Buying guide for Best pizza ovens
When you think of a pizza oven, you probably imagine a huge brick structure fired by cords of hand-hewn wood. Spitting flames, it engulfs the raw pizza that slides into its maw on a wooden paddle. After a few minutes, the pizza emerges perfectly cooked: crispy crust, melty cheese, and toppings sunk into the mouth-watering layers below. Now that’s a pizza.
However, for the average home cook – one who doesn’t have a restaurant-style brick pizza oven – producing a pie like that probably seems like a pipe dream. It doesn’t have to be, though.
A small electric pizza oven offers some of the benefits of a large brick pizza oven minus all the wood chopping. Now, we aren’t saying that a countertop pizza oven can replace the classic old-world brick oven that your favorite takeout joint uses. What we are saying is that, thanks to modern technology, you, too, can make a comparable pizza in your own kitchen.
There are dozens of electric pizza ovens available, and many of them produce delicious facsimiles of your favorite wood-fired pizza. These pizza ovens take up little counter space and are fairly inexpensive. In other words, if you eat lots of pizza, a pizza oven can be a great, cost-effective alternative to building a wood-fueled, brick monstrosity in your backyard.
How a pizza oven works
A traditional, wood-fired pizza oven is made of bricks. Once the fire is stoked, the bricks heat up. Bricks are great at retaining heat, and soon the inner chamber of the oven is hot and ready to cook whatever kind of pizza you put in there. The radiating heat cooks the dough evenly. One major drawback of a brick oven is the larger the oven, the longer it takes to heat up. This is where electric countertop pizza ovens have an advantage.
Electric pizza ovens come in several different configurations, but they mainly work in one of two ways.
Expert tip
Use 00 flour (which is a finely ground Italian flour) in your pizzas for the best result.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Toaster oven
These pizza ovens are more than pizza makers. They’re also great for a multitude of tasks like toasting bread or baking cookies. Toaster oven-style pizza ovens work in basically the same way a large oven does. Electricity heats up coils inside the appliance, then that heat is circulated throughout the oven. The pizza cooks evenly and thoroughly, and some models have a rotating pizza pan inside to ensure even baking.
Round cooker
These pizza ovens feature a dual-heating system. Both the lid and the base – connected by a hinge – get hot when the oven is turned on. This means the pizza cooks simultaneously on the top and the bottom. Many of these pizza ovens have a nonstick coating, making cleanup a breeze. Some round pizza ovens feature a self-regulated internal thermostat to keep your pizzas from burning. Although they are not as versatile as the toaster oven models, round cookers can do more than just heat up pizza. Their shape and size make them perfect for cooking quesadillas, omelettes, and frittatas, too.
Pizza oven features
Most pizza ovens can do more than cook pizza. Many come loaded with extra features that make them useful everyday appliances and justify the counter space they take up.
Heat settings
Many electric pizza ovens, particularly the toaster oven variety, come with adjustable heat settings. This matters if you want to vary the type of pizza you’re cooking. Traditional crust pizzas, yeast dough pizzas, and thin crust pizzas should be cooked at different temperatures.
Rotating pan
Some pizza cookers feature a rotating pan that turns your pizza for even heating. Some of these pans are also removable and dishwasher safe.
Timer
Most countertop pizza ovens feature a timer that can be set to automatically shut off the cooker after a predetermined period. This prevents burning and allows you to do other things while your pizza cooks.
Energy efficiency
Here’s a good reason to use an electric pizza oven instead of a conventional oven. Countertop pizza ovens use about 40% of the energy a full-size kitchen oven uses. And on hot days, a small pizza oven won’t heat up your house like a conventional oven will.
Cooking time
Although countertop pizza ovens use less energy than conventional ovens, they actually cook the pizza more quickly. This is due, in large part, to their dual-heating elements. Toaster oven-style pizza ovens are quite a bit smaller than conventional ovens, so the heat produced by their coils rotates through the machine at a faster speed. A frozen pizza that might take 15 minutes to cook in a conventional oven can take as little as five minutes in a pizza oven.
Versatility
Although it is designed to cook pizzas, the pizza oven’s usefulness doesn’t end there. Electric pizza ovens are great for cooking other foods like flatbreads, nachos, cinnamon buns, and s’mores. Basically, you can use them for anything that cooks quickly under high heat.
Expert tip
Make your dough less sticky to let it slide in and out of the oven more easily.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Pizza oven prices
Most pizza ovens are affordable, costing between $30 and $80.
About $30
For this price, you can get a quality cooker with dual heating and a nonstick surface. Some also come with peels that make removing the hot pizza from the oven easier. Pizza ovens in this price range also offer plenty of versatility, allowing you to quickly and efficiently cook many of your favorite treats.
Up to $80
The high-end machines are usually more like toaster ovens and allow for maximum versatility. You are basically paying for two appliances in one. These are usually a little bulkier than the less-expensive models. These pizza ovens are typically designed to stay out on your countertop and not be stored away.
Tips
-
Even if the manual says that parts of your pizza oven are dishwasher safe, it’s better to wash them by hand.
-
If you don’t have much counter space, look for a model that can be stored easily.
-
Make sure the pizza oven you buy can heat up to at least 450°F.
-
Some toaster oven-style pizza ovens come with a warming tray that sits on top of the unit. This is great for parties, keeping appetizers hot for guests while the pizza is cooking.
FAQ
Q. Can I cook a freshly made pizza in an electric pizza oven, or do the pizzas have to be frozen?
A. Although these ovens are mainly designed to cook frozen pizza, they can also work with fresh dough. However, you may have to adjust the temperature and the cooking time. Look in the manual to see the manufacturer’s recommendations. Also, remember that these pizza ovens are quite small, so make your pizza accordingly. You don’t want to do all that hard work and then discover the pizza doesn’t fit in the oven
Expert tip
In between pizzas, wait a few minutes to let the oven heat back up.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Q. How big of a pizza can I cook in these ovens?
A. Most countertop pizza ovens have a 12-inch cooking tray. Any pizza with a diameter larger than that should probably be cooked in a conventional oven.
Q. How much power do electric pizza ovens typically use?
A. Typically, these pizza ovens use about 110 volts. They usually have a three-pronged plug that goes right into any outlet. The more expensive toaster oven-style models may use more power. We found some models that use 220 volts.
