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Happy that someone did a review of these ovens. I have owned two Oonis, a Bertello and a Blackstone. As you found, they all heat up well but the temp of the stone is critical. Cooking a bunch of pizzas in a row will be frustrating as the stones do not retain enough heat to brown the second or third pizza without waiting for the stone to heat back up. That being said there are a couple of ovens out there that have a burner for the stone and we will be trying one soon. We prefer the Ooni 16 for overall performance but one has to adjust the burner constantly when cooking a few pizzas. By the way, if you just turn the heat up after cooking, the debris on the stone will turn to ash in about 5 minutes. We use a leaf blower to blow out the interior after it has cooled and looks brand new every time.
This is by far the best review and comparison video I have ever seen for anything. Extremely well thought out with pertinent decision making information. I am only writing this comment to inform future viewers of your platform of the value that you bring. Thank you.
Man, I love the effort you made to give a solid review of these pizza ovens. Having the two gentlemen to use and give their opinions was great to see. Very unbiased review process. That’s how it’s done. Thanks for a great video. We loved the approach and your feedback.
I stumbled on this video because I had decided to purchase a pizza oven for my SIL for his birthday and wanted to do a little research. After seeing all the options/pros/cons in this well presented video, I have decided to give him a link to the video on his birthday and let him make the decision before I do any purchasing. Thank you for posting this.
This is the consumer reports of pizza oven! Excellent job. I love my Ooni Karu 16. I have the both the natural gas and propane gas burners in addition to enjoying the wood/charcoal fire capabilities. I couldn't ask for more in an outdoor oven. Plus the Ooni customer service is top notch and will help out even after the warranty expires.
I’ve used the Ooni Karu 16 and it is really great. I bought it and have loved making pizza steak wings and vegetables in it. I didn’t get the pizza oven door that I saw in this video but I have loved the door that comes with the oven. It allows you to close it and keep the temps up while building you’re next pizza or preparing next dish. Great video. Confirmed what I thought about my purchase choice. ❤
Your videos are always very thorough and well made. I have the Expert Grill Pizza oven (Walmart). The reason why is I believe these ovens are way too over priced. I paid $117 for my oven and would suggest this for a novice. It's fun to work with and learn, and once you get it done, makes a great pizza. Biggest challenge is keeping the stone hot.
I have the Blackstone pizza oven took me a couple tries to figure out exactly how to use it but what a great pizza oven, it heats up fast. Once the oven is heated up, You turn down the flame to about medium each individual person can figure that out. I've learned about 550° to 600° is the best cooking temperature. Once the oven is heated up. You turn down the flame to about medium each individual person can figure that out.
I love and highly recommend the Alfa oven have had it for 2 years and very happy I chose this brand, I have the wood fire only and really enjoyed learning how to use it!
Same here. I have the Alfa Forni Ciao model in the wood fire version. 🔥 I got mine 2 years ago and I love it. I chose the Italian yellow version. They say you can make 2 pizzas at a time in mine but I'm not good enough yet with my pizza peel turning skills to manage 2. What's really nice is after we are done making pizzas, I move the fire into the middle of the oven and it serves as an outdoor fireplace. 🔥 At night, with a glass of wine, the fire creates a beautiful ambiance.
This is SUCH an incredibly informative video! Thank you for making it so clear and concise! I really appreciate all the hard work that went into every part of this video!❤❤
I clean my Koda 16 using pyrolysis. I just block half of the opening with an old cookie sheet or some foil during pre-heat, and turn the oven on full blast. After 45 min or so, the heat has incinerated any mess left over from the previous cook and the stone looks brand new. This would likely work with other ovens too.
You did a great review! first time seeing your work i will watch more from your channel. a NICE TOUCH BRINGING IN TWO NOVICE! The neighbors must of loved this TESTING! YOU COVERED EVERY ASPECT OF THE STOVE THANKS!
That review, was the most in depth review I've ever seen. So complete and with analysis from the David own use of each. AND to follow up it with 2 novice pizza makers. I'm blown away. Im in the market for an oven and it answered all questions. In the end, I think I'm leaning towards the CRU (wood fired- love the large dome- easy to clean - love the entire floor being covered.) Kinda a no brainer for me. I don't care about the portability because it will only be out in my back yard, next to my pellet grill. Thank you David, it saved me a lot of time.
UPDATE: after looking again at the ovens, I"ve decided the OONI Karu 16 with multi fuel option is what I'm going with. Watched Mike & Vito cook up some pizza using it. I"m sold.
Nice reviews. I have the Koda 16 with an aftermarket door. Love it! I want to say unscientifically the warm up time is drastically reduced saving propane and time. If I want the smoked flavor I use a stainless vented stainless steel container filled with pellets. Placed close to the side burner works very good. Easy cleanup too.
