Cooking on wood needs more minding but its more fun and I prefer the taste. Recently cooked 11 pizzas in a row at a family gathering on the Karu and it performed great!
@@patperanelli3241 thanks for the question Pat, unfortunately this is just down to the fact the stone on the Ooni isn’t too thick and will loose heat having one after another pizza put on. I try to leave about 2 mins to heat back up between pizzas with a fresh piece of wood on the coals. Also I’ve heard of stone upgrades for the ooni called Biscotto stones, these are thicker so will likely hold heat for longer, I’ve never tried one though
@@patperanelli3241 I use the gas one and it's normal for every of these oven: they aren't constructed to keep the temperature like a real big wood fire one: The real woodfire have multiple strate of "glassfiber" that keep the heat and instead of a thin stone it has "biscotto" that is a brick made mixing vulcanic stone with other stones. In this case, this stone is used to transmit violently the heat to the pizza, making it cooking faster and develop a nice crust (if u cook above 350-400 C°), so it would drop the heat faster than a biscotto. The trick is to minimize the cook time by doing the right dough and reaching high temperature, i usually cook over 400 C° and let the oven heat for 2-3 min, the time i use to put topping on my next pizza. If u are lucky enough u can do 2-3 pizza in a row but after that u have to let your oven heat up again or u will fuck up all the next pizza. Tip for a woodfire: everytime u have to put a pizza in the oven, put 2-3 woods in the back, with a wild flame the oven will heat faster and will cook the top of the pizza faster.
Nice video! I have a Koda 16 - 60th birthday gift from my twin brother a couple of months back. One thing you did not point out is that with the Koda it's a good idea to turn the gas down to half or even low when you launch the pizza, that gives the base chance to crisp up but you don't annihilate the top before the base is crisped. I've seen comments from other Koda users where they put a alu foil tray of pellets on the left under the burner - plenty of room in the 16 - and that will smoke and impart the 'wood cooked' taste you refer to. Messed around with other stuff on it too. If you buy pre-prepared bases (Lidl has some) and make a bunch of garlic butter you can do really good garlic flatbreads in no time to accompany soups or snacking. Cast iron pans - I got some heavy duty Lodge ones (my twin bro brought them over from the US) ... amazing garlic shrimp. Gonna try steak in it next and maybe some chicken skewers.
Just cooked our first pie on a Karu using gas! It was easy, fun and turned out perfectly….first time. Tomorrow switching to wood but I wanted to thank you for the great videos. Watching them before purchasing made our first time experience all the easier. Less frustrating to watch others make and correct the mistakes and we just get to learn from you!
Hi Jim! I'm glad your first one turned out well and I hope cooking tomorrow goes well too 🔥 I'm always learning so like to pass on what I find out to help others 👍
Just got the Pellet stove and I've been diving in. It seems to be a nice blend of the ease of fuel management you get with gas with some of the smokey and more traditional elements of the real hardwood. Really enjoying family pizza night with how fast these pies cook.
@dermfmed467 Every pizza oven has that problem if you're not going for the staitionary ones. I usually wait 5 min each between pizza baking to ensure it's warm again, if you want to time it right, ger a thermal laser measure.
When we were expecting our third child, my wife and I knew we needed a bigger vehicle. We went to one dealership and checked out minivan A one week, went to another dealership the next week and checked out minivan B, and went to a third dealership to check out minivan C the following week. There were things we liked and disliked about each one, but we weren't sure. We then went to another dealership that had minivans A, B, and C all in stock and they pulled them all up in a row so we could directly compare them, and we were able to clearly see which one was the best for us. This video is exactly like that. There was some things about each oven that appealed to me, but I wasn't sure until I saw all three of them right next to each other and could see which was the best for me. Thank you Tom.
p.s. This is the video that sold me on the Koda 16. To say thanks for all Tom's oven videos, I did use one of his Ooni links to get me to the website when I purchased mine. Thanks again!
Hey! Thanks so much for the feedback and for using my link! Its really great to hear my video has helped someone out with a decision! You won't regret the Karu 12 its a great oven for the price! Congrats too on the 3rd baby! ;) All the best, Tom Voyage
@@TomVoyageuk Actually we went with the Koda 16 for the ease of gas and be able to make bigger pizzas for all our kids (we're up to four now). Once we got our oven, watching your videos helped me be ready and all five pizzas I've made so far have turned out great. Thanks again.
Cool video thanks Tom - I got the Ooni Karu this week - having the first pizzas tomorrow - You taught me that the wood cover clips on the back thanks :)
When cooking with wood, use bigger pieces at the bottom to build a good flame and use smaller pieces of wood to get the flame you need to reach across the top of the cooker. Not only do you get quicker heat, it also doesn't give you as much heat. If you always use bigger pieces by the time the flame catches on a new piece of wood, the temps will rise to much. It's also easier to put in smaller pieces.
@@TomVoyageuk Anytime! It's how we learn. Share useful information and enjoy what we love more. Thankyou for sharing all the information in your channel! The same information also applies to wood fired BBQ/Smokers. If you keep the pieces of wood a smaller even size, it is much easier to regulate the temperature of the smoker during a long cook. Aaron Franklin, on his MasterClass, has some good information on this. Bigger pieces = more fuel and more potential energy over a long period of time (it burns longer) but takes longer to start. Thicker wood smolders for a while before getting a flame. Smaller piece = less fuel, less potential energy and starts burning faster. The thinner the piece the faster it catches fire. That's why wood shavings catch fire so fast. The lower amount of fuel (less wood) means it doesn't raise the temp as much.
A big thank you for this video. I couldn't decide. I have ordered Fyra an hour ago (only because found it super easy to use when I was staying at some wooden cabin on a weekend getaway) Now I am watching your video and appreciate that you are actually replying back to comments and being so engaged
Great point regarding gas and pellet… the pizza is cooked for such a short time that the Smokey flavor only adds a slight change in taste compared to the gas. Gas is my choice hands down for ease of use, no door to deal with, no mess to tend to, consistent flame and heat, affordable fuel, and ease of transport for parties and camping.
Gas is without doubt the easiest option, but i still prefer to use wood and charcoal. For me part of the fun is making and tending to the fire, and i can still taste when something has been cooked over a wood fire. Having said that im always happy to have the gas option when im hosting a party or want to film a video, and not worry about maintaining a real wood fire.
Have you tried cooking clams and mussels in the ooni? Garlic, shallots, olive oil. Then deglaze with wine and diced tomatoes add shellfish cook till the shells completely open. Discard the ones that didn't open if any. Finish with whole butter and fresh basil. A squeeze of lemon.... Delicious 🤤
You need to leave the doors off the pellet and wood one for a couple minutes to let the heat reach the whole oven before you put the doors on. The coolness dampens the air flow and then puts out the fire. Do this and the fire won't go out.
I second this! I found this out accidentally when I flaked and left the door off between pizzas. The stone got to 748 F with the door off. Was only reaching 530 F with the door on.
I'll give this a try as i've always lit the oven then placed the door on, with the correct airflow the oven has always got up to temp ok. But if this method works faster, then happy days!
I got the fyra mainly because I already have a pellet smoker, so fyra can use the same pellets and I don't need to buy any different fuels. Tastes great and I think is a great balance between great flavor and ease of use.
Nice video. Just purchased a kuru 12 and cooked with lump charcoal and wood. Works great. I agree you need to tend to the fire a bit more but it’s all part of the experience. I see you were turning the pie about the same time and frequency as I was doing it. Temps were about the same at 450-475 F. I also bought the gas adaptor for this oven so I don’t always have to mess with wood and charcoal. Have not tried this method yet. Again - Nice video
Hard to say the wood crust was better. You let the first two pizzas sit a bit and they steamed from the bottom. That is why I put cooked pizzas on a rack on top of a cookie sheet. Keeps the crust from softening.
Thanks for the comment, and your point is a fair one! However it's difficult to cook on 3 ovens, on your own, maintain a temp on all 3, make the pizzas and film all at the same time!
