If you’ve never had the pleasure of baking a pie in a wood pellet-fired pizza oven, then you’re really missing out. Using a traditional wood-fired pizza oven is, by far, the best way to get that classic Italian pizza taste that you’re used to getting an authentic pizzeria. That being said, the only question that remains is, what’s the best wood pellet pizza oven?
The Ooni Fyra 12 is the best pellet pizza oven by a long shot. Its innovative, lightweight, portable design allows you to take it anywhere to show off your pizza baking skills, and its price point won’t break the bank. If you’re ready to revolutionize your pizza baking experience, this is how you do it!
I purchased my Ooni Fyra 12 during the middle of the pandemic. Right after we got our stimulus checks, I decided that I was going to buy myself a new toy. Turns out that it’s a toy my whole family enjoys! After almost a year of using it, I have nothing but great things to say about it. Here’s what you can expect if you get one!
The Ooni Fyra 12 Is The World’s Best Pizza Oven
Growing up, I had a couple of uncles who worked in this old-school Italian pizzeria that had one of those giant brick ovens in the middle of the kitchen. They would always tell me how it was so hot that it could cook an extra-large pizza in less than 60 seconds. At the time, I didn’t really believe them. However, I did have to admit that the pizza they brought home from work was some of the best I’ve ever had in my life.
Why The Ooni Fyra 12 Is The World’s Best Pizza Oven
However, I always thought that I was going to need a giant 2-ton oven if I ever wanted to get something close to that flavor. As it turns out, I was wrong. My small, portable, Ooni Fyra has helped me bake some of the best pies I’ve ever made in the past year. Here are some of the reasons I love it so much.
Best Pellet Pizza Oven Should Look Incredible Too
Although some might consider this part to be irrelevant, it makes all the difference to me. When you first lay eyes on the Ooni Fyra, it’s visually stunning. It’s not at all like those giant, hulking stone ovens I described earlier. Instead, it’s sleek, slim, shiny, and perfectly symmetrical. The way it sits on my back porch, the Fyra easily doubles as a working piece of art.
It Makes Great Pizza With Unforgettable Taste
Aesthetics aside, though, the real reason I love my Fyra is that it makes truly great pizza. The other day, I made a post about my favorite artisan pizza joints from my Asheville trip. However, even the best pizza I had in Asheville couldn’t quite compare with the homemade pizzas that I get out of my Ooni Fyra.
The reason why wood-burning ovens like the Fyra are able to provide you with such a great pizza is mostly due to the flavor that the wood pellets give the pie. There are a number of different types of wood that you can use with your oven, but I’ve found that maple or applewood pellets give the pizza wonderfully sweet, smoky taste you can’t get anywhere else.
The other reason why wood-burning ovens give your pizza such as great taste is that they “flash cook” the pie. Remember how I told you that my uncles would tell me that their brick oven could cook a pizza in less than a minute? Well, as it turns out, this is actually a true story.
The incredibly quick cooking time maintains the integrity of all of the ingredients, so they don’t have time to get soggy and start dripping everywhere. Additionally, it gives the pizza crust itself this wonderful crispiness and crunch that conventional oven baking simply can’t beat.
It’s Affordable Which Means It Could Easlily Fit Your Budget
Last but not least, the Ooni Fyra 12 is affordable. I recently purchased my father one of those large Forno Bravo ceramic ovens for his backyard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it. However, I spent close to 5 grand on it!
By contrast, my Ooni Fyra was a tenth of the cost. Since it’s smaller, it also requires less fuel (wood) to burn, making each pizza I bake cheaper as well. Here’s the kicker; both ovens make the same quality of pizza. Just to test this theory out, one time I made two identical pizzas from scratch, cooked one in my dad’s Forno and one in my Ooni Fyra. Guess what? They tasted the exact same!
Ooni Fyra 12: Key Features This Pellet-Fired Pizza Oven Has
So, now that you’ve had a chance to see why I like my Fyra so much, I figured that it would be a good time to weigh in on some of the more technical details as well. That being said, let’s take a few minutes to go over some of the key features of the Fyra 12.
Lightweight and Portable Means You Can Bring It Wherever You Want
The Fyra only weighs a meager 22 pounds. Keep in mind that most wood-fired ovens weigh hundreds of pounds, so this is truly amazing. This means that I can literally bring it with me anywhere that I want (and you better believe that I do).
I’ve brought my Ooni to public parks, tailgate parties, and even catered small birthday parties and events using it. Since it’s able to cook an entire pizza in less than a minute, all I have to do is bring my pre-prepared pizzas to the party and then cook them one by one as they’re needed.