This is the exact setup I have and the door on the Koda makes it a game changer. The pellets in a container is an awesome idea… I’m going to have to see if I can find a good stainless vented stainless steel container….
I've had the camp chef for five years now and I fully agree with your review, I have used the oonie and did not like the speed in which it cooks but my son loves the speed that it cooks. When we are making pizza it's a family time so being able to prep and engage with family with out burning your pizza is nice because I typically am the pizza maker in my house. Thanks for the video
Nice review on a wide variety and design styles. I use a non-portable backyard pizza oven but can relate with many of the characteristics you point out. I agree with your analysis and points of view. This is a difficult review to do because there is such a wide spread list of requirements of personal chefs.
that was a really good review. There are so many options available today compared to 10 years ago. I think it really comes down to how much you want to monitor the fire. Thanks
For me i wanted a large oven room enough for a 18 pizza.After much research i opted for a toscana wood fired oven by la piazza and it is a beast love it and make so many different things in it.
I love my Koda 16, the portability and ease of use were the primary selling points for me. We've packed it up and hosted pizza parties at friends and family multiple times, and not fusing with wood kept the pizzas flowing off the oven.
Agreed! Got a Koda 16 before the price change like 2 years ago and the family loves it! Little bit of a learning curve when dealing with the L shape... but its been awesome.
My wife exiled me away from her kitchen due to the mess I make on pizza night. So now I think an outdoor propane portable model is my future. I prefer a true 16" pizza capability, but you covered alot of important variables. So much so that I could not track them or take enough notes. I was hoping you would have presented a side by side comparison matrix which would have been far easier to narrow down the model best for me. Is one possibly somewhere in the many links you provided? Thank you.
What an excellent and very informative video. I was very impressed with the video and how helpful it was in shopping for a pizza oven. You covered all aspects of it. Great job!
I agree with the stone temp. I swapped out my Ooni 16 stone with a custom made steel from Etsy. 580°-600° is the target temp for the steel which gives a nice leopard bottom!
@Nclght mine is just below 1/2". 7/16" I think. It does retain heat big time, especially in the back left corner on the Koda 16. Just make sure you have a temp gun and try not to get it over 610°. When i use the cordite cooking stone, I can go over 700°. I guess because it's porous. Just don't use sugar or too much olive oil in your dough or it will burn and brown too fast.
@alge3399 Yeah, i use traditional neo style dough with around 58 hydration using 00 or all trumps flour, so my doughs are designed to handle high temps. I found my steel perfect for using in the home oven. The Karu 16 stone already gets extremely hot and holds temperature throughout multiple cooks. My Karu 12 didn't hold it through multiple cooks and I thought the 16 would be the same. It had no problem holding stone temps, so there was no need to change the stone. In this video, I think he indicated he saw a drop off. I thought he must have been doing something wrong as no other reviewer nor my experience found an issue.
I’m leaning toward the Alfa but it is only propane. I’d like to do some wood fire pizza and I was wondering if you tried putting wood in the Alfa to test this theory? 33:02
This channel is Top Tier, always great review. If i was going to suggest somthing make it better i would like to see maybe a time stamp for diff grills or diff chapters. Id like to see where i can fast forward on the slider to get to what interests me
Fantastic video I absolutely just subscribed. I love how you broke down each pizza oven in great detail with pros cons price and had independent novice testers really well done.
Great review! My twin brother knew I wanted an Ooni so he gave me one for my (our?) 60th birthday present. Still getting the hang of getting perfect results but I really enjoy using it! Garlic shrimp in a Lodge cast iron skillet is fantastic. Not tried steak yet but I will.
One oven that has not been rated that I can find is the Bakebros 16", true 16" stone, propane, J shaped burner, comes with slotted peel and carrying case for a steal at $399. Check it out....I bought one and works great. Probably comparable to the Koda 16???
Wow, this is perhaps the best comparison video I have seen. I really appreciate the multiple ways you rate these ovens. In the middle of the video I thought ok this one (The Karu) is best for me... At the end I was certain I really need to get the CRU. It just checks all the boxes and isnt the most costly. But that Karo is a good 2nd choice.
I really appreciate how you presented all the data you collected. I particularly love the novice input. I personally think the Alpha Moderno is for me. I appreciate the thicker rock plate and the esthetics of it.
I have the Walmart Adventure edition 22" Blackstone griddle and they make a modular version of the pizza oven that fits on the double burners....seriously giving that thought at $200 since I already have the 22" griddle.