@@TomVoyageuk oh, I quite agree. I knew as you were proceeding the last pizza would have a crisp crust advantage. Only way to avoid is to cook all three pizzas at once, a sheer impossibility without lots of staff. Alternatives include putting on a cookie sheet and very loosely throwing a sheet of tin foil on top or immediately putting the first two pizzas back in their ovens for 20 seconds each. It’s asking a lot! Informative video nonetheless. Good job.
Good comparison. I've a Fyra, find it hard to go wrong but the set up is probably the difference between it getting used very frequently vs being v more of an 'occasion',so can see the advantage of the gas. Also - turning peel is a worthwhile investment rather than having to take the pizza out to turn it!
well done for not editing out the karu mistake with letting the flames go out, I thin the hopper on the fyra is a great idea and less maintenance for wood fired ovens
We combine wood and charcoal in our Karu 12. A base of charcoal to keep the heat at an even and longer burning-level, then top off with wood to raise the temperatures the final bit and to ensure good flames whenever we put a pizza in. It seems a bit more fuel efficient to us - and we still get the smoky flavour from burning actual wood.
I have the Karu 12 and love it. It seems so economical on fuel - I use charcoal and wood to start, and then add a bit more wood before each pizza. If you have nice big flat dinner plates, you can leave them underneath the Karu, and it will keep the top one a tiny bit warm, ready for the pizza, which is quite nice. I also bought a secondhand pure cast-iron ridged griddle pan, which is fantastic for searing steaks. With that particular one I leave the door open, because the pan has a handle that sticks out. But it works really really well - I would recommend anyone to try it. Of course Ooni makes a flat grizzler plate, but it’s much more expensive than the one I got. I also have a cast iron griddle pan with enamel on the bottom, but I decided not to risk using that one in case the enamel became a problem at high temperatures.
Mark have you tried bagels yet...I have a koda 16 and found a recipe/process on line to try...havent yet but expect a few burnt bagels for sure...I have done some french breads...came out ok but need more practice.
Amazingly well done video. To the point and I love that you did it in real time; it goes to show ups and down of each oven. Brilliant! Question: does the wood or pallet oven give the pizza a smoky flavor?
both do. but wood and pellets have so much quirks i would use a gas oven always over those. its just so much simpler and also quicker and _way_ cleaner. but if you are really after that smoky-flavor there speaks actually nothing against putting a little bit smoking wood or a fireresistant cup with some pellets into the gas oven for example on the right side where there are no gas burners. then you have both
I use the pellet one and I used it once to cook a piece of salmon and let me tell you! That salmon tasted excellent and cooked faster than making a sandwich! And Pizzas always taste great on it!
Yeah if you're not bothered about cooking on wood fire, then gas is a great go too. I often use gas when doing events or parities as you don't have to worry
Ours uses pellets and is really fun to use. We wait 15 minutes before cooking and the temps are about 600 in front and 850 in the rear. Turning the pizza is the key to success. It took about 4 tries to get it nearly perfect. Now every pizza is incredibly good. Oh, FYI pizza doesn't have to be round! Lol
I'm using the wood fire ooni you have there. My very first cook I failed to get the pizza in because my pizza turner was way too big. So it got all jacked. Even so, the flavor was amazing!
Haha this exact thing happened to me. First time using my Fyra, the turner was too big, half the pizza landed in the oven, half didn’t. Make sure you have the right equipment folks Haha
The gas oven just is beyond simple and beats the other 2 hands down in every aspect. You could have cooked the pizza in the gas oven longer for a crispier crust I believe, but it is amazing how fast it cooked the pizza compared to the other 2. Someone mentioned in another post, you dont get the smokey flavour with the gas oven but you get all the other flavours that the smoke would normally hide. I think l'm after the Ooni gas pizza oven myself now. Great video Tommy.
Thanks Brett, im glad the video helped you make your decision! Im really on the fence as i love both methods of cooking for different reasons. This week we had friends over for pizza, so i went with gas, nice and easy, and good because we did 12 pizzas, and could turn down in between cooks. If its just my family, i'll go wood, because i like the process of building and maintaining a good fire, and think the taste is great too! thanks for watching! 👍🏻
Been told I MIGHT 🤫😉 be getting a Fyra for Christmas so this video is super useful cos I had lots of questions about how easy it was to use and this just answered a lot of them 👏👏👏 thank you 🙂 you've just got a new subscriber.
I always have the fire choked out on the Fyra from the ash getting stuck. This definitely happens when you’re doing more than one pizza. I was thinking I should have got a gas one. After watching your video I’m thinking maybe the key is to load the hopper up with more pellets, but I’m sure I’ve done that before.
Hello. This video was great Congratulations for this good and beautiful idea. I really like it. How can I buy your oven? I am from Iran. I would appreciate it if you could help me
Hi Tom, very nice comparison, thank you! We have the Ooni Karu makes good pizza as you stated takes a bit to get fire right and we all like the bit more smokey taste. A smaller pizza peel to turn is most helpful. Now we just added another pizza oven, Aidapiza wood pellet 12" with a round pizza stone you can turn without opening door- has a handle on the bottom. Makes for a more even cooking on pizza and its easier than opening the door each time to turn. Even though you have to tend and turn the handle while its cooking, it makes great pizza, and less time turning with a pizza peel. Thanks again for doing the comparisons! Cheers!
Nice video! Haven’t seen you channel before, but I like you don’t rush and take your time. Even included a tasting! I was going for pellets, but changes my mind to gas after seeing this. I would have liked your opinion in the ovens in the end, it just stopped
Thanks for watching, i feel with the info in the video, there is enough to make your own decision, without me giving an opinion to sway peoples decisions.
nice video thank you! A friend of mine has overcame the wood problem by adding a few charcoal briquettes with the wood. He was able to maintain a better heat and flame. It's still more work with the Karu than the other 2 but he was able to find a good compromise for his oven. Awesome results.
Thanks for the comment Simon! Yeah adding a bit of charcoal is a very good method and something I’ll often do to make life easier when cooking on wood! It’s also good for lower temps if you want to cook things other than pizza in your oven!
I got the middle pellet one 2 weeks ago for my birthday, I love it, makes great food, also got a fire pit for Christmas, so most weekends we are in the garden enjoying both toys. Kids love it, and we have had more family and friends over, really social experiance.
Hi, did you try to cook any other food than pizza? I'm thinking about buying it but i would also like to bake bread and some other food which doesn't require 500 degrees, so i'm wondering is it hard to maintain lower temperature?
@@nidjo83 yes. I bought a skillet and have done halloumi cheese on it inside the Ooni. Worked well. Also made s’mores with the kids. Also went well. Steak next thing to try
I have the pallet fyra 12. The taste is great but it's very inconsistent. Sometimes the pallets get stuck in the hopper. So I had a pizza ready to go, but the flame was actually out. It's also sensitive for wind. Cooked some pizza's last weekend and it was all over the place in terms of heat.
I like things to be easy and to me the propane fired oven would be the easy way to go. It's practically no clean up versus ashes of the other two ovens and it has an even heat that can be controlled with a knob.. Thank you for the test.
Does anyone have a rough cost comparison on the three fuels? I have never purchased gas before so I wondered how easy it is to acquire and get bottles refilled etc. A rough idea of how many pizzas you get out of a 10kg bag of pellets would also be really useful.
It depends on where in the world you live, gas in the UK is crazy prices at the minute, because we have to rely on other nations to get hold of it. Pellets are a good low cost option, and ooni recommends a 10kg bag will get 7-10 hours of cook time. Wood will always be the cheapest if you can source it, i spoke to some guys cutting trees down near my house, and they gave me about 1 ton of wood for free! It took 1.5 years to season and dry out, but I've got a good supply now.
Crust looks good...how was the crust on the bottom...the portion under the cheese and sauce? Sometimes the upper crust is done, but the bottom crust on the stone (and in contact with the sauce) is under baked. Thank you.
before cooking pizza on a wood fire oven, when the temperature is reached, always put woods in it: you ned the flame to cook your pizza: In fact , if we are talking only about the cooking, the gas was the best in this test because the flame is consistent! The pellet i guess was a bit weak, the woodfire would be the more wild and harder to cook on because you need the flame to be alive and it would burn your pizza everytime, but in this test, if u had the flame from the start of the cooking, it would've beeen better than the gas! :)
Thanks for the comment Jack, I've seen people in the past using a chunk of wood on top of pellets to keep a more consistence flame! Never tried it myself though.
