WOODFIRED PIZZA OVEN FAQS
Have you got questions about our outdoor pizza ovens and DIY pizza oven kits? We’ve answered some of our most frequently asked questions below to help you on your journey to social alfresco dining. Keep an eye out for videos to go alongside the more important questions!
How Does A Woodfired Pizza Oven Work?
How hot is a pizza oven? A pizza oven's heat all depends on how much fuel you put in and what you are aiming to cook. How hot a pizza oven should be will vary based on what you are cooking. If you are cooking pizza; you’ll want the floor around 400 degrees Celsius but if you are cooking meat you’ll want it between 160-200 degrees Celsius.
How does a pizza oven work? Woodfired pizza ovens work by cooking the base of the pizza directly through the floor temperature with the radiant heat and flame cooking the toppings and giving the crust its colour. Cooking pizza well will always come down to balancing the floor temperature with the flame.
What wood for a pizza oven? Over the years of cooking thousands of pizzas in pizza ovens, we have trialled many kinds of wood. Nowadays we use a blend of ash, oak, hornbeam, birch, hazel and sycamore. They all have slightly different characteristics which make for a great mix when cooking different foods.
What materials do you use for a pizza oven? We have built many pizza ovens over the years before starting Agnes Outdoors and cooked thousands of pizzas, so we know what the oven had to deal with. After spending weeks researching and speaking to experts in refractory materials, we tried and tested many variations until we were happy it could deal with everything that it could be exposed to and stand the test of time. All the inner segments of the oven are rated to 1500 degrees Celsius so you won't ever go near their limit when cooking pizza at 400 degrees Celsius.
How Do You Use A Woodfired Pizza Oven?
What can you cook in a pizza oven? The options are endless. From roast dinners, fish, ribs or a full English breakfast. You’ll be able to play around to your heart's content. We will be releasing pizza oven recipes that we love soon too!
Can I use a wood fired oven straight after it's been built? A wood fired pizza oven needs curing before being fired. We recommend 3 or 4 long and slow fires gradually building up the heat from to a maximum of 80/120/150/200 degrees Celsius over 8 hours for each fire. We will release a full video on the curing process so keep an eye out on our How to page.
How to light a pizza oven? There are lots of different ways to light a pizza oven. You can use a propane gun, but the way we prefer is using eco firelighters and kindling. Make a ‘Jenga like’ stack of kindling 6-8 layers high and then add two eco firelighters under the stack. Add 3 to 4 smaller logs around your kindling tower and then light the firelights.
How long does a pizza oven take to heat up? This depends on what you are aiming to cook and when the oven was last lit. In general, to cook pizza, we would recommend over 40 minutes if the pizza oven is lit relatively often. If the DIY pizza oven hasn’t been lit for a couple of months, we would recommend a gradual heat up over 90 minutes.
Best cookware for a wood fired oven? The options are endless, we have our range of accessories that we love as they are hard wearing and great for year-round use. We do use cast iron pans from Netherton Foundry that are great for cooking meats in!
How many pizzas can I get in? In our outdoor pizza oven, you can fit 2 x 12inch pizzas. This was one of the most important design criterias we had from the start. Small enough that you can light it on an evening and not burn too much wood or require a long heat-up time, but big enough to deal with a small party, cooking a roast or other food in.
Can I slow cook meat in a pizza oven? Yes, the ovens are designed to create a huge heat mass that will store heat over long periods as the fire burns. The ovens weigh approximately 420kg which will absorb and store heat for hours after the fire has gone out. Our wood fired pizza ovens have commercial-grade insulation so the temperature won’t fluctuate much. Once you’ve finished cooking a lunchtime meal on the pizza oven, you can put the pizza oven door on (you will need to get this as an accessory) and cook slowly controlling the temperature with our built-in thermometer on the door.
How Does Installation Work?
Where can I put a DIY Pizza Oven? The wood fired pizza oven is a semi-permanent structure so it will need longevity in mind when building. It will want to sit on a level concrete base or patio but apart from that, it can go anywhere. By the swimming pool, in an outdoor kitchen or pub garden, they are designed so they can be built anywhere easily.
How long does it take to build the Pizza Oven? To build our pizza oven once you have put in level foundations and either made your stand, or one of ours, it should take 5-6 hours. With drying time, you’ll need to allow 2 days as there will be over 15 hours of drying time needed between some parts.
Does it have a door? The outdoor pizza oven does have a door, but it needs to be purchased separately from the DIY pizza oven.
Maintaining Your Oven:
How should I maintain my pizza oven? To ensure your pizza oven lasts, regularly check for any signs of wear or damage. Protect it from harsh weather conditions by using a suitable cover when not in use. Ensure proper ventilation and avoid using the oven in extreme temperatures. Regularly inspect and replace any worn-out parts as needed.
How do I clean my pizza oven? For routine cleaning, remove ash and food debris after each use. Allow the oven to cool completely before cleaning. Use a brush or scraper to clear out residues from the oven floor and walls. For deeper cleaning, wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth and mild detergent, and ensure the oven is completely dry before using it again.
Delivery:
Are the DIY Pizza Ovens available to purchase outside of the UK? Whilst we currently do not have any options on the website, it is all packed onto a pallet so it can go on the pallet network anywhere in the world. Just send us a message and we will find a solution.
How is the oven delivered? The pizza oven is delivered via the pallet network so it’ll be delivered to the curbside only and will then need unpacking there. The drivers cannot help unpack but will allow you 15 minutes to check over the package being in good condition.
If you have any other questions, then please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more information. We are also in the process of developing a series of videos to include how to cook pizza in a pizza oven and the differences in pizza oven temperature, so check back for those soon.