Portable Pizza Ovens: What Are the Advantages?

For a long time, if you wanted proper wood-fired pizza at home, you needed a big brick oven, physically built into the garden. That hasn’t been the case for a while now, though. Pizza ovens have come a long way in recent years, and good portable pizza ovens are light enough to carry, quick to set up, and still cook with real wood. The Igneus Minimo is a good example of what a proper portable pizza oven should be. So, if you’re thinking of investing in your first portable pizza oven, whether that’s for yourself or for someone else, in this article we look at its three biggest advantages and why they matter.

Take A Portable Pizza Oven Anywhere

Let’s start with the plain obvious, shall we? The Minimo weighs just 15kg and measures 49 x 41 x 63cm, so it will easily fit in the boot of most cars with room for your bags. Setting it up is simple too. The chimney slides onto the collar and clicks into place; you pop the stone inside, and you’re ready to light the fire.

All that means you’re not stuck cooking in one spot. Take it camping, down to the beach, round to a friend’s house, or just move it about the garden to follow the sun. It also works well if you’ve only got a small patio or balcony as it’s so compact.

If you want something a bit bigger, the Igneus Bambino is still portable, but more in the sense of moving it around the garden than taking it on a camping trip. It weighs 37kg, or 17kg with the fire bricks taken out, and the chimney can be stored inside the oven if transporting.

How Quickly Does a Portable Pizza Oven Heat Up?

One thing that surprises a lot of people is how quickly a portable oven heats up. The Minimo reaches prime pizza cooking temperature of 450°C in just 10-15 minutes, and once it’s there, it will cook a 12″ pizza in about 60-90 seconds. So, you can go from lighting it to eating in under half an hour, which is handy when everyone’s hungry, and the kids are complaining that they’re “starving”!

Built-in ovens are great, but they do take longer to heat up, and they take ages to cool down again afterwards. With the Minimo, you’re not waiting around at either end of the day; it cools fairly quickly, so you can pack it away and head home, especially if you’re at the beach.

It runs on kiln-dried hardwood. We’d recommend silver birch as it burns hot and clean. And because it’s wood-fired, you get that smoky flavour and blistered crust you just don’t get from a normal kitchen oven.

More Than Pizza: What Else Can You Cook?

The Minimo isn’t just for pizza either. A small roasting tin fits inside, so you can cook a family-sized chicken in around 45 minutes with roast potatoes alongside it. People use theirs for bread, lasagne and even apple crumble.

Portable ovens also cost a lot less than large, built-in ovens and are a lot easier to look after, with no render to maintain and nothing that has to stay out in all weathers. The Minimo is currently reduced from £375 down to £249, which includes a free peel, plus an extended 3-year warranty when you register it with us. 

If you think you’ll be cooking for a bigger crowd and need more space, the Igneus Bambino has a 50 x 50cm cooking area. It will take a pizza up to 14″ and fits a full-sized roasting tin too.

Final Thoughts

If you love getting out and about, or you’re short on outdoor space, the Minimo is hard to beat. It’s light, quick, and cooks a properly good pizza wherever you set it up. If you mostly cook at home for a few more people, the Bambino might suit you better. Still not sure which one is right for you? Pop into our showroom in Knaresborough, just outside of Harrogate, or give our friendly team a call on 01423 575885 and we’ll be happy to advise. 

You can also explore our full range of ovens and pizza oven accessories.