Great video thanks. Any views on buying a gas attachment for my Karu? Just got one and not sure whether investing in gas will make it more practical? Sounds like timing on wood isn't much worse than gas, and perhaps tastes better?
Just got a gas ooni for my birthday. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet. After watching the video, I'm happy that I got the gas as I know I would be too distracted to keep up with the wood! Thank you
Thank you so much for this review mate. I have decided to go with propane and to get the smoky flavor I will put a piece of hardwood on the side. Cheers!!!!!
Your welcome thanks for watching! I’d be interested to hear how this goes as a lot of people have mentioned this technique but I’ve never tried it myself
@@TomVoyageuk Thank you Tom, My 12g is on order and will let you know how things work out. I am also thinking about a tray inside the oven (using gas to heat and cook) with pellets instead of wood? Cheers. I have a stainless steel cage on order that will hold hard wood pellets. Also I decided to got get a Koda 16 instead. Will report on my results on using a gas pizza oven assisted with pellets. Cheers!!!!!!!
Best pizza I ever eat was in Germany at a Guesthouse that cooked the pizza in a bread oven in the middle of the dining area. The German town was Sindelfingen but I can no longer remember the name of the place. The date on the oven doors was 1492, yep Columbus and the Discovery of the Americas as a US Soldier this did not escape my notice, anyway the restuarant would build a hard wood fire in the morning and keep it going all day. In the evening they pushed the coals and ash back and to the sides and cooked the pizza on the stone the fire had been on. Was just a little wood ash on each pizza. A large pizza, Large Beer and Green Salad as about 11 Marks of 3 dollars US at the time. Wood is the only way a real pizza should be cooked and I'm 60 now and was 19 then and nothing has ever changed my mind on that fact.
Thanks for the comment Donald! Sounds like that place was awesome! Id love to know if it was still there! One of the best pizza i ever had was actually in Edinburgh, Scotland. A place called Civerinos, that does huge 22" pizzas, like the ones you guys get in the US! thats my benchmark, but I'm with you, i love the wood fired the best!
Thanks for watching! The pellets are a really good option for cooking on a real fire, but without the need to build and maintain a charcoal/wood fire. Pellets are a good source too in terms of price and sustainability! 👍🏻🌿
Thanks for the video. Had been looking for a decent video comparison of the 3 different ovens and their operation. Was the koda the 12 or 16 inch? The ability to leep lots of pellets in the fyra seems really good for long cooks with minimal hassle. I had my eyes on the karu and think it still looks good as the maintaining the wood fire element seems great. If you havent already, then it would be interesting to see the karu with gas vs the koda as that freedom seems nice but itd be nice to see the difference in cook. Fantastic video and thanks very much for making it !
Thanks for watching, the Koda is a 16" because i didn't have the 12" when i made this video. I don't have a koda 12 vs Karu 12 gas video, but would be a good comparison to do in the coming weeks.
Is it annoying that there is no hook or place to put the door on the karu? I would have loved to see some hinges or at least a hook like on the fyra Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, Yes i agree it would have been a nice feature. I just tend to use a log or tile on the floor to put the door on, as ive heard of cases of people burning their wooden tables by resting it on there.
I owned the Uuni3 when the company (now Ooni) delivered its first ovens. Like the Fyra it was exclusively pellets so I bought the gas accessory as well. After about 5 years and dozens of of homemade pizzas, I switched to the Karu 12 and am much happier with the multi-fuel options (and the gas accessory still fits). I don’t know about the Fyra, but the Uuni3 needed a lot of attention and the pellet hopper would sometimes clog up and the oven would cool off. It was not obvious because the pellet level would be high because the clog stopped the pellets from dropping. The hopper on the Fyra looks redesigned and probably doesn’t have the same problem. Still, I recommend the multi-fuel models for the flexibility. Very good review of an excellent line of products.
Thanks for the comment and for watching my videos! I’d actually really like to get hold of the original uuni 3 to compare to their latest model and see what’s improved!
I have a computer fan on a foot switch that I blow onto the fire box on my wood fired oven. Seems to help keep fire going. Without this I never really got the fire to burn at a constant temp at a higher enough temp.
excellent video! thank you for sharing your knowledge. it's interesting how much larger the gas oven appears to be - seems like that would be easier to work with overall.
Thank you for the kind comments! Im glad you enjoyed my videos! This is the larger version of the gas oven, ooni do a Koda 12, which is a smaller version, more similar to the other ovens in this video. I just don't currently own that oven.
pellets are def dominant, you get a smokey flavour but its not as hard as the wood. yes the wood prob tastes best, but you could see how hard it was. gas is just not it
Hi Tom, thanks for the video. It's helping me a lot in deciding what to buy - mainly gas or wood. Coming from South Africa and now living in the UK, we tend to barbecue (braai) with charcoal, however I changed to gas a long time ago and loved the convenience of gas. Also aside from using gas my barbecue had lava rocks that helped the flavour when oil or fat would drip onto them creating smoke. Great steaks! Is it possible with the Karu to cook with gas but also add a few pieces of wood at the same time to get the wood flavour? I'm pizza mad and I've had pizza in Naples and that wood flavour does make a difference. Lastly, your pizzas look great. is there anything specific you use or do in your pizza dough recipe? Cheers
Hi Georg and thanks for the nice comments! I work with a South African guy and he is always telling me about Braai! id love to visit SA one day and try it out! I've heard a few people adding wood to the stone (just one chunk) to smoulder and give a taste to the pizza. I've never tried this myself, because i would think it would create dust and ash on the stone tat would get onto the pizza/ With the Ooni karu, you get the option to use both gas and wood so might be the one for you? I have a few various dough recipes, but I've only ever filmed one method, as a quick dough, i really should make more dough videos, as the one i usually use is about 65% hydration, and made over 24 hours.
yes you can throw some pieces of wood into the gas burning one. my brother has that gas powered one and we tried that, some people noticed the wood flavor, or thought they did because they were told or they knew it was added, but then when we cooked other pizzas without the wood and told them we had cooked with wood, they confirmed, yep, definitely a better, wood smoky flavor on this one. they were tasting something that wasn't there, just by the power of suggestion. so the verdict is, i don't think you actually get any 'smoky or wood flavor' when u cook these pizzas so fast, it's more psychological than anything.
Great time to see this video and comparison. I had a cheaper £99 Aldi oven which just corroded after 7years so looking for new oven. I be wood user and one thing mention is thinnest of the stone, so can you get a thick stone and solve heat retention?
Very well done review, much appreciated. I’ve been shopping these for a while now, and this was most definitely a benefit to the knowledge I’m looking for. Cheers!
Just got an Ooni 16 for Christmas, really looking forward to using it! I've been making pizza on a stone in my oven for about 35 years. This year I added a steel I put on the stone. Really upped my game.
I've been wanting to get an ooni for 3 years now. I really enjoy cooking with hardwood. Trying different types of wood. I don't know if I want a pellet ooni or a wood fired ooni
If you're like me and love to cook using wood, go with a wood oven. I love using the Karu 12 or 16, as i can cook on wood and charcoal when i feel like it, but also use gas if i want the ease of use.
Great video, thanks for the information. I have the Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, gas is easy start and able to control the heat, although I like the natural oak taste, just messy and more clean up..👍👍
With the gas oven you would have more control over the heat and it makes me wonder if the thing to do would be to blast the heat on maximum to store up heat in the stone for a minute or two right before placing the pizza into the oven. Then lowering the heat down a little to allow for a hot stone to crisp the bottom of the pizza but not have the flame too hot to burn the top. It would require a little experimenting to figure out how much to lower the heat and how long to heat the stone but worth doing in my opinion.
Great video, Tom. Thanks for sharing. I went with the Fyra and we’re really enjoying it so far! Lots to learn but I can already tell the difference between my pizzas cooked in this oven versus my Kamado. What thermometer are you using in this video and would you recommend it? Thanks!
