There’s nothing like a homemade pizza. You can go to a restaurant on the Amalfi Coast and order a finely made plate of it with all the local fixings like truffles, olive oil and fresh basil, but it will pale in comparison to one made by your fair hands. Bite into it, and you can taste the effort and fun poured into the pizza, enjoyed around the patio table with your loved ones as conversation fills the air. These moments can only be achieved with a pizza oven, and don’t think it’s all it can do – these ovens provide a unique cooking option beyond just pizza.
There’s a lot more to learn if you’re considering buying a pizza oven for your garden space. In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to consider, Having a hard time knowing the difference between electric and gas pizza ovens? We have the answers right here for you.
Explore our range of pizza ovens today, and cook up restaurant-style pizza in two minutes flat.
What to Consider When Buying a Pizza Oven
What Will You Cook In Your Pizza Oven?
The most important question when buying anything is: will you get enough use out of it to warrant getting it? You may think that while pizza is amazing, you’re not going to be having it so often as to have a pizza oven. However, our ovens are more versatile than you think. Other meals can be whipped up all inside the oven, from fish and steaks to vegetables and even baked goods like bread. You could even turn the temperature down and slow-cook lamb, where the controlled fire will give it a smoked flavour that you cannot get from a conventional oven.
What Else You Need to Operate Your Pizza Oven
With the right equipment alongside your pizza oven, operating it will be a breeze. To find detailed instructions on how to use your Cozze pizza oven, consult our guide.
Here is a checklist of what you need to use your pizza oven to the fullest:
- Pizza Stone – on top of which the pizza is baked (if one isn’t provided with their pizza oven – Cozze pizza ovens include a pizza stone as standard)
- Pizza Peel or Paddle – to lift and turn the pizza
- Thermometer – to monitor temperature
- Oven Door – to cover the fire and retain heat (appliable only to electric pizza ovens – Cozze electric pizza ovens include an oven door as standard)
- Cooking rack – to cool the pizza once out of the oven
- Grill Brush – to clean pizza oven
At Kettler, we bundle many of the accessories you need with our pizza ovens, such as a ready-to-use pizza stone. Our electric and gas pizza ovens come equipped with a built-in thermometer (the former also has digital heat control), as well as a front door to cover the heat and fire inside, just like a master pizzaiolo. If you wish to match your oven with equally premium-feeling equipment such as pizza paddles or cast iron pans, browse our range of pizza oven accessories.
Where Will You Put and Store Your Pizza Oven?
It’s one thing to want a pizza oven, but finding the right space for it is essential. Luckily, our Cozze pizza ovens are designed to be used anywhere in the garden, no matter how much space you have. Their sleek, letterbox-like design not only looks almost as fantastic as the food inside, but is compact enough to fit comfortable on a small outdoor kitchen table or a wheeled stand, allowing for easy portability. Cozze’s outdoor kitchen units make getting everything you need simple, providing a complete, all-in-one set.
When you’re not using the pizza oven, proper storage is imperative to keep it in top condition. The lightweight and size-efficient construction of our ovens make it simple to slot away into a large kitchen cupboard, but if you plan on leaving it outdoors, we recommend protecting it from the elements with one of our durable Oxford fabric covers, which are made specifically for our models.
What’s the Best Type of Pizza Oven: Gas, Electric or Wood?
Gas Pizza Oven
Pros:
- Quick preheat (around 20 minutes) and fast cooking (2 minutes once preheated).
- Generally more affordable to power due to gas bottle use.
- Offers a classic cooking experience with an analogue temperature gauge.
- Provides a more authentic pizza-baking feel.
Cons:
- Requires a gas bottle for operation.
- Analogue thermometer may be less precise or convenient for some users.
Electric Pizza Oven
Pros:
- Similar quick preheat and cooking times as gas ovens.
- Easier to use and maintain, no need for gas bottles.
- Comes with a digital thermometer for more precise temperature control.
- More convenient for indoor use, just needs a power socket.
Cons:
- Typically more expensive to power than gas ovens.
- Lacks the traditional cooking experience of gas or wood ovens.
Wood Pizza Oven
Pros:
- Delivers an intense, smoky flavour for an authentic, rustic pizza experience.
- Ideal for traditionalists who want to replicate restaurant-style wood-fired pizzas.
Cons:
- Requires significant masonry work and is much more expensive.
- Takes up considerable space, usually only feasible for those with a large garden.
- Less portable and harder to manage than gas or electric alternatives.
By far the two most popular types are gas and electric, as wood-fire ovens are endearingly traditional, but the masonry work required to have a wooden pizza oven makes it a far more expensive fixture rather than the cost-effective portable options out there.
Gas and electric pizza ovens are very similar. Both take around 20 minutes to preheat and a further two minutes to cook the pizza. However, the key difference is in the input – electric ovens need a power socket and gas ovens require a gas bottle. Generally, this means the gas pizza oven is more affordable to power. This also impacts how temperature is displayed; electric versions come with a digital thermometer, while gas pizza ovens use an analogue gauge.
If you desire the classic feel to your pizza baking, go for gas, but for convenience, electric pizza ovens are generally easier to handle without the need for a gas bottle. For an intensely smokey flavour, go for wood if you have the budget and garden space, but let’s face it – not many do.
Choosing Your Pizza Stone: Stationary or Rotating?
Your pizza stone is the resting spot for your pizza while it is in the oven, able to cook the bottom without sticking, making for that all-important satisfying crisp. Pizza stones can be stationary or rotating, depending on which you find simplest.
To turn a pizza using a stationary stone, use a pizza peel to dig underneath the pizza and lift it. Using a rotary pizza peel such as those in our range will make it much easier to spin the pizza so a different side gets a turn right underneath the fire, ensuring an even bake.
If you can’t quite get the hang of using a stationary pizza stone, a rotating pizza stone may be easier for you. As the name suggests, the stone is able to spin 360 degrees independently, meaning rather than digging underneath the pizza, the stone rotates automatically.
At Kettler, all our pizza ovens come equipped with an LFGB-approved cordierite pizza stone. This approval means it is safe for food contact, and what’s more, these stones provide excellent heat retention and distribution, so you can get that leopard-spotted effect and crispy bottom all around your pizza.
Options from Kettler
Kettler has a variety of options for those seeking a quality gas or electric pizza oven, all designed with the same simplicity, convenience and cooking power across the range. Let’s explore some of the best gas and electric pizza ovens on the market.
Our range is split two ways: by type (gas and electric), and by size (13-inch and 17-inch). The 13” versions are more compact and take up less space on the outdoor kitchen countertop, but the 17” versions let you bake some truly taste goliaths. Our 17” Gas Pizza Oven with Rotating Pizza Stone and Therometer is the best gas pizza oven for momentous gatherings, as its spacious 17-inch designs mean you can cook for larger groups with ease, no matter if you’re baking pizza or flambéing fish. Meanwhile, our 17” Electric Pizza Oven shines during those impromptu get-togethers where your friends, where someone suggests firing up the grill.
Make Treasured Moments in Your Garden with Kettler
If you’re looking to cook up memories with family and friends in the comfort of your garden, Kettler is the home for outdoor cooking and garden furniture for the best of times. We’ve been driven by this purpose since the 1960s, and our team is happy to help with finding the right pizza oven for you. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
