Feb
Pizza Ovens
Convection Ovens vs Pizza Ovens
When it comes to choosing the perfect oven in which to cook your pizza, there really is no comparison. Whether it’s how quickly the heat is generated and retained, the taste of the freshly baked, flame licked pizza or the vast array of other meals you can use a pizza oven for, we would always recommend a pizza oven over a convection oven, if you want that truly authentic pizzeria taste. If you don’t know the difference or would like to, read on as we document everything you need to know.
Heat
Typically, the heat in a standard, domestic convection oven can only reach 250°C as an absolute maximum. This can lead to longer cooking times for many dishes, but especially pizza as authentic pizza is literally cooked in as little as 60 seconds. In comparison, a pizza oven can reach 500°C although a perfect temperature depending on the type of pizza can be anywhere between 400-450°C. Of course, you could always take a pizza stone designed for a convection oven which would give you a small resemblance of a pizza oven baked pizza.
However, this requires preheating your convection oven for about 15 minutes prior to cooking to ensure it has a consistent temperature, and in truth it will never give you the smoky, charred taste which can only be achieved with a wood fired pizza oven.
Quality
How the ovens are constructed makes a huge difference in the quality of taste, appearance, and texture of the pizza. Convection ovens need to be clean, as a dirty oven will not only
cook any leftovers or debris but taint the flavour of the pizza and cause the pizza and/or oven to smoke. In comparison, a homemade pizza in a wood fired pizza oven can result in a charred burnt flour crust pizza. Where convection ovens dry out the crust and make it tougher, a pizza oven will crispen the crust leaving a hot moist interior with a much superior texture.
What’s more for wood fired pizza ovens, the flavour is improved by the caramelisation of flavours from the wood smoke. This is due to the intense heat puffing up the dough making the crust of a pizza crisp and interior soft. Pizza ovens also result in that beautiful leopard spotted golden appearance, far more appetising, with a charred aroma.
Portability
Where convection ovens are static, pizza ovens offer a degree of portability. This is perfect if you want to host and entertain guests away from your home. The Igneus Minimo and Bambino models are a perfect option for this, as their lightweight design (15kg and 17kg respectively) means you can easily transport them if you want to take them camping, to the seaside or even round to a friend’s house.
Building in pizza ovens and larger Igneus ovens are of course static due to their materials. However, you can still cook a pizza to perfection on a portable wood fired pizza oven. All you would require is wood of which one log every 20 minutes would maintain a high level of heat.
Versatility
You would be forgiven for thinking that a convection oven cooks a larger range of dishes than a pizza oven. In fact, a pizza oven can also sear meats, bake bread and pastries, and
cook as many dishes as you could in a convection oven. What’s more is it gives you that same authentic, wood fired taste to your roasts, lasagnes, casseroles, and curry’s as it does for your pizzas. This means you really can recreate those restaurant favourites in your very own garden. Not to mention the added fun factor you get from experimenting with your pizza oven. Trying different recipes, and taking all the compliments that will undoubtably be lauded upon you when your friends try your food!
There’s no contest between a standard convection oven, when compared to a wood fired pizza oven. We guarantee that our pizza ovens will give you a fresher, more appetising result every single time.
We know it can be hard choosing a pizza oven, our team can help you choose the right one for your needs. You can get in touch by calling us on 01423 575885
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