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The best way to draw your family to the dinner table is with an authentic meal that is full of flavor. While traditional ovens can of course be used to cook frozen and fresh pizzas, the taste pales in comparison to a homemade pie prepared in a pizza oven.
There are dozens of pizza crust styles and thousands of topping combinations, so you’ll never run out of new versions for family pizza night. Try a white pizza with ricotta cheese and garlic, a Sicilian pizza with pepperoni and veggies, a Chicago deep-dish with five different cheeses, or a thin crust pizza with ham and pineapple bits — all in the same month!
Pizza ovens work to significantly reduce cooking time, with the typical pie being ready to eat in 2-10 minutes. That means more time for hanging out with friends and family and less time in the kitchen. Creating your own pizza from scratch for your pizza oven also means you can make adjustments for anyone in the home who has special dietary needs, like gluten or dairy sensitivities.
Our sister site Don’t Waste Your Money has a team of experts that spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing and researching products to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Here are their top picks for pizza ovens.
Green Mountain Grills Wood Fired Pizza Oven
With the ability to heat up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, this Green Mountain wood-fired pizza oven can take your freshly made pie and have it ready to eat in under four minutes. Additional uses for this model include searing steaks and baking bread.
Since the oven is an attachment, you’ll need to own either a Daniel Boone or a Jim Bowie model grill in order to use it. It comes with its own pizza stone.
Camp Chef Artisan Pizza Oven
If you enjoy tailgating or preparing meals for friends in the backyard, you’ll want to go with this lightweight pizza oven. It weighs just 30 pounds and is designed for use with Camp Chef 16-inch cooking systems. It features a built-in temperature gauge, so you can ensure your pizza crust is as soft or as crispy as you desire.
The interior pizza stone is made of cordierite ceramic. As a bonus, this model comes with a complimentary cooking guide filled with recipes that are sure to inspire.
Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven
Constructed from attractive stainless steel, this Camp Chef takes just 15 minutes to heat up. It can be used solo, so you don’t need to worry about purchasing or owning a separate cooking system. The oven does an excellent job of baking pizza just like a brick oven would, so you can expect big flavor from this model.
You get a built-in valve that offers total flame control. And the cooking surface in this oven is large enough to fit two pies at once, but can also be used to roast a chicken or bake homemade sourdough bread.
Ooni Koda Gas Outdoor Pizza Oven
All you need to do to use this Ooni Koda gas pizza oven is attach a propane tank and turn the dial. The unit heats up quickly and is perfect for families, as it can bake pies of up to 13 inches in diameter. Not in the mood for pizza? No problem! This oven also roasts vegetables and cooks fish to perfection.
This oven weighs just 29 pounds and can be used alone, making it the perfect choice for camping trips, RV adventures or afternoons on the beach.
How to Use Your Pizza Oven
Pizza ovens work best with a pizza stone, so you’ll want to consider purchasing one if the stone didn’t come with your oven. The stone works to draw moisture away from the pizza dough, which means you’ll enjoy a crispier crust when you use one. You’ll also need a pizza peel to easily move your items in and out of the oven.
In addition to baking pizzas for dinner or lunch, you can use the pizza oven to create mouth-watering breakfast pizzas, like a bacon, egg and cheese pie. Or, consider cooking up delectable dessert pizzas, such as an apple crisp or chocolate-almond brownie pizza. There really is no limit to what you can conjure up in your new pizza oven!
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