Ooni Fyra 12 Portable Carrying Case
While we’re on the topic, I also recommend buying Ooni’s portable carrying case. It’s designed specifically for the Fyra 12 and fits it like a glove. Not only does this keep your Fyra clean and dry when you’re not using it, but it also allows you to pack it up and carry it around even if it’s still a bit too hot to touch or load into your car.
It comes in two pieces; one to hold the main oven in and the other to carry around the chimney flue.
The Best Wood-Fired Pizza Oven Cooks Pizzas In Less Than A Minute
As I mentioned earlier, once the Fyra 12 reaches maximum temperature, it can cook a full-sized pizza in less than 60 seconds. Whether you’re making a taco pizza, pepperoni, Margherita, or a supreme pizza, you’ll be able to pump out pizza after pizza in the blink of an eye.
The maximum temperature that the Fyra will reach is 950-degrees Fahrenheit. Now, you might be thinking that it would take a while to reach this high temperature. However, due to the oven’s compact size and superior insulation, it only takes 15 minutes to go from stone cold to full steam!
Increased Wood-Burning Efficiency Will Be Possible Only With the Best Pizza Oven Pellets
This leads me to my next point, the Fyra’s superior efficiency. It comes with a thick ceramic cooking plate on which to place your pie. The rest of the oven is crafted from ultra-high-quality carbon steel that’s powder-coated with a heat-resistant finish. This ensures that the oven retains most of the heat it creates and means that you’ll burn through fewer wood pellets.
Built-In Chimney Flue For Ventilation Is a Must if You Want a Perfect Pizza
One of the problems that I’ve noticed with cheaper pizza ovens is that they don’t have proper ventilation. Instead, all of the smoke just billows out from the front of the oven, causing the pizza to have a charred taste.
However, the Fyra 12 is considered a great pellet pizza oven outdoor because it has a tall attached chimney flue which is able to filter out all of the smoke, and also traps some of the thick black tar, making it more environmentally friendly.
What Is One of the Best Wood Pellets for Pizza Oven
Looking for the best wood pellet pizza oven? Oak pellets are ideal for making simple pizza in a wood-fired oven. Since the smoke doesn’t impart many flavors, they’re superior and are considered the best wood pellets for pizza. However, pizzas with meat toppings benefit from being cooked over maple or applewood. Hickory and maple are two types of wood that impart a distinctive flavor to meat when smoked.
Ooni Fyra 12: F.A.Q.’s
Now that I’ve had a chance to outline all of the key features of the Ooni Fyra 12 and explain why it’s one of my favorite wood pellet pizza ovens on the market, I figured it’s time to answer a few questions. Take a look!
Is The Fyra 12 Better Than The Ooni 3 Pizza Oven?
You may remember the original Ooni 3. It was the company’s first prototype and was one of the first portable wood pellet pizza ovens on the market. The Fyra 12 is actually the successor to the Ooni 3. It’s more portable, looks better, features a more efficient design, and even weighs a bit less!
What Type Of Wood Pellets Should I Use With It?
What are the best pellets for a pizza oven? Wood pellets are a type of compressed fuel pellet produced from reclaimed wood, tree bark, wood chip, and other organic materials. The pizzas made in outdoor ovens using wood pellets have a smoky, stone-oven flavor. You can use any food-grade wood pellets with your Ooni Fyra 12. I would stay away from using larger logs as these will burn at a lower temperature and won’t allow your oven to heat up to maximum temperature.
Is The Fyra 12 Easy To Clean?
Yes! If you need to clean the cooking stone, simply make a paste from baking soda and water and use it to scrub the surface of the stone. This should remove any crusted food debris or stains. Check out the full guide to cleaning your Ooni pizza stone here.
Do I Need To Buy Any Other Tools To Use With It?
As the Fyra comes with a built-in pizza stone, you won’t need to purchase another one. However, an added pizza stone can make taking your pizza in and out of the oven a bit easier. If you do end up getting one, I’d recommend buying the smaller 18-inch Kamado Joe pizza stone.
Additionally, you will definitely need to purchase a pizza steel (a large metal spatula for pizzas). This will help you place the pie in the oven and take it out, giving you enough distance from the raging inferno so that you don’t burn your arm hairs off. I recommend the Gi Metal pizza steel.
Get the Best Pellet Pizza Oven and Become a Real Pizzaiolo
Hopefully, you’ve been able to learn a thing or two from this review. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a wood pellet pizza oven, then I assure you that the Ooni Fyra 12 is, hand down, the best on the market. Compared to all of the other competitors I’ve looked at and tested out over the past few years, this beats them all!