How to Use Your Pizza Oven for Big Parties

Hosting a big party can be a challenge, especially when it comes to feeding a crowd. But with the right planning, cooking for a large group can actually be a fun experience. Whether you’re cooking for a group of friends, family, or colleagues, a pizza oven offers the perfect way to cook multiple pizzas quickly and efficiently. In this blog, we’ll share our tips and tricks on how to use your pizza oven to make pizza parties a breeze, from prepping in advance to managing the cooking process. Let’s go!

Preparation is Key

Preparation is key when using your pizza oven for a big party. Start by making the dough and prepping a topping station in advance, so you’re not scrambling around when guests arrive. Have all your toppings in organised bowls or even an actual topping station. Make the pizza sauce up to 24 hours in advance – it actually gets better with time, so your guests will thank you for it! 

If you’re using a wood-fired oven like an Igneus Pizza Oven, ensure you have enough wood to last through the event. Sounds obvious but imagine the embarrassment of running out of wood before everyone had been fed! 

Having extra dough and ingredients on hand is always a good idea too, as it helps you handle unexpected last-minute requests or if you need to adjust any mistakes during the cooking process.

Managing Cooking Efficiency

Managing cooking efficiency is crucial when feeding a crowd. Start by preheating your pizza oven to the ideal temperature of 450°C as your guests start to arrive. Don’t forget to make sure the stone is up to temperature too. We recommend around 350°C. This ensures your pizzas cook evenly and quickly from below as well as above. 

Use the whole cooking surface of your oven, rotating the pizzas as needed to avoid hot spots and ensure even cooking. If your pizza oven has the capacity to cook two pizzas at the same time, such as the Igneus Classico and Pro Range, use it! 

To keep things running smoothly, use an infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature of the stone, ensuring it remains consistent throughout the cooking process. By staying on top of temperature management, you can serve perfectly cooked pizzas one after another without any delays.

Make It Interactive

One of the best parts of using a pizza oven for a big party is making the cooking process interactive. If you set up a topping station like we suggested above, your guests can get creative with their toppings, as well as take some of the burden off you! So, you can concentrate on launching, turning, and temperature control.

Make sure you provide a variety of ingredients to let everyone build their own pizzas, from classic margherita to adventurous flavour combinations. Trust us, your guests will love the personal touch and enjoy the opportunity to customise their pizzas to their liking.

Keep Calm If Things Don’t Go as Planned

Even with the best preparation, things don’t always go according to plan, and that’s where having a backup plan comes in. If a pizza gets overcooked or the dough tears, don’t worry – you can easily fix mishaps. Try transforming a ruined pizza into a calzone or simply add fresh toppings to salvage it. Also, it’s important to remember a pizza party is a casual experience, not a formal dinner. People don’t have to eat all at the same time, and most people will get the deal with that.

Final Thoughts

Using your pizza oven for a big party can be a fun and efficient way to feed a crowd. With the right preparation, temperature management, and a little flexibility, you’ll be able to serve up delicious pizzas that everyone will enjoy. Just remember, pizza parties are about being casual and fun – so don’t stress if things don’t go exactly as planned! If you have any questions about our range of ovens, feel free to get in touch with us at 01423 575885 or explore our full selection of products here.