Ciao, I'm an Italian White Art master, please don't put basil like this, basil must be put when the pizza comes out of the oven so it doesn't burn and releases all its fabulous essential oils, or, if you really want to put it before cooking , you have to mix it with the tomato ... never put the basil in direct contact with heat, it carbonizes and loses almost all its properties, a warm greeting to you
arte bianca, which means white art is a term used in Italy to define those professionals who work with flour and have a solid knowledge for pizza,bread,viennoiserie and so on. Fresh basil shouldn't be cooked otherwise you pretty much burn it and all the essential oils in it will taste bitter and rancid, that's why fresh basil should be used off the heat :)
I have the 16, tip for NY style is to heat the oven like you would normally, maybe 10 more mins. Before launching turn off the oven completely and launch. bake/cook for 2 or 3 mins and rotate, another 2/3 mins. Bottom should be fairly crispy at that point and top should be cooked as well but not browned. Turn the oven on and brown the top, 10/20 seconds max and rotate.
@@chicken4090 People from middle America (like me, I’m from Cincinnati) know nothing about pizza. Not real pizza anyway. It’s all fast food delivery joints around here. There’s one place in Cincy that’s great.. Sorento’s & it’s in Norwood. 🍕
This is a huge myth. Plenty of pizza places in Naples put basil both before and after. The basil before baking gives it a deeper flavor throughout. And after it is added for additional freshness and fragrance.
My family owned a pizza restaurant with 2 wood fired ovens, the launch needs to have corn meal under the pizza, it acts as ball bearings and easily slides the pizza off. If you can afford a wood fired oven, buy one, if not, this oven is a wonderful option.
I saw someone else use a pizza screen. They let it cook for a little while until they could take it off the screen, then put it directly back into the over for a few minutes. That worked really well.
Aside from a slight waffle pattern on the bottom, this is they way to go and I have done it this way for years. No folded over messes when launching. I bought several screens in all different sizes and adjust my dough recipes accordingly based on the size of screen I am using
Some tips from when I cooked pizza on the east coast is use simolina under the pizza (or cornmeal if not available) when proofing the dough let it sit in the fridge uncovered for 4-8 hrs (or intill it forms a thin crust) the cover it for 8 hrs intill exterior is soft it’s all in the wrist and pull back
Corn meal instead of flour works great on the pizza peal. It acts like ball bearings and helps a loaded pizza slide right off. I also use corn meal on the hot pizza stone. It keeps a moist pizza from sticking to the stone. It also adds a lite toasted corn flavor. Another tip- Add a wood chunk to the back corner of the oven. Gives you that authentic wood fired taste. 😋 I recommend BBQ Chicken Pizza Sweat Baby Ray’s Original sauce Chunks of chicken Sliced Red onions Mozzarella cheese Dust pizza peel with corn meal. Place dough on peel. Spread BBQ sauce just like you would pizza sauce over the dough. Add cheese. Toss the chicken in some BBQ sauce, then place chicken on top of cheese. Add sliced red onion to taste. Dust pizza stone with corn meal. Bake pizza. Rotate as needed. Enjoy. So good. 😋
we used screens when I was a pizza chef. They save the bottom from burning. We insert them after the pizza is already partly baked on the stone, so you slide it under the pie during cooking, not before going in the oven.
Your pizzas looked good and will get better with time. The best part is the great memories you are creating for you and your family! When your children become adults they will always remember when mom and dad made pizza in the backyard! 😊
Well done! I love the idea of the screen. If I may offer an additional piece of advice on screen use...Use the screen to launch the pie in the oven. After about 25 seconds, the bottom will solidify so just remove the screen and finish baking the bottom of the pie naked against the floor's stone. The screen is a great crutch for a sticky launch but you can ditch it as soon as the bottom is stable.
When preparing a Neopolitan-style pizza, particularly pizza Margarita, the fresh basil is not added until the pizza is removed from the oven. Otherwise, the basil dries out, crinkles and chars. When I studied pizza-making in Siracusa, Napoli, and Gaeta, I never saw a pizzaiolo put basil on a pizza before cooking.
Every single person I see using an IR thermometer fails to understand how they operate. They do not measure the temperature at the red dot. They measure the average temperature of circle with the red dot at its centre. The diameter of the circle depends on how far away you are holding the device, and at what angle. They measure in a cone shaped range- narrow at the lens on the device, widening out the further you are away. Holding the probe two feet from the surface being measured means you are measuring the average temperature across a circle probably six inches across. If you aren't hitting the surface at exactly ninety degrees your measurements will also be distorted. I hate IR thermometers as people who have no understanding use them to "prove" and "disprove" all sorts of things, when in reality the way they are using them means their measurements are wildly inaccurate.
The red dot it's just for guidance on the box of every thermometer like those says it, and also on a open environment when the wind comes from outside it affects the system a lot, also the heat coming out the oven affects the measurement, it's obvious the measurement will not be accurate, for making accurate measurements needs a closed system with professionals or at least knlowledge of thermodynamics and calculus, days of testing and a lot of patience, that test it's just for the casual guy not anything scientific and people who knows thermodynamics know that, so they don't panic, also it's just a tool it doesnt make any sense to hate a tool, and it operates on a widely range of temperatures so even if they measure it correctly at 90° controlled environment, etc etc, they would still have the measurement error which every thermometer comes, just chill out and enjoy the content, it shows that at least a neapolitan style pizza can be done in a miute if you prepare the dough with your hand and not the roller because you end up with a flat pizza like all of them but that's all no need to panic
Spencer Wilton Yeah, it’s cringe. And I see all kinds of people pointing them at shiny metallic surfaces as well, and think they are getting an accurate reading. Wrong.
In the old days before the word thermometer was invented they used grains of flour on the baking stone to determine the oven ideal cooking temperature. Pizza in a hot oven is very forgiving, when it looks cooked its ready to eat. 90 seconds is a good indicator that your oven is at the right temperature. Enjoy.
I use screens sometimes to make sure the size of pizza pies and Im glad to see the same tips of using PAM on the screen to avoid sticking. Great video !!!!!
Also halfway through the process of using a screen once the dough has firmed up a bit, you can pull off the screen and let it finish directly on the surface
Tip to get a crispier bottom with the screen is to bake the pizza only partly on the screen until the pizza can slide off the screen then finish the pizza on the stone. Works for me when I make high hydration pizza dough and I have a hard time launching the dough with just a peel and flower.
When I make my ny style pizzas I cook the dough about half way first, then take it out and apply sauce and toppings. Helps immensely with getting that crunchy base.
Yeah if you're cooking in a home oven at 500 degrees (realistically more like 450-460) then this is the best way to achieve a NY style crust. I do the same. Fork the dough to prevent huge bubbles, bake 4min, add toppings, bake 4min, broil til the cheese is toasty and pepperonis crisp n cup
Maybe your crust is too thick? I have never had a problem with the crust cooking too much before the toppings were done. Then again, I use a pizza steel. Are you using a stone or a steel?
if you choose to bake pizza on a screen it is used only for the launch / pre cook -. once the dough is cooked enough for the screen to come off. You could use your peel or a pair of tongs to remove it from the pizza and put it somewhere to cool. Once you get the bottom crust you desire use the screen or peel to remove the pizza.
I don't know if anyone asks this question but couldn't you remove the pizza part way through from the screen on the 16 inch pies and then let it cook the rest away directly on the stone?
Roccbox makes a great one in the same pricerange. It doesn’t get super hot on the outside, has a build in thermometer and cooks Neapolitan style in just under a minute
I don't have a pizza oven but for a regular over, I stretch my dough out ON my screen, THEN put the toppings on. For NY style I put the dough by itself (after forking it to prevent puff) in the over (500 degrees) for 4min and then put the toppings on and bake another 4min then broil a minute to get the cheese toasty and pepperonis to crisp n cup
Again another great review. Nice to see real families giving clean decent reviews. I wish there was a feature on TH-cam to send certain videos to "un-child friendly" section of the TH-cam site.
Where I live there are about 7-8 pizza take out locations . Pizza ovens are expensive considering a large pizza with 3 toppings is only $12.99 . This being said I would order a pizza then make one in a rather hazardous home oven .
$12.99 pizza is junk pizza. Doesn't taste as good and is bad for you. Kind of like eating fast food Chinese versus making it yourself. You could also go to 7-11 and get a pizza for $7 if you're into junk food.
If you're starting with a screen, as soon as the crust gets cooked enough to slide off of the screen, remove the screen and finish the pizza without it. A pair of aluminum tongs works just fine for that.
Love it man, I have the older version that is pellet and wood fired. Wow talk about a learning curve. When I have people over at some point we get a smoke out, soooo much smoke. Easy to fix but the oven is a beast. Gets super hot when you get the rhythm of the pellets.
Interesting to see the temps you are hitting. On my oven I'm getting much higher temps, no problem reaching temps even over what Ooni advertises. I load my pies typically with the center deck around 850f, back by the flame it's over 1k. That said I have heard from a few subscribers that they are never able to get the oven to come to full temp even in ideal conditions. I wonder what's going on here? Your pizzas are looking great. You should give yourself some credit for the launches, you're getting it done a lot better than many! It's a great oven, hard to beat the size and convenience. And yeah don't burn your face off, definitely a possibility. Have fun with the oven and happy pizza making!
Some guys in a forum talked about the air suply to the burner, and that it isn't set exactly the same at every koda. They were able to tune it to get a bigger flame and hotter temps.
I put the flame at high to get the oven up to the highest temp. Once the pizza goes in, I lower the flame to half. Nobody needs to cook a pizza in 60 seconds.
If the top is burning and you've preheated the stone thoroughly, I would just turn off the flame but keep baking it. I also don't think neapolitan is baked with a flame on top of it, try making smaller pizzas and when you throw them in, turn the flame off or maybe down
Hey, me again. Love your videos. I see after the last video I watched you started to use the wooden peel. The other thing is I use the metal screens when I cook my pizzas in my oven. I would try cooking the pizza on the screen enough so you can move it and then when its stiff enough slide the pizza off the rack and on the oven floor. Another great video. Thanks, Joe
I saw on bar rescue that you should never roll your dough but hand stretch instead because rolling takes all the air out of it and it needs those little bubbles to properly cook the pizza. It comes out WAY better.
Great review! I went the camp chef route where the oven sits on a two burner grill. Camp chef is a modular type system with all sort of accessories that sit on the burners. I’ve had good luck with my pizzas so far. Problem is I’m becoming obsessed with pizza making and looking at the Uuni ovens so this was helpful. Couple useless notes.. I have the same dough mat as your family, I use a wood peel for launch and metal out. Corn meal works great on the peel to prevent launch sticking (my pizzas occasionally still stuck with flour) Thanks!
Paul King I’ve seen the Camp Chef system, it looks pretty interesting. For ease of use you can’t beat the Ooni. I started using a raised butcher block to stretch my pizzas then I slide them onto the peel. My wife still likes the mat. I’m going to try semolina for the launch as I’ve gotten a lot of comments saying that’s the way to go. I’ll give it a shot. I’ve used cornmeal but in my experience it burns a little easier than flour.
@paul king I also started with 500degree oven, to grill then purchased the Ooni Pro over 15 months ago and love it. I am also obsessed! I now have 5 neighbors who have purchased Ooni’s and they love it!
Nice video I like the fact that it is gas compared to the wood fired back yard ovens you see looks like you can control temp better. Doesn't seem like the bottom is getting cooked enough. I make a lot of pizzas outside and decided to go with the pizza kettle on a Weber kettle grill. I added a king cooker propane burner in the back and a small BBQ burner in the middle under the stone to get it hot. Stone has to be about 580 to have nice crispy brown bottom. I only do NY style and I find 550 to 600 degrees for about 5 min makes a great pie.
I agree but this oven is not really designed for NY style. My NY style is more of a NY/Neapolitan hybrid which is actually really good. If I'm doing thin and crispy I'll use cast iron or a pizza stone in my home oven.
Great video. Thank you for sharing. Great detail. One question... How hot does the outside get? Or more importantly, how hot does the surface on which the stove is sitting get? I've even contacted the company, but gotten very unclear information about how limited you are in the material of the table this sits on.
It gets fairly hot, you don't want to touch it. The surface on which it sits does not get that hot. You're good with a wood surface and I probably wouldn't have an issue on my plastic picnic table although Ooni does not recommend plastic or glass surfaces.
@@DiffFamilyReviews I've used baking baking paper at 350 C. The point is to get the pizza onto the stone in one piece. And even when it breaks down to cinders the dough will have firmed up. And you still get better heat transfer from the stone to the bottom of the pizza when compared with a wire mesh. IMHO . But whatever works for you. Is want matters.
I use the screens all the time. I do my pizzas on the grill. I get 600 degrees. Takes about 2 min total to cook a pizza. I can add a bit more toppings (of course the more you put on-may need to lower the temp to cook thru) and get a crispy bottom.
I always use a screen in my pizza oven. Piece of cake to launch vs worrying about flour or cornmeal. After a few minutes the bottom is set and you can slide a metal peel between the screen and pizza then use a safe glove and remove the screen from the oven. Set the pizza down right on the stone at that point and the bottom will cook properly without burning the top. No need to leave it on the screen the entire cooking time as it will easily come off the screen with a peel once it is set from a few minutes of cooking. The only drawback is a slight waffle pattern on the bottom when its finished, but the bottom will be nice and brown and crispy without a burnt top and no "calzone" mistakes from trying to launch the pie using the other more common methods. Otherwise great review. I have had a pizzaque for years and also an oven kit for my bbq from skyline but am considering the ooni as both of those get hot but not quite as hot and usually finish up a perfect pie in about 10 minutes. Ooni is a bit expensive which is why I was looking for actual video reviews not the commercial from ooni so thank you again for this
Remove the screen after 40 seconds. I cook about 700 pizzas a day in a 600 degree oven. Screens are great for landing but they are for preventing the bottom from burning before it's done.
That sounds like a good tip, and I will try it. I have a lot of pizza screens, even though I have two pizza stones - one in my regular oven and one for my Big Green Egg, which makes great wood fired pizza. The BGE can get too hot, as I melted one aluminum pizza screen on it when I tried grilling without the stone. Won't do that again. Aluminum melts at about 1100°F, and so I know the BGE will get hotter than that. I just got my Ooni oven this week-end and plan to bake my first pizza on it today. I think I will try baking it on a screen first, and then take it off the screen after 40 seconds. I might also try baking one without a screen, but I'm not sure my peel is large enough, but I guess I can make a smaller 14" pizza to fit on it.
Is the difference between a pizza cooked in an oonie koda and a steel in an oven that much different? How does the solo compare to the oonie? I'm debating between a Koda 16 or something like the solo. Have you tried any of the electric options? I have the opportunity to pick up a breville pizzaolo for $550. My main thing is to get a a few pizzas cooked without much fuss. I'm a terrible cook.
Yes, you can't make Neapolitan style pizza in a regular home oven, you need much higher heat. NY style pizzas on the other hand are great baked in an indoor oven.
Don't make the pizzas too big. you don't have to use the full 16 inches of the baking surface. smaller pizzas bake more evenly and are easier to slide into the oven.
Have used an Ooni. In my backyard, I use a pizza steel on a propane BBQ preheated to 500 degrees. I get very similar results to the Ooni with a much more versatile setup.
Great video. Is it possible to make a pizza that is cooked but doesn't have all the black on it. I know that's kind of the point of these ovens but wondering if it was possible.
For the "heavy" pizzas that don't slide off the peel(I have the non-perforated metal), I just leave the pizza with the peel in the oven until it cooks a little. Then I slide it off.
Make the pizza on a sheet of baking paper and transfer to the stone. After the base starts to firm whip the baking paper out from under the pizza. Works perfectly every time.
I want to do this with my family. My 2 year old "helps" me make pizza dough! We don't have a stand mixer so do it by hand. Also my gas oven is old and really not great. Maybe when my kiddos get older (wife 7months pregnant with daughter) I will get something like this so we can do pizza night once a week! Love you family, seems like yall have some good times eating good pizza!
never done this before so I don't know....but plan on buying one of these and trying it out...BUT if you start the pizza with a screen could you take it out halfway through and remove the screen then finish cooking it on the stone? That might help out with a crispier crust as it would cook the rest of the time directly on the stone? Just a thought...
If you use a screen, cook it for around half a minute to dry the bottom of the dough and use the peel to lift the pizza. Pull the screen out and drop the pie on the stone., you’ll have a nicer crust. Great review.
Get the oven to your high temp so the stone gets at temp then back the flame off a little so it doesn't cook the top faster then the crust. Or you could try ton foil laid on top for about a minute to keep from burning then take off mid cook. Both ways work.
This thing looks like it's a combination of convenience and working really well but I do not understand the price tag? does anybody have an explanation of why this thing could possibly cost $500 other than that they think they can get people to pay that much?
Pizza kettle setup can handle a 16" pizza. All in brand new is a little more expensive. But you can get the pizza kit for about $200 and a larger stone for another $150. Buy a used 22" kettle. You can easily get one for $50 or less.
I use the screen and remove the pizza 1/2 way through the cook and lay it directly on the stone...works 99% of the time and the bottom gets fully crisped up.
The problem with koda 16 is that the burners are designed in a way such that the ambient temp is extremely high while the stone doesnt get hot enough. In my opinion, the normal koda is a bit better.
exactly. Otherwise I would purchase this oven so I can actually make a 16" pizza. I own the Ooni Pro, and the stones do get hot enough without burning the top, but the door opening is 16" exactly, and then it narrows quick, so launching a 16"pizza on a 16x18" peel is impossible. It only works with a 14-15 inch peel...so no 16" pizza.
I use flour to keep my pizza from sticking to the screen and then take it off the screen as soon as the dough is set so that it gets that direct stone contact. I have also done this without the screen but moving it onto the stone on a piece of parchment and then taking off the parchment after a minute or so.
OMG...you showing pushing the stone up with your finger is a life saver!!!👍👍👍...Seriously, I feel like a complete idiot (kind of Trumpi-ish). That was not covered in my original Koda manual and I used all kinds of tools to flip the stone 😂. Thank you man. Nice family BTW.
@2:34 while that wooden spool is sturdy, the legs of the oven are so close to the edge. Aren’t you afraid of a slight bump that may bring it down while baking?! 🤕
Sounds silly, but its the case where a person will be making several pizzas after the warm up time. The pizza looks amazing, kids don’t appreciate “the burned part” though, which I love. 😀
Just received my 12 inch ooni, going to use wood fire - wish me luck. Been making home made pizza for past 10 years at 500f in kitchen oven. Looking forward to extra 500F !!!
How about parchment paper? I use it all the time. Even at 900. Usually I can remove the paper at first turn if I want to. Makes things super easy. No need for flour or corn starch.
@@DiffFamilyReviews agree on both. That’s why it’s easiest to slide in off peel and super easy to pull off and out at that first 30-40 second pizza turn.
As a heads up the purpose of actually putting your dough into balls is to make sure you are working the gluten while you close the dough...it's not just for aethestics
@@DiffFamilyReviews not if you flip it upside down onto the plate in one motion, the dough and the plate should sandwich and keep all the toppings in place
After a year of using Kingarthur bread dough I tried the OO Italian flower and could never get the big puffy edge I got with Kingarthur. I used Fleischmanns yeast for both and made both in the same way under the same conditions as much as possible. I finally went back to Kingarthur. The Kingarthur also had a more robust hearty crunchy bread taste vs a sort of white bread cake taste of the Italian OO grind. The differences were slight but very noticeable when tasted side by side. So it depends on what you like.
SPENCER EXACTLY. IM IN FOOD SERVICE AND IN OUR AREA IR THERMOMETERS ARE NOT USED BY THE STATE FOR FOOD SERVICE INSPECTIONS JUST FOR THAT REASON AND IT ONLY TELLS THE APPROX SURFACE TEMP NOT THE INTERNAL TEMP.
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Ciao, I'm an Italian White Art master, please don't put basil like this, basil must be put when the pizza comes out of the oven so it doesn't burn and releases all its fabulous essential oils, or, if you really want to put it before cooking , you have to mix it with the tomato ... never put the basil in direct contact with heat, it carbonizes and loses almost all its properties, a warm greeting to you
What’s a white art master .?
arte bianca, which means white art is a term used in Italy to define those professionals who work with flour and have a solid knowledge for pizza,bread,viennoiserie and so on.
Fresh basil shouldn't be cooked otherwise you pretty much burn it and all the essential oils in it will taste bitter and rancid, that's why fresh basil should be used off the heat :)
Don’t tell him what to do. No right or wrong
@@brentschmogbert I don't comment, think about growing up
Y 4h hnéñu bc ènmnnnmmynjnjmmnh ..@@morbidvoice
I have the 16, tip for NY style is to heat the oven like you would normally, maybe 10 more mins. Before launching turn off the oven completely and launch. bake/cook for 2 or 3 mins and rotate, another 2/3 mins. Bottom should be fairly crispy at that point and top should be cooked as well but not browned. Turn the oven on and brown the top, 10/20 seconds max and rotate.
That’s a great idea! Thanks!
I screenshotted your comment
What if you have to cook more than 1 pizza .?
I love the oven, but one little tip. The basil will be put on the pizza after cooking to avoid burning and to receive the full flavor.
People from middle america dont really know that i think
Actually I do but for some reason my wife likes it this way better.
@@chicken4090 People from middle America (like me, I’m from Cincinnati) know nothing about pizza. Not real pizza anyway. It’s all fast food delivery joints around here. There’s one place in Cincy that’s great.. Sorento’s & it’s in Norwood. 🍕
@@Jacen13 believe me i know lol, i dont get pizza out of ny
This is a huge myth. Plenty of pizza places in Naples put basil both before and after. The basil before baking gives it a deeper flavor throughout. And after it is added for additional freshness and fragrance.
My family owned a pizza restaurant with 2 wood fired ovens, the launch needs to have corn meal under the pizza, it acts as ball bearings and easily slides the pizza off. If you can afford a wood fired oven, buy one, if not, this oven is a wonderful option.
I saw someone else use a pizza screen. They let it cook for a little while until they could take it off the screen, then put it directly back into the over for a few minutes. That worked really well.
Aside from a slight waffle pattern on the bottom, this is they way to go and I have done it this way for years. No folded over messes when launching. I bought several screens in all different sizes and adjust my dough recipes accordingly based on the size of screen I am using
Some tips from when I cooked pizza on the east coast is use simolina under the pizza (or cornmeal if not available) when proofing the dough let it sit in the fridge uncovered for 4-8 hrs (or intill it forms a thin crust) the cover it for 8 hrs intill exterior is soft it’s all in the wrist and pull back
Corn meal instead of flour works great on the pizza peal. It acts like ball bearings and helps a loaded pizza slide right off. I also use corn meal on the hot pizza stone. It keeps a moist pizza from sticking to the stone. It also adds a lite toasted corn flavor.
Another tip- Add a wood chunk to the back corner of the oven. Gives you that authentic wood fired taste. 😋
I recommend BBQ Chicken Pizza
Sweat Baby Ray’s Original sauce
Chunks of chicken
Sliced Red onions
Mozzarella cheese
Dust pizza peel with corn meal.
Place dough on peel.
Spread BBQ sauce just like you would pizza sauce over the dough.
Add cheese.
Toss the chicken in some BBQ sauce, then place chicken on top of cheese.
Add sliced red onion to taste.
Dust pizza stone with corn meal.
Bake pizza. Rotate as needed.
Enjoy. So good. 😋
Cornmeal is about as bad as it gets to launch a pizza. Use a combo if semolina and flour instead.
jutout
Cornmeal is great! Don’t know what your talking about. Others have also commented about it having used it with great success.
I have a customer that has one of these and uses the heck out of it. They have an outdoor kitchen and this sets right next to the built-in grill.
Great Idea 👌👍
we used screens when I was a pizza chef. They save the bottom from burning. We insert them after the pizza is already partly baked on the stone, so you slide it under the pie during cooking, not before going in the oven.
after 2 mins. slide it off the screen on to the stone. and the bottom with get cooked.
Yep, good idea
@@DiffFamilyReviews the pizza shops i go to, do this
@@DiffFamilyReviews
What about the price thank you
Your pizzas looked good and will get better with time. The best part is the great memories you are creating for you and your family! When your children become adults they will always remember when mom and dad made pizza in the backyard! 😊
hope so
Well done! I love the idea of the screen. If I may offer an additional piece of advice on screen use...Use the screen to launch the pie in the oven. After about 25 seconds, the bottom will solidify so just remove the screen and finish baking the bottom of the pie naked against the floor's stone. The screen is a great crutch for a sticky launch but you can ditch it as soon as the bottom is stable.
Great idea, thanks.
When preparing a Neopolitan-style pizza, particularly pizza Margarita, the fresh basil is not added until the pizza is removed from the oven. Otherwise, the basil dries out, crinkles and chars. When I studied pizza-making in Siracusa, Napoli, and Gaeta, I never saw a pizzaiolo put basil on a pizza before cooking.
Yeah, well, that's how my wife likes it.
John Drew I agree 100%
@@DiffFamilyReviews Happy wife, happy life 😉
You can add basil if you put olive oil over the top of pizza before cooking
@@doug3424 Yes. That would work.
no-bs review! Thanks for including the peel review too. I've hardly seen anyone talk about it.
Thanks
I was expecting a few hundred thousand subscribers for this premium content!
Keep it up!
Thank you!
Every single person I see using an IR thermometer fails to understand how they operate. They do not measure the temperature at the red dot. They measure the average temperature of circle with the red dot at its centre. The diameter of the circle depends on how far away you are holding the device, and at what angle. They measure in a cone shaped range- narrow at the lens on the device, widening out the further you are away. Holding the probe two feet from the surface being measured means you are measuring the average temperature across a circle probably six inches across. If you aren't hitting the surface at exactly ninety degrees your measurements will also be distorted. I hate IR thermometers as people who have no understanding use them to "prove" and "disprove" all sorts of things, when in reality the way they are using them means their measurements are wildly inaccurate.
The red dot it's just for guidance on the box of every thermometer like those says it, and also on a open environment when the wind comes from outside it affects the system a lot, also the heat coming out the oven affects the measurement, it's obvious the measurement will not be accurate, for making accurate measurements needs a closed system with professionals or at least knlowledge of thermodynamics and calculus, days of testing and a lot of patience, that test it's just for the casual guy not anything scientific and people who knows thermodynamics know that, so they don't panic, also it's just a tool it doesnt make any sense to hate a tool, and it operates on a widely range of temperatures so even if they measure it correctly at 90° controlled environment, etc etc, they would still have the measurement error which every thermometer comes, just chill out and enjoy the content, it shows that at least a neapolitan style pizza can be done in a miute if you prepare the dough with your hand and not the roller because you end up with a flat pizza like all of them but that's all no need to panic
Spencer Wilton Yeah, it’s cringe. And I see all kinds of people pointing them at shiny metallic surfaces as well, and think they are getting an accurate reading. Wrong.
I’ve had countless try to convince me it’s a LASER THERMOMETER, I just look at them with a blank stare. How did they make it this far in life.
As with any instrument, proper use is required and don't use a yardstick to measure an inch.
In the old days before the word thermometer was invented they used grains of flour on the baking stone to determine the oven ideal cooking temperature. Pizza in a hot oven is very forgiving, when it looks cooked its ready to eat. 90 seconds is a good indicator that your oven is at the right temperature. Enjoy.
I use screens sometimes to make sure the size of pizza pies and Im glad to see the same tips of using PAM on the screen to avoid sticking. Great video !!!!!
P
What PAM ???
Also halfway through the process of using a screen once the dough has firmed up a bit, you can pull off the screen and let it finish directly on the surface
Tip to get a crispier bottom with the screen is to bake the pizza only partly on the screen until the pizza can slide off the screen then finish the pizza on the stone. Works for me when I make high hydration pizza dough and I have a hard time launching the dough with just a peel and flower.
cant believe you only have 4.7k subs, the quality of production is on par with the best on TH-cam. Keep it up, I only see success in your future.
Thank you
When I make my ny style pizzas I cook the dough about half way first, then take it out and apply sauce and toppings. Helps immensely with getting that crunchy base.
No no no Christopher
Yeah if you're cooking in a home oven at 500 degrees (realistically more like 450-460) then this is the best way to achieve a NY style crust. I do the same. Fork the dough to prevent huge bubbles, bake 4min, add toppings, bake 4min, broil til the cheese is toasty and pepperonis crisp n cup
Maybe your crust is too thick? I have never had a problem with the crust cooking too much before the toppings were done. Then again, I use a pizza steel. Are you using a stone or a steel?
if you choose to bake pizza on a screen it is used only for the launch / pre cook -. once the dough is cooked enough for the screen to come off. You could use your peel or a pair of tongs to remove it from the pizza and put it somewhere to cool.
Once you get the bottom crust you desire use the screen or peel to remove the pizza.
I don’t even cook pizzas but I was so interested in how you crafted and launched those pizzas. Now I want to make a pizza myself...
That's how this all starts!
T 3w
At 330 dollars, if you want you could build a brick oven or a mud oven for under 50 bucks and it'll make great pizzas and bread.
I don't know if anyone asks this question but couldn't you remove the pizza part way through from the screen on the 16 inch pies and then let it cook the rest away directly on the stone?
And when you do you will realise thas only half the fun Enjoy
here in Brazil, for pizza not to stick to the wood spatula, we use cornmeal instead of flour.
So do real authentic Italian pizza restaurants.
Roccbox makes a great one in the same pricerange. It doesn’t get super hot on the outside, has a build in thermometer and cooks Neapolitan style in just under a minute
I don't have a pizza oven but for a regular over, I stretch my dough out ON my screen, THEN put the toppings on. For NY style I put the dough by itself (after forking it to prevent puff) in the over (500 degrees) for 4min and then put the toppings on and bake another 4min then broil a minute to get the cheese toasty and pepperonis to crisp n cup
Again another great review. Nice to see real families giving clean decent reviews. I wish there was a feature on TH-cam to send certain videos to "un-child friendly" section of the TH-cam site.
Where I live there are about 7-8 pizza take out locations . Pizza ovens are expensive considering a large pizza with 3 toppings is only $12.99 . This being said I would order a pizza then make one in a rather hazardous home oven .
I enjoy the process with my family. It's not for everyone.
$12.99 pizza is junk pizza. Doesn't taste as good and is bad for you. Kind of like eating fast food Chinese versus making it yourself. You could also go to 7-11 and get a pizza for $7 if you're into junk food.
After you put the pizza in the oven with the screen, you can remove the screen after your dough develops a crust and finish it on the stone.
Yep, thanks.
If you're starting with a screen, as soon as the crust gets cooked enough to slide off of the screen, remove the screen and finish the pizza without it. A pair of aluminum tongs works just fine for that.
Love it man, I have the older version that is pellet and wood fired. Wow talk about a learning curve. When I have people over at some point we get a smoke out, soooo much smoke. Easy to fix but the oven is a beast. Gets super hot when you get the rhythm of the pellets.
Nothing more I love than pizza and for only $400 this thing is awesome af, great video!
Thanks
Interesting to see the temps you are hitting. On my oven I'm getting much higher temps, no problem reaching temps even over what Ooni advertises. I load my pies typically with the center deck around 850f, back by the flame it's over 1k. That said I have heard from a few subscribers that they are never able to get the oven to come to full temp even in ideal conditions. I wonder what's going on here?
Your pizzas are looking great. You should give yourself some credit for the launches, you're getting it done a lot better than many! It's a great oven, hard to beat the size and convenience. And yeah don't burn your face off, definitely a possibility. Have fun with the oven and happy pizza making!
Thanks for watching! I’ve seen a couple of your vids as well. As far as the temps go, it might have to do with elevation.
Some guys in a forum talked about the air suply to the burner, and that it isn't set exactly the same at every koda. They were able to tune it to get a bigger flame and hotter temps.
Crusuma, That’s cool. I’m good with these temps, I do a lot more NY style then Neapolitan anyway but it’s definitely still hot enough for Neapolitan.
@@Crusuma yes. If your flanes are orange that's no good. Blue is,what u want
I put the flame at high to get the oven up to the highest temp. Once the pizza goes in, I lower the flame to half. Nobody needs to cook a pizza in 60 seconds.
Heat it for 30 mins works best then turn burner down to low . I’ve been using Ooni pizza ovens for approximately 6 years and love them .
If the top is burning and you've preheated the stone thoroughly, I would just turn off the flame but keep baking it. I also don't think neapolitan is baked with a flame on top of it, try making smaller pizzas and when you throw them in, turn the flame off or maybe down
I have a Gozney that I use for the smaller pizzas and i own a OONI Kari 16 (I use wood here). My Gozney was $500 and I have not once been disappointed
Hey, me again. Love your videos. I see after the last video I watched you started to use the wooden peel. The other thing is I use the metal screens when I cook my pizzas in my oven. I would try cooking the pizza on the screen enough so you can move it and then when its stiff enough slide the pizza off the rack and on the oven floor. Another great video. Thanks, Joe
I saw on bar rescue that you should never roll your dough but hand stretch instead because rolling takes all the air out of it and it needs those little bubbles to properly cook the pizza. It comes out WAY better.
Great review! I went the camp chef route where the oven sits on a two burner grill. Camp chef is a modular type system with all sort of accessories that sit on the burners. I’ve had good luck with my pizzas so far. Problem is I’m becoming obsessed with pizza making and looking at the Uuni ovens so this was helpful. Couple useless notes.. I have the same dough mat as your family, I use a wood peel for launch and metal out. Corn meal works great on the peel to prevent launch sticking (my pizzas occasionally still stuck with flour) Thanks!
Paul King I’ve seen the Camp Chef system, it looks pretty interesting. For ease of use you can’t beat the Ooni. I started using a raised butcher block to stretch my pizzas then I slide them onto the peel. My wife still likes the mat. I’m going to try semolina for the launch as I’ve gotten a lot of comments saying that’s the way to go. I’ll give it a shot. I’ve used cornmeal but in my experience it burns a little easier than flour.
@paul king I also started with 500degree oven, to grill then purchased the Ooni Pro over 15 months ago and love it. I am also obsessed! I now have 5 neighbors who have purchased Ooni’s and they love it!
I have the Camp Chef too. Debating which route to take. Do you recommend one over the other?
Nice video
I like the fact that it is gas compared to the wood fired back yard ovens you see looks like you can control temp better. Doesn't seem like the bottom is getting cooked enough. I make a lot of pizzas outside and decided to go with the pizza kettle on a Weber kettle grill. I added a king cooker propane burner in the back and a small BBQ burner in the middle under the stone to get it hot. Stone has to be about 580 to have nice crispy brown bottom. I only do NY style and I find 550 to 600 degrees for about 5 min makes a great pie.
I agree but this oven is not really designed for NY style. My NY style is more of a NY/Neapolitan hybrid which is actually really good. If I'm doing thin and crispy I'll use cast iron or a pizza stone in my home oven.
Great video. Thank you for sharing. Great detail. One question... How hot does the outside get? Or more importantly, how hot does the surface on which the stove is sitting get? I've even contacted the company, but gotten very unclear information about how limited you are in the material of the table this sits on.
It gets fairly hot, you don't want to touch it. The surface on which it sits does not get that hot. You're good with a wood surface and I probably wouldn't have an issue on my plastic picnic table although Ooni does not recommend plastic or glass surfaces.
I am going to get one. I will pre bake the crust, cool it, the flip it prior to topping and cooking
I've done this. It's not a bad idea.
You can use baking paper instead of the screen good contact easy placement
then after 30 sec -1 minute remove the paper and continue
I've been thinking about this. Baking paper is only good up to 450°F
@@DiffFamilyReviews I've used baking baking paper at 350 C. The point is to get the pizza onto the stone in one piece. And even when it breaks down to cinders the dough will have firmed up. And you still get better heat transfer from the stone to the bottom of the pizza when compared with a wire mesh. IMHO .
But whatever works for you. Is want matters.
I use the screens all the time. I do my pizzas on the grill. I get 600 degrees. Takes about 2 min total to cook a pizza. I can add a bit more toppings (of course the more you put on-may need to lower the temp to cook thru) and get a crispy bottom.
seriously, It is just an amazing video, gas holder and the process is just so amazing
Thank you for helping peoples one day I want to share ideas with you and share your video with my friend and other people.
I always use a screen in my pizza oven. Piece of cake to launch vs worrying about flour or cornmeal. After a few minutes the bottom is set and you can slide a metal peel between the screen and pizza then use a safe glove and remove the screen from the oven. Set the pizza down right on the stone at that point and the bottom will cook properly without burning the top. No need to leave it on the screen the entire cooking time as it will easily come off the screen with a peel once it is set from a few minutes of cooking. The only drawback is a slight waffle pattern on the bottom when its finished, but the bottom will be nice and brown and crispy without a burnt top and no "calzone" mistakes from trying to launch the pie using the other more common methods. Otherwise great review. I have had a pizzaque for years and also an oven kit for my bbq from skyline but am considering the ooni as both of those get hot but not quite as hot and usually finish up a perfect pie in about 10 minutes. Ooni is a bit expensive which is why I was looking for actual video reviews not the commercial from ooni so thank you again for this
Glad you like it! I’ve used a screen before as well.
Remove the screen after 40 seconds. I cook about 700 pizzas a day in a 600 degree oven. Screens are great for landing but they are for preventing the bottom from burning before it's done.
That sounds like a good tip, and I will try it. I have a lot of pizza screens, even though I have two pizza stones - one in my regular oven and one for my Big Green Egg, which makes great wood fired pizza. The BGE can get too hot, as I melted one aluminum pizza screen on it when I tried grilling without the stone. Won't do that again. Aluminum melts at about 1100°F, and so I know the BGE will get hotter than that.
I just got my Ooni oven this week-end and plan to bake my first pizza on it today. I think I will try baking it on a screen first, and then take it off the screen after 40 seconds. I might also try baking one without a screen, but I'm not sure my peel is large enough, but I guess I can make a smaller 14" pizza to fit on it.
Is the difference between a pizza cooked in an oonie koda and a steel in an oven that much different? How does the solo compare to the oonie? I'm debating between a Koda 16 or something like the solo. Have you tried any of the electric options? I have the opportunity to pick up a breville pizzaolo for $550. My main thing is to get a a few pizzas cooked without much fuss. I'm a terrible cook.
Yes, you can't make Neapolitan style pizza in a regular home oven, you need much higher heat. NY style pizzas on the other hand are great baked in an indoor oven.
Don't make the pizzas too big. you don't have to use the full 16 inches of the baking surface.
smaller pizzas bake more evenly and are easier to slide into the oven.
Also, I have found they catch fire easily when they get near the burners on the side. Better to be in the 14" range with the Koda.
In NYC, they cook the pizza and then do a 2nd heat to get it really crispy. Try that technique! It should work.
So basically just reheat the pizza?
Have used an Ooni. In my backyard, I use a pizza steel on a propane BBQ preheated to 500 degrees. I get very similar results to the Ooni with a much more versatile setup.
Going to give this a try next time I go camping. Always wanted to toss a frozen cardboard style pizza into my portable camp grill
Great video. Is it possible to make a pizza that is cooked but doesn't have all the black on it. I know that's kind of the point of these ovens but wondering if it was possible.
Yeah, just gotta make sure you use the right dough and turn down the temp
Order an Oni. This vid sold me.
For the "heavy" pizzas that don't slide off the peel(I have the non-perforated metal), I just leave the pizza with the peel in the oven until it cooks a little. Then I slide it off.
The best pizzas I ever ate were made on a screen.
Make the pizza on a sheet of baking paper and transfer to the stone. After the base starts to firm whip the baking paper out from under the pizza. Works perfectly every time.
I've thought about this but never tried it. Baking paper is only good up to 450°F
The kids eating pizza in the pool was the best!!! : )
This calcines the dough more quickly.
I saw a TH-cam ad for this and I knew I had to look this oven up.
I want to do this with my family. My 2 year old "helps" me make pizza dough! We don't have a stand mixer so do it by hand. Also my gas oven is old and really not great. Maybe when my kiddos get older (wife 7months pregnant with daughter) I will get something like this so we can do pizza night once a week! Love you family, seems like yall have some good times eating good pizza!
Thank you
You could pre cook the dough with only the sauce then add the cheese and finish it off 👍
Blind bake the dough 5 - 10 minutes
Poke holes with a fork.
after 5-10 minutes you would be eating charcoal. :-)
I made a perlite and cement pizza oven for about 70 bucks. Used copper pipes and an old grill regulator for the propane internals.
C Puzz would you share more? Maybe link to pics? Thanks
A match holder, pfff amateur, I just stick my hand in there with my face in there too.
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Wow ur really cool
when you burn a cornea, its ready for the pizza! :D
Me too I do the same thing.
Semolina is what I have found to be best to keep pizza from sticking to the peel. It's like ball bearings.
I want one of these but there is too much prep and cleaning involved. I will end up buying and it will be stuck in the shed .
never done this before so I don't know....but plan on buying one of these and trying it out...BUT if you start the pizza with a screen could you take it out halfway through and remove the screen then finish cooking it on the stone? That might help out with a crispier crust as it would cook the rest of the time directly on the stone? Just a thought...
Yes, I’ve done it way too.
Great vid, you covered all the major points and even went out of the box in experimenting
Glad you liked it!
If you use a screen, cook it for around half a minute to dry the bottom of the dough and use the peel to lift the pizza. Pull the screen out and drop the pie on the stone., you’ll have a nicer crust. Great review.
Thanks, that's what I started doing shortly after making this video.
