recommendations on new pizza oven

[jennyferraynor]

I am in the process of deciding on a new wood-fired pizza oven. I would like to get a countertop model that is capable of making 2 - 3 pizzas at a time, and that has enough of a temperature range to do anything from bread to pizza. I am new to pizza ovens and making anything in them, and I have not owned one before. I don't want to spend huge amounts of money on an oven, but I am willing to pay a little more for a quality oven that holds its temps well. I don't really have a certain brand or model that I like really well, but something like a La Piazza Toscana model or close to that size may be what I am looking for. Any recommendations or deciding factors for choosing an oven would be greatly appreciated.

[david s]

Often the first question many people ask is "how many pizzas can you fit in the oven"? Because they only take two minutes to cook, that's faster than most people can prepare a pizza. Consequently most folk at home only mostly cook one pizza at a time. It is much easier to share whatever comes out of the oven. It is a different story for a pizzeria that sells single pizzas.
The other problem is mathematics. If you increase the oven diameter by a modest 20% then you increase the floor area by 44% and the chamber volume by a massive 73%. The oven's fuel consumption is roughly directly proportional to the chamber size, so that means you might need to burn a wheelbarrow full of wood in a large oven just to do the Sunday roast or cook three pizzas for the family on a Friday night. Consequently the smaller ovens for residential use get used far more frequently.
The other consideration is the large amount of materials and labour (increased costs) required for a large oven, as well as having to build a bomb shelter to house it.

Have a decent browse through this forum, as there is a wealth of information here, before making a decision. Self build projects have been completed here by many members with no building experience.

[fox]

Hi Jenny, Davids post covers most of your question but I am not sure what you mean by a counter top pizza oven?

Perhaps you are referring to the stainless steel style ovens that can be bought in garden centers?

The ovens we mainly deal with that are big enough to cook three pizzas are going to be huge and weigh a ton or tons depending on design, even the counter to hold such an oven will be a substantial constrution and big undertaking.

All doable and perfectly achievable but generally speaking most people are content to build smaller ovens.

[Pizzarotic]

Any recommendations or deciding factors for choosing an oven would be greatly appreciated.

The La Piazza Toscana looks like a very good oven for the price and will do everything you want. The 5" of insulation is excellent but it may require some additional insulation underneath but that would be easy to do to help with retained heat cooking. And includes a 5 piece tool set. Absolute Bargain.

Forno Bravo also have a few countertop ranges like the Napolino range but at considerably higher price.

For cooking multiple pizza at once, you might also consider the gas option with other brands as this will increase the available floor area but the Toscana itself has plenty of floor space