Thanks for the comment and thanks for checking out my videos! It’s great to hear they helped you! I used a thermometer from Erik Hill I have link in the description of my latest video to purchase it
Thanks a lot for this video comparison between each options, I'm now more convince to go with the Karu and wood as combustible. Now here in Canada they are offering a special price on the Ooni Karu 12 at $299 CDN and a new model Ooni Karu 12G which is at $579 CDN, does the enhence features like beter external finish, insulated glass door and larger fuel tray of the 12G really worth the higher price?
It's a rather large premium to buy the 12G, but I upgraded from the Karu 12 just a few days ago. For me, the negatives re the Karu 12 were the clunky front door, a flimsy (thin sheet metal) firebox door with a detachable handle that tends to detach when you don't want it to, and a rather small fire box that requires frequent reloading. These were all addressed with the 12G. The original plain stainless steel finish was fine except for some pretty serious (but cosmetic) discoloration around the fire box. The hinged front door is a major improvement over the old plug style door. That said, the $US price for the 12 is $299 and the 12G is $429. I think they're trying to hose ya.
That was a great video. I'm on the fence on which Ooni to pick and this video helped me a little, at least narrow it down to 2, lol. Can you do a side by side comparison on the Ooni Karu 16 pro and the regular Ooni Koda 16? Those are the 2 that I'm debating on. Also, maybe you can review the tools for the them as well.. which ones are worth getting with the oven and ones you could hold off on.. Again, great videos. I can't wait to see your new video.
Thanks for the comment! :) Thats actually the next video i want to film, the Koda and Karu 16"models. I've just filmed a Karu 16 demo this week, so once thats edited ill do the comparison, as i think slot of people will be thinking the same. Please subscribe, if you haven't already, so you'll know when the video is live! :)
Karu 16 Pro is such an upgrade to the rest, so it is a no brainer (at least for me). I'm so happy with the Karu, just waiting for the backordered gasburner. You can see what you cook. Glas stays clean preety clean (start with small chunks of charcoal first, buld it up and the baam go for it -tired only using coal and had it up to over 400C). Good height to make a bread (not tested yet, though). Just bought the Grizzler and tne round sizzler (you can use them side by side, and not as heavy as the square Sizzler/grizzler). Karu is soo versatile. Ok it costs a bit more, but it is also so much more, and in the end you will not regret it. Happy baking.
Que tal. Deseo emprender un foodtruck. Mi pregunta ojalá pueda ayudarme. El pizza oven 16 puede estar encendido por largo tiempo? Unas 6 horas diarias. Gracias
Hola, ¡Gracias por el comentario! Estoy seguro de que no tendrías problemas para usar el Karu 16 durante ese tiempo, pero recomendaría gas, por lo que no estás usando toneladas de madera y ceniza durante las 6 horas completas.
Hi Tom.. thanks for these very informative videos. I note you had a nice comparison of cost between the wood fired and gas on your other video. Do you have a similar comparison of costs between gas vs wood pellets as I'm thinking of getting the gas burner for my ooni 3. Thanks
Hi, Thanks for the comment, it would be hard to assume, as pellets come in lots of variations and costs. I haven't cooked enough with pellets to understand how many kilograms a standard 5 pizza cook would burn though! good idea for a new video though!
@@TomVoyageuk absolutely 100 percent renewable, and frustrating it seems that the government keeps trying to ban everything that one can use to be self reliant on. They want everyone to be dependent on them. As a combat veteran who doesn't like politics, I'll admit that I don't really trust the government period. Being self sufficient is where it's at in my book.
Cooking on wood needs more minding but its more fun and I prefer the taste. Recently cooked 11 pizzas in a row at a family gathering on the Karu and it performed great!
Cooking on wood will always be the most fun and authentic way ;)
I have the ooni pro and noticed when doing bunch in a row stone cools fast, any tips, i dont use the door
@@patperanelli3241 thanks for the question Pat, unfortunately this is just down to the fact the stone on the Ooni isn’t too thick and will loose heat having one after another pizza put on. I try to leave about 2 mins to heat back up between pizzas with a fresh piece of wood on the coals.
Also I’ve heard of stone upgrades for the ooni called Biscotto stones, these are thicker so will likely hold heat for longer, I’ve never tried one though
@@patperanelli3241 I use the gas one and it's normal for every of these oven: they aren't constructed to keep the temperature like a real big wood fire one:
The real woodfire have multiple strate of "glassfiber" that keep the heat and instead of a thin stone it has "biscotto" that is a brick made mixing vulcanic stone with other stones.
In this case, this stone is used to transmit violently the heat to the pizza, making it cooking faster and develop a nice crust (if u cook above 350-400 C°), so it would drop the heat faster than a biscotto.
The trick is to minimize the cook time by doing the right dough and reaching high temperature, i usually cook over 400 C° and let the oven heat for 2-3 min, the time i use to put topping on my next pizza.
If u are lucky enough u can do 2-3 pizza in a row but after that u have to let your oven heat up again or u will fuck up all the next pizza.
Tip for a woodfire: everytime u have to put a pizza in the oven, put 2-3 woods in the back, with a wild flame the oven will heat faster and will cook the top of the pizza faster.
Did you find it took much time to get the temp back up after each pizza?
Nice video! I have a Koda 16 - 60th birthday gift from my twin brother a couple of months back. One thing you did not point out is that with the Koda it's a good idea to turn the gas down to half or even low when you launch the pizza, that gives the base chance to crisp up but you don't annihilate the top before the base is crisped. I've seen comments from other Koda users where they put a alu foil tray of pellets on the left under the burner - plenty of room in the 16 - and that will smoke and impart the 'wood cooked' taste you refer to. Messed around with other stuff on it too. If you buy pre-prepared bases (Lidl has some) and make a bunch of garlic butter you can do really good garlic flatbreads in no time to accompany soups or snacking. Cast iron pans - I got some heavy duty Lodge ones (my twin bro brought them over from the US) ... amazing garlic shrimp. Gonna try steak in it next and maybe some chicken skewers.
Just cooked our first pie on a Karu using gas! It was easy, fun and turned out perfectly….first time. Tomorrow switching to wood but I wanted to thank you for the great videos. Watching them before purchasing made our first time experience all the easier. Less frustrating to watch others make and correct the mistakes and we just get to learn from you!
Hi Jim! I'm glad your first one turned out well and I hope cooking tomorrow goes well too 🔥 I'm always learning so like to pass on what I find out to help others 👍
Just got the Pellet stove and I've been diving in. It seems to be a nice blend of the ease of fuel management you get with gas with some of the smokey and more traditional elements of the real hardwood. Really enjoying family pizza night with how fast these pies cook.
I feel the stone is getting cold after two pizzas. I heat it for 45 to 60 minutes at least. Do you have the same problem?
@dermfmed467 Every pizza oven has that problem if you're not going for the staitionary ones. I usually wait 5 min each between pizza baking to ensure it's warm again, if you want to time it right, ger a thermal laser measure.
When we were expecting our third child, my wife and I knew we needed a bigger vehicle. We went to one dealership and checked out minivan A one week, went to another dealership the next week and checked out minivan B, and went to a third dealership to check out minivan C the following week. There were things we liked and disliked about each one, but we weren't sure. We then went to another dealership that had minivans A, B, and C all in stock and they pulled them all up in a row so we could directly compare them, and we were able to clearly see which one was the best for us.
This video is exactly like that. There was some things about each oven that appealed to me, but I wasn't sure until I saw all three of them right next to each other and could see which was the best for me. Thank you Tom.
p.s. This is the video that sold me on the Koda 16. To say thanks for all Tom's oven videos, I did use one of his Ooni links to get me to the website when I purchased mine. Thanks again!
Hey! Thanks so much for the feedback and for using my link! Its really great to hear my video has helped someone out with a decision! You won't regret the Karu 12 its a great oven for the price! Congrats too on the 3rd baby! ;) All the best, Tom Voyage
@@TomVoyageuk Actually we went with the Koda 16 for the ease of gas and be able to make bigger pizzas for all our kids (we're up to four now). Once we got our oven, watching your videos helped me be ready and all five pizzas I've made so far have turned out great. Thanks again.
