While pizza is pizza, aka usually always decent, homemade pizza is never quite the same as a takeout pie. Why? Most commercial pizza ovens cook anywhere from 700-900 degrees F. Home ovens can only get to ~500 degrees F and run into safety limitations shortly after. 

At the peak of the pandemic, in a state of bored internet surfing, I stumbled upon a Scottish outdoor pizza oven company called Ooni. Ooni sucked me in with its social media marketing. The oven targets the trendy, traveling millennial (aka myself, or so I like to think…). Ooni ovens and authentic Neapolitan pies are photographed in national parks, on beaches, and at intimate dinner parties. Being a pizza fiend, I immediately knew that I had to investigate the product. 

So began my research. I watched countless hours of YouTube videos that compared at-home pizza ovens. I learned that the Ooni could reach 932 degrees F in 10-minutes and cook a pie in 60-90 seconds. I also discovered the Roccbox, which is the most comparable competitor to the Ooni. Nonetheless, it was Kenji Lopez-Alt, an MIT grad, author of the Food Lab, and genius chef, who convinced me to go with the Ooni oven. Watch his comparison of the two ovens here.

I decided to purchase the Ooni Koda over the wood-fired option, because reviews stated that the convenience of the gas,

as supposed to using pellets for the wood-fired oven, was worth the unnoticeable difference of not having a truly authentic wood-fired pie.

Unfortunately, when I ordered my oven, the Koda 16 was sold out. We purchased the Koda 12, but for size and ease of use, I highly recommend the Koda 16. **We have since also purchased the Koda 16.

In addition, to the oven, I highly recommend purchasing the Bamboo Pizza Peel, Perforated Pizza Peel, and the Pizza Turning Peel. All of these supporting tools will add up in cost, but will also ensure that the pizza does not end up on fire.

When my pizza oven arrived, it was one of the most exciting days of my life (seriously). I used 00 Caputo Flour to make my fermented dough, and I was ready to go.

I cannot say enough good things about the Ooni oven; however, I will note that it takes practice to perfect using it, especially if you are working with the Koda 12, because of its size. While the oven can get up to 932 degrees F, we’ve found that preheating the oven at max temp for ~20 minutes, then reducing the temp to low works best. Remember to constantly rotate the pie with the pizza turning peel.