Alfa would be my choice and the Karu 16 would be 2nd but with a custom biscotto stone. The others either don’t have the flame source in right area or just don’t have the proper design to cook really good pizza. I’m surprised that Gozney dome, and arcs didn’t make it here. They are great ovens
I have the ooni Karu 16 multi-fuel. I'm confused by yours, as mine has a glass door and not the half glass screen. We still use a wood pizza peel for launching, but then switch to the ooni peel and turner. cleaning the Karu is easy. If using coal or wood, take out the coal/wood tray. If using gas, there is no tray. Then pull the stone out and scrap it. then I use the leaf blower from the back opening and blow out any stuff in there. Finally, I turn the stone upside down for the next cook, which for some reason burns everything off the bottom of the stone. the bottom being what was the top the last cook. it's really easy to clean. Cooking still takes practice. we find a stone temp of about 750F is the max you want, and then air temp takes practice too. We love it though. I could see getting a big traditional none portable pizza oven though, but the prices are crazy.
the half glass door is an accessory you buy for $120 You are correct on stone temp. Most people are very wrong about that. You see recommendations of 850-900, etc. 750 is the "best" temp for neapolitan pizza but I am happy with anything under 800
Awesome video... Really appreciate it... getting ready to buy one... only thing I would have liked to seen was how easy is it to hold a consistent temperature in each... Ty Jet...
Warning: Any of these pizza ovens can and probably will become addicting. You will start using terms like poolish and biga. When you start sleeping with your turning peel it's time to seek help.
I bought my first black stone in 2015 at the same time I became a founding member of a brewery that opened up locally and got beer dirt cheap. I no cap gained 20 pounds that year.
Fantastic review. Very professional, excellent production quality. There was a lot of depth to this and I can't think of what more I would need to know. Great job, I subscribed and look forward to exploring your other vids.
I'm learning to cook and would like to start cooking pizzas in the near future. Thank you very much for this review in helping me decide which pizza oven would be best suited for me in my enviornment.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Glad it was helpful, and I’ve found the pizza making journey to be incredibly satisfying and challenging to master. It’s a lot of fun, and I know you’re going to enjoy it.
@@TheBarbecueLab As a novice, I'm trying to be as surgical as possible in this sort of homework. I know I may mess up along the way, but I hope I can at least have fun with it and make some good pizzas for friends and family. Once again, I thank you, sir. And God bless you.
Truly great video! It so happens that I own two of the shown ovens; in my US home, I have the Camp Chef Italia (paid $249 in 2019) and in my home in Transylvania (literally 10 min from the "Dracula Castle", I have the Koda16. I find your video to be as honest as it can be, because the issues pointed-out on the Camp Chef Italia are absolutely correct. I did a fine-tune and grow to love it enormously. You pointed out a long heat-up time and burned bottom, which is 100% accurate out of the box. The trick is to obstruct about 3" in the center of the linear burner (this will leave the very center a little bit less hot, but will send more fuel to all other outlet holes for a hotter flame) and set a second pizza stone on top of the one already inside . I use a 13" round 1/4" one and the results are phenomenal. 13" Pizza in under two min. The Ooni is just as described - excellent! Quick tip for the Ooni: Use those pizza turner "forks" as a pair and it will turn perfectly. Also, I prefer smaller size pizzas with a larger variety of toppings vs. a large pizza (even with sections of different toppings - not my thing). As a side-note, Transylvania is a heaven for home pizza cooking, due to best ingredients being largely available, from genuine Italian pizza flower in a waste variety of brands, genuine mozzarella di buffala and meats and cheeses not available in the US. Cheers!
I have the Blackstone, I have no experience cooking pizza, so I wanted the one where I had to do the least work I’ve only cooked about three pizzas and they just keep getting better with each cook. I’m going to try that 600° stone starting point, great video.
The Gozney Roccbox is a 12” oven. These ovens are all 16” and portable. The Gozney Dome is significantly more expensive and not portable. You’re right though, the Roccbox is a great oven!
The wood that we used in the video was the pre cut wood that you can source directly from Cru on their website. I would say that the big logs are aound 6-8 inches long and about 1-1.5 inches in diameter. I'll split those down to smaller cuts to get things started, but the wood pack sure makes things easy when running a wood only fire.
In the ooni Koda 16 you buy a lit for it and put on high heat 45min later everything has turn to ash and easy to clean. If the ooni coda 16 cloud turn off 1 off the burner while cooking it would be great
Haven’t tried the Walmart Blackstone yet, but the one off the Blackstone website for a little bit more was in our 16” pizza oven roundup. That burner is like a jet engine. I remember that part vividly.
Excellent overall review on all the Ovens.I have the Halo Versa 16 and love it. My only thing is majoring the bottom heat. I've heard about changing the stone on the bottom to control the heat for the bottom of the crust. Has any1 ever changed or any suggestions on types of stones that produce less heat than the halo stone? TIA
This was great! I'm just starting to look into outdoor pizza ovens, so this was immensely helpful! I'm wondering, did you have a noticeable flavor difference between wood burning ovens and propane? I recently switched from an electric smoker to a pellet and the change is night and day in flavor. Nothing really compares to that wood smoke flavor
I find that most people tend to think that more char on the crust means it was cooked with a wood fire, when in fact it's just char, and can be created with either fuel type. I can smell the difference when I'm cooking with wood, but I can't taste it.
