The very best pizza ovens are your gateway to the Italian Riviera when you may’t fairly get away from Blighty’s unpredictable climate. As an alternative of hopping on a flight to Tuscany for the weekend or ordering a Margherita pizza from Deliveroo, there’s nothing fairly as satisfying as baking your individual scrumptious pizza pie from your individual kitchen or backyard. Your kitchen might be outfitted with top-range air fryers and your top-spec BBQ might be locked within the backyard, however neither can deal with the doughy goodness of a easy pizza fairly like these devoted machines.
By making high-quality pizza from scratch with one of many newest transportable pizza ovens, you may experiment with components way more fascinating than your native pizzeria and create that restaurant-quality stone-baked smoky flavour with a charred, crispy crust – one thing you simply can’t obtain utilizing a typical kitchen oven. All this discuss of scrumptious Italian carbs acquired you eager to cook dinner pizza? Learn on to find which pizza ovens make the GQ line-up for 2024…
What’s the perfect pizza oven in 2024?
Finest general pizza oven: Ooni Karu 16
Ooni Karu 16
£699
Amazon
The Karu 16 is a stable selection for most individuals seeking to step up their pizza sport, combining a compact dimension (whereas nonetheless remaining roomy inside), super-hot temperatures, and a helpful glass door for preserving that all-important warmth in.
Finest premium pizza oven: Gozney Dome
Gozney Dome
£1,997
Gozney
The one factor higher than the Dome’s masterful capacity to supply good Neapolitan pizzas is its beautiful appears. Taking delight of place in your patio, it is as a lot a delight to take a look at as it’s to make use of, with loads of inside area for a cushty bake.
Haven’t got area or permission for an outside pizza oven? Followers of comfort and/or balcony homeowners can go all-electric with Sage’s 400-degree oven. Able to producing pizzas in round two minutes, its comfort cannot be overstated. Dear, sure, however a minimum of you will not be slinging dough within the rain.
Finest pizza oven at a look…
Finest luxurious pizza oven: Alfa Moderno Transportable, £995 at amazon.co.uk
Finest general pizza oven: Ooni Karu 12, £699 at amazon.co.uk
Finest premium pizza oven: Gozney Dome, £1,799 at gozney.com
Finest multi-fuel pizza oven: Ooni Karu 12G, £379 at uk.ooni.com
Finest electrical pizza oven: Ooni Volt 12, £799 at uk.ooni.com
Finest gas-powered pizza oven: Ooni Koda 16, £499 at uk.ooni.com
Finest good pizza oven: Sage Sensible Oven Pizzaiolo, £499.95 at sageappliances.com
Skip to: How we examined the perfect pizza ovens in 2024 | How does a pizza oven work? | What ought to I search for when shopping for a pizza oven? | Are pizza ovens waterproof? | What’s the perfect pizza oven model?
How we examined the perfect pizza ovens in 2024
We would by no means need you to place your hard-earned money right into a pizza oven that wasn’t as much as scratch, so we did all of the onerous work – belief us, it was onerous work… – placing these ovens by our rigorous testing course of to ensure you may be cooking up some correct high quality pies at your subsequent gathering. In all instances, we have assessed the value, dimension and general high quality of the pizza oven, in addition to checking the velocity of warm-up, cooking and cool-down, the general high quality of the pizza offered and another options like the strategy of cook dinner, extra extras and the way massive a pizza you may really make within the factor.
How does a pizza oven work?
There’s an artwork to making a great-tasting pizza, however the newest pizza ovens make it simpler than ever earlier than to convey the style of an genuine Neopolitan-style pizza to your plate. They work quick to supply excessive temperatures which might be a lot hotter than your customary oven, which helps you obtain that scrumptious crispy, bubbly end to your pizza crust and pizza dough and topping a lot faster than your customary oven.
Pizza ovens are typically dome-shaped to create a pocket of sizzling air from the hearth that circulates across the oven to warmth it rapidly and evenly to supply a pizza with a wonderfully crispy base and attractive golden glaze. And it’s not simply pizza you may cook dinner with these devices both. Roasted greens, grilled fish, slow-cooked meats, jacket potatoes, flatbreads, and extra all work effectively in a pizza oven’s scorching temperatures.
What ought to I search for when shopping for a pizza oven?
