Do I want a pizza oven?

Hmm definitely intrigued by your Big Horn (oi oi) Redmex. Am I right in thinking you can only buy them on Amazon as I couldn’t see them anywhere else that looked genuine?

Could maybe justify the £300 12″ Ooni but not the 16″ £500.

Just found this dude showing how he sets up his Big Horn. Decent enough results.

but I don’t think I could justify the money personally

I know it’s all relative, but I’ve not gone out for many meals at all over the last 18 months (shockingly). So I bought an ooni early on as I love cooking with fire. I spent the money, to be honest I couldn’t even say if it was 250, 350 or something else. Once I’ve paid for something I rarely reflect in the price I paid for it, more whether I like it/enjoy using it. Could just be me.

We did pizzas on Friday night, prepared the doung Wednesday afternoon and left it for a long prove, I find the process interesting, the dough prep, the pizza making and the cooking, it’s kept me mildly sane over the last year or so.

I find the process interesting, the dough prep, the pizza making and the cooking

Absolutely 100% spot on, I love the whole process, experimenting, and feeding family and friends. Magic.

I am the same – I love my Friday night (making the dough before making a home-cooked meal for my wife and I) then my Saturday afternoon making the tomato sauce base then prepping all the toppings for whatever everyone wants.

Perhaps I should spend the money but I can make pizzas that everyone likes in my oven already….

I’ve given up making pizza sauce, tried just using blitzed plum toms from a tin Johndoh, works a treat. Usually use Mutti as wee shop at bottom of my road sells them.

I made pizza like you do for years, loved it, are the Ooni ones 400 quid better?, probably not, in fact definitely not. It is great rattling out a load of them in minutes though, and it feels a bit more connecting, using the turning peel and getting it just how you want it. In my oven days, I loved thin and crispy, since I got the Koda last year, I’m a convert to big puffy neapolitan pizza.

It’s all good.

Spacemonkey I got mine delivered in two days from eBay for £109 , I think he is looking for £115 mastercookbbq is the seller
It eats up the pellets but 20kg softwood from Wolesely was only £12 last week
I think I will lash out on some ooni hardwood to try
I practiced on cheap Aldi pizzas cutting in half as it takes a bit of practice when you have the big horn

Cheers redmex. I’m going to do a bit more digging on the Big Horn as that defo looks like a solid competitor.

The more I read this thread the more a pizza oven is in my future!

I could google or look on YT, but I’m here now, so my question is, has anyone done a calzone style pizza in their Ooni or other brand oven?

No, but only cos I’m no really a calzone fan tbh. Sure it’d work fine.

Yeah I cannot imagine why they wouldn’t work – after all calzone pizzas are traditionally made in pizza ovens and that’s all an Ooni (or equivalent) is.

yes, but being aware that the filling is a bit insulated so takes a little longer, so you may need to remove and turn a few more times, or precook the filling a bit.

Also if it puffs up then the flame can get close to the top and scorch it, may be sacrilege but if it does puff up too much pop it and squash it down a bit.

(that’s my experience in a gas converted Uuni 3, newer/bigger models may be different)

I was very kindly bought an Ooni Fyra, and have about a 50% hit rate of burnt/bin or edible and delicious.
My main issue is sticking to the peel and then subsequently the stone, and then tearing a hole in the bottom. Using the recipe supplied with the booklet as a starter for 10.

Is it likely I’m just stretching the dough too thin? I think it’s also staying on the peel too long.
Using semolina on the peel, and flour when shaping.

I’m happy working with dough, made my own bread for years, just having a bit of trouble with pizza bases!

Had my first experience of an Ooni pizza oven at the weekend. I was certainly impressed. I overdid it and must have had about 30 pieces of pizza, all cooked perfectly, all with different toppings.

As a social event it was brilliant.

The only downside was my sister in law, brother in law and nephew were like a production line making, cooking and fueling the Ooni. They worked hard. I suppose i could have eaten less but they were sooo good and everyone else was eating too.

I dont think i would buy one but i would definitely offer to come and do one of the jobs to muck in next time. Its a very sociable device.

My main issue is sticking to the peel and then subsequently the stone, and then tearing a hole in the bottom. Using the recipe supplied with the booklet as a starter for 10.

Prep your dough on a well floured surface, use semolina flour, I use a wooden peel for prep. Then transfer to your peel, a perforated one allows you to give a shuffle so the loose flour falls off. Slide into the oven.

Make sure your stone is at full temperature too at least 350c but you want at least 400c ideally.

I dont think i would buy one but i would definitely offer to come and do one of the jobs to muck in next time. Its a very sociable device.

I took mine with us on our hols to Scotland. Set up a little production line, I managed to knock out 8 pizzas in just over 30 minutes. As you say it also makes it very social.

Is there much difference between the Fyra and Karu ? I’m looking at a woood burning pizza oven, the Karu looks better ?

I think the Fyra is basically the old uuni and the Karu is a newer version which has the possibility of adding a gas burner. If you’re only ever going to use wood I think the Fyra would do the job.

Ive always been a proper charcoal, proper wood type fool, til I bought a gas Koda, you wouldn’t get me near a wood fired one now.

Hassle, no effect on taste, sod that.

Wot he said ^^^^

I spit on gas ‘BBQs’ but the Koda is fantastic 🙂

Though the brand new fancy schmancy Karu 16 with gas burner option looks pretty cool!

Another recommendation here for the Bighorn and a massive thanks for the heads up. I’ve wanted an Ooni for a while and probably should’ve got one already. I saw this thread last week having never heard of Bighorn, looked it up on youtube and bought from ebay. It arrived Friday and so far we’ve had pizzas Friday and Sunday. Its superb. Using Wolesley pellets which work great although its does get through them fast. We cooked five pizzas each night and I used just under 1kg of pellets each time. It takes about 20 mins to get through two trays worth and then its ready. Will try it with some hardwood another time. The stone is quite thin at ~10mm but it works fine. I’ll just be careful if I transport it.

Regarding pizza sticking to the peel. I found that if the pizza is left too long on a board or peel it tends to stick. Only prepare as needed and move between surfaces/peels quite quickly.

Hello everyone!
Do I want a pizza oven 2022 edition!

After spending the weekend at a mates house eating drinking wine and eating pizza made in a Gozney Roccbox…..
The answer is yes I do!

But do I want a Roccbox or a Koda…..

I knew nothing about before last weekend and now have read up on tye Gozney, I like the sound of the “cool” to touch silicone outer case. I wish I had tried touching it!

Speed start time with the Koda apparently compared to tye Roccbox but better insulation for longer burning times…
Ahghh!
I don’t know which one I want, but I want it now..!

Curveball; Lidl have their cheap ovens and stones in this week.

No gas though.

I’m only interested in a gas one, I don’t want the fuss and preparation of wood.

No Roccbox owners on here..?

No Roccbox owners on here..?

nope, but got a mate who loves his so it’s one I’ve been looking at!

Unexpected outdoor oven bonus: can have a pizza during a heatwave without pushing kitchen temp up to 700 million degrees 😂

I have an ooni koda 12 and a friend has a roccbox. I’ve used the roccbox. Both make perfectly good pizza. I found the roccbox slightly easier to use. The roccbox is better quality but then it is more expensive. The roccbox does come with an inbuilt thermometer and decent peel so once you factor these in the cost difference isn’t as much. If I was buying again I would probably get a roccbox but I’ve certainly no complaints with the koda 12 and would highly recommend if cost is a factor.