Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven Instructions

Before I tested the Ooni Fyra 12, I did not think that this would be the year I mastered making pizza. As a denizen of New York City, I have access to a lot of delicious pizza of all varieties and price points in all directions from my home. Wherever I am there is pizza. So beyond throwing together the occasional cast-iron pie, I never felt the need to employ the skill at home. In particular, I assumed the fancy leopard-spotted wood-fired pizza on offer at my favorite restaurants was well beyond my (and my apartment’s) capabilities. Why attempt something I’d never do half as well as the pros?

First, remove the chimney cap. Next, take off the chimney cap and fill it with hardwood pellets. To get started, I used approximately two dozen hardwood pellets following the instructions. Next, add a firelighter (I used