I always thought pizza ovens were a one trick pony. It’s in the name, after all.
However, having been challenged by our experts to replace my BBQ with one of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s best pizza ovens this summer, I stand corrected. Those of us without a pizza oven have been missing out.
I wasn’t immune to the appeal of the pizza oven. Pictures of oozy, golden cheese and crisp bases are always tempting, but you can pay up to £799 for some of the top models, and the appeal of smoky chicken and chargrilled burgers has always swayed me towards team BBQ.
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It was only when I finally got my hands on one – specifically the Ooni Koda 2, which scored 86/100 in our expert tests and costs just under £399 – that I realised just how versatile they are. Could it really replace my BBQ? Here’s my verdict.
The BBQ vs. pizza oven challenge
Pros
- Compact with folding legs for easy storage
- Robust, durable and high quality
- Can reach high temperatures suitable for creating Neapolitan-style pizza
- Pizzas took two minutes to cook
Cons
- Pizza stone is tricky to remove
- Accessories are sold separately
- Narrow mouth makes turning a little tricky
I cooked every evening meal in the pizza oven for five days in a row – with only one pizza night allowed. Instead, I planned a menu of typical BBQ foods, as well as some regular dishes, to see how versatile the oven really was.
Day one: Chicken skewers, rice and salad
I started off simple – sweet chilli chicken skewers cooked on Ooni’s Cast Iron Sizzler Pan. (Note that extra cooking accessories have to be purchased separately.)
As with your typical gas BBQ, ignition was quick, but around 10 to 15 minutes to get up to temperature before I could place the pan in. Once at a temperature of 260 degrees, the pizza oven cooked the chicken quickly and a few turns of the pan produced evenly browned skewers. The tops were chargrilled in patches too, so I didn’t miss that delicious BBQ effect.
Served up with some spicy rice and salad and the challenge was off to a good start. The skewers definitely tasted better than if I’d cooked them in the oven or air fryer and tasted similar to how they would on the BBQ, thanks to the proximity of the meat to real flames.
Day two: Steak fajitas
The next day, we grilled a pan full of steak, peppers and onions that had been seasoned with spices and herbs.
One of the USPs of Ooni’s Koda 2 pizza oven is that it boasts the brand’s patent-pending tapered flame gas burner, which directs heat up from the back and over the top of the roof for better heat distribution than previous models.
With high heat coming from both the top of the oven and the bottom (the pizza stone underneath also harnesses the high temperatures), our steak and vegetable mix sizzled away in the pan, while also crisping up nicely on the top.
Within 10 minutes, the peppers and onions were beautifully soft, and the slithers of steak were well-cooked. It was time to load up our fajitas and dig in. The result? Another fantastic dish – one that I wouldn’t normally bother cooking on a BBQ, let alone in a pizza oven.
Day three: Classic burgers
I couldn’t judge whether this pizza oven was capable of fully replacing my BBQ without cooking burgers – one of the ultimate grill staples.
These were regular shop-bought burgers (I wasn’t going to make my own after a day of work and commuting) and I cooked them using Ooni’s Cast Iron Grizzler Pan, in an attempt to get those all-important, BBQ-rivalling grill lines.
Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed. Perhaps the temperature wasn’t high enough before I placed the burgers in, but the meat lacked any distinctive lines. The burgers were otherwise well-cooked though and still went down a treat.
Day four: Rosemary roasted chicken thighs
For my penultimate meal, I switched the focus away from traditional BBQ food, and instead tested the Koda out as an actual oven. Using Ooni’s Roasting Pan, I cooked chicken thighs and red onion with butter and rosemary, serving it up with potatoes and veg for a summery take on a roast dinner.
Again, everything cooked well with the top of the chicken crisping up, and the centre remaining juicy and moist. This was a real hit. Who needs an oven?
Day five: Pizza party
Of course, I couldn’t test a pizza oven without cooking pizza.
I took the task seriously, making my own dough, shaping it out, and adding my own homemade pizza sauce. Once fully loaded with toppings, I used a pizza peel to launch my pizza into the oven. This takes some practice (and a heavily-floured peel) so don’t stress if it doesn’t work the first time. I recommend having back-up dough on hand just in case you need to start again.
While a wider mouth would make the job easier, this is a challenge you’ll face with most pizza ovens. Just remember: Practice makes perfect when launching, turning and removing your pizza.
My attempt certainly wasn’t perfect, but the process was fun, and the results were still delicious. It could have done with more cheese (some fell off in the launching process), while my partner’s pizza needed a few more seconds in the oven to achieve chargrilled crusts (again, more human error than down to the oven). But, either way, my BBQ certainly couldn’t have cooked that.
And making pizza in Ooni was definitely more entertaining than simply ordering Deliveroo for data night.
The verdict: BBQ or pizza oven?
My week with a pizza oven certainly opened my eyes – they’re way more versatile than we give them credit for. Of course, having the right tools for the job helped massively so I recommend investing in some cast iron cookware to help you expand your repertoire beyond pizza. But let’s look at how they compared.
Set-up
The set-up for both my BBQ and pizza oven was the same. Both are gas-powered, so have to be attached to a canister before lighting. The pizza oven took between 10 and 15 minutes to pre-heat, which was similar to the BBQ.
The only downside with the pizza oven is that it ideally needs to be placed on a heatproof table. As I didn’t have a place for it to sit, it had to stand on the floor, so the entrance was low and getting food in and out was tricky.
Cooking
My food needed slightly more monitoring in the pizza oven than with a regular BBQ. If the temperature was even a little too high, it cooked incredibly quickly, particularly for items placed furthest into the oven. This meant I had to turn the pan round a few times, as well as flipping the actual food within a few minutes. However, if you like getting hands on over the heat, this won’t be an issue.
Clean-up
Crucially, when it came to clean-up, the pizza oven was a lot easier. You don’t need to clean the pizza stone inside, so it’s just a case of washing the cookware you use with warm, soapy water – much better than standing and scrubbing grill racks for hours on end!
Overall, I’m impressed by the pizza oven and I’m excited to continue exploring more recipes and ways of cooking with it. I can’t say I've completely hung up my BBQing hat, but I’ve certainly discovered a whole new world of outdoor cooking. So much so, that my next garden party is entirely planned around the pizza oven, and I can’t wait to show off my eclectic menu.
If you love a homemade Neapolitan and don’t want to spend on a pizza oven and BBQ, I’d suggest opting for a pizza oven and some choice accessories for the best of both worlds.
The Good Housekeeping Institute's top pizza ovens
Score: 93/100
Score: 93/100
Score: 93/100
Score: 90/100
Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s senior homes and lifestyle writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market and has written hundreds of product reviews on everything from the best vacuum cleaners and coffee machines to the best ice cream makers and robot window cleaners.
When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her running every distance from 5km to 100km or relaxing at home with her cat – there really is no in between.
Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, Women's Health, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall.
