The Archive
279 guides · page 11 of 24
Explainer
How Long Does a Pizza Oven Take to Heat Up? (2026)
Short answer: most portable gas ovens reach a pizza-ready ~900°F floor in roughly 15 to 25 minutes; wood and multi-fuel ovens usually want a bit longer because you have to build and establish the fire (often 20 to 30+ minutes); and indoor electric ovens like the Ooni Volt 2, Breville Pizzaiolo, and Ninja Artisan typically preheat in around 20 minutes on a preset. But the number that actually matters isn't the air, it's the floor. The burner heats the air fast, and the cooking stone lags well behind it. Launch before the stone is soaked and you get a pale, soggy bottom. Here's how long it really takes, why the floor is the wait, and exactly how to know it's ready.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
Best Wood for a Pizza Oven (2026): What to Burn (and What Never To)
The short version: burn kiln-dried hardwood, oak, maple, ash, beech, or food-grade hardwood pellets, and nothing else. Softwoods, painted or treated lumber, and green or wet wood don't just taste worse; they physically keep a wood-fired oven from reaching the ~900°F floor that makes the pizza worth burning wood for in the first place. Here's exactly what to buy, what to avoid, and how dry hardwood is the single thing standing between you and a blistered 60-second pie.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
Natural Gas vs. Propane Pizza Oven (2026): Which Fuel Hookup?
Almost every gas pizza oven sold ships set up for propane (the standard 20 lb tank), and many of the popular ones (the Ooni Koda 16, the Gozney models) offer a natural-gas conversion kit that plumbs the oven into your home's gas line. Here's the honest version of the choice: it is a convenience-and-installation decision, not a pizza-quality one. Propane goes anywhere and needs no install but you swap tanks; natural gas never runs out and is usually cheaper to run, but it ties the oven to a fixed line and a hookup. Neither makes a better pizza. Here's how to pick the right one for your patio.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Comparison
Bertello Grande vs Ooni Karu 12 (2026): Which Should You Buy?
Two multi-fuel ovens that both burn gas and wood, so this isn't a fuel decision, it's a size, price, and brand one. The Bertello Grande is the bigger oven: a true 16-inch deck that fits a party pie and runs gas plus wood, for $549, but it's a heavy 50 lb from a smaller brand. The Ooni Karu 12 is the smaller, lighter play: a 12-inch multi-fuel oven that's $300 cheaper, half the weight at 26.4 lb, and backed by the biggest brand and accessory ecosystem in the category, at a smaller pie. We run both on our signature spine and tell you which is yours.
Read the guide →~10 min read
Comparison
Cuisinart Indoor vs Ninja Artisan (2026): Which Budget Electric Pizza Oven?
The two budget electric pizza ovens most first-timers cross-shop, settled. Both plug into a standard outlet, both are indoor-safe, and both reach a manufacturer-stated ~700°F, so peak heat is a tie. The Cuisinart Indoor is the lightest way in at $299 and 24 lb; the Ninja Artisan now costs the same ~$300 and adds multi-mode versatility and a more premium build for ten pounds more. We run both on our signature spine and tell you which one is yours.
Read the guide →~10 min read
Comparison
Ooni Fyra 12 vs Ooni Karu 12 (2026): Which Should You Buy?
Two entry Ooni live-fire ovens, two fuel philosophies, and a price gap that has opened up: the Fyra 12 still lists at $349 while the Karu 12 has fallen to about $249. The Fyra 12 is the lightest, simplest wood-burner Ooni makes, pure wood-pellet flavor from a gravity-fed hopper, at just 22 lb, but pellet-only with no gas option. The Karu 12 is multi-fuel: it burns wood and charcoal and takes an optional gas burner, so it's more versatile at a slightly heavier 26.4 lb. Both hit ~950°F and both are 60-Second-Pizza Club members. We run them on our signature spine and tell you which Ooni is yours.
Read the guide →~10 min read
Comparison
Gozney Arc XL vs Gozney Dome (2026): Which Should You Buy?
Gozney's two premium 16-inch ovens, settled. The Arc XL is the gas flagship, push-button instant heat, beautifully built, and still movable at 56 lb, for ~$1,000. The Dome is the showpiece: a 128 lb multi-fuel centerpiece that burns wood (with optional gas), carries the biggest thermal mass in the lineup, and becomes a near-permanent backyard fixture, for $1,499. Both reach ~950°F and both belong to the 60-Second Club, so this is a fuel, weight, and price decision. We run both on our signature spine and tell you which Gozney is yours.
Read the guide →~10 min read
Explainer
Pizza Oven vs. Grill (2026): Can't I Just Use My Grill?
Short, honest answer: yes, your grill makes good pizza, especially with a baking steel or a grill-top pizza attachment, and it's a great low-cost way to start if you already own one. But a dedicated pizza oven makes BETTER pizza, because it pairs a ~900°F stone underneath with an enclosed chamber that blasts heat down across the top of the pie. A grill heats from below and fights to char the top before the bottom burns. Here's where each one wins, and how to decide without overspending.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
Are Ooni Pizza Ovens Worth It? (2026): An Honest Verdict
Short version: yes, for most people who actually want backyard Neapolitan pizza. Ooni hits the ~950°F floor that makes a true 60-second pie, and it does it across the widest, best-supported lineup in the category, gas, multi-fuel, electric, and pellet, from a ~$249 starter to a $1,299 showpiece. The only real caveat isn't Ooni; it's you, whether you want that pizza enough to use the thing. Here's where Ooni earns it, where it doesn't, which model fits which person, and who should look at Gozney, Solo Stove, or no oven at all instead.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
What Size Pizza Oven Do I Need? (2026): 12 vs 14 vs 16 (and 20)
Cooking-floor size is the first real decision in buying a pizza oven, and bigger is not automatically better. A 12-inch oven is the lightest, cheapest, most portable class and makes a perfect personal-to-medium pie. A 14-inch is the do-everything middle. A 16-inch is the entertainer's party-pie size, and Ooni's 20-inch Koda 2 Max is a feed-a-crowd showpiece. Here's how to match the floor to how many you cook for, your space, and your budget, with the real weights and prices, not vibes.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
Pizza Oven vs. Regular Oven (2026): The 400°F Gap That Decides It
Do you need a dedicated pizza oven, or can you just use your kitchen oven? The whole answer comes down to one number. A pizza oven reaches a ~900 to 950°F floor; a home oven is capped near 550°F by design and regulation. That ~400°F gap is not a detail, it's the entire story, and no kitchen hack closes it. Here's exactly what that gap does, what your regular oven is genuinely great at, and the honest line that tells you which side you're on.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Explainer
Wood vs. Gas vs. Electric Pizza Oven (2026): The Definitive Fuel Decision
Fuel is the first fork in the road, and it quietly decides your whole experience, the flavor, the effort, the peak heat, even where you're allowed to put the thing. Gas is convenience and consistency. Wood (and multi-fuel) is flavor, ritual, and the highest heat. Electric is the only one you can run indoors. Here's the honest three-way breakdown, the real peak-temperature differences, and exactly how to choose by what you actually care about.
Read the guide →~12 min read