By including a pizza oven to your al fresco arrange – alongside a hearth pit and barbecue – you will have the perfect mixture of consolation and rustic event for gatherings with family and friends. Right here’s what to contemplate whenever you resolve to purchase a pizza oven:
What gasoline to make use of: Much like barbecuing, there are a selection of gasoline choices to select from when choosing an outside oven. These embrace gasoline pizza ovens, wood-fired pizza ovens, and charcoal barbecues. If you would like the flexibleness to change between gasoline sorts you may as well go for a multi-fuel possibility. The great thing about gas-fired cooking is its ease of use – it’s easy to change on, mess-free, and likewise preheats to cooking temperature rapidly and simply, making it good for freshmen. Cooking pizza with wooden pellets, then again, could also be messier to make use of and clear up and cooking occasions is likely to be a bit longer, however will create the proper surroundings to create that scrumptious wood-fired flavour, and the identical applies to charcoal. Many pizza ovens additionally include a built-in digital thermometer too, which generally is a helpful function to have.
Pizza dimension: Take into consideration the variety of folks you’ll be making ready pizza for and the way massive you need your pizzas to be. There are a selection of designs to select from to cater to bases starting from 12-inch pizza proper as much as round 16 inches. You’ll additionally wish to take into consideration the kind of pizza you’ll wish to make, as that may have an effect on the dimensions you’ll need.
Portability: Some pizza ovens will be purpose-built to be a everlasting function in your kitchen countertop, backyard, patio, or balcony, whereas others are transportable. If you would like an oven you may pop within the automobile or caravan so you may simply use it for out of doors cooking when tenting or glamping, then take a more in-depth have a look at the form, weight, and the way it shops – probably the most compact designs include fold-up legs and a chimney that may be saved within the physique when not in use, for instance.
Additional prices: In addition to the gasoline supply – be it a gasoline propane bottle, wooden pellets, or charcoal – you’ll should think about the price of any extras that aren’t included within the value. These embrace objects equivalent to a weatherproof carry case, thermometer (if not included), or a separate temperature gun. Additionally take into account helpful instruments equivalent to a superb pizza peel, cutter, and, when you’re choosing wooden, a bristle brush for cleansing up the ash. You may also wish to take into account one thing like a forged iron pan for extra cooking duties, for additional versatility from the pizza stone’s cooking floor.
Are pizza ovens waterproof?
If you happen to’re on the lookout for a pizza oven appropriate for out of doors use, you would be totally good in planning forward by getting a pizza oven that may deal with all climates. Whilst you probably will not wish to be stood out miserably turning pizzas within the rain, most fashionable out of doors chrome steel ovens can cope with nearly any climate you throw at them, as they’re designed to face up to the outside all-year spherical. Nonetheless, the transportable choices on our checklist are best-suited for this challenge, as they are going to be fabricated from extra sturdy, water resistant supplies.
What’s the perfect pizza oven model?
Swearing your allegiance to 1 specific oven maker is not usually suggested, as there are many stable choices out there, however for these trying to decide on a model and keep loyal to them, there are a number of standout producers. First off is probably the most well-known, Ooni pizza oven. You’ve got seen the adverts for merchandise just like the Ooni Koda 12 and heard them butting into your podcast, however Ooni presents a flexible vary of built-in and transportable pizza ovens that warmth up rapidly, burn effectively, and all the time ship the tasty items. Elsewhere, luxurious manufacturers like Gozney and Alfa Forni are glorious high picks for these with an even bigger funds who can afford bigger value tags.
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Store GQ’s decide of the perfect pizza oven for 2024…
Gozney makes among the most tasty pizza ovens round, and the Dome S1 isn’t any exception. Rocking the design DNA of the unique Dome (which we’re big followers of), it simplifies proceedings with a gas-only setup. This makes it extra inexpensive than the unique Dome, which is nice when you by no means deliberate on cooking with wooden within the first place. Certain, you may’t beat that genuine smoky flavour, however there’s completely nothing flawed with wanting to stay to the benefit and comfort of gasoline, both.
The refined design features a tweaked built-in digital thermometer, with an all-black management dial — all whereas promising the identical excellent efficiency. Able to reaching the excessive temperatures required for cooking genuine Neapolitan pizza in minutes, it additionally has significantly spectacular warmth retention, because of a 30mm double-layer stone ground and dense cavity insulation. As lovely to take a look at as it’s nice to make use of, its massive dimension and beneficiant opening means you may whip up big 16-inch discs of tacky goodness with ease. £1,299. At gozney.com
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We expect the Karu 12 multi-fuel pizza oven is a extremely versatile possibility at an affordable value. For a begin, it helps you to change between gasoline choices together with gasoline (you’ll have to purchase an Ooni Fuel Burner individually), wooden and charcoal at your leisure. For excellent outcomes, it reaches as much as 500C in simply quarter-hour and may cook dinner a 12-inch pizza in 60 seconds on its 15mm-thick cordierite stone-baking board. It has a perforated gasoline tray to optimise the airflow and minimise the clean-up because the ash merely falls away. At 12kg, it’s additionally mild sufficient to move both round your backyard or additional afield at the back of the automobile for tenting journeys. To maneuver and retailer all of it you have to do is detach the stay-cool legs and twist off the chimney and stow it contained in the physique of the oven. £299. Atuk.ooni.com&lakeland.co.uk
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If there’s one main frustration we discover with some pizza ovens is that our pies do not all the time come out evenly cooked throughout the highest. On condition that many cookers have the warmth on the rear, we’re left to handle the oven all through the cooking time, turning commonly to make sure it would not go crusty at one finish, however that challenge is totally solved because of Witt’s rotating 360-degree pizza oven. The plate spins slowly all through the cooking time for a crispy, stable base and a frivolously cooked high. It is also acquired a burn booster for these lovely leopard-spot bases that may have your visitors questioning when you’ve had your pizzas shipped in from Napoli.
