I will be honest and admit that my first few pizzas did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I was disappointed that the first few pizzas were not as good as I had hoped. They were too burnt in one half and not done properly in the other. It was generally agreed that these were not as good and as delicious as Franco Manca's.
After the oven arrived at our house, we made some dough and took it up to the roof. Then, we got baking. After much trial and error, many pizzas and multiple rooftop parties, many compliments and the declaration that 2022 was the summer of pizza--at least at my house- is history.
Ooni has produced amazing outdoor ovens over the years. We’ve tried and tested a couple of them and we found them often to get the balance right with regards to quality and performance. In this review, we’ll be discussing the Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven which is the 4th installment in the Ooni Series.
Before you store it or cover it, wait until the oven cools completely.
I baked a batch, took the dough to the roof and made the oven. The rest was trial and error, numerous pizzas, multiple rooftop parties. Many compliments.
Let's get this out of your way: outdoor pizza ovens aren't cheap. Even middle-ofthe-road options can range from $500 up to $1,000. The Fyra 12 has a sticker price of $349. That is $50 less than Ooni’s petrol-powered Koda 12 ($399). And it costs $350 more than the Karu 16 ($799). Karu 16 can use different types fuels.
The Fyra 12 is easy to light: load the hopper with pellets, ignite the fire starter, add more pellets, sit back and drink a cold beverage. It also preheats fairly quickly. On average, the Fyra 12 takes about 15 minutes to reach the ideal temperature (900 to 950 degrees Fahrenheit), assuming the weather cooperates. For Neapolitan pizzas, you want your oven at 950 to 1,000 degrees.
It's been used in all weathers. We've made it during glorious summer, rainy Saturday evenings and winter. Check out the story below to see how it went...
The Ooni Fyra packaged pizza oven is light and easy to transport.
The main body of your oven can be removed from the box. Next, unfold the legs supporting the main portion of the oven. Before you insert the grate, slide the pizza stones into the base. You then attach the main chimney, the taller part at the front, and lock it into position. Next, you insert the fuelhopper (the smaller cylinder towards the back). You're done!
But, as with any pizza oven the Fyra 12 will need fuel. Fuel is expensive. Ooni sells bags 20-pound for $25. There are cheaper options, however, and any brand will suffice. Grab some fire starters, while you are at it.
Does it deliver high-quality pizza? Is it easy and simple to use Is it possible to take it on the road with you? To find out, I spent more than a month testing it.
Cleaning the Ooni Fyra is easy - another selling point. After the oven has cooled, which can take up to an hour, you can remove the grate from the oven and empty the ash. To remove food residue, I wipe down the pizza stone with a dry kitchen towel. You can wipe the exterior with a damp cloth and soapy warm water. That's all there is to it! This takes very little effort.
Ooni advises that the best place for your pizza oven is a location that is protected from wind and 3ft (1m away from structures) for best results. The manual recommends that the pizza oven be placed on wooden, stone or marble surfaces.
I recommend having two cooks, one focusing on flame maintenance and the other on pizza assembly. A good idea is to get an infrared thermometer. It's essential because of the heat variability.
It is simple to light the Fyra 12: simply load the hopper full of pellets, start the fire starter, add more pellets and then relax with a cold drink. It also heats up quickly. The Fyra 12 can reach the desired temperature in about 15 minutes, assuming that the weather cooperates. You should heat your oven to 950 to 1000 degrees for Neapolitan pizzas.
What they it's all feel, and the learning curve is steep. My theory: a lot of that comes down to the small fire box mentioned in the previous section.
Ooni is the best brand for backyard pizza ovens. The Fyra 12 ($349), which is Ooni's cheapest model, is its Fyra 12. Ooni's most portable option, the Fyra 12, is also available. It is 22 pounds in weight and uses dry hardwood pellets for its fuel source. These are easier to transport and more readily available at hardwood shops and grocery stores across the U.S.
Ooni recommends that you place your pizza oven in an area where there is no wind. Also, keep it at least 3ft (1 m) away of structures to get the best results. The manual advises that it be placed on wood, stone, marble, and stainless steel surfaces.
The Ooni Fyra offers a lot more fun than it costs. For many potential buyers, the benefits, particularly the price, will outweigh any cons.
There is the option of buying an Ooni infrared thermometer if you want to be 100 per cent sure of when it's up to temperature, but although this might be a good gadget to have, I don't feel it's essential for you to enjoy cooking pizzas in the oven. After a couple of times using the oven, I was able to have a good idea of when it was hot enough.
Ooni Fyra 12 a small oven that can cook 12" pizzas. The fuel hopper is where you add wood pellets. Ooni sells thin pizza peels, all-natural fire starters and wood pellets. However, they are not included in the Fyra 12 package. All of these items can be purchased through Ooni, but not included with the purchase of a Fyra 12. The Ooni oven is $349 at the time of publication and comes with a three year warranty.
You do need to wait for the oven to cool down completely before storing it or placing the cover on it.
The packaged Ooni Fyra pizza oven is lightweight and I could easily carry it out out the garden on my own
We've also replenished the wood pellets for the pizza oven, choosing to stick with the Ooni-branded hardwood pellets we were originally sent as they worked so well. A large 10kg bag of pellets (£19.99) has lasted us a long time, so it's not expensive to run the oven.
The chimney is detachable and helps circulate air inside the oven. There’s also a second chimney at the backside, which is the pellet hopper. It’s taller, almost double the size of that of Ooni 3’s hopper.
The Fyra 12 is awesome, with some caveats. The Ooni-branded pellets and fire starters are a must, which is annoying, but your pizza will thank you. And you need to stay vigilant about keeping the hopper full of pellets if you’re making many pizzas in a row. But if you’re down to keep those things in mind, I can’t recommend it more highly. It’s as low maintenance as a wood fired pizza oven can get and produces stellar results in a sleek, compact format that folds away to store when not in use. I am excited to use the Fyra 12 again and again—already planning a pizza party for when my parents visit next month, which is a true testament to how well it works. I could take them for pizza anywhere in New York City! But now the stuff I can make at home is just as good.
The Ooni Fyra was extremely easy to assemble. This assembly process was easy even for someone like myself, who has zero patience when it involves following assembly instructions (my Ikea flatpack meltdowns in our house are quite famous),
Ooni pizza ovens are safe and fully useable even in rainy weather. In fact, Ooni pizza ovens have been tested in temperatures as low as -22C, or -8F. This means you can reliably use the Ooni Frya, Karu, Koda and Pro lines of pizza ovens even in inclement weather � as long as you're OK getting wet in the process!
Why have we changed the spelling to Ooni? As Uuni has expanded into different countries, it's become apparent that the word 'Uuni' is being pronounced differently around the world. As we are a truly global brand, we have decided to change the spelling of our name from 'Uuni' to 'Ooni', which is the phonetic spelling.
You can fuel an Ooni Pro with wood pellets, charcoal, or even propane gas. 29 July 2019