If your family is anything like ours here at Dutchies Stoneworks, nothing brings everyone together like freshly ordered pizza. Opening up that cardboard box, letting that warm smell of freshly baked dough hit your nose, taking the first crispy bite into your slice—does it get any better? Actually…it does!
Let’s be honest—we all love pizza, right? But if you haven’t made your own pizza at home, especially in an outdoor pizza oven, you’re missing out. While a regular oven does the job, it doesn’t quite have all of the features or heat to handle making an authentic wood-fired pizza.
In today’s post, we’re going to go over why we love outdoor pizza ovens so much and why we recommend them to a lot of customers with outdoor kitchens. We’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions and then some!
What Makes Pizza Ovens So Great?
While delivery and frozen pizza have their place, nothing will bring your family together for dinner like making your own brick-oven baked pizza. Between choosing your own fresh (and healthier) ingredients and getting that crisp dough to crunch, outdoor pizza ovens will give you a pie unlike any you’ve ever had before.
In addition, your outdoor kitchen or entertainment space will have a great focal point. Kids and adults alike love constructing their own personal pizzas, so it’s a great reason to get people together!
What Are Some Common Uses for Pizza Ovens?
We call it a pizza oven, but it can actually be used to make so much more. The high-heat from an outdoor oven can be used to bake anything you would in a regular oven—but much faster and more efficiently! Some of our favorites are calzones, pastries, bread, barbecue ribs, roasted vegetables, and even cheesecake. Just remember to carefully monitor your oven temperatures so you don’t burn any of your wood-fired food.
Are Pizza Ovens Safe?
Outdoor pizza ovens are very safe. In fact, because they’re typically detached from your home, you could even argue that they’re safer than your standard oven! Even though the inside of the oven reaches temperatures that could be dangerous in your home, outdoor pizza ovens are built so that the outside is safe to the touch. You can safely cook with open flames and high-temperatures and not worry about anyone nearby getting burnt by getting too close.
Are All Pizza Ovens Made of Brick, or Can I Choose Another Material?
The quick answer is yes—you can choose another material for the outside of your outdoor pizza oven. Here at Dutchies, the inside of our ovens are built with refractory mortar, which is a special mortar that can withstand the high temperatures of the pizza oven. The brick is only for aesthetics, so the outside of your oven can be stone or another material of your choice.
Do You Only Install Wood Pizza Ovens, or Is Gas An Option?
We’re a bit traditional at Dutchies Stoneworks—we like the traditional builds of wood-fired pizza ovens. There’s just something irreplaceable about the taste, smell, and even feel of food cooked in a conventional pizza oven that can’t be duplicated. So while you can certainly purchase a gas-powered pizza oven for your outdoor kitchen, it’s not what we usually recommend.
Should I Invest in an Outdoor Pizza Oven?
Are you still unsure whether you want to add a pizza oven to your outdoor kitchen build? Or maybe you’re ready to make the upgrade and get started on a project? Either way, Dutchies Stoneworks is here and ready to help!
We’re an expert stone masonry contractor team that specializes in creating the outdoor living space you’ve always dreamed of. With over 15 years of designing and building custom outdoor spaces, we’re ready to help you get to work. Give us a call to get started, or reach out to us online!