Due to this all-encapsulating warmth, the pizzas will be cooked in a minute flat, which is staggering when you want a fast pie to throw in your mate’s gob to sober him up. It is acquired ample area for 16-inch pizza dishes and likewise appears relatively slick, with a low chassis on brief legs that retains issues tidy and never too troublesome to put within the backyard. £699. At amazon.co.uk
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If you happen to don’t have the out of doors area or inclination to go tenting however wish to benefit from the chef-like flavour a devoted out of doors pizza oven provides you, the Pizzaiolo is price contemplating. At simply shy of £700, it’s definitely an funding purchase however it does declare to be the primary home bench-top oven to hit 400C, which is required to cook dinner genuine wood-fired type pizzas in below two minutes. Utilizing expertise that mixes three varieties of warmth from a brick oven, together with radiant, convective and conductive, its “Ingredient iQ” system creates the perfect surroundings for cooking deep-pan to skinny and crispy pizzas and likewise tackle frozen variations with ease. It’s concerning the dimension of a typical microwave, so before you purchase you’ll need to contemplate whether or not you will have area in your worktop to deal with it completely. £729.95 £499.95.sageappliances.com & johnlewis.com
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Handcrafted within the UK, the Berry Scorching Oven is simply one of many trendy colourways from the Delivita vary of pizza ovens. You’ll additionally discover it in a “chilli purple”, “hale gray”, “olive inexperienced” and extra eye-catching finishes. When you’ve got a sure shade in thoughts it will possibly even be colour-matched to fit your type – a reassuringly nice discover must you be on the lookout for a design with type to impress your visitors. Neatly styled, this wood-fired oven has a cool-touch base that can be utilized on any steady floor. Whereas it’s fairly an funding in comparison with the common pizza oven, it’s extremely versatile and, in addition to making pizza, it will possibly sluggish roast, barbecue, be used as a tandoor oven and bake meals. It takes simply 20 minutes for it to warmth and may cook dinner a pizza in 90 seconds. It weighs 30kg and is twice as heavy because the Ooni Karu 12, however this makes it really feel sturdy and sturdy sufficient to see you in good stead all through the seasons. £1,395. limelace.co.uk
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The Karu 16 — or to be extra particular, the dual-fuel variant of the Karu 16 — is without doubt one of the greatest selections for most individuals seeking to step up their pizza sport with out blowing a grand or extra on an oven. Regardless of being cheaper than extra premium rivals just like the Gozney Dome, it nonetheless presents excellent outcomes and may churn out deliciously genuine Neapolitan pizzas in simply 90 seconds.
One of many Karu’s standout options is its included glass door, which will be closed to assist be sure that the stone and inside temperature of the oven reaches the magic 450-500°C temperature in as brief a time as potential. That is an especially helpful function, particularly on these colder days when the frigid air saps extra of the warmth away from the oven and stone. It is glass-fronted too, which suggests you may control your base and toppings with out having to open it up and lose treasured warmth within the course of.
Measurement-wise, it is just about good, letting you cook dinner 14-16-inch pizzas with ease, with a really beneficiant opening that gives loads of room for straightforward launching and turning. In comparison with different, smaller ovens, cooking within the Karu 16 is an absolute pleasure, because of the additional area. With folding legs and an simply removable chimney although, it is properly transportable too, and will not take up a lot room, even in smaller out of doors areas.
We have chosen to incorporate the dual-fuel variant of the Karu 16 because the comfort of gasoline cannot be understated, however it can save you your self a bit of money and spring for the wood-only model to see the way you get on, with the choice to purchase a gasoline conversion package additional down the road. Each fashions share the identical design, and have a helpful front-facing thermometer that allows you to simply control the inner temperature. £699. Atamazon.co.ukanduk.ooni.com