Does the Ooni Karu 16 have two different openings? I saw the it had a door that comes down but in your video it has a open with a glass see through slit on top?
Originally, it had the swing down door in front, but they later came out with a half door for the propane burner. I believe you can still get it with the swing down door if you order the wood version. The half door is for the propane or gas variant.
Yeah I don’t know about a wood fired oven being “relaxing” lol, it’s very involved vs some of the others that seem way more relaxing/less stressful, but agree about the art of managing a fire part. More importantly, the Koda 16 definitely needs more than 1 turn so that’s a bit misleading and is gonna lead to a lot of people burning their pizzas. It’s not a forgiving oven in the slightest. The proximity and intensity of the fire to the pizza makes it really important to turn at the right time(s).
I have gozney roccbox, probably you cant get them in us. To be fair its not 16" oven, so would not go into this review, but probably best build pizza oven on the market. There is gozney dome, that is larger and on different level from all the oven in review. Also amazing pizza oven. Nice reviews, exellent if I may say so.
@@jonrn The Dome has an 18x21ish internal size. You lose some room for the gas burner or the wood fire depending on which fuel you're using but it's certainly in the size range compared with some of the other "16 inch" ovens as they note some of those are really more suited for 13 inch pies.
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You are the first with a review of alfa portable!
Do you plan to do a longer review with the Alfa?
Happy that someone did a review of these ovens. I have owned two Oonis, a Bertello and a Blackstone. As you found, they all heat up well but the temp of the stone is critical. Cooking a bunch of pizzas in a row will be frustrating as the stones do not retain enough heat to brown the second or third pizza without waiting for the stone to heat back up. That being said there are a couple of ovens out there that have a burner for the stone and we will be trying one soon. We prefer the Ooni 16 for overall performance but one has to adjust the burner constantly when cooking a few pizzas. By the way, if you just turn the heat up after cooking, the debris on the stone will turn to ash in about 5 minutes. We use a leaf blower to blow out the interior after it has cooled and looks brand new every time.
How does the Bertello size up? Narrowing my list down but that one is currently near the top for me
Can you comment on the Bertello ?
This is by far the best review and comparison video I have ever seen for anything. Extremely well thought out with pertinent decision making information. I am only writing this comment to inform future viewers of your platform of the value that you bring. Thank you.
This is the best review of any product I've ever seen! You covered every aspect of every oven. Amazing work!
Yup Agreed
Ditto
what about taste? Did you get which taste the best here aspect?
He’s pretty good, huh!
Underrated channel for outdoor equipment reviews. Especially love your pizza oven reviews.
Man, I love the effort you made to give a solid review of these pizza ovens. Having the two gentlemen to use and give their opinions was great to see. Very unbiased review process. That’s how it’s done. Thanks for a great video. We loved the approach and your feedback.
Zero carb daddy? Wow that's cool if you're really zero carbs.
Wonderful review. The alpha is the one I would want. The biscotti floor allows a great bake without burning the bottom
We just purchased the Camp Chef--First use we cooked 3 large pizza's in 15 minutes--LOVE IT--For $235.00 at home depot--Great deal, Easy to use.
I stumbled on this video because I had decided to purchase a pizza oven for my SIL for his birthday and wanted to do a little research. After seeing all the options/pros/cons in this well presented video, I have decided to give him a link to the video on his birthday and let him make the decision before I do any purchasing. Thank you for posting this.
You’re welcome! Looking forward to hearing what the choice ends up being. Keep us posted, and thanks for watching.
wow the level of detail of every aspect of the ovens is remarkable, thanks best regards
This is the consumer reports of pizza oven! Excellent job. I love my Ooni Karu 16. I have the both the natural gas and propane gas burners in addition to enjoying the wood/charcoal fire capabilities. I couldn't ask for more in an outdoor oven. Plus the Ooni customer service is top notch and will help out even after the warranty expires.
I'm using 3 halo 16" ovens in my pizza trailer 😊
I just bought one. Haven't even unboxed yet. You would be a great person to ask: What is the delay time between pizza's?
@rmtl3140 I used it to make pizzas on my daughter's graduation as a test and I rocked out 19 pizzas in a few hours. Recovery is very minimal
What a fair and thorough review. Balanced and asks all the right questions. I like how you got beginners to use the product as well as an expert.
