Fontana Gusto Ovens

[kmrice]

Anyone know anything about these? I have a Casa110 but friends are looking at the Fontana Gusto. Williams-Sonoma advertises it here:

Fontana Gusto Wood-Fired Outdoor Ovens | Williams-Sonoma

I could swear there was a posting here about the Fontana Gusto a little while back, but I can't find it.

Any information, or thoughts, would be appreciated.

Karl

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

Wow! The ovens come with their own composite stone and convection fan!!! Must be truly authentic!

Sorry for the jokes... most everything from Williams-Sonoma is hopelessly over-priced and for the same money a FB oven from James would be a much nicer vessel to cook in. Seriously, I doubt these ovens can impart the intense radiating and conductive heat a true brick oven could, although they are pretty.

[kmrice]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

Thanks for the replies - jokes and all.

In terms of price, while an FB oven would be a little cheaper, you have to install it. Not being handy, I spent more than twice the price of the oven installing it. The Fontana Gusto would have been a lot cheaper. Also a lot easier.

In terms of heat, I couldn't agree with you more, GianniFocaccia. The Fortana Gusto seems to be a white oven, so the heating dynamics would be very different. The deck might be the hottest part. I suspect the profile would be more like an American pizza restaurant oven - something like 600 - 650 degrees.

The FG is also pretty small - I found specs showing the inside to be 16x32. My Casa is 42" in diameter or 1,385 square inches.

So, I wouldn't trade my Casa, which I love, for an FG but I'd be interested in any thoughts anyone here has that I can pass on to my friends.

Karl

[stoveup]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

If it is a white oven, what is the advantage over my conventional electric oven in the kitchen? The firebox is so small it's hard to imagine that the cooking chamber can get over 500?F in 45 minutes, if at all.

[kmrice]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

Good point - it may not be that different from a regular kitchen oven with convection. There is something to be said about moving the oven out doors, of course, in hot weather, to keep the kitchen cooler. I can't find any information on how hot it gets, and it may get hotter than a normal kitchen oven. It might get to 600 or 650 like an American restaurant pizza oven, in which case it might be better than a conventional oven for pizza, if not as good as a Neapolitan style oven. It seems to me unlikely, especially if it has convection fans, that it is getting to 750 - 950 like a Neapolitan oven.

I think if I wanted a smallish, relatively inexpensive, WFO which did not need much installation, I'd go with a Primavera70. It would be cheaper, and I'd have a real Neapolitan oven.

[Pizza Fermentor]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

I think if I wanted a smallish, relatively inexpensive, WFO which did not need much installation, I'd go with a Primavera70. It would be cheaper, and I'd have a real Neapolitan oven.

Funny you say that...that was exactly my oven decision. I was 85% sold on the Fontana Gusto, until I stumbled upon this site. I decided to save the $3,000US, and more importantly access the benefits of direct wood-fired cooking.

I'm sure the Gusto makes good bread and pizzas, but I just don't see it taking anyone's cooking to an appreciable level beyond what a standard oven can do.

[david s]

Re: Fontana Gusto Ovens

Any oven that has steel which is not stainless is prone to corrosion problems. Particularly if it's outside. Heat will accelerate any corrosion reaction.