Few things are better suited for relaxing and pure enjoyment than cooking outdoors, and for good reason. Outdoor pizza ovens are one way to restore a traditional form of food preparation, spice up a summer party, or make fantastic dishes at super-speed. Commonly called a wood-fired oven, this multi-purpose appliance has been the method of choice for centuries, especially during the warmer seasons. Let’s look at 6 reasons why their appeal is universal.

Outdoor Pizza Ovens are Relaxing and Fun

If outdoor pizza ovens are wood-fired, they can become a very intuitive way of cooking. People love to experience delicious homemade food. While convenience and speed is always prized, we still need to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasure of a delicious, elegant homemade meal. For entertainment, it’s a natural focal point: cooking with a natural element like fire draws people in, and the aesthetic appeal of both the food and the method of cooking offers easy relaxation.  But even if you have a gas source for your outdoor oven, your dishes will have unmatched flavor because of the oven’s unique design for cooking food evenly at super speed.

Efficient Cooking

Outdoor pizza ovens can have classic or modern designs. The basic premise is simple: the chimney, heating element, dome and stone floor create a nearly foolproof method of getting intense and sustainable heat and consistent cooking. The dome makes it possible to maintain a stable heat temperature.  They promote natural circulation of heat, creating a convection effect that can cook a pizza within a matter of a few minutes.  The floor both retains heat and conducts it to the surface for cooking food or heating up your cooking vessel.  The wood is the radiant heat source and can reach temperatures as high as 1000 degrees.  Generally, cooking is optimal between 500 to 800 degrees, depending on your dish.

Amazing and Unique Flavors

Outdoor pizza ovens can be used for more than just pizza. Whether you’re cooking steak or pizza in an outdoor pizza oven, you will loathe to go back to your old way of cooking with a traditional stove. Vegetables, potatoes, salmon and shellfish, bread, eggs and meat all taste marvelous with wood fire.

Energy and Cost Efficiency

This comes with the caveat that you have to use it to gain the most savings.  The initial cost will be your purchase of the oven. The remaining investment is in the basic utensils and getting the right wood.  You save money when you can cook instead of eating out, and you save on energy costs with no electricity or gas use in the winter, as the heat produced will keep both the food and the cook very warm.  Because you are outside, cooking on hot days will allow your kitchen inside to stay cool. 

Functionality of Multi-Purpose Tools

You should consider investing in long, protective heat gloves, due to temperatures reaching up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit inside the oven.  You will also need a wire brush for cleaning your oven floor. The irreplaceable long-handled small peel is a multi-purpose utensil. You can use it to move the wood, the cooking vessels such as skillets and pots, and for moving your pizza.  In the beginning, you may not have a feel for the optimal cooking temperature for different dishes, so investing in an infra-red temperature gauge would be helpful. 

The other costs include kindling and wood. The wood you use should be hard, like oak, beech or maple. It should also be “seasoned”, which means it’s been split and left in a space where moisture can penetrate the logs.  The process can take up to 12 months. Seasoned wood ignites easily and keeps a steady flame. Don’t expect the wood to impart any intense flavor to your food: the fire does that. The better your insulation, the less wood you need to maintain the heat and the longer your oven will burn. Other tools include pokers, which move around heavier utensils and vessels.  A small wire brush can be used to clean the entrance of your oven.

Outdoor Pizza Ovens are Convenient

With only a few ingredients and a little prep work, your simple meal becomes a masterpiece, just because you chose an outdoor pizza oven to cook it.  Clean up is minimal, since your pan is as simple as a stone with your fire killing bacteria and evaporating food residue. Cleaning involves brushing away ash and charred crumbs. If you have a gas element, there would be no worries about storing wood or sweeping out ash. If your oven has been properly insulated, you can even remove the heating source after initial heating. Just let the convection and conduction heat bake dishes that don’t require super high heat to cook. Because of the conduction and insulation, outdoor pizza ovens can maintain a steady temperature for hours.

Outdoor pizza ovens come in a variety of sizes and materials. At Haynes, you can choose your size and stone option and even upgrade or add accessories to customize your outdoor pizza oven just the way you want it. Your wood-fired pizza oven will come pre-finished and ready to light. If you’re only looking for something to spice up your summer party, we offer outdoor pizza oven rentals delivered right to your yard. Get your summer started in style and contact us today to order and schedule an easy, no fuss delivery.