I’ve used the Ooni Karu 16 and it is really great. I bought it and have loved making pizza steak wings and vegetables in it. I didn’t get the pizza oven door that I saw in this video but I have loved the door that comes with the oven. It allows you to close it and keep the temps up while building you’re next pizza or preparing next dish. Great video. Confirmed what I thought about my purchase choice. ❤
Your videos are always very thorough and well made.
I have the Expert Grill Pizza oven (Walmart). The reason why is I believe these ovens are way too over priced. I paid $117 for my oven and would suggest this for a novice. It's fun to work with and learn, and once you get it done, makes a great pizza. Biggest challenge is keeping the stone hot.
I have the Blackstone pizza oven took me a couple tries to figure out exactly how to use it but what a great pizza oven, it heats up fast. Once the oven is heated up, You turn down the flame to about medium each individual person can figure that out. I've learned about 550° to 600° is the best cooking temperature. Once the oven is heated up. You turn down the flame to about medium each individual person can figure that out.
I love and highly recommend the Alfa oven have had it for 2 years and very happy I chose this brand, I have the wood fire only and really enjoyed learning how to use it!
Same here. I have the Alfa Forni Ciao model in the wood fire version. 🔥 I got mine 2 years ago and I love it. I chose the Italian yellow version. They say you can make 2 pizzas at a time in mine but I'm not good enough yet with my pizza peel turning skills to manage 2. What's really nice is after we are done making pizzas, I move the fire into the middle of the oven and it serves as an outdoor fireplace. 🔥 At night, with a glass of wine, the fire creates a beautiful ambiance.
Does the Alfa have the capability to do hybrid? Some of their options have it as an add on
This is SUCH an incredibly informative video! Thank you for making it so clear and concise! I really appreciate all the hard work that went into every part of this video!❤❤
I clean my Koda 16 using pyrolysis. I just block half of the opening with an old cookie sheet or some foil during pre-heat, and turn the oven on full blast. After 45 min or so, the heat has incinerated any mess left over from the previous cook and the stone looks brand new. This would likely work with other ovens too.
Great review! One of the most, thorough product reviews I think I’ve ever seen on YT. Nicely done!
Blackstone is 🔥🔥🔥🔥 easy winner
You did a great review! first time seeing your work i will watch more from your channel. a NICE TOUCH BRINGING IN TWO NOVICE! The neighbors must of loved this TESTING! YOU COVERED EVERY ASPECT OF THE STOVE THANKS!
I have the black stone pizza oven and I love it works great
That review, was the most in depth review I've ever seen. So complete and with analysis from the David own use of each. AND to follow up it with 2 novice pizza makers. I'm blown away. Im in the market for an oven and it answered all questions. In the end, I think I'm leaning towards the CRU (wood fired- love the large dome- easy to clean - love the entire floor being covered.) Kinda a no brainer for me. I don't care about the portability because it will only be out in my back yard, next to my pellet grill. Thank you David, it saved me a lot of time.
UPDATE: after looking again at the ovens, I"ve decided the OONI Karu 16 with multi fuel option is what I'm going with. Watched Mike & Vito cook up some pizza using it. I"m sold.
Great video dude! Now I know more on what to look to buy one of theese. Probably the Alfa for me since I don't want to move it a lot... 😀
Did you consider reviewing the gozney dome or fontana maestro? Or are you planning a separate video at that price point?
Blackstone would be the one I would buy. Fits our family needs, style.
Still rocking my v1 that is about a decade old but functionally the same as the new one.
Nice reviews. I have the Koda 16 with an aftermarket door. Love it!
I want to say unscientifically the warm up time is drastically reduced saving propane and time. If I want the smoked flavor I use a stainless vented stainless steel container filled with pellets. Placed close to the side burner works very good. Easy cleanup too.
This is the exact setup I have and the door on the Koda makes it a game changer. The pellets in a container is an awesome idea… I’m going to have to see if I can find a good stainless vented stainless steel container….
Simply the most detailed and informative review I’ve watched to date. That Alpha may be on my back porch soon.
This was the first video from your channel I have watched and I am thoroughly impressed! Excellent content and methodical testing. Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by and giving us a watch! All the best in your search for a new outdoor oven.
I've had the camp chef for five years now and I fully agree with your review, I have used the oonie and did not like the speed in which it cooks but my son loves the speed that it cooks. When we are making pizza it's a family time so being able to prep and engage with family with out burning your pizza is nice because I typically am the pizza maker in my house. Thanks for the video
Nice review on a wide variety and design styles. I use a non-portable backyard pizza oven but can relate with many of the characteristics you point out. I agree with your analysis and points of view. This is a difficult review to do because there is such a wide spread list of requirements of personal chefs.
Great thorough review. Enjoyed all the specs and details.
that was a really good review. There are so many options available today compared to 10 years ago. I think it really comes down to how much you want to monitor the fire.
