Best electric ovens for homemade pizza
Electric pizza ovens are appliances that are used to make pizza at home. Pizza is one of the most popular and well-known foods in the world, made with simple ingredients that, put together, have created a timeless recipe that we can no longer do without. To prepare pizza at home without having to go to the pizzeria, however, you need an electric oven designed for this preparation. It is an electric oven, with a shell or rectangular shape, capable of reaching ideal cooking temperatures for pizza, a possibility precluded until the advent of these appliances. Just consider that the wood-fired ovens in pizzerias reach and exceed 450°C, a temperature that classic domestic electric ovens are not able to reach. Using the best commercial pizza oven, it is possible to replicate a temperature that is very close to that of wood-fired ovens in pizzerias to prepare a Neapolitan home pizza. All this is possible thanks to the presence of soapstone or refractory stone, or an electric coil, elements that, combined together or present individually, are capable of heating both the upper and lower part of the appliance in a uniform way.
Since there are different types available on the market, let’s see when we see the most purchased and best reviewed electric pizza ovens of this year.
How to choose the best electric pizza oven
In order to choose the best electric pizza oven, it is necessary to take into consideration the structure, the operation, the maximum temperature reachable, the functions and controls, the maintenance and the presence of any extra accessories. Let’s analyze these factors together one by one.
Structure
The electric ovens for making pizza at home are divided, according to their structure, into rectangular and shell models.
Rectangular models: electric ovens with a rectangular structure are almost always equipped with two shelves to cook two pizzas at the same time. The shelves are generally made of soapstone or refractory stone, a material that allows uniform cooking. These models are more rarely found on the market, while it is much easier to find classic electric ovens that are sold with refractory stone supplied to allow this type of preparation. They have a larger size than the shell models and can have a capacity ranging from 15 to 30 L.
Shell models: characterized by a rounded shape and much easier to find on the market, the electric ovens for pizza shell model are formed by a single cooking area that can contain only one pizza. They consist of an upper part, where there is a serpentine heating element that radiates heat, and a lower part, where there is a soapstone or refractory part. Compared to rectangular models they heat up much more quickly and the temperature is spread evenly. The only disadvantage compared to the models described above is that only one pizza can be baked at a time. Most of these commercially available models have a diameter of 25 to 32 cm.
How it works
According to their functioning, electric pizza ovens are divided into shell models with coil and soapstone or refractory resistance, shell models with removable double stone and rectangular models with double electric resistance. We describe below their main characteristics.
Shell models with serpentine and stone resistance: it is the most easily available type on the market, formed by a serpentine resistance placed in the upper part of the shell which, once heated, spreads the heat also to the stone, soapstone or refractory, which is located in the lower part of the shell. We point out that some models are equipped with a double serpentine resistor placed both in the upper part and in the lower part, under the stone. Since they are small ovens, the heat spreads very quickly inside the shell, even if you have to wait a few minutes before inserting the pizza to bake. The ollar or refractory stones inside are made of materials that allow the baking temperature to be reached quickly and keep it constant at all times. This category also includes shell models that are equipped with a double stone, one placed in the upper part that hides the resistance, and one placed in the lower part. These types of electric ovens are more versatile than the first ones, because they are suitable not only for baking pizza, but also for preparing cakes, piadinas and other types of leavened products.
Shell models with removable stone: they are similar to those just described, with the only difference that the stone can be removed from the main body of the oven. Some types include the possibility to heat the removable stone directly on the kitchen stove before placing it inside the shell and inserting the pizza to bake. These types are equally functional but require a less practical cooking procedure, as two different steps are required to bake the pizza.
Rectangular models with double electric resistance: rectangular models belonging to this category are characterized by the presence of a double electric resistance, one placed in the upper part, and the other in the lower part of the oven. This characteristic certainly makes them much more efficient and powerful, capable of reaching ideal temperatures for baking pizza.
Achievable temperatures
The most important feature of an electric oven of this type is the maximum temperature that can be reached. The most recommended and efficient models are those equipped with an internal thermostat that can be set according to the cooking needs. Among the models available on the market, the shell models are certainly those that can reach higher temperatures, even higher than 400°C. Rectangular ones, on the other hand, reach a temperature that is usually around 300°C. Obviously, the higher the maximum temperature that can be reached, the faster the cooking will be and the better the results will be. We specify that, as far as these appliances are concerned, there is no correlation between the Wattage and the maximum reachable temperature. It all depends on the size of the oven which, obviously, the smaller it is, the faster it heats up to high temperatures. The power of electric pizza ovens, in fact, does not differ much from model to model: the available types are all around 1200/1400 Watt.
Functions and controls
Another function present in an electric oven for making pizza at home, in addition to the fundamental function of temperature selection, is the programmable timer. The controls, which have the shape of a knob, are useful to signal the temperatures, either in the form of degrees or with indicative levels, which are illustrated in the instruction manual.
Maintenance
The maintenance of an appliance of this type is quite simple, as it does not require special procedures to keep it always perfectly clean. As for the shell models with non-removable stone, for example, you simply need to use a damp cloth to remove dirt from the stone. Rectangular models, on the other hand, require cleaning similar to that of normal electric ovens, and the use of a special product in case of dirt deposits on the bottom of the appliance.
Extra accessories
As far as the presence of extra accessories is concerned, we point out the possibility to find in the shell models a shovel to extract the pizza, a wooden chopping board or a perforated aluminum baking tray to prepare other foods, such as chestnuts. Rectangular models, on the other hand, may include the addition of baking trays or grills.
