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Hey Guys
Having built 2 ovens thus far and getting a feel of a Brick Oven vs Stainless Steel oven, I'm considering starting up a small Pizza Business from Home.
I have found that each oven has it's pro's and it's cons which I will mention here and the plan is to build an oven that can rule out as many cons as possible. In the end, I wish to build a Brick Oven because my research shows this will be best suited in the long run for commercial use.
1. My first gripe with both my ovens is size - my Brick oven is +-28" on the cooking floor and the stainless is 700mmX700mm of cooking space on the floor.
I can just fit 1 x 12" pizza in the Brick Oven but that means cooking right up next to the fire.
The stainless is a little more spacious and can handle 2 x 12" pizzas but again still cooking close to the fire.
I have seen videos of commercial pizzerias cooking multiple pizza (up to 8 and 10) but I'm realistically looking at doing 4 to 5 pizzas at a time and the style is NY Style pies with a 4 to 5 minute bake time per pie. Most of these videos show the Pizza's being cooked a fair distance away from the fire allowing the operator to rotate and move the pizza around with little to no obstruction.
And my question is ... What size floor should I go with to give me ample space to work in the oven whilst cooking?
2. Let's talk about heat up time and heat retention. The stainless has a 25mm floor and it's heated in 45 minutes ready to cook. Recovery time on the floor is 2 to 3 minutes before loading in the next pie.
The brick oven takes more than 3 to 4 hours to heat and my 75mm Fire Brick floor is hard to maintain the target temperature of 650F+. Recovery time is as long as 15 minutes
So..... do I stick with a thicker floor (75mm) in a commercial setting or go with a thinner floor (25mm)
3. Insulation - is it really an overkill or can you really have too much. The Stainless oven has 50mm throughout and holds heat pretty well - of course you need a live flame all the time to keep the heat because of very little thermal mass.
The brick oven also has the same insulation and also holds heat really well except for the floor - this oven stays hot till the next morning.
How much is too much insulation in my oven.
4. Floor/Hearth Material - Firebrick vs Refractory modular floor. This is a problem on both my ovens - my spades and peels constantly get stuck in the gaps formed by placing 1 brick next to the other. Would a one-piece floor made from refractory cement be more suitable?
5. Dome Material - My brick oven is made with refractory cement which I poured into molds and then put everything together. I don't know if it might be easier to go with Firebrick in the long run?
Can't wait - brings back memories of my first build over 10 years ago - what indeed an awesome experience, extremely rewarding.
Take Care
OM
Having built 2 ovens thus far and getting a feel of a Brick Oven vs Stainless Steel oven, I'm considering starting up a small Pizza Business from Home.
I have found that each oven has it's pro's and it's cons which I will mention here and the plan is to build an oven that can rule out as many cons as possible. In the end, I wish to build a Brick Oven because my research shows this will be best suited in the long run for commercial use.
1. My first gripe with both my ovens is size - my Brick oven is +-28" on the cooking floor and the stainless is 700mmX700mm of cooking space on the floor.
I can just fit 1 x 12" pizza in the Brick Oven but that means cooking right up next to the fire.
The stainless is a little more spacious and can handle 2 x 12" pizzas but again still cooking close to the fire.
I have seen videos of commercial pizzerias cooking multiple pizza (up to 8 and 10) but I'm realistically looking at doing 4 to 5 pizzas at a time and the style is NY Style pies with a 4 to 5 minute bake time per pie. Most of these videos show the Pizza's being cooked a fair distance away from the fire allowing the operator to rotate and move the pizza around with little to no obstruction.
And my question is ... What size floor should I go with to give me ample space to work in the oven whilst cooking?
2. Let's talk about heat up time and heat retention. The stainless has a 25mm floor and it's heated in 45 minutes ready to cook. Recovery time on the floor is 2 to 3 minutes before loading in the next pie.
The brick oven takes more than 3 to 4 hours to heat and my 75mm Fire Brick floor is hard to maintain the target temperature of 650F+. Recovery time is as long as 15 minutes
So..... do I stick with a thicker floor (75mm) in a commercial setting or go with a thinner floor (25mm)
3. Insulation - is it really an overkill or can you really have too much. The Stainless oven has 50mm throughout and holds heat pretty well - of course you need a live flame all the time to keep the heat because of very little thermal mass.
The brick oven also has the same insulation and also holds heat really well except for the floor - this oven stays hot till the next morning.
How much is too much insulation in my oven.
4. Floor/Hearth Material - Firebrick vs Refractory modular floor. This is a problem on both my ovens - my spades and peels constantly get stuck in the gaps formed by placing 1 brick next to the other. Would a one-piece floor made from refractory cement be more suitable?
5. Dome Material - My brick oven is made with refractory cement which I poured into molds and then put everything together. I don't know if it might be easier to go with Firebrick in the long run?
Can't wait - brings back memories of my first build over 10 years ago - what indeed an awesome experience, extremely rewarding.
Take Care
OM
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