Thanks
I have the Onni Kuda 16 and after a learning curve absolutely love it
For me i wanted a large oven room enough for a 18 pizza.After much research i opted for a toscana wood fired oven by la piazza and it is a beast love it and make so many different things in it.
Excellent, you have a gift for presentation and thorough-ness
I appreciate that!
I love my Koda 16, the portability and ease of use were the primary selling points for me. We've packed it up and hosted pizza parties at friends and family multiple times, and not fusing with wood kept the pizzas flowing off the oven.
Agreed! Got a Koda 16 before the price change like 2 years ago and the family loves it! Little bit of a learning curve when dealing with the L shape... but its been awesome.
Thanks for your review, I'm thinking get a Alfa moderno.
This kind of review content is incredible! Keep up the great work.
My wife exiled me away from her kitchen due to the mess I make on pizza night. So now I think an outdoor propane portable model is my future. I prefer a true 16" pizza capability, but you covered alot of important variables. So much so that I could not track them or take enough notes. I was hoping you would have presented a side by side comparison matrix which would have been far easier to narrow down the model best for me. Is one possibly somewhere in the many links you provided? Thank you.
What an excellent and very informative video. I was very impressed with the video and how helpful it was in shopping for a pizza oven. You covered all aspects of it. Great job!
I agree with the stone temp. I swapped out my Ooni 16 stone with a custom made steel from Etsy. 580°-600° is the target temp for the steel which gives a nice leopard bottom!
Could you provide a link to the pizza steel on etsy?
@@tobias.. Yes!
My steel got way too hot on my Karu 16, but then again, I have a huge thick 1/2 inch steel, and it retains heat like crazy
@Nclght mine is just below 1/2". 7/16" I think. It does retain heat big time, especially in the back left corner on the Koda 16. Just make sure you have a temp gun and try not to get it over 610°. When i use the cordite cooking stone, I can go over 700°. I guess because it's porous. Just don't use sugar or too much olive oil in your dough or it will burn and brown too fast.
@alge3399 Yeah, i use traditional neo style dough with around 58 hydration using 00 or all trumps flour, so my doughs are designed to handle high temps. I found my steel perfect for using in the home oven. The Karu 16 stone already gets extremely hot and holds temperature throughout multiple cooks. My Karu 12 didn't hold it through multiple cooks and I thought the 16 would be the same. It had no problem holding stone temps, so there was no need to change the stone. In this video, I think he indicated he saw a drop off. I thought he must have been doing something wrong as no other reviewer nor my experience found an issue.
Ooni Koda 16. I've had mine for 3 years and I've never had any problems. Always delivers consistent restaurant quality style pizzas.
I’m leaning toward the Alfa but it is only propane. I’d like to do some wood fire pizza and I was wondering if you tried putting wood in the Alfa to test this theory? 33:02
This channel is Top Tier, always great review. If i was going to suggest somthing make it better i would like to see maybe a time stamp for diff grills or diff chapters. Id like to see where i can fast forward on the slider to get to what interests me
That Halo is looking like the one for me!
Fantastic video I absolutely just subscribed. I love how you broke down each pizza oven in great detail with pros cons price and had independent novice testers really well done.
Great review! My twin brother knew I wanted an Ooni so he gave me one for my (our?) 60th birthday present. Still getting the hang of getting perfect results but I really enjoy using it! Garlic shrimp in a Lodge cast iron skillet is fantastic. Not tried steak yet but I will.
That’s fantastic! First time I tried shrimp on the Ooni Grizzler plate, I mistakenly used butter, and that my friend was quite the fire. Enjoy!
One oven that has not been rated that I can find is the Bakebros 16", true 16" stone, propane, J shaped burner, comes with slotted peel and carrying case for a steal at $399. Check it out....I bought one and works great. Probably comparable to the Koda 16???
Very well thought out review! Loved it. I would have liked a few more comparison tables like you did with the warrantee. Nice work.
EXCELLENT and thorough analysis of all the ovens you covered
Wow, this is perhaps the best comparison video I have seen. I really appreciate the multiple ways you rate these ovens. In the middle of the video I thought ok this one (The Karu) is best for me... At the end I was certain I really need to get the CRU. It just checks all the boxes and isnt the most costly. But that Karo is a good 2nd choice.
Fantastic review. I’ve been very happy with my Ooni Karu 16
Thank you for the awesome review …Do you ever have a giveaway for pizza ovens?
I really appreciate how you presented all the data you collected. I particularly love the novice input. I personally think the Alpha Moderno is for me. I appreciate the thicker rock plate and the esthetics of it.
Thanks for watching, and enjoy your new oven!
Fantastic reviews! I have been undecided up until now. I will be ordering the Alfa soon. Subscribed. Thanks for this great review.
