Ooni Gas Powered Pizza Oven review: Chef-worthy yet easy-to-use

Spoiler alert: Pizza never tasted so good with my new outdoor pizza oven.

Living in New York, where the perfect slice is just around the corner, I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t imagine dining out again now that I have this pizza oven at my fingertips. Not to brag, but I just made the best pizza I’ve ever tasted — and I’m definitely not a cook. I rely on takeout almost every night, so believe me when I say my cooking skills are far from “Yes, Chef” level.

Meet the Ooni Koda 16 Gas-Powered Pizza Oven, the adult version of the Easy-Bake-Oven and perhaps even easier to use with much better results. After unboxing, I literally popped open the legs, set it on my outdoor table, screwed in my propane tank and flipped a switch.

It only takes a couple of minutes to reach 400 Fahrenheit (and can reach 950 Fahrenheit), but for first use, Ooni recommends heating it up for 30 minutes, allowing it to cool, and then wiping it down. Why? In case there are any leftover oils and other various remnants from the manufacturing process.

It heats up really fast and although extremely safe, I’m a huge believer in keeping a fire extinguisher handy. The 16-inch oven felt like the right size for families that have two to four people and compact enough to store easily out of sight, even in my 600-square-foot apartment. Perfect for homes with back patios or small decks like my New York outdoor space, now turned pizza kitchen.

But if you’d like this oven to have more of a permanent space to gather around and share stories with the fam, I suggest looking at the new Koda 2 Max. It holds two pizzas at once, so there aren’t any fights over whose pizza gets fired up first. Don’t have an outdoor space? Not to worry, Ooni has thought of everyone, creating an indoor and outdoor Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven.

The oven I tried fits a standard 20-pound propane tank or natural gas line.

Although this oven hose is not compatible with a one-pound gas tank (nor endorsed by Ooni), I used a converter to connect one in order to align with New York City regulations for outdoor cooking. If you want to connect this to a natural gas line, you’ll need this conversion kit.

This versatile oven runs on your choice of propane or natural gas, offering ultimate ease and control.

It heats up to an impressive 950 Fahrenheit and can cook fresh, stone-baked pizzas in as little as 60 seconds, although I found it needed a little more time. It varies depending on the size of the pizza, the thickness of the dough, and the density of your toppings.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a professional, so my pizza comes out more like a Salvador Dalí-inspired creation, but it tastes incredible.

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With an extra-large cooking area, it accommodates 16-inch pizzas, meat joints, breads, and more. The innovative L-shaped flame design ensures efficient one-turn cooking, making it both convenient and effective for a variety of culinary needs. Just be sure to have plenty of cornmeal or flour beneath the dough so it turns easily in the oven.

I decided to make a savory pizza, but I found it a bit tricky to cook. I overloaded it with toppings, which made it too heavy and hard to rotate without scrunching it up into lasagna mush. For better results, I recommend either making a smaller pizza to make turning it in the oven easier or pre-baking the dough to firm it up before adding your toppings. Once you’ve added the ingredients, finish baking it in the oven.

Looking for recipes? Ooni has many recipes to choose from and ways to use this oven beyond pizza, from grilling to baking.

When you purchase from Ooni.com, this oven comes with a 5-year warranty.

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For accessories, I recommend the Ooni Digital Infrared Thermometer to check the oven’s temperature to ensure ideal crispiness. You’ll also need the tools to bake the pizza, such as a seven-inch turning peel to keep the pizza from sticking and an evenly baked crust, a 16-inch peel to slide in and out of the oven, and, of course, a bamboo board for presentation. If you’re trying to impress your dinner guests, don’t be shy, add all the necessary tools to create the perfect pizza. I promise you, you’ll never want to order another pizza again.

I know adding on all of these accessories can really drive up the cost, so if you can only add one, I suggest the 16-inch peel to safely place the pizza in and out of the oven, but honestly, all the tools feel essential, especially the turning peel.

But the one accessory that really made a difference that I didn’t know I needed was the Ooni Folding Table. I originally placed it on two folding tables on my small patio, not wanting to add more equipment to the micro New York deck, but it tucks away folding flat and creates a solid base for my pizza.

Overall, I cannot recommend this oven enough; it has made cooking dinner a new beloved activity.

This durable table, made from powder-coated carbon steel and stainless steel, measures 22.64 inches by 27.56 inches by 35.43 inches and supports up to 110 pounds, making it perfectly sized for 12- and 16-inch Ooni ovens. It has a 77-pound top surface limit and a 33-pound shelf capacity.

When I pushed my pizza into the oven and retrieved it, the oven remained sturdy, and the table held strong with zero back-and-forth movement.

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How we tested

Before savoring the chef-worthy pizza from the Ooni Gas-Powered Pizza Oven, I evaluated it against several key criteria to decide if the outdoor oven was worth the investment:

• Ease of assembly: I unpacked the oven, extended the legs, and connected it to my propane tank. The entire setup took less than a minute.
• Durability: This oven is of state-of-the-art quality, made from the finest materials, and will endure outdoor wear and tear.
• Special features: This model can be hooked up to gas fuel (propane) to run on natural gas from a fixed natural gas line. It also comes with a 5-year warranty when you purchase from Ooni.com.
• Ease of cleaning: Easy to remove the stone inside the oven once it has cooled, however, you will need a brush and water to scrub off burned cheese and anything else that may have cooked onto its surface. I tried using a standard kitchen scrubbing pad and found it needs something much stronger.

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