The Nano's temperature control allowed us to precisely adjust the flame inside the oven, but the knob did get hot to the touch. Also, this is a heavy and expensive oven, so once you set it up in your yard, you're not going to want to move it, unlike some of the more portable options from Ooni and others. But, it's a good option if you're looking for a pizza oven that will be the centerpiece of your outdoor kitchen. Under ideal conditions, we found that the Etna Fermo’s pizza stone could reach its operating temperature of 500ºC in just 18 minutes, although it struggled a little to reach this temperature on cooler days. Even below 500ºC, it was able to cook a classic, thin-crust homemade pizza to perfection in just 60 seconds. What’s more, we found it matched the authentic flavour of wood-powered ovens. Any sort of food that fares well in intense heat. Other bread-based dishes are a great choice, such as focaccia and flatbreads, but you can also experiment with dishes like steaks, salmon, traybakes, frittatas and baked eggs. Avoid poultry: unless it’s expertly cooked, it will most probably end up incinerated on the outside and raw on the inside. Where should it go?

Key specs – Dimensions: 50 x ​​81.5 x 83.7cm; Weight: 28kg; Fuel Type: Wood, gas and charcoal; Portable: No; Max pizza size: 16in The Fyra is also the least expensive of Ooni's ovens — and one of the cheapest pizza ovens overall — so it won't burn a hole through your wallet while it's cooking your pies. Another note on becoming a pizzaiolo. Even if you’re not an expert at making pizza dough —we certainly weren’t! — you’re better off trying your hand at making homemade dough or buying dough from a local pizzeria that specializes in thin-crust pies than buying store-bought refrigerated or frozen dough. In our tests, both store-bought doughs we tested (Trader Joe’s for refrigerated, Wegman’s for frozen) were difficult to roll out to a desired thinness, and had a tendency to burn on the outside while not getting fully cooked inside. If you do use store-bought dough in one of these ovens, a good rule of thumb is to use a floured rolling pin to try to get it as thin as possible before cooking. (But really, avoid it if you can.) Pairing great aesthetics with impressive functionality and performance, the Etna Fermo is one of our current favourite pizza ovens. Throughout testing, the Etna Fermo also revealed several neat design touches. The oven’s large internal capacity meant it was able to fit sizable pizzas of up to 16in, while its extra-wide opening at the front made it simple to adjust, turn and remove our pizzas as they cooked. The Etna Fermo’s U-shaped burner was another standout feature: both practical and pretty, it looked great in use and also ensured our pizzas cooked more evenly.Another thing that might be worth investing in is an infrared or laser thermometer to measure the temperature of your stone (Ooni makes a good one); you’ll want one that can measure temperatures up to 1,000 degrees F if you plan on making Neapolitan-style pies. Key specs – Dimensions: 55 x 79 x 68cm (HDW); Weight: 58kg; Fuel Type: Wood/Wood and gas; Portable: No; Max pizza size: 16in

Can’t I just cook pizza in a regular oven or in a cast-iron pan? Of course and you can achieve some great results too with the right techniques. However, unless you have a proper pizza oven, you’ll never be able to duplicate that authentic wood-fired taste in exactly the same way. Paying for a takeaway pizza is often a nice treat but if you want something a cut above your average Dominos or Pizza Hut, why not give authentic, homemade pizza a try in your very own dedicated outdoor oven? The best pizza ovens will have you whipping up freshly baked pizzas in a matter of minutes, and trust us when we say that dough cooked in this way really is a cut above the rest. If you're planning to make your own dough, you'll need a kitchen scale to properly weigh out the ingredients. Measuring cups aren't as accurate, which could throw off the proportions. Safety: Pizzas require incredibly high temperatures to cook so we looked for excellent insulation and safety features to make using the pizza oven easy to use.Storage: consider the space you have available. The smallest pizza ovens we've tested are the BBQ-top models, which thanks to their small, boxy size, can easily be stored in a garage, shed or even inside somewhere. A number of the models on this list have easy foldaway legs, meaning they too will take up very little room when not in use. Some of the larger models we've tested will need to be kept outside in all weathers, in this case, a cover is an absolute must. Suitable for use with wood and gas, the Roccbox is an incredibly stylish and portable outdoor pizza oven. Its compact size and easy set-up makes it ideal for al fresco dining whether you’re in the garden or camping. The oven is almost fully assembled straight out of the box and it comes with pretty much everything you need to get started, with the exception of the fuel itself. Outside of price, the biggest factor to consider when buying a pizza oven is the fuel source. Ovens can be heated by either propane, charcoal, or wood pellets (there are also electric options for indoor models). Before choosing an outdoor pizza oven, decide which heat source is right for you. In our tests, the propane ovens were easier to control, but pizza ovens that used either wood, wood pellets, or charcoal gave the pies a smoky flavor reminiscent of good grills.Plus, it's easier to carry a bag of charcoal or wood pellets than it is a tank of propane, especially if you're planning to bring your pizza oven to a camping trip or tailgate. Fuel type: some will be gas-fuelled, others need wood, or it may be a multi-fuel. Indoor pizza ovens plug into the mains so don't need any other means of generating heat. The main advantage to gas-powered pizza ovens is how low-maintenance they are by comparison: there’s no prep or waiting time, and no ashes to clean away afterwards. Instead, all you’ll need to do is attach a butane or propane canister. Also, the temperature of a gas pizza oven can be adjusted with the simple turn of a dial, although as explained, this isn’t essential. What else can be cooked in a pizza oven?