I have the Walmart Adventure edition 22" Blackstone griddle and they make a modular version of the pizza oven that fits on the double burners....seriously giving that thought at $200 since I already have the 22" griddle.
Thank you for doing this test. Greatly appreciate it!!👍👍👍. Now I can think about which will suit my needs.
Great job David, really good info!
Versa 16 is perfect for me thanks for all your reviews
Alfa would be my choice and the Karu 16 would be 2nd but with a custom biscotto stone. The others either don’t have the flame source in right area or just don’t have the proper design to cook really good pizza. I’m surprised that Gozney dome, and arcs didn’t make it here. They are great ovens
I have the ooni Karu 16 multi-fuel. I'm confused by yours, as mine has a glass door and not the half glass screen. We still use a wood pizza peel for launching, but then switch to the ooni peel and turner. cleaning the Karu is easy. If using coal or wood, take out the coal/wood tray. If using gas, there is no tray. Then pull the stone out and scrap it. then I use the leaf blower from the back opening and blow out any stuff in there. Finally, I turn the stone upside down for the next cook, which for some reason burns everything off the bottom of the stone. the bottom being what was the top the last cook. it's really easy to clean. Cooking still takes practice. we find a stone temp of about 750F is the max you want, and then air temp takes practice too. We love it though. I could see getting a big traditional none portable pizza oven though, but the prices are crazy.
the half glass door is an accessory you buy for $120
You are correct on stone temp. Most people are very wrong about that. You see recommendations of 850-900, etc.
750 is the "best" temp for neapolitan pizza but I am happy with anything under 800
The spinning stone was pretty cool.
Awesome video... Really appreciate it... getting ready to buy one... only thing I would have liked to seen was how easy is it to hold a consistent temperature in each... Ty Jet...
this is one of the best video on pizza oven reviews on the youtube, thanks. Really happy to see Alpha and blackstone match up on a few others.
Warning: Any of these pizza ovens can and probably will become addicting. You will start using terms like poolish and biga. When you start sleeping with your turning peel it's time to seek help.
😂
I bought my first black stone in 2015 at the same time I became a founding member of a brewery that opened up locally and got beer dirt cheap. I no cap gained 20 pounds that year.
Thank you for this video. I’ve been looking at ovens for a while. After watching this I now know the Cru 32 is what I want. Thank you again.
i have the blackstone tough to assemble .. looking forward to try it for 1st time ,,, great reviews thankyou
Fantastic review. Very professional, excellent production quality. There was a lot of depth to this and I can't think of what more I would need to know. Great job, I subscribed and look forward to exploring your other vids.
Glad you enjoyed it! More great head to head content on the way, so thanks for sticking around.
I have the koda. I usually shut the burner off until the pizza is almost done the i go to low to get the top brown without burning the crust.
I'm learning to cook and would like to start cooking pizzas in the near future. Thank you very much for this review in helping me decide which pizza oven would be best suited for me in my enviornment.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Glad it was helpful, and I’ve found the pizza making journey to be incredibly satisfying and challenging to master. It’s a lot of fun, and I know you’re going to enjoy it.
@@TheBarbecueLab As a novice, I'm trying to be as surgical as possible in this sort of homework. I know I may mess up along the way, but I hope I can at least have fun with it and make some good pizzas for friends and family. Once again, I thank you, sir. And God bless you.
Truly great video! It so happens that I own two of the shown ovens; in my US home, I have the Camp Chef Italia (paid $249 in 2019) and in my home in Transylvania (literally 10 min from the "Dracula Castle", I have the Koda16. I find your video to be as honest as it can be, because the issues pointed-out on the Camp Chef Italia are absolutely correct. I did a fine-tune and grow to love it enormously. You pointed out a long heat-up time and burned bottom, which is 100% accurate out of the box. The trick is to obstruct about 3" in the center of the linear burner (this will leave the very center a little bit less hot, but will send more fuel to all other outlet holes for a hotter flame) and set a second pizza stone on top of the one already inside . I use a 13" round 1/4" one and the results are phenomenal. 13" Pizza in under two min.
The Ooni is just as described - excellent! Quick tip for the Ooni: Use those pizza turner "forks" as a pair and it will turn perfectly. Also, I prefer smaller size pizzas with a larger variety of toppings vs. a large pizza (even with sections of different toppings - not my thing). As a side-note, Transylvania is a heaven for home pizza cooking, due to best ingredients being largely available, from genuine Italian pizza flower in a waste variety of brands, genuine mozzarella di buffala and meats and cheeses not available in the US.
Cheers!
I have the Blackstone, I have no experience cooking pizza, so I wanted the one where I had to do the least work I’ve only cooked about three pizzas and they just keep getting better with each cook. I’m going to try that 600° stone starting point, great video.
I have a Gozney. Not sure why it wasn't included in the making of this review. I love my Gozney.
