Kitchen Luxuries: The Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
If you love homemade pizza and are (ahem) rolling in dough, a wood-burning oven may be just the right kitchen investment
Anne-Marie Brunet, CMKBD, CAPS
September 28, 2013
Pizza and wood-burning ovens are a popular addition to high-end kitchens these days. Few meals beat the taste of a perfectly crisp pizza pie from one of these ovens, and they bake everything from bread to chicken, making them a bonus cooking center for your dream kitchen. In cold weather you can simply start a fire and invite friends and family over to relax while you cook in front of the open flame.
Could a pizza oven be right for your next kitchen?
Could a pizza oven be right for your next kitchen?
Wood-fired ovens require careful planning and meticulous attention to detail. They require a concrete base to support the weight of the stone around the oven, which is a project best left to a professional mason. The oven's interior should be made of clay-fired bricks to stand up to high temperatures and hold the heat well. The exterior can be made of any other fireproof material.
Here a traditional stone exterior complements the warm tones of this kitchen cabinetry.
I love how this wood oven has a few windows for visual interest when the oven is fired up.
If you tend to do larger meals or a lot of bread baking, a rectangular oven ceiling offers more space for batch cooking and baking.
Although you have to wait for the oven to heat up, once it's in full cooking mode, your food will actually cook much faster. Plus, it offers the bonus of radiant heating.
I recommend including a space below the oven to store wood and kindling.
I recommend including a space below the oven to store wood and kindling.
It generally takes an hour to an hour and a half for a wood-fired oven to reach its optimal temperature. A conventional stainless steel thermometer can help you find the precise temperature; some models come with temperature gauges. Keep in mind that you'll need doors or some kind of barrier in front of the fire to help you get an accurate reading.
Once the oven is heated, the heat is stored in the thick walls and radiates evenly across the interior dome. The floor of the oven stays a few degrees cooler, which helps give pizzas a crispy exterior and a soft interior.
Don't forget to get a pizza paddle!
Don't forget to get a pizza paddle!
Custom pizza ovens are a big investment of time and money. If you want one built onsite, you'll need to account for labor, material selection and the necessary chimney and fan (which can add another $2,000 to the cost). Overall I find them to be comparable in price to a custom wood-burning fireplace.
There are portable and modular wood-burning-oven kits, which offer the same functionality without the custom look. These kits tend to range from $6,500 to $13,000, depending on the size and material.
There are portable and modular wood-burning-oven kits, which offer the same functionality without the custom look. These kits tend to range from $6,500 to $13,000, depending on the size and material.
If you don't have the option to include an indoor wood-burning oven, consider carving out a bit of space in the yard to build a smaller version.
Regardless of whether you opt for an indoor or outdoor pizza oven, always check your local building codes and speak with the building inspector before starting your project. Some municipalities do not allow outdoor fireplaces or wood-burning ovens.
Do you have an indoor pizza oven? Please tell us your favorite way to use it in the Comments section below!
More: 9 Gorgeously Modern Kitchen Fireplaces
Regardless of whether you opt for an indoor or outdoor pizza oven, always check your local building codes and speak with the building inspector before starting your project. Some municipalities do not allow outdoor fireplaces or wood-burning ovens.
Do you have an indoor pizza oven? Please tell us your favorite way to use it in the Comments section below!
More: 9 Gorgeously Modern Kitchen Fireplaces
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Well, you have to work with what you have and it sounds like you have made the best of it. If you ever make it out to California Wine Country please stop by and say hi.
Mugnaini,
My wife and I own a Government consulting business that just made the top 10 in Virginia's Fantastic 50. I have no stake in selling any pizza related anything, I was simply offering my experience to other Houzzers. Obviously, I can't demonstrate dryness with a photo. But I can state my experience, and provide references for others to consider. Too bad you very unprofessionally take it as competition and call it the post "silly" rather than for what it is - sharing a personal home based pizza experience.
Harper - glad you found the article useful - and thank you for sharing that link! Post photos when you're all fnished - would love to see your setup :)