Traditional Ovens vs. Wood-Fired Ovens

Lots of people choose to make pizza and other meals in their traditional ovens. Don’t get us wrong; using your regular oven can produce some pretty tasty food—but how do traditional ovens measure up when they’re pitted against wood-fired pizza ovens? Let’s find out.

Flavor

It’s true that you can add all kinds of flavorful ingredients to pizza or any other dish you choose to cook in your oven, but, if you want that unique woody flavor and flame-touched taste, an outdoor pizza oven is the only way to go. Using properly stored and dried hardwoods is best and, whether you experiment with cherry, oak, apple, or maple, you’ll find that your taste experience is well beyond the ordinary.

Temperature and Heat Retention

Does a wood-fired pizza oven burn hotter than the oven you’ve got in your kitchen? Yup. Your kitchen oven maxes out at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which quickly dissipates and decreases once you turn it off.

The majority of wood-fired pizza ovens, on the other hand, can reach a maximum temperature of around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. However, because these ovens are so well insulated and the intensity of the heat produced by burning hardwoods is so much higher, they will retain that heat for far longer than a conventional oven.

Cooking Efficiency

Let’s say you were using the traditional oven method of cooking a pizza. For thorough cooking, complete with a golden crust, the ideal setting is around 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and you’d have to wait around 20 minutes before you could take it out and enjoy it.

Put that same pizza in a wood-fired oven, and you’re looking at less than five minutes of cooking time—and that is not a typo. Remember that a wood-fired oven can easily be 300°F – 400°F hotter than a regular oven. So, you could be finished eating your thoroughly-cooked, flavorful pizza in the time it takes to cook one in a regular oven.

Nutrient Retention

It’s a well-known fact that there are far fewer nutrients available in food than there used to be. The longer anything has to cook, the more nutrients it loses due to heat and evaporation of moisture. Here again, the wood-fired oven beats traditional ones by a mile. The intensity of heat ensures that every dish you place in a backyard pizza oven will be cooked quickly and nutritiously.

Energy Usage

Propane, gas, or electric ovens cost more to operate these days, thanks to rising prices. As a result, more people are taking a break from these expensive energy sources by purchasing and using their backyard pizza oven for cooking instead.

Now that you know all the advantages of pizza ovens, it’s time to check out ovens from Fontana Forni. Backed by over 40 years of innovation, our ovens offer superior 100% Italian construction with top-quality materials and 900-degree Fahrenheit maximum temperatures. Browse our selection of wood-fired pizza ovens or call 1-877-842-9822, and you’ll discover why we’re a top choice for fast and delicious meals.