Somewhere in your garden, where it’s relatively sheltered from the breeze, as winds can send cool air into your oven and bring those cooking temperatures down. You’ll want a flat, even surface on which to rest your oven, whether that’s a heatproof tabletop, or the ground if it has its own legs or stand. In addition to its cooking performance, we also evaluated each oven on its ease of setup, how hot the oven got (both on the inside and outside), and how easy it was to control the temperature. For wood or wood pellet models, we also looked at the ease with which we could add fuel. What to look for in a pizza oven Whether you’re working with a stainless steel or wooden peel, we found that flouring the surface (semolina flour works best, especially for hotter ovens) and building the pizza right on the peel, then sliding it into the oven, led to the best results. You’ll also have to use a peel to pull out your pizza and turn it while it’s cooking, because you want a nice, even char. So get comfortable with your peel — it’s your pizza’s BFF! The Ooni Karu is one of the more portable pizza ovens on this list, too. The fibre-insulated ceramic body weighs only 12kg, the smoking chimney can be removed and each of the four legs can be folded away for easy carrying. The overwhelming majority of pizza ovens are wood-fired because pizzas cook optimally in short, fierce blasts of heat. Cooking time usually takes between 30 seconds and five minutes, and the finished result is simply unachievable in a gas or domestic oven.The BakerStone Pizza Oven Box pulls double duty: Since it was originally designed as a box to place on a grill, you can actually detach the top portion from the bottom “firebox” and do your pizza-cooking on a grill. The interior of the oven, composed of five sides of pizza stones, performed surprisingly well when up against the open-flame Ooni Koda and Gozney Roccbox. Because the five stones maintain and radiate a lot of heat, the pizzas we made came out with a good amount of char and were cooked evenly.

Key specs – Dimensions: 47 x 53 x 41cm (WDH); Weight: 20kg; Fuel type: Wood, gas; Portable: Yes; Max pizza size: 12in But to also keep things simple (and fair), we tested each oven with Margherita pizzas topped only with tomato sauce and hand-torn mozzarella, with a little basil and olive oil drizzled on after cooking. Each time you use the pizza oven, you’ll want to start it at least 15 minutes before throwing a pie into the oven; you need to give the pizza stone at the bottom of the oven time to heat up, so you get that nice char on the bottom. And, you’ll want to let it “recharge” between each pizza, too.When tested with the gas burner, the Roccbox reached its maximum temperature of 500ºC in around 30-45 minutes. 12in pizzas cooked in around 60 seconds, sometimes less and the result was excellent, with a well cooked base and crispy crust. Unfortunately, the Roccbox struggled to reach the maximum temperature using the wood burner. It also required a lot of wood to stay hot and struggled to stay at a consistent temperature without regular tending. This meant pizzas took longer to cook but the results were still authentic and delicious. Ooni has seen booming business for its line of outdoor pizza ovens, some of which operate on gas, and others a combination of gas and wood. The Koda 16 is the larger of its two propane-powered Koda models — with a 16-inch cooking area vs. the Koda 12’s 12-inch cooking area —and for its ease of setup, relatively lightweight construction, no-fuss functionality, large cooking space, and powerful L-shaped flame, we felt it’s the most versatile, family-friendly model for cooks who might want to experiment with different pie sizes, as well as cooking other non-pizza items in the oven. That why it took home the Tom's Guide 2022 Award for Best pizza oven. All commercial gas appliances must be installed by a qualified Gas Safe Registered engineer. Failure to do so will void the products warranty. Dubbed “the Rolls-Royce of pizza ovens” in our full review, the Gozney Dome earns this title due to its luxurious design and excellent performance. Its cream-coloured, domed exterior is quite simply a pleasure to look at, while the weatherproofed ceramic and stainless body feels sturdy and well put-together, proving to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. The ovens’ ceramic pizza stones, when heated, can hold very high temperatures, giving your pie a nice char on the bottom. The main differentiator in our tests was the heat source and how it affected the cooking on top of the pie; without a high temperature, you won’t get the dotted char known in the industry as “leoparding” (because it looks like a leopard, get it?). We found that the gas ovens with an exposed flame — the Ooni Koda 16 and the Gozney Roccbox —were best for getting a nice char.