@@scottrodgers2139 wow 4! Busy man! I’ve got two and that’s enough for me 😅
Ah, the Koda 16 is great especially for larger cooks, enjoy!
Fantastic review, gas for convenience, wood for flavor/ texture. Far and away the best review I’ve seen of these ovens, got yourself a new subscriber.
Thanks for watching and subscribing and i really appreciate your comment 👍🍕
Cool video thanks Tom - I got the Ooni Karu this week - having the first pizzas tomorrow - You taught me that the wood cover clips on the back thanks :)
Hey! I hope your first pizza went well 🍕
When cooking with wood, use bigger pieces at the bottom to build a good flame and use smaller pieces of wood to get the flame you need to reach across the top of the cooker. Not only do you get quicker heat, it also doesn't give you as much heat. If you always use bigger pieces by the time the flame catches on a new piece of wood, the temps will rise to much. It's also easier to put in smaller pieces.
Thanks for the tip!
@@TomVoyageuk
Anytime! It's how we learn. Share useful information and enjoy what we love more.
Thankyou for sharing all the information in your channel!
The same information also applies to wood fired BBQ/Smokers. If you keep the pieces of wood a smaller even size, it is much easier to regulate the temperature of the smoker during a long cook. Aaron Franklin, on his MasterClass, has some good information on this.
Bigger pieces = more fuel and more potential energy over a long period of time (it burns longer) but takes longer to start. Thicker wood smolders for a while before getting a flame.
Smaller piece = less fuel, less potential energy and starts burning faster. The thinner the piece the faster it catches fire. That's why wood shavings catch fire so fast. The lower amount of fuel (less wood) means it doesn't raise the temp as much.
A big thank you for this video. I couldn't decide. I have ordered Fyra an hour ago (only because found it super easy to use when I was staying at some wooden cabin on a weekend getaway) Now I am watching your video and appreciate that you are actually replying back to comments and being so engaged
You are so welcome! Its great to hear you went with the Fyra! Thats a great oven!
My youngest son just gave my wife and I The Ooni 12 wood fired oven. Looking forward to trying it out after our vacation. Thank for the comparison 👍
Great point regarding gas and pellet… the pizza is cooked for such a short time that the Smokey flavor only adds a slight change in taste compared to the gas. Gas is my choice hands down for ease of use, no door to deal with, no mess to tend to, consistent flame and heat, affordable fuel, and ease of transport for parties and camping.
Gas is without doubt the easiest option, but i still prefer to use wood and charcoal. For me part of the fun is making and tending to the fire, and i can still taste when something has been cooked over a wood fire. Having said that im always happy to have the gas option when im hosting a party or want to film a video, and not worry about maintaining a real wood fire.
I never really considered how short a time any food you are cooking is in the oven, so yes I am totally sold on buying a gas one of these now 👍🏻
Have you tried cooking clams and mussels in the ooni? Garlic, shallots, olive oil. Then deglaze with wine and diced tomatoes add shellfish cook till the shells completely open. Discard the ones that didn't open if any. Finish with whole butter and fresh basil. A squeeze of lemon.... Delicious 🤤
I haven't but the sounds AMAZING! adding that to my list of things to try 😋
Nice video! I was thinking of buying the Oony wood pellets but now, I think more of getting a wood version. Thank you so much for all the tips!
You need to leave the doors off the pellet and wood one for a couple minutes to let the heat reach the whole oven before you put the doors on. The coolness dampens the air flow and then puts out the fire. Do this and the fire won't go out.
I second this! I found this out accidentally when I flaked and left the door off between pizzas. The stone got to 748 F with the door off. Was only reaching 530 F with the door on.
I'll give this a try as i've always lit the oven then placed the door on, with the correct airflow the oven has always got up to temp ok. But if this method works faster, then happy days!
@@TomVoyageukdid it work?
I got the fyra mainly because I already have a pellet smoker, so fyra can use the same pellets and I don't need to buy any different fuels. Tastes great and I think is a great balance between great flavor and ease of use.
That's very convenient if you already have a smoker 👍🍕
Nice video. Just purchased a kuru 12 and cooked with lump charcoal and wood. Works great. I agree you need to tend to the fire a bit more but it’s all part of the experience. I see you were turning the pie about the same time and frequency as I was doing it. Temps were about the same at 450-475 F. I also bought the gas adaptor for this oven so I don’t always have to mess with wood and charcoal. Have not tried this method yet.
Again - Nice video
Hard to say the wood crust was better. You let the first two pizzas sit a bit and they steamed from the bottom. That is why I put cooked pizzas on a rack on top of a cookie sheet. Keeps the crust from softening.
Thanks for the comment, and your point is a fair one! However it's difficult to cook on 3 ovens, on your own, maintain a temp on all 3, make the pizzas and film all at the same time!
@@TomVoyageuk oh, I quite agree. I knew as you were proceeding the last pizza would have a crisp crust advantage. Only way to avoid is to cook all three pizzas at once, a sheer impossibility without lots of staff. Alternatives include putting on a cookie sheet and very loosely throwing a sheet of tin foil on top or immediately putting the first two pizzas back in their ovens for 20 seconds each. It’s asking a lot!
Informative video nonetheless. Good job.
Good comparison. I've a Fyra, find it hard to go wrong but the set up is probably the difference between it getting used very frequently vs being v more of an 'occasion',so can see the advantage of the gas. Also - turning peel is a worthwhile investment rather than having to take the pizza out to turn it!
Thanks for watching man! glad you liked it! I agree with the turning peel i have a couple of those now and find it much easier!
=) pizza!
much appreciated Tom, esp re need for constant maintenance of the wood to ensure even cooking
Glad it was useful for you! Thanks for watching
well done for not editing out the karu mistake with letting the flames go out, I thin the hopper on the fyra is a great idea and less maintenance for wood fired ovens
We combine wood and charcoal in our Karu 12. A base of charcoal to keep the heat at an even and longer burning-level, then top off with wood to raise the temperatures the final bit and to ensure good flames whenever we put a pizza in.
It seems a bit more fuel efficient to us - and we still get the smoky flavour from burning actual wood.
i do the same, it works well a mix of charcoal and wood
I have the Karu 12 and love it. It seems so economical on fuel - I use charcoal and wood to start, and then add a bit more wood before each pizza. If you have nice big flat dinner plates, you can leave them underneath the Karu, and it will keep the top one a tiny bit warm, ready for the pizza, which is quite nice.
I also bought a secondhand pure cast-iron ridged griddle pan, which is fantastic for searing steaks. With that particular one I leave the door open, because the pan has a handle that sticks out. But it works really really well - I would recommend anyone to try it. Of course Ooni makes a flat grizzler plate, but it’s much more expensive than the one I got. I also have a cast iron griddle pan with enamel on the bottom, but I decided not to risk using that one in case the enamel became a problem at high temperatures.
Mark have you tried bagels yet...I have a koda 16 and found a recipe/process on line to try...havent yet but expect a few burnt bagels for sure...I have done some french breads...came out ok but need more practice.
Amazingly well done video. To the point and I love that you did it in real time; it goes to show ups and down of each oven. Brilliant!
Question: does the wood or pallet oven give the pizza a smoky flavor?
both do.
but wood and pellets have so much quirks i would use a gas oven always over those. its just so much simpler and also quicker and _way_ cleaner. but if you are really after that smoky-flavor there speaks actually nothing against putting a little bit smoking wood or a fireresistant cup with some pellets into the gas oven for example on the right side where there are no gas burners. then you have both
I use the pellet one and I used it once to cook a piece of salmon and let me tell you! That salmon tasted excellent and cooked faster than making a sandwich! And Pizzas always taste great on it!
Sounds great, i love salmon but haven't cooked it on the Ooni yet, I need to give this a try!
I thought you were spot on. it is very hard to keep flame going n pellets stocked n keep a perfect even fire. Gas is probably next for me.
