What is a gas pizza oven?
To cook great pizza, you need temperatures higher than your average domestic oven can reach. A dedicated pizza oven can reach over 900°F, whereas a typical household oven can only get to about 500°F.
These high-temperature pizza ovens were once prohibitively expensive, permanent constructions only available in restaurants. But with the invention of the self-contained, portable pizza oven, we can all now create a restaurant-quality pizza in our back yards. And we can choose from ovens powered by wood, charcoal, gas, or a combination of fuels. A gas pizza oven uses propane or natural gas as its fuel source.
You are watching: The 5 Best Natural Gas Pizza Ovens for 2023
How does it work?
Gas ovens work quite simply. They are usually dome-shaped with a burner in the back or side of the space. When lit, this burner fills the inside of the oven with an evenly dispersed heat, leaving no cold spots. The bottom of the oven is often made from brick or contains a pizza stone that absorbs heat and mimics the refractory conditions in a traditional pizza oven.
It is not the flames from the burner which cook your pizza but the heat which is radiated back to the pizza from the walls and stone floor of the oven. This is why a pizza oven must be made of the correct, well-insulated materials. Otherwise, the heat escapes, and it takes longer to cook your pizza, and you won’t get that perfect, bubbled, chewy crust of a proper Neapolitan pizza.
Benefits of natural gas pizza ovens
One of the main choices you’ll make when deciding on a pizza oven is what fuel you want to use. While wood-burning pizza ovens are extremely popular, gas ovens have plenty of their own benefits. Here are some of the main ones.
Easy to use. Gas ovens are easier to use than their wood-burning counterparts. Wood-burning ovens come with a big learning curve as you get used to lighting, stoking, and maintaining the fire to reach the correct heat. But with gas ovens, lighting them is as simple as pressing a button, and you can set the perfect temperature with the turn of a knob.
Temperature control. Since they have easier and more accurate temperature control than wood ovens, gas ovens can be a better option for slow cooking or dishes that require a lower temperature.
Easy to clean. A large part of gas cooking is the lack of mess. You don’t have to deal with cleaning soot and ash out of the oven each time you use it. All you’ll need to do is remove any flour or drips of food from the base of the oven or pizza stone.
Convenient. There’s no sourcing of wood or chopping of logs for a gas oven. Simply connect your gas tank, and away you go. Plus, if your home already has a gas line, your pizza oven can be connected directly to it.
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Smokeless. Gas ovens can be used anywhere. Since they don’t give off smoke, they’re not subject to the same restrictions as wood fires which are banned in some neighborhoods, campgrounds etc.
Fast. Gas pizza ovens can cook pizzas much faster than a domestic oven and will speed up your dinner process.
Healthy. Food cooked fast and at high temperatures is good for you. Any toppings you add to your pizzas, like vegetables, meat, or fruit, will be perfectly cooked before they have time to dry out. As a result, they stay juicy and succulent, full of flavor and nutrients.
Versatile. Gas pizza ovens can be used for much more than just pizza. You can bake bread and pastries, roast meats, seafood and veggies, even cook stews and casseroles. In fact, you use them for cooking anything you would in a regular oven.
Portable. Plenty of gas ovens are lightweight enough to be taken with you on camping trips, road trips, and cookouts, meaning you can have delicious pizza wherever you go.
Features to consider when purchasing a gas pizza oven
Pizza ovens come in all shapes and sizes with different features and specifications, so it’s important to know what to look for when choosing your perfect oven.
Size and style. Some pizza ovens are small and lightweight enough to be taken on camping trips, while some are large, heavy pieces of equipment that, once installed, will be a permanent fixture of your home or outdoor kitchen. You need to choose the size that suits your lifestyle.
Cooking capacity. Alongside the oven’s external size, you need to consider its cooking capacity. Will a small oven that cooks 12″ pizzas be enough for you, or do you want one that can fit 16″ pizzas? Remember, if you plan to use the oven for more than pizza, be sure to get one that will accommodate your other plans.
Max Heat. The ability to reach high temperatures sets a pizza oven apart from domestic ovens. So make sure you choose one that can reach temperatures of at least 700°F but ideally 900°F.
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Burners. Something to look at with gas ovens is the shape and placement of the burners. Most feature burners at the back of the oven, which work well to heat the space but can leave the front of the pizza stone a little cooler. And some have u-shaped burners which spread the heat more evenly. A few pizza ovens also have under-stone burners, a nice feature that keeps the pizza stone hot between bakes.
Insulation and heat retention. Good insulation helps a pizza oven heat up fast and retain its heat for a fast bake. Poorly insulated ovens let heat escape, slowing cooking times, wasting fuel, and resulting in subpar pizzas.
Speed. One of the main things to think about when picking your pizza oven is how long it takes to heat up to optimal temperature and how fast it can cook a pizza.
Multiple pizzas. Some pizza ovens handle cooking multiple pizzas better than others. For example, some allow too much heat to escape or let the pizza stone cool down too much during the first bake. When that happens, you need to wait between bakes for the oven to heat back up to optimal temperature. If you’ll only ever be cooking single pizzas, then this is not a problem, but if you want to cook many pizzas for your family or friends, look for an oven that’s proven to handle multiple bakes.
Price. Of course, your budget is one of the main considerations when making a purchase like this. So on our list, we’ve included quality gas ovens to suit all wallets.
How to use a gas oven
Using a gas oven is simple, although the exact method will vary from oven to oven. First, make sure your oven is connected to its gas tank or source. Then hit the igniter, turn the dial to the perfect temperature and allow the oven to heat up.
When the oven is at the optimal temperature, slide your first pizza inside. Keep an eye on your pizza as it bakes, turning it regularly to ensure an even bake, and remove it once it’s done. Slice and enjoy!
If you’re cooking multiple pizzas, check that the oven is still at the correct temperature or allow it to reheat before putting the next pizza in.
Once you’re finished, switch off the oven and wait for it to cool down completely before cleaning it. To clean, simply scrape any leftover flour, dough, or drips of toppings off the pizza stone or oven base, then brush or wipe with a dry cloth.
Top Tip – Some ovens on our list have built-in thermometers to help you keep track of the temperature. But even if they do, they only show the ambient temperature of the oven. We like to use an additional digital thermometer to check the exact temperature of specific areas of the oven – and crucially, the pizza stone – to ensure the ideal temperature before adding the pizza.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor
