We got ours just before Christmas. Have used it like 6 or 7 times now and have reached the conclusion this just is not the oven for us. I just don't have the patience for the required learning curve. Also, I thought this also worked with wood pellets - like my Traeger - but it does not. We used store bought dough - already formed. We also tried fresh made dough by hand and in the bread machine. Regardless of dough, we found that the pizza was undercooked but would also burn in places. For comparison, I tried a method of cooking in a 12" cast iron skillet - first in our oven set to 500F (preheated the pan) and also in the Traeger - same temp and pre-heat. We enjoyed the cast iron method much better. And, as others have mentioned, this unit is a BEAST. It is huge and weighs quite a bit. The door and temp monitor seem like great additions, but, the temp reading is for the ambient air, not the stone, so, you still need a temp gun to get the temp of the stone. As to the door, because you are rotating so frequently, the door became a bit of a nuisance. Also, I strongly suggest a thin, metal pizza peel if you get this oven. I only have a wooden peel and that made it very difficult to access the pizza and rotate it. Quite a few times, all it would do is push the pizza back towards the fire box and then you had to use the fire box as your "backstop" to get the pizza. Maybe I just haven't given it enough time, but at $800, I want to send back before it is too late. Ooni's guarantee is fantastic. They stand behind it.
Keep practicing and try not to get frustrated. You'll get the hang of it eventually. There's a learning curve for sure, but you'll love the oven once you get the process down. Took me a while to feel comfortable, especially baking and shooting video at the same time :) You're absolutely right about the metal peel. Wood it great for launching the pizza, but a thinner, metal peel (or turning peel) is essential when handling the pizza as it bakes. Good luck and have fun!
Great job! Just got mine. I see you're on a porch or covered patio. How much clearance do you have overhead? Hoping I could put mine on our back porch but worried about the ceiling. Thanks!!!!
Dude your just spending money until you talk your wife into getting the loan for the custom Italian oven build in the backyard - I know - been down this road ! Much love for your work and passion !
I recently just got a Karu 16 and am somewhat struggling to find an outdoor bar/workbench long and deep enough to put the Ooni on and have a workable surface. It looks like in the comments below that the bench you use is 30" deep. Can I ask where you got the workbench you have and if it's held up well for you being outdoors in the elements year round? I am really enjoying your videos!
Hi! Can i ask about that stainless steel work table that your using? My oven just arrived and I need the right table specs that carries the oven and gives me enough work space. Thanks
This is very unexpected for me. I just enjoyed watching a review of a frickin' pizza oven. There's some sort of wholesomeness to your video's. I subscribed. Thanks.
Coming from a Gozney owner this has some great features to it! Having said that, I find cleanup to be the only drawback with all of these units esp. because it affects the outside of the unit as well. Not to mention the learning curve involved (properly flouring the peel, not overdoing it on toppings, etc.) I find myself using mine less and less tbh, I've burned a few because either they stuck to the stone, the middle wouldn't cook as evenly i.e. "wet" while charring the crust, or because it was loaded with toppings I had trouble rotating it with the turning peel. The fact it has to all be done within 60-90 secs. makes it all the more frustrating if you're like me not working out of a tub of refrigerated doughs.
There's an art to it and learning curve for sure. I've had a number of pizza ovens over the last 4-5 years and still burn them every once in a while (as seen on this video). Still love the process though.
I agree with you totally. It isn’t this instant perfect pizza we keep being shown. There is a huge learning curve, and I’ve been baking pizza and bread for over 30 years. I haven’t kept using mine either. My sweet, adorable husband takes cover lately when he knows I’m going to use the Ooni LOL. My kitchen oven with my thick baking stone does a better job than Ooni at the moment and I know it will turn out every time and not be left with disasters and having to rescue what should be an enjoyable pizza.
I just received my gozney dome today. Is the outside hard to clean? It looks like it will get dirty quick in white. I also have the roccbox and the front is never going to look new again.
With the vents all open about what temp would it be at? Love my Koda 12, but it can be a real nightmare making NY pizza in it because it’s such a pain to get the temp right. And sometimes even when I’m able to dial in 600ish, I can’t keep the flame going lol. Great video, I’m 90% sold on getting one, just want to find out the temp range with gas. But if it’s able to do NY bakes with wood or charcoal, I think I’m already sold on it regardless.
I have the Karu 12 and find the door really helpful to keep the temperature evenly high. For firing, I use charcoal briquettes as the bottom layer and hardwood on top. This gives me the best temperature control in my oven. I only add softwood or use it when I need to raise the temperature for a short time. After a short learning curve, it now works really well with different pizza styles and I'm thinking about switching to the 16 version.
Wish Ooni would make their stones thicker. Yes, I know longer time to heat up, but would be so worth it for baking bread etc. I have the Ooni Pro and hope to get the Gozney Dome when it’s available.
Tim, it would be nice to see the temperature curve when the oven runs out of fuel--that is, if you leave it closed with say a pot of stew inside, for how long does it stay hot enough to cook something like that? And can you close all the dampers to starve the fuel of O2 so the fire goes out? It looks great!
