Whether to build or purchase a home pizza oven

For the casual pizza maker, it seems fairly obvious to go after a smaller, cheaper and/or simpler pizza oven for your creations. But for an expert, the descision might not be as simple. There are many factors which would influence your decision either way, which is what we are here to talk about.

A ready-to-use pizza oven has quite a few advantages. Firstly and most obviously, there is little to no effort involved. On an electric or counter top oven, the most advanced thing you will have to do to get ready is plug the cord in. These models are usually designed to be very easy and efficient cookers, so all the hard work is done for you. They are created by companies who invest time and resources into their designs and make ovens that work. These companies understand that customers require easy to use ovens. This leads me to the downsides. A mass produced pizza oven is going to do exactly what it says on the box, and won't allow for any customisation. Pretty much all the control you will get is the heat on the top and bottom elements or burners. This is more than enough for most home pizza oven users, so don't let this scare you off.

Onto a DIY or brick pizza oven made in your backyard. Depending on a few factors, the final construction may produce some of the most amazing home made pizza you had ever tasted. This article assumes that if you are setting out to build a pizza oven, you are building a wood fired oven, since all other ovens are commercially available. Many people do not realise the skill involved in cooking a pizza in a wood fired pizza oven. The inconsistencies in fire and stone construction can make cooking a pizza evenly fairly difficult.

The hardest part comes in building the outdoor pizza oven. This hard work is the biggest thing that puts people off of building their own oven. Getting it right will take some skill and patience. Even worse if you aren't an experienced handyman or woman. All this said, handy people who love their home made pizza will get a huge thrill out of building their own pizza oven. Whether you want to brag about your creation to friends or entertain a mass of guests, an outdoor brick oven will fill your needs. A DIY pizza oven is a great idea if you fall into this category.

You may not be aware that there is a compromise between both worlds. This is where the not so handy people can still get away with building their own pizza oven. Pizza oven kits are available in many countries. You can actually build a large outdoor pizza oven from a kit. This means step by step instructions with a degree of customization whereby you can still build and impressive oven without anywhere near the amount of technical know how required to build one from raw materials.

Whichever route you choose, there is no doubt that home made pizza is leaps and bounds ahead of take out and supermarket pizza.