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How do I Choose the Best Electric Pizza Oven?
The key when trying to decide which electric pizza oven best suits your needs is considering how you will use the oven. A person can buy an electric pizza oven that is small enough to use at home to prepare pizza for a family. They also are available as large ovens designed for use in commercial settings.
If you want an electric pizza oven for family use in the home, then a small countertop model is probably the best option. These are designed to cook a 12-inch (30.48-cm) pizza quickly and efficiently and will bake either fresh or frozen dough. This type of pizza oven is compact and easy to store. Residential-use electric pizza ovens are available in many retail stores, especially in the U.S., with prices starting around $50 US dollars. They are touted for cooking a pizza more quickly than a conventional oven, and some of them require no preheating prior to beginning to bake.
People with larger families or those who entertain frequently may find a good choice in a countertop electric pizza oven that allows you to cook more than one pizza at a time. These ovens have vertically stacked oven trays, known as decks, and are available with two, three, or four decks. Deck ovens are frequently found in commercial settings where pizza is served. When using deck ovens, pizzas can be started at different times, but someone must be available to remove each pizza from the oven when it is finished baking.
Other businesses prefer to use a conveyor belt electric pizza oven. This style of oven is especially popular in establishments with a small staff because they are quick and efficient and it is not necessary to have anyone supervise the baking. The pizza slides in at one end of the oven and a conveyor belt transports it to the main cooking core. When finished, the pizza slides out unaided. An electric conveyor oven is capable of producing pizzas continuously throughout business hours.
One point to consider when shopping for a conveyor oven is the ease with which it can be cleaned. It is best to select a model with doors or removable panels that allow easy access to the interior. If the oven has to be disassembled to be cleaned, it will take longer to do the task and there is an added risk of losing parts or reassembling the oven incorrectly.
Although gas or traditional wood-fired pizza ovens are also available, there are some advantages to choosing an electric one. Electric ovens heat up quickly and maintain a consistent temperature. They usually take up less room than other types of pizza ovens, are easy to operate, and are portable. Most importantly, electric ovens typically offer dual controls that allows you to individually control the temperature of both the upper and lower heating element, so you can prepare a perfect pizza every time. Some of them also can cook foods other than pizzas.
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![A food that's popular worldwide, pizza comes in innumerable varieties.]()
By: emde71A food that's popular worldwide, pizza comes in innumerable varieties.
Discussion Comments
I have a friend who says he can tell what type of oven a pizza was cooked in by the look and the smell of the pizza. I love pizza, and some are better than others, but I can't always say what makes one better. I definitely can't tell you what type of oven my pizza was cooked in.
My friend says that electric ovens, even the ones used at restaurants, can't get the pies as crispy. However, I have heard that the electric ovens are much easier to use, so I guess that's why some businesses use them. For me, I think one of these counter-top electric ovens would be fine. I doubt I could tell the difference.
@Sporkasia - You might just be disappointed if you buy a home electric pizza oven and expect the pizzas to taste like the ones you get at a real Italian restaurant where they use wood burning or gas ovens. The way you prepare a meal and the tools you use are always going to have something to do with the taste of the food.
I have a gas grill that I use most of the time when I grill outside, but I prefer the taste of the food when I cook on the old charcoal grill. I use the gas grill because I can start it quickly and get the food cooked faster with it than I can with charcoal. Either way you go, there is a trade off.
My concern with the small electric pizza ovens is that I'll choose one, get in home and get it all set up. Then when I cook my first pizza I will find out that it is nowhere near as good as the ones we buy at the pizza shop. I'm afraid the pizza will taste more like the frozen ones we get and pop in our stove oven. They are okay, but not what I call a real pizza.
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