Yeah if you're not bothered about cooking on wood fire, then gas is a great go too. I often use gas when doing events or parities as you don't have to worry
Many thanks for this video. We’ve just bought the Fyra. Fingers crossed!
You're welcome - Happy Cooking Hilary! 🍕
Ours uses pellets and is really fun to use. We wait 15 minutes before cooking and the temps are about 600 in front and 850 in the rear. Turning the pizza is the key to success. It took about 4 tries to get it nearly perfect. Now every pizza is incredibly good. Oh, FYI pizza doesn't have to be round! Lol
I've had many different shaped pizzas and a few m accidental calzones too 🙈🤣
I'm using the wood fire ooni you have there. My very first cook I failed to get the pizza in because my pizza turner was way too big. So it got all jacked. Even so, the flavor was amazing!
Oh no! Luckily Even a wonky shaped pizza tastes good
Haha this exact thing happened to me. First time using my Fyra, the turner was too big, half the pizza landed in the oven, half didn’t. Make sure you have the right equipment folks Haha
Great videos mate. I’ve just bought the Frya. Will be getting stuck into your vids for more tips and tricks. Cheers.
Thanks mate! You will have a great time with your Fyra!
The gas oven just is beyond simple and beats the other 2 hands down in every aspect. You could have cooked the pizza in the gas oven longer for a crispier crust I believe, but it is amazing how fast it cooked the pizza compared to the other 2. Someone mentioned in another post, you dont get the smokey flavour with the gas oven but you get all the other flavours that the smoke would normally hide. I think l'm after the Ooni gas pizza oven myself now. Great video Tommy.
Thanks Brett, im glad the video helped you make your decision! Im really on the fence as i love both methods of cooking for different reasons. This week we had friends over for pizza, so i went with gas, nice and easy, and good because we did 12 pizzas, and could turn down in between cooks.
If its just my family, i'll go wood, because i like the process of building and maintaining a good fire, and think the taste is great too! thanks for watching! 👍🏻
Is Ooni better than the Gozney ones? I know it's not directly related to this video
Been told I MIGHT 🤫😉 be getting a Fyra for Christmas so this video is super useful cos I had lots of questions about how easy it was to use and this just answered a lot of them 👏👏👏 thank you 🙂 you've just got a new subscriber.
Fingers crossed that you do get a Fyra for Christmas 🎅🏼🤞🏼 it's a great oven! I'm glad the video was helpful, thanks for subscribing!
I liked the way the pellet one kept it crunchy yet not burnt, nice video
Thanks Jack! It was good to try them all 👍
I always have the fire choked out on the Fyra from the ash getting stuck. This definitely happens when you’re doing more than one pizza. I was thinking I should have got a gas one. After watching your video I’m thinking maybe the key is to load the hopper up with more pellets, but I’m sure I’ve done that before.
Did you find the way that works best for you? 👍🍕
Just got a Frya. was looking for tips for using it. Very helpful. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Hope you're enjoying cooking on your Fyra
Hello.
This video was great
Congratulations for this good and beautiful idea.
I really like it.
How can I buy your oven?
I am from Iran. I would appreciate it if you could help me
Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it, i'm not sure if Ooni ship to Iran, you would need to check their shipping options 🍕🍕
Thank you for your good answer
Excuse me, which country are you from?🌹🌹🌹
Thank you for your good answer Excuse me, which country are you from?@@TomVoyageuk
Great video mate, thanks for that. I've hade the Fyra for close to two years now, never realized it has a latch you can put the door on 😃
Wonderful comparisons...so true maintaining the flame is a true frustration especially if you have guests about. The gas is my preference
Thanks Andrew!
thank you for the video, It helps me to make a decision on which pizza oven to buy.
Glad I could help! Which one did you go for?
Thanks for the videos…have not tried pellets or wood yet, but will soon.
You're welcome Steve!
Hi Tom, very nice comparison, thank you! We have the Ooni Karu makes good pizza as you stated takes a bit to get fire right and we all like the bit more smokey taste. A smaller pizza peel to turn is most helpful. Now we just added another pizza oven, Aidapiza wood pellet 12" with a round pizza stone you can turn without opening door- has a handle on the bottom. Makes for a more even cooking on pizza and its easier than opening the door each time to turn. Even though you have to tend and turn the handle while its cooking, it makes great pizza, and less time turning with a pizza peel. Thanks again for doing the comparisons! Cheers!
Nice video! Haven’t seen you channel before, but I like you don’t rush and take your time. Even included a tasting!
I was going for pellets, but changes my mind to gas after seeing this.
I would have liked your opinion in the ovens in the end, it just stopped
Thanks for watching, i feel with the info in the video, there is enough to make your own decision, without me giving an opinion to sway peoples decisions.
nice video thank you! A friend of mine has overcame the wood problem by adding a few charcoal briquettes with the wood. He was able to maintain a better heat and flame. It's still more work with the Karu than the other 2 but he was able to find a good compromise for his oven. Awesome results.
Thanks for the comment Simon! Yeah adding a bit of charcoal is a very good method and something I’ll often do to make life easier when cooking on wood! It’s also good for lower temps if you want to cook things other than pizza in your oven!
I got the middle pellet one 2 weeks ago for my birthday, I love it, makes great food, also got a fire pit for Christmas, so most weekends we are in the garden enjoying both toys. Kids love it, and we have had more family and friends over, really social experiance.
Sounds great! Happy birthday for the other week!
@@TomVoyageuk thanks Tom
Hi, did you try to cook any other food than pizza? I'm thinking about buying it but i would also like to bake bread and some other food which doesn't require 500 degrees, so i'm wondering is it hard to maintain lower temperature?
@@nidjo83 yes. I bought a skillet and have done halloumi cheese on it inside the Ooni. Worked well. Also made s’mores with the kids. Also went well. Steak next thing to try
I’ve done a few things in the Karu 16, still haven’t done bread yet though, would be interesting to try as I worry it might be too hot.
I have the pallet fyra 12. The taste is great but it's very inconsistent. Sometimes the pallets get stuck in the hopper. So I had a pizza ready to go, but the flame was actually out.
It's also sensitive for wind. Cooked some pizza's last weekend and it was all over the place in terms of heat.
Thanks for sharing!
I like things to be easy and to me the propane fired oven would be the easy way to go. It's practically no clean up versus ashes of the other two ovens and it has an even heat that can be controlled with a knob.. Thank you for the test.
Thanks for the comment, and letting me know it helped you make your decision on your Ooni.
Does anyone have a rough cost comparison on the three fuels? I have never purchased gas before so I wondered how easy it is to acquire and get bottles refilled etc. A rough idea of how many pizzas you get out of a 10kg bag of pellets would also be really useful.
It depends on where in the world you live, gas in the UK is crazy prices at the minute, because we have to rely on other nations to get hold of it. Pellets are a good low cost option, and ooni recommends a 10kg bag will get 7-10 hours of cook time. Wood will always be the cheapest if you can source it, i spoke to some guys cutting trees down near my house, and they gave me about 1 ton of wood for free! It took 1.5 years to season and dry out, but I've got a good supply now.
Thank you! I was having a hard time deciding which model to get! After watching, I think i'll go with the koda!
Thanks for the comment Ashley! I’m glad you found my video useful and it helped you decide which oven to go with! You won’t be disappointed 😃
Really useful review, thanks. I'm looking at Ooni ovens and didn't know there were two types of wood/pellet fired ovens.
Thanks for watching
Crust looks good...how was the crust on the bottom...the portion under the cheese and sauce? Sometimes the upper crust is done, but the bottom crust on the stone (and in contact with the sauce) is under baked. Thank you.
before cooking pizza on a wood fire oven, when the temperature is reached, always put woods in it: you ned the flame to cook your pizza:
In fact , if we are talking only about the cooking, the gas was the best in this test because the flame is consistent!
The pellet i guess was a bit weak, the woodfire would be the more wild and harder to cook on because you need the flame to be alive and it would burn your pizza everytime, but in this test, if u had the flame from the start of the cooking, it would've beeen better than the gas! :)
Thanks for the comment Jack, I've seen people in the past using a chunk of wood on top of pellets to keep a more consistence flame! Never tried it myself though.
nice video! glad I purchased the Frya .. love it !
