Cooking Floor Height

[Travis]

Having just received the Pompeii oven kit, I am curious about the cooking floor height.
At a lot of pizza restaurants that have a pizza oven (not the conveyor type) the oven floor is up about 5 feet from the floor. Is this for ease of use, the oven design, or so we (the customer) can see them cooking or ???
I was wondering if anyone has any comments for a home oven, should the floor be raised up, or at the 40.5" as described in the DYI Pompeii plans?
Thanks~Travis

[silverman]

Re: Cooking Floor Height

I've been measuring and calculating, and even with my short wheelbase of 5'6 inches, I found 40.5 is within an inch of what I consider to be the perfect height for myself working the peel.

Cheers.. Silverman

[Ken524]

Re: Cooking Floor Height

I think this is something totally subjective. It's really up to you (and the family members you anticipate will be using the oven).

When I was planning my oven, I grabbed a wooden pizza peel (you can use a broomstick too!), and put a pretend "pizza" on it (cardboard pizza box, pie plate, whatever).

Then I started with a card table and practiced using the peel on it. Too low... Then the kitchen table... the counter, a dresser, etc, until I found a height I liked.

As it turned out, the height I picked ended up being within an inch or two of what you get following the plans (4 block high base + 4" concrete hearth + 2" refractory board + refractory brick floor). Which is very close to 40" .

I seem to remember one of our taller builders building his floor height a bit higher. Definitely play around with it and find your sweet spot.

Another thing to remember is that you will need to be able to reach pretty far inside the oven during construction, then later during routine cleaning and (low temperature) cooking. Don't make it so high that you can't reach in comfortably.

Have FUN!!

[Jed]

Re: Cooking Floor Height

I decided the correct height for my oven was the distance my elbow is off the floor.

When you buy a suit of clothes, they fit the clothes to your body, right? so I figured that was the best bench mark for the oven in my yard, fit to my body size.

I measured that distance (elbow to floor) and then did the math: calculating the depth of all of the building pieces (cooking floor, insulating slab, structural slab, concrete block, and foundation bits). Then I dug the hole in the yard to the correct elevation to put the cooking floor at the elevation of my elbow. Now I can comfortably lean on the counter for the oven - same elevation as the cooking floor - and drink and BS at a an appropriate height for my elbow = comfortable...

I send this along as one idea to establish the elevation...

JED

[Ken524]

Re: Cooking Floor Height

Now I can comfortably lean on the counter for the oven... and drink and BS at a an appropriate height for my elbow = comfortable...

Good point! That's even more important than cooking pizza!

[dmun]

Re: Cooking Floor Height

I placed my oven floor at eye height, when seated at the patio table. Turns out to be about the right working height as well.