Consumer Reports recently tested outdoor pizza ovens to determine which ones are worth the investment. As a trained chef and pizza enthusiast, Consumer Reports’ Paul Hope has spent years perfecting his pizzas at home and in CR’s labs. He says the latest outdoor pizza ovens can make pizza night at home much easier.
Top Picks
CR evaluated 8 popular pizza ovens using the same store-bought dough, sauce, and cheese for consistency. The Solo Stove Pi Dual Fuel Pizza Oven for $500 model stood out among the competition, consistently turning out great pizzas. For smaller pies cooked with wood or charcoal, consider the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven for $250.
Wood-fired ovens are great because they give you that sort of authentic, traditional crust and flavor, but gas ovens, in general, are much easier to use and provide more consistent results.
Tips for Great Pizza
No matter which oven you choose, CR says these tips can help you create a great-tasting pizza. First, get it hot – Preheat the oven for up to 30 minutes, so it’s at the optimal temperature for a perfectly crispy crust. Then, move quickly. These ovens get really hot, and even 10 seconds can make a big difference in how the pie turns out, so you want to make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking.
Finally, practice makes perfect. Expect to make mistakes no matter which oven you choose. Cook with it, get familiar with it, then throw a pizza party. If you’re still struggling to get the crust cooked through, CR says try precooking the crust for a few minutes in your outdoor pizza oven and then add toppings to the partly baked crust.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
