In our home, we divide our life within the suburbs into two phases: pre-pizza oven and post-pizza oven. After dwelling in New York Metropolis for over a decade, we had been hard-pressed to discover a slice that lived as much as our requirements as soon as transferring additional north. Our DoorDash historical past was a mashup of native pizza joints in a feeble effort to discover a pie that we favored sufficient to stay with, however nothing lived as much as the Neapolitan- and New York-style pizzas we liked.

That’s till we acquired an Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven. We’d been dancing round shopping for one for some time (it’s a huge funding, in spite of everything) however lastly purchased one after one too many rubbery, greasy deliveries that left us disenchanted and jonesing for the actual deal. Even for those who don’t think about your self a very gifted at-home chef, Ooni makes cooking scrumptious pizza straightforward due to its revolutionary form and user-friendly design. We even named it the greatest out of doors pizza oven in our checks — and belief me after I let you know, that accolade is well-deserved. 

Within the yr since we introduced our Ooni residence, our quest for scrumptious pizza has ended. As a substitute of ordering subpar takeout, we will fireplace up our Ooni Koda 16 and rating the proper slice in 90 seconds.

How I Examined the Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven

The Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven has shortly develop into a staple in our home on Pizza Friday. We are able to cook dinner all types of Neapolitan-style pies, from a conventional margarita to a meat-lovers model that my husband and son adore. Whereas the Ooni is marketed primarily towards pizza making, that’s not the one sort of cooking it will possibly deal with. You possibly can put together virtually something within the oven, from roasted greens and meat to gooey skillet cookies. 

Ooni’s Koda pizza oven is powered by pure gasoline or propane, which is smart for our life-style, however there may be an alternate model (the Ooni Karu) that can be utilized with wooden or charcoal. I like to recommend going with the 16-inch design over the 12-inch, which can grant you extra flexibility for what you cook dinner and the way huge of a pizza you may make. We determined to go all-out with our Ooni buy and acquired the devoted stainless-steel stand, plus different pizza instruments (extra on that later). The stand is sturdy and brings the oven as much as peak so you may simply monitor your pie whereas it cooks. The peak additionally creates leverage to maneuver the pizza peel and different instruments. It appears proper at residence alongside our gasoline grill on our terrace, and up to now it has held up nice to the weather. 

What I Love Concerning the Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven

There’s not a lot I don’t love about my Ooni oven, however its user-friendly performance is on the prime of my checklist. It makes making a pro-worthy pie so seamless that I don’t even thoughts when my youngsters request pizza night time twice per weekend. You hook the oven as much as a gasoline supply (we join ours to our grill’s propane tank, which is close by), flip the entrance knob to preheat the oven to your required temperature, and get to cooking. Plus, with inside temperatures that may attain 950°F, your pizza cooks quick (round 90 seconds), so making pies for a crowd is straightforward. We’ve hosted a number of pizza events, and friends are all the time impressed by the pizza’s style and cooking efficiency with an Ooni — it’s dinner and a present. 

Past that, I like how the Ooni Koda is delicate but efficient. If I had been to think about putting in a real wood-burning pizza oven in my residence, I’d be plenty of time, cash, and sq. footage, however Ooni makes it straightforward to realize the identical outcomes with a small footprint, even when utilizing gasoline. The bottom line is within the base stone and distinctive L-shaped burner, which mix to crisp up my pizza shortly and evenly, leaving me with a pillowy crust, a sturdy backside, and the telltale bubbles signature of an Italian-style pie. I can transfer the oven round simply or take it on a visit; we’ve taken ours down the Jersey Shore for a household trip as a result of it’s develop into that beloved. 

How It Compares

Once we lab-tested the very best out of doors pizza ovens, the Ooni Koda rose to the highest of the pack, incomes the title of the very best total pizza oven. We liked how straightforward it’s to assemble out of the field (connect the legs, then hook as much as your propane supply) and located it user-friendly. The outcomes had been spectacular. Throughout testing, we cooked up pro-worthy pies in beneath two minutes, with management over how crispy they acquired. Whereas we acknowledge there’s a studying curve with the Ooni, the outcomes are worthwhile. 

The Caveats

While you first carry residence your Ooni oven, anticipate to burn a number of pies. Regardless that it’s easy and user-friendly, it’ll take time to excellent your pizza-making expertise and get used to how your oven distributes warmth (and, actually, simply how briskly it will possibly cook dinner your dough). We went by means of our fair proportion of char-crusted pizzas till we nailed our cooking methodology, however after you have it down pat, you’re good to go. One other issue to think about is propane utilization. You have to to preheat your oven for no less than 15-20 minutes earlier than cooking to make sure the bottom stone is scorching sufficient to cook dinner your pie; whereas that is on par with preheating a grill, it’s a good suggestion to understand that you’ll undergo an honest quantity of propane.

All reward apart, there’s no denying that the Ooni Koda is an funding. Nonetheless, the model runs gross sales usually, particularly these pegged to buying holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Cash, or Labor Day. The oven additionally makes an ideal present concept for residence cooks, whether or not you’re trying to have a good time a milestone birthday, congratulate a pal on a brand new home, or spoil a pair of newlyweds. In the end, our Ooni oven has held up extremely effectively over time and has greater than paid for itself contemplating the amount of cash we spent on subpar takeout pizza.  

Suggestions and Tips

• Think about splurging on the equipment that Ooni suggests pairing along with your pizza oven. We’ve got bought their devoted stainless-steel storage tower, two various kinds of pizza peels, and the protecting cowl, all of which assist us use (and take care of) our oven higher. 
• An infrared thermometer is a vital device to have available. Not solely will it enable you decide in case your pizza stone is scorching sufficient to start cooking your pie, however it’ll make sure you maintain tabs in your oven’s warmth so that you don’t find yourself with burnt spots or worse, a fried pie. 
• Thoughts the thickness of your dough. Too thick can result in an uneven cook dinner, uncooked pizza, or a pie that’s so heavy it turns into not possible to show within the oven, inflicting a burned-on mess. 
• The less components, the higher. Too many moist toppings (like a ton of sauce) can result in an uneven cook dinner or burned pizza. It’s greatest to maintain your layers gentle and keep away from overdoing it on all that cheese. The identical goes for a way a lot flour you utilize — you need sufficient in order that your pizza doesn’t follow the peel, however an excessive amount of and also you’ll find yourself with a burnt taste. 
• The oven’s L-shaped burner is oriented on the again left nook of the gadget, so turning your pizza periodically is important for getting a fair cook dinner in your crust. 

The Verdict

Ooni’s Koda 16 Pizza Oven is a worthy splurge and one I’d suggest to anybody trying to improve their weekly pizza takeout to one thing home made. It helps you obtain restaurant-level pizza at residence, and it supplies versatility in your routine by cooking rooster wings, entire branzino, cornbread, or caramelized fruit. Setup is straightforward, the footprint is small, and the educational curve is transient — what extra might you need from an out of doors pizza oven?

Our Experience

Alyssa Longobucco is a contract author, editor, and stylist with a background in meals, inside, and life-style content material. She has over a decade of expertise within the digital and journal business creating distinctive and revolutionary content material for storied manufacturers reminiscent of Meals and Wine, Home Lovely, HGTV, The Knot, Domino, Condo Remedy, Actual Easy, Food52, Good Housekeeping, and extra.