Hank from king of the hill would love this
why
@@silvermediastudio because in the animated cartoon of king of the hill, Hank Hill is dedicated to propane and propane accessories that's why lol
@@Timmiewrath oh, yeah I'm out of high school don't watch cartoons
Awesome review and tips! Thank you! Now I know what happened to our pizzas yesterday. lol
Great review! Mine just shipped from Amazon and we're going to put your great tips to use ~
How much is it on amazon?
Geo Eve I think we paid around $330
Get the oven to your high temp so the stone gets at temp then back the flame off a little so it doesn't cook the top faster then the crust. Or you could try ton foil laid on top for about a minute to keep from burning then take off mid cook. Both ways work.
This thing looks like it's a combination of convenience and working really well but I do not understand the price tag? does anybody have an explanation of why this thing could possibly cost $500 other than that they think they can get people to pay that much?
Yeah it could possibly be in the $200 range because of the machining and valves but that's it lol
Pizza kettle setup can handle a 16" pizza. All in brand new is a little more expensive. But you can get the pizza kit for about $200 and a larger stone for another $150. Buy a used 22" kettle. You can easily get one for $50 or less.
Awesome review ! I was sold on one even without your tips. Can’t wait to get mine!! I just want to make pizza all day lol
I use the screen and remove the pizza 1/2 way through the cook and lay it directly on the stone...works 99% of the time and the bottom gets fully crisped up.
I don’t get it? Pizza in 60 seconds? But it takes an hour for the oven to heat up? And the crust still isn’t crispy...
What is there to not get? 1 hour to reach 900F makes sense and 900F to cook something in 60 seconds makes sense too.
The problem with koda 16 is that the burners are designed in a way such that the ambient temp is extremely high while the stone doesnt get hot enough. In my opinion, the normal koda is a bit better.
exactly. Otherwise I would purchase this oven so I can actually make a 16" pizza. I own the Ooni Pro, and the stones do get hot enough without burning the top, but the door opening is 16" exactly, and then it narrows quick, so launching a 16"pizza on a 16x18" peel is impossible. It only works with a 14-15 inch peel...so no 16" pizza.
This thing doesnt have a door on it? I think I figured out why you couldnt get the heat high enough!
I use flour to keep my pizza from sticking to the screen and then take it off the screen as soon as the dough is set so that it gets that direct stone contact. I have also done this without the screen but moving it onto the stone on a piece of parchment and then taking off the parchment after a minute or so.
Great tip!
Wow very interested what is this made out of ? does outter shell get very hot?
Not sure what it's made out of. Yes, it gets hot.
OMG...you showing pushing the stone up with your finger is a life saver!!!👍👍👍...Seriously, I feel like a complete idiot (kind of Trumpi-ish). That was not covered in my original Koda manual and I used all kinds of tools to flip the stone 😂. Thank you man. Nice family BTW.
Glad I could help!
@2:34 while that wooden spool is sturdy, the legs of the oven are so close to the edge. Aren’t you afraid of a slight bump that may bring it down while baking?! 🤕
pizza cooks in 60 seconds! (after a 30 minute warm up time).
Plus 48hrs to proof your dough lol
Sounds silly, but its the case where a person will be making several pizzas after the warm up time. The pizza looks amazing, kids don’t appreciate “the burned part” though, which I love. 😀
Just received my 12 inch ooni, going to use wood fire - wish me luck. Been making home made pizza for past 10 years at 500f in kitchen oven. Looking forward to extra 500F !!!
You’ll love it
Flour on the peel not semolina? Jeez!
Try a Sicilian pizza,
How about parchment paper? I use it all the time. Even at 900. Usually I can remove the paper at first turn if I want to. Makes things super easy. No need for flour or corn starch.
I will occasionally use parchment paper if I'm putting heavy topping on. Parchment paper is only good to maybe 450° before It burns off.
@@DiffFamilyReviews agree on both. That’s why it’s easiest to slide in off peel and super easy to pull off and out at that first 30-40 second pizza turn.
Debs Fun Pages
As a heads up the purpose of actually putting your dough into balls is to make sure you are working the gluten while you close the dough...it's not just for aethestics
This one is actually accurate, A match holder, pfff amateur, I just stick my hand in there with my face in there too.
thank you
Great job with the video, your family were naturals. You convinced me to buy the 16" model, thanks.
Awesome! Thank you!
Another way to save a pizza: flip it upside down onto a large enough plate and re flour the board and try again.
I would lose all the topping, no?
@@DiffFamilyReviews not if you flip it upside down onto the plate in one motion, the dough and the plate should sandwich and keep all the toppings in place
After a year of using Kingarthur bread dough I tried the OO Italian flower and could never get the big puffy edge I got with Kingarthur. I used Fleischmanns yeast for both and made both in the same way under the same conditions as much as possible. I finally went back to Kingarthur. The Kingarthur also had a more robust hearty crunchy bread taste vs a sort of white bread cake taste of the Italian OO grind. The differences were slight but very noticeable when tasted side by side. So it depends on what you like.
I’m actually a big KA bread flour fan.
"Debs Fun Pages"
Fine corn meal is amazing for the launch medium, the fine gritty texture and flavor is good
Would rather have the wood oven for the smoke flavor. 100% better!
SPENCER EXACTLY.
IM IN FOOD SERVICE AND IN OUR AREA IR THERMOMETERS ARE NOT USED BY THE STATE FOR FOOD SERVICE INSPECTIONS JUST FOR THAT REASON AND IT ONLY TELLS THE APPROX SURFACE TEMP NOT THE INTERNAL TEMP.
No room for error with that back leg "barely" on the edge....very sketchy!!!
Yeah, it looks worse than it is. I'm over 100 pizzas now with that setup.
Yeah, how hard is to add another leg to make it stand on 4? Sigh...
@@rafaelpun With four legs it would be more likely to wobble. Three points (legs) define a plane; therefore more stable and no wobbling!
Things looked not burned when using the pizza screen. Can you confirm? Also have you tried baking bread?
Not burned. Definitely a lighter bottom when using the screen. I have not made bread in the oven.