This is the reason I am going for a Gozney Dome next, the heat retention. I want to bake bread and like you, stews etc in the residual heat. Ooni may have increased the insulation but the stones are the same as in my Ooni Pro 16. I am rather disappointed with this. In Canada the Ooni Pro 16 sells for $1000. I can only imagine what the price for this oven will be.
I think the door provides additional insulation, which helps to trap heat. I noticed the stone maintained a more even temp throughout the bake as opposed to the Koda. The Koda 16 makes a great pizza though and still my go-to oven simply because of it's convenience.
I just ordered this. I love the option to choose different fuel options. I only wish it included the gas adapter. That being said, they're running 20% off sitewide all Memorial Day Weekend, so I pulled the trigger. Can't wait to try it!
I can't believe he didn't really show the bottom nicely... It really annoys me how they explain a lot of stuff and then just go ahead and eat the pizza instead of showing the damn bottom!!!
@@KitchenCraftFood the one I have is nice, but I don't think it's very durable, I don't see it lasting a long time. They also haven't really done much in the way of accessories, extras and replacement parts. Ooni seems to see the bigger picture.
Table depth is 30" Per Ooni's website the total depth is 32" Yes, it's veneered plywood with a food grade sealant. I use it for videos only. It's not my daily cutting board.
@@KitchenCraftFood Got it. Thanks! I really wish it supported natural gas too. Who wants to run to the store to get propane every time you run out? Such a bummer.
I have a great relationship with Ooni. They've sent me a few ovens to test and review. I like the performance relative to price point, and the ovens are portable. I like that. The Gozney dome looks beautiful and probably makes delicious pizza, but it's almost double the price (and not easily portable). Looks like there's plenty of demand, but personally as a buyer, it's out of my budget.
It went a little over on the bottom for sure. Noted in the video. Mostly from too much semolina on bottom of pizza. Stone temp around 825F, cooked for about 90 sec to 2 minutes.
Yep, that's recommended. I blasted the oven for a bit before baking in it for the video. Not a true cure, but I was on a timeline because of the shoot.
I love my Karu 12 but damn that glass door and temp probe look like fantastic upgrades. I'd say the 16 is only worth it if you need to crank out several pies. For the two of us, it would just use way too much fuel for a single session of 2 pizzas.
Same here, just the two of us and love the Karu 12. I know it wouldn't make sense but, damn, I'm being drawn to this thing like a moth to flame. Not sure if I can resist it for long. 😳
@@comeontars I hear ya man. If I'm baking mulitple pizza, then I typically re-fire the first few to re-heat them. Two at a time would probably eliminate that extra step.
@@KitchenCraftFood thank u so much for ur response. I am really inspired by ooni and would like to buy one. Just don’t know if I should get the one that has two burners or get this one. Does the charcoal has any effect on the taste of the pizza? What do u recommend? Thank u
If gozney sponsored youtubers I'm sure they would be singing different tune tbh. Can't tell me that piece of Tin worth $800. Where's the innovation a poxy door and a $15 dollar thermometer don't tally up to the price increase. As far as the domes concerned these aren't even on the same planet.
If it's so obvious to you, then why do I need to point it out? We all have different preferences in doneness. Some might consider this perfect, others overcooked. I did mention that the bottom did get a little "crispy"...meaning overcooked, 12:24.
Actually they do their own research and testing, over 2000 hours went I to this upgrade. And, the low ceiling pizza oven design has been generally available for what, 200 years?
Glad you came to your own conclusion. Personally, I still use the Koda 16 more than the Karu. Is the Effeuno really $1350 USD? If so, not sure many Ooni users would go for it. Puts the oven in a higher price bracket.
The Effeuno is extremely expensive in the USA (around $1,400) and is an electric indoor product from what I see online. I love the outdoor wood-fired pizza ovens and the option to use gas. I've had the Ooni Karu 16 for over a month now and have used it exclusively with wood so far. The pizza made in it is excellent. Really happy with this purchase.
Well..ovens of this size that burn wood, charcoal or gas both propane or natural, the plaster ones are thousands, this one has terrific upgrades, it’s a lot more affordable than 98% of the pizza ovens on the market. The inside is huge..you can fit casseroles with handles inside!
@@chantellesear9249 that didn’t answer my question. What type of stone do you expect to see in a pizza oven at this price point? Not just Ooni, but any brand.
Sorry about that. I just want more mass. A roccbox is years old, around half the price and doesn't suffer the same issues as ooni regarding there stones heat retention. No different to buying a quality stainless pan of a cast iron.
Stones are needed to reheat quickly, it’s all about balance. This stone, along with the stone under the firebox are designed for the size of the oven. It’s got plenty of thermodynamic sink. Plus, it’s quite large. The material that this is made from isn’t just some run of the mill cement..it’s specifically designed to retain heat for this style of cooking. Seems like you just want to recommend another product..
I FUCKING HATE OONI!!!! I recently bought Karu 12, just because multi-fuel oven 16 was not on sale any more. Month later they fucking released this!!! What a shame, but I do not care, my next oven will be DIY, I will only buy big baking stone from ooni. Btw I spin pizza in karu 12 a lot, so not get overburned bottom and side like your first attempt.