Thanks for watching, happy cooking 🍕
Great video thanks. Any views on buying a gas attachment for my Karu? Just got one and not sure whether investing in gas will make it more practical? Sounds like timing on wood isn't much worse than gas, and perhaps tastes better?
Thanks for watching! I like the convenience and ease of the gas attachment but I also love cooking on wood so for me the option to do both is great 👍🍕
Just got a gas ooni for my birthday. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet. After watching the video, I'm happy that I got the gas as I know I would be too distracted to keep up with the wood! Thank you
The perfect Birthday present! Enjoy using it :)
This helped decide my Father’s Day gift. Thank you for the info!
I'm glad my video helped you 👍🍕
Tks a lot for your demonstration. ! I 'll probably buy one of these on spring and you've been of great help. 😉
Thanks for letting me know! If you do decide to buy please let me remember to use my links! 😁
Thank you so much for this review mate. I have decided to go with propane and to get the smoky flavor I will put a piece of hardwood on the side. Cheers!!!!!
Your welcome thanks for watching! I’d be interested to hear how this goes as a lot of people have mentioned this technique but I’ve never tried it myself
@@TomVoyageuk Thank you Tom, My 12g is on order and will let you know how things work out. I am also thinking about a tray inside the oven (using gas to heat and cook) with pellets instead of wood? Cheers.
I have a stainless steel cage on order that will hold hard wood pellets. Also I decided to got get a Koda 16 instead. Will report on my results on using a gas pizza oven assisted with pellets. Cheers!!!!!!!
The hopper on the pellets clog up if you fill it too high, I just top it up a little at a time.
Great tip, thank you 👍
I use the gas because it's fun and spend more time trying different toppings . If you want gourmet have at it.
One of the great reasons to cook on gas, it doesn't need looking after as much! 👍🍕
Best pizza I ever eat was in Germany at a Guesthouse that cooked the pizza in a bread oven in the middle of the dining area. The German town was Sindelfingen but I can no longer remember the name of the place. The date on the oven doors was 1492, yep Columbus and the Discovery of the Americas as a US Soldier this did not escape my notice, anyway the restuarant would build a hard wood fire in the morning and keep it going all day. In the evening they pushed the coals and ash back and to the sides and cooked the pizza on the stone the fire had been on. Was just a little wood ash on each pizza. A large pizza, Large Beer and Green Salad as about 11 Marks of 3 dollars US at the time. Wood is the only way a real pizza should be cooked and I'm 60 now and was 19 then and nothing has ever changed my mind on that fact.
Thanks for the comment Donald! Sounds like that place was awesome! Id love to know if it was still there! One of the best pizza i ever had was actually in Edinburgh, Scotland. A place called Civerinos, that does huge 22" pizzas, like the ones you guys get in the US! thats my benchmark, but I'm with you, i love the wood fired the best!
I just picked up the Green mountain pizza oven, so I'm not shopping right now, but I enjoyed the video.
I just purchased the Ooni Frya 12 and this was helpful to see how the pizza is made in progress. Great video.
Awesome! Thanks for the comment! Glad it was helpful!
Great comparison on the different styles of fuel.All came out well but I would have to say the one cooked with pellets looked the most professional
Thanks for watching! The pellets are a really good option for cooking on a real fire, but without the need to build and maintain a charcoal/wood fire. Pellets are a good source too in terms of price and sustainability! 👍🏻🌿
We have the pellet one and love it!
@@Judyag1 o fantastic I bought the pellet one! I was worried I had made a mistake!
Thanks for the video. Had been looking for a decent video comparison of the 3 different ovens and their operation.
Was the koda the 12 or 16 inch?
The ability to leep lots of pellets in the fyra seems really good for long cooks with minimal hassle.
I had my eyes on the karu and think it still looks good as the maintaining the wood fire element seems great.
If you havent already, then it would be interesting to see the karu with gas vs the koda as that freedom seems nice but itd be nice to see the difference in cook.
Fantastic video and thanks very much for making it !
Thanks for watching, the Koda is a 16" because i didn't have the 12" when i made this video. I don't have a koda 12 vs Karu 12 gas video, but would be a good comparison to do in the coming weeks.
Is it annoying that there is no hook or place to put the door on the karu?
I would have loved to see some hinges or at least a hook like on the fyra
Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, Yes i agree it would have been a nice feature. I just tend to use a log or tile on the floor to put the door on, as ive heard of cases of people burning their wooden tables by resting it on there.
Some really good points you made. Just ordered the Fyre so wanted a bit of a tutorial on how to work it. I found it here! Thank you 👍
Glad it was helpful! Happy Cooking ☺️
I owned the Uuni3 when the company (now Ooni) delivered its first ovens. Like the Fyra it was exclusively pellets so I bought the gas accessory as well. After about 5 years and dozens of of homemade pizzas, I switched to the Karu 12 and am much happier with the multi-fuel options (and the gas accessory still fits). I don’t know about the Fyra, but the Uuni3 needed a lot of attention and the pellet hopper would sometimes clog up and the oven would cool off. It was not obvious because the pellet level would be high because the clog stopped the pellets from dropping. The hopper on the Fyra looks redesigned and probably doesn’t have the same problem. Still, I recommend the multi-fuel models for the flexibility. Very good review of an excellent line of products.
Thanks for the comment and for watching my videos! I’d actually really like to get hold of the original uuni 3 to compare to their latest model and see what’s improved!
Gave mine away or I would offer it!
Should I assume all temperatures are stated in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Celsius...I am trying to remember to state both in my more recent videos 👍
I have a computer fan on a foot switch that I blow onto the fire box on my wood fired oven. Seems to help keep fire going. Without this I never really got the fire to burn at a constant temp at a higher enough temp.
I've heard of this before, its a great tip especially if its a very still day with no wind flow
Nice helpful video thank you. As I'll only have one oven to tend, and I'm a charcoal bbq man, I'll be buying a wood fired oven ..
I'm glad it was helpful! Have you decided which one you will be buying?
@@TomVoyageuk I think either a Gozny roccbox or Gozny dome
The warning about the ash was a great point
Glad you found it useful
Very good video! I'm just before to buy my oven. It will be with the wood one. Thank you for this video
You're welcome, thanks for watching and enjoy your Ooni!
excellent video! thank you for sharing your knowledge. it's interesting how much larger the gas oven appears to be - seems like that would be easier to work with overall.
Thank you for the kind comments! Im glad you enjoyed my videos! This is the larger version of the gas oven, ooni do a Koda 12, which is a smaller version, more similar to the other ovens in this video. I just don't currently own that oven.
pellets are def dominant, you get a smokey flavour but its not as hard as the wood. yes the wood prob tastes best, but you could see how hard it was. gas is just not it
Thanks for watching
Hi Tom, thanks for the video. It's helping me a lot in deciding what to buy - mainly gas or wood. Coming from South Africa and now living in the UK, we tend to barbecue (braai) with charcoal, however I changed to gas a long time ago and loved the convenience of gas. Also aside from using gas my barbecue had lava rocks that helped the flavour when oil or fat would drip onto them creating smoke. Great steaks! Is it possible with the Karu to cook with gas but also add a few pieces of wood at the same time to get the wood flavour? I'm pizza mad and I've had pizza in Naples and that wood flavour does make a difference. Lastly, your pizzas look great. is there anything specific you use or do in your pizza dough recipe? Cheers
Hi Georg and thanks for the nice comments! I work with a South African guy and he is always telling me about Braai! id love to visit SA one day and try it out!
I've heard a few people adding wood to the stone (just one chunk) to smoulder and give a taste to the pizza. I've never tried this myself, because i would think it would create dust and ash on the stone tat would get onto the pizza/ With the Ooni karu, you get the option to use both gas and wood so might be the one for you?