The Gozney Roccbox is a 12” oven. These ovens are all 16” and portable. The Gozney Dome is significantly more expensive and not portable. You’re right though, the Roccbox is a great oven!
The dome is the same price as the alpha he used
I have the Gozney Roccbox . It's excellent!
@@user-et3kk4tn4s The Gozney dome is at least $600 more than the Alpha, so no, it's not the same price.
Gotney rocks and is not part - what a bummer!
Thanks for video. I just purchased the Cru 32 G2. What size pieces of wood did you use here? Thanks
The wood that we used in the video was the pre cut wood that you can source directly from Cru on their website. I would say that the big logs are aound 6-8 inches long and about 1-1.5 inches in diameter. I'll split those down to smaller cuts to get things started, but the wood pack sure makes things easy when running a wood only fire.
Great job with the review. Really well done.
Much appreciated!
In the ooni Koda 16 you buy a lit for it and put on high heat 45min later everything has turn to ash and easy to clean. If the ooni coda 16 cloud turn off 1 off the burner while cooking it would be great
Awesome review. Thanks for all the insight!
Wow, what a thorough review! Subscribed.
best review that I saw about pizza oven taking into account many details. Greetings from Europe
Amazing video... Now I know which one fit for me.
Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Got my Blackstone from Walmart $569. Perfect pizza oven, cooks evenly and turns itself
Haven’t tried the Walmart Blackstone yet, but the one off the Blackstone website for a little bit more was in our 16” pizza oven roundup. That burner is like a jet engine. I remember that part vividly.
What an awesome video this is ! Big thanks from Quebec !
I've got a starter oven and I'm looking to upgrade. This video is fantastic and very helpful. Thank you for your time, work, and details.
Excellent overall review on all the Ovens.I have the Halo Versa 16 and love it. My only thing is majoring the bottom heat. I've heard about changing the stone on the bottom to control the heat for the bottom of the crust. Has any1 ever changed or any suggestions on types of stones that produce less heat than the halo stone? TIA
You could double up on the stones...ie find an exact same size on and stack it on top to creaate insulation between stone and burner.
@@seattleflyboard3807 I've added a valve to my bottom burner since and was the perfect idea. Controls and works great now.
Great content brotha! They all look amazing!
Really enjoy watching your productions. I can always find good content for what and how I am cooking. I'm a subscriber now. Cheers and Thank you
Very comprehensive
thank you for sharing that extreme indepth revelation
Michael Crosby
This was great! I'm just starting to look into outdoor pizza ovens, so this was immensely helpful! I'm wondering, did you have a noticeable flavor difference between wood burning ovens and propane? I recently switched from an electric smoker to a pellet and the change is night and day in flavor. Nothing really compares to that wood smoke flavor
I find that most people tend to think that more char on the crust means it was cooked with a wood fire, when in fact it's just char, and can be created with either fuel type. I can smell the difference when I'm cooking with wood, but I can't taste it.
Great reviews. Well done!
Does the Ooni Karu 16 have two different openings? I saw the it had a door that comes down but in your video it has a open with a glass see through slit on top?
Originally, it had the swing down door in front, but they later came out with a half door for the propane burner. I believe you can still get it with the swing down door if you order the wood version. The half door is for the propane or gas variant.
Informational and easy to follow. Great review
Great Video but incorrect pricing info on the Alsta Moderno. There is no Alfa Moderno for $1299
Wow this was thorough af but didn’t drag on!!! Thank you!!
Thanks for watching!
How would you get the 14" peel back out after you enter through the middle?
Yeah I don’t know about a wood fired oven being “relaxing” lol, it’s very involved vs some of the others that seem way more relaxing/less stressful, but agree about the art of managing a fire part.
More importantly, the Koda 16 definitely needs more than 1 turn so that’s a bit misleading and is gonna lead to a lot of people burning their pizzas. It’s not a forgiving oven in the slightest. The proximity and intensity of the fire to the pizza makes it really important to turn at the right time(s).
Did the qood burners taste any different then the gas burners?
I have gozney roccbox, probably you cant get them in us. To be fair its not 16" oven, so would not go into this review, but probably best build pizza oven on the market. There is gozney dome, that is larger and on different level from all the oven in review. Also amazing pizza oven. Nice reviews, exellent if I may say so.
My local Ace hardware store sells them here in the US. But yeah, I think he was reviewing 16"portable ovens so neither of them fit the bill.
@@jonrn The Dome has an 18x21ish internal size. You lose some room for the gas burner or the wood fire depending on which fuel you're using but it's certainly in the size range compared with some of the other "16 inch" ovens as they note some of those are really more suited for 13 inch pies.
Well designed comparison
Ooni koda was what I liked before review but
Alfa moderni looks like a great choice too for me