Ovens
Wood, gas or electric? Heat-up time, recovery and floor temperature matter more than the maximum temperature. How to choose a pizza oven for your home.
14 guides in this hub
A pizza oven is sold on its maximum temperature, but that number says surprisingly little. What decides whether you get pizza number five as good as pizza number one is how fast the oven heats up, how quickly the floor recovers between pizzas and how evenly the heat reaches the top of the pizza.
Here you will find the difference between wood-fired, gas and electric ovens, what to look for in the best pizza oven for your needs, and why an infrared thermometer is the most useful accessory you can own.
Guides on this topic
More to read
Guide · 3 min
Perforated pizza peel – is it worth it?
The holes let excess flour fall through before the pizza goes in, meaning fewer burnt flour specks in a hot oven. Where it helps, and where it doesn't.
Guide · 3 min
Pizza peel – wood or aluminium?
Wood grips better while you build the pizza; aluminium's thin edge slides in more easily. Why many bakers end up using both, one for each stage.
Guide · 1 min
Infrared thermometer – measure the oven instead of guessing
Where to aim it, why the stone surface can lie, and what reading you want before the pizza goes in – for wood-fired, gas, electric and home ovens alike.
Guide · 2 min
Ooni – your first pizza, settings and troubleshooting
Preheating, flame setting and when to turn. A walkthrough of the Ooni models plus fixes for burnt bottoms, pale tops and gas in the cold.
Guide · 2 min
Electric pizza oven for flats and apartments
No balcony or outdoor space allowed? The electric ovens that reach 400 °C indoors: what they draw, how much they smoke and what circuit they need.
Guide · 2 min
Gas pizza oven – the easiest route to 450 degrees
Gas (LPG/propane) gets you to 450 °C in about twenty minutes with no fire to tend. On low pressure in winter cold, gas use and what you give up versus wood.
Guide · 1 min
Wood-fired pizza oven – the fire, the wood and the reality
A wood-fired oven gives the best pizza and the most work. On fire management, choosing wood, heat-up time and what to check before lighting up at home.
Guide · 2 min
Best pizza oven – how to choose the right type
Heat-up time, real floor temperature and recovery between pizzas decide it. How to compare ovens and check your own with an IR thermometer instead of the ads.