A pizza oven would be a great addition to any home kitchen. After all, who doesn’t love good ol’ pizza? It’s an excellent investment for a restaurant, too, because it can significantly boost pizza production while employing minimal effort from the staff.
Finding a pizza oven that’s just the right size depends on your needs and lifestyle. So, whether you’re investing in a simple home oven or a highly efficient one for your business, go for a pizza oven that’s easy to use and maintain, fits into your budget, and the available space.
This article will discuss why choosing the right pizza oven size is essential and the important factors to consider when making your choice. I will also discuss the basic features of some common pizza ovens and how these can help address your needs — whether as a handy helper in a home kitchen or as an ally in business. Let’s start!
Why Pizza Oven Size Is Crucial
Choosing the right pizza oven size is crucial to your pizza-making experience. The perfect size will affect how fast and how well you cook your pizza.
You’re probably considering investing in a pizza oven because there is an established need for it. Pizza may be a mainstay in your family’s meal preferences, or it is something you’ve always enjoyed preparing for various social gatherings. You may also be thinking of going into business.
Whatever the case, the right pizza oven size that caters to your unique needs will improve your experience. You can save a lot of time and money if you pick the perfect size to help you achieve your objectives. A pizza oven that is too small can be frustrating, especially if you usually make multiple pizzas at once. On the other hand, a pizza oven that is too big can turn out to be a bad investment since you can’t maximize its full potential.
Think long-term when choosing the right pizza oven for you. Choose one that is easy to use, convenient to maintain, and fits in your space. In other words, choose a pizza oven that fits right into your lifestyle and needs.
How To Choose the Right Pizza Oven Size
Seasoned pizza makers will tell you that the right size can help you get the most out of your pizza oven. If you can afford it, have ample space, and love pizza, go for the biggest oven size. This reduces the risk of having to upgrade later on. This is an especially smart move for business owners since you’ll essentially be prepared for when the demand for your pizza increases.
Remember that pizza ovens generally cook the same way. What varies is the number of pizzas they can cook at a time and how long the process takes. Thus, your projected pizza consumption should be critical when making your final choice.
Here are a few questions you could ask yourself when trying to decide on the right pizza oven size for you:
- How much pizza do I expect to make per batch?
- How often do I intend to make pizza?
- Do I have ample space for the pizza oven size I want?
- Am I willing to fork out extra cash to install and maintain a pizza oven that size?
Different Kinds of Pizza Ovens
There are different pizza oven types to choose from. Each of them offers unique benefits that address various needs and expectations. Choose one that caters to your specific objectives and one that you can work with for a long time.
Here are some of the more popular pizza oven types and what you can expect from them:
Brick Pizza Oven
Most food experts would agree that a brick oven is probably your best bet when it comes to buying a pizza oven. What’s great about it is how evenly it cooks pizza as it can maintain high temperatures longer. It takes a while to get the bricks to your desired temperature, though. Most people also love the distinct smoky flavors that brick ovens create.
Burning wood or coal is the way to get your brick oven heated. This is why most people prefer their brick ovens outdoors. However, a brick oven will be perfectly suited indoors, as long as it is properly installed. A wood-fired or coal-fired pizza oven can be counted on to cook your food quickly and evenly.
Brick oven sizes can range from 150 cubic feet to 400 cubic feet (4.24 – 11.33 cubic meters). However, brick ovens are usually custom built, and you can have one made depending on your available space and preference. The oven is usually equipped with a stone base that absorbs heat, spreading it evenly throughout the oven. Cooking time is approximately 2-5 minutes.
Convection Pizza Oven
Convection pizza ovens are electrically powered. They work by circulating hot air all over the pizza, ensuring the golden brown, burnt cheese toppings we all enjoy. A convection pizza oven is a practical, relatively inexpensive choice and is an excellent option for people with limited space.
Typical convection ovens range from 15 cubic feet to 60 cubic feet (0.4 – 1.69 cubic meters) Some even come with a narrow base to fit into particularly cramped spaces. They are easy to use and are reliable in producing evenly-cooked pizzas each time. Cooking time is about 5-6 minutes.
Deck Pizza Oven
Deck pizza ovens are electrically powered and can be great options for long-term investment. They require minimal maintenance since they have virtually no moving parts. Radiant heat from infrared heat waves cooks the pizza while the hot stone deck evenly cooks the dough without burning the toppings.
Generally, deck oven pizzas range from 100 cubic feet to 180 cubic feet (2.83 – 5.09 cubic meters). As the name implies, you can stack them one on top of another to save space. Frequent monitoring is required when cooking pizza in a deck oven to ensure that the crust doesn’t get charred. The cooking time is 6-8 minutes.
Conveyor Pizza Oven
A conveyor pizza oven is a great option for people wanting to go into the pizza business. With this as your ally, you can produce as many as 75 -100 pizzas per hour per deck. You can also choose between gas or electricity as the power source for your conveyor oven.
Conveyor pizza ovens work by pulling pizzas through a conveyor belt at a set speed. This makes it an excellent option for businesses where efficiency and production are essential. Conveyor pizza ovens can range from 100 cubic feet to 180 cubic feet (2.83 – 5.09 cubic meters). Cooking pizza takes about 4-5 minutes.
Other Factors To Consider When Choosing a Pizza Oven
Apart from size, production requirements, and cooking time, there are other factors you should consider when looking for the best pizza oven for your home or business. You have unique
needs and expectations, so it is best to keep these in mind when making your choice.
Here are additional factors to consider when looking for a pizza oven:
Long-Term Cost
This is one of the major driving forces that should dictate your choice. Note that this does not only pertain to the upfront cost of purchasing your pizza oven as you need to consider its maintenance too. Pizza ovens range from as low as $100 to as high as $30,000, depending on the brand, size, and specifications.
To keep your pizza oven functioning correctly, you must maintain it. Most times, you can easily do this yourself, but there are occasions when you would need to turn to an expert for help. Proper maintenance is vital to the longevity of your pizza oven. Good quality ovens are great investments because they can last a lifetime and can even be considered for resale.
Aesthetics and Vibe
Whether you’re buying a pizza oven for your home or business, aesthetics play a significant role when making your selection. Will the pizza oven blend in with the vibe in your home kitchen? Should the pizza oven be the focal point in your backyard? Will the pizza oven compliment the vibe in your restaurant?
Asking yourself these questions will help you determine what type of pizza oven to invest in. Fortunately, most of the pizza options available today come in different looks that can work well with any space. If you have a small area to work with, go for those with clean lines, compact designs, and stackable options. If you have more space, you can go for bigger ovens that you might want to display and highlight as the room’s centerpiece.
Key Takeaways
There are plenty of options when it comes to pizza ovens. You can choose between outdoor and indoor ovens, wood-fired or electrically-powered, or compact and massive ovens.
The key to finding the perfect pizza oven for you is identifying your objectives and limitations, especially regarding cost and size. From there, you can then select based on your options, so you end up with the pizza oven that best suits your needs.
