoke design to suit your personal needs. For many, the fact that their outdoor pizza oven will be standing and functional for decades to come makes the investment worth it.
Con #3: They take up significant space in your backyard
If you’re considering investing in an outdoor pizza oven, you’ll need to be prepared for how much space it takes up in your backyard. They won’t be suitable for smaller plots, and of course, most cannot easily move once they’re in place. You can’t take them with you when you travel or transfer them to a different location in your backyard because most of the time, they’re too awkward and heavy.
The Final Verdict
If you are after a long-lasting investment that you can cook incredible authentic tasting Neapolitan pizzas on, an outdoor pizza oven will be worth the hype for you. Although they take up space and can be slow to heat up, there is nothing quite like the impressive appearance of an authentic pizza oven and the delicious meals it produces.