I have a few various dough recipes, but I've only ever filmed one method, as a quick dough, i really should make more dough videos, as the one i usually use is about 65% hydration, and made over 24 hours.
hai im producent from indonesia
yes you can throw some pieces of wood into the gas burning one.
my brother has that gas powered one and we tried that, some people noticed the wood flavor, or thought they did because they were told or they knew it was added, but then when we cooked other pizzas without the wood and told them we had cooked with wood, they confirmed, yep, definitely a better, wood smoky flavor on this one. they were tasting something that wasn't there, just by the power of suggestion.
so the verdict is, i don't think you actually get any 'smoky or wood flavor' when u cook these pizzas so fast, it's more psychological than anything.
hey Tom, which kind of wood do you use?
Just got Ooni Fyra 12..still not tested it but this video is great. Now I know more about how to cook pizza, or, how to start with it :) thanx man
Thanks so much for watching! Enjoy your Ooni!
Thanks for you time and effort. Merry Christmas. Take care
Merry Christmas to you too!
Great time to see this video and comparison. I had a cheaper £99 Aldi oven which just corroded after 7years so looking for new oven. I be wood user and one thing mention is thinnest of the stone, so can you get a thick stone and solve heat retention?
Very well done review, much appreciated. I’ve been shopping these for a while now, and this was most definitely a benefit to the knowledge I’m looking for. Cheers!
You're very welcome! Glad i could help you out! :)
Great video. I've been looking to buy one and this was very informative 👍
Thanks Daniel, I'm glad you liked the video! Let me know if you get one, they really a great oven ☺️
Thank You very much for the information. For me the wood oven is the best or even natural wood charcoal.
I think thats my favourite too! Especially if i have the time to make a fire. Thanks for watching!
Super helpful - love seeing them back to back! Wish I could help taste test :)
Haha! I’ve got lots of people that always want to come over when I film these vids! 😂
Haha! I’ve got lots of people that always want to come over when I film these vids! 😂
Haha! I’ve got lots of people that always want to come over when I film these vids! 😂
Just got an Ooni 16 for Christmas, really looking forward to using it! I've been making pizza on a stone in my oven for about 35 years. This year I added a steel I put on the stone. Really upped my game.
I'm doing in oven at the moment but with max 220degree it's not hot enough I do use stone as well but still not so good
Very informative. Thank you. I’m disappointed with the temps. 450 - 500 is typical indoor oven temps.
Hey! Not sure if i made it clear but this is 450-500 celsius so would be 840-930 Fahrenheit 👍
Another great video Tom. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Do you make your own crust? Looks amazing
Thanks, yes I do ☺️ check out my other videos for some of the recipes! 🍕👍
Once the wood is started can you place a couple of charcoal briquettes to the fire?
In the Ooni Karu 12/16 yes, but i would recommend starting with the charcoal first, and then adding wood
I've been wanting to get an ooni for 3 years now. I really enjoy cooking with hardwood. Trying different types of wood. I don't know if I want a pellet ooni or a wood fired ooni
If you're like me and love to cook using wood, go with a wood oven. I love using the Karu 12 or 16, as i can cook on wood and charcoal when i feel like it, but also use gas if i want the ease of use.
Hi Tom, great video. Just ordered a Karu 12.
Hi Philip, Amazing, I hope you enjoy using it! Happy pizza cooking 👍
Great video, thanks for the information. I have the Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, gas is easy start and able to control the heat, although I like the natural oak taste, just messy and more clean up..👍👍
Yeah, i still use the gas especially when i entertain, its much easier to control
With the gas oven you would have more control over the heat and it makes me wonder if the thing to do would be to blast the heat on maximum to store up heat in the stone for a minute or two right before placing the pizza into the oven. Then lowering the heat down a little to allow for a hot stone to crisp the bottom of the pizza but not have the flame too hot to burn the top. It would require a little experimenting to figure out how much to lower the heat and how long to heat the stone but worth doing in my opinion.
this is exactly how i use my ooni
Great video, Tom. Thanks for sharing. I went with the Fyra and we’re really enjoying it so far! Lots to learn but I can already tell the difference between my pizzas cooked in this oven versus my Kamado. What thermometer are you using in this video and would you recommend it? Thanks!
Thanks for the comment and thanks for checking out my videos! It’s great to hear they helped you! I used a thermometer from Erik Hill I have link in the description of my latest video to purchase it
I'd Def buy the gas one for home and either wood or pellet for my truck
You can never have too many 👍
thanks. wood is my preference.
Wood is always fun to cook on 🍕👍
Thanks a lot for this video comparison between each options, I'm now more convince to go with the Karu and wood as combustible. Now here in Canada they are offering a special price on the Ooni Karu 12 at $299 CDN and a new model Ooni Karu 12G which is at $579 CDN, does the enhence features like beter external finish, insulated glass door and larger fuel tray of the 12G really worth the higher price?
It's a rather large premium to buy the 12G, but I upgraded from the Karu 12 just a few days ago. For me, the negatives re the Karu 12 were the clunky front door, a flimsy (thin sheet metal) firebox door with a detachable handle that tends to detach when you don't want it to, and a rather small fire box that requires frequent reloading. These were all addressed with the 12G. The original plain stainless steel finish was fine except for some pretty serious (but cosmetic) discoloration around the fire box. The hinged front door is a major improvement over the old plug style door.
That said, the $US price for the 12 is $299 and the 12G is $429. I think they're trying to hose ya.
How big does the gas tank need to be to get the oven running? Can it work withe those small camp gas tanks?
I would say a minimum of 5kg gas tank but I usually use 13kg
That was a great video. I'm on the fence on which Ooni to pick and this video helped me a little, at least narrow it down to 2, lol. Can you do a side by side comparison on the Ooni Karu 16 pro and the regular Ooni Koda 16? Those are the 2 that I'm debating on. Also, maybe you can review the tools for the them as well.. which ones are worth getting with the oven and ones you could hold off on.. Again, great videos. I can't wait to see your new video.
Thanks for the comment! :)
Thats actually the next video i want to film, the Koda and Karu 16"models. I've just filmed a Karu 16 demo this week, so once thats edited ill do the comparison, as i think slot of people will be thinking the same. Please subscribe, if you haven't already, so you'll know when the video is live! :)
Karu 16 Pro is such an upgrade to the rest, so it is a no brainer (at least for me). I'm so happy with the Karu, just waiting for the backordered gasburner. You can see what you cook. Glas stays clean preety clean (start with small chunks of charcoal first, buld it up and the baam go for it -tired only using coal and had it up to over 400C). Good height to make a bread (not tested yet, though). Just bought the Grizzler and tne round sizzler (you can use them side by side, and not as heavy as the square Sizzler/grizzler). Karu is soo versatile. Ok it costs a bit more, but it is also so much more, and in the end you will not regret it. Happy baking.
I lol'd when you said "the fire can go out like that when you're cooking on 3 ovens" 😂 I'll watch out for that. Thanks for the video!
Haha the struggle is real trying to cook on 3 ovens and film at the same time! 😆
Que tal. Deseo emprender un foodtruck. Mi pregunta ojalá pueda ayudarme. El pizza oven 16 puede estar encendido por largo tiempo? Unas 6 horas diarias. Gracias
Hola, ¡Gracias por el comentario! Estoy seguro de que no tendrías problemas para usar el Karu 16 durante ese tiempo, pero recomendaría gas, por lo que no estás usando toneladas de madera y ceniza durante las 6 horas completas.
Hi Tom.. thanks for these very informative videos.
I note you had a nice comparison of cost between the wood fired and gas on your other video. Do you have a similar comparison of costs between gas vs wood pellets as I'm thinking of getting the gas burner for my ooni 3. Thanks
Hi, Thanks for the comment, it would be hard to assume, as pellets come in lots of variations and costs. I haven't cooked enough with pellets to understand how many kilograms a standard 5 pizza cook would burn though! good idea for a new video though!
I Like wood because I live in the country and have plenty of wood available. Plus I love the wood smoke taste.
Yeah, i would agree, there's something really satisfying about cooking on fuel you managed to source for free 😁
@@TomVoyageuk absolutely 100 percent renewable, and frustrating it seems that the government keeps trying to ban everything that one can use to be self reliant on. They want everyone to be dependent on them. As a combat veteran who doesn't like politics, I'll admit that I don't really trust the government period. Being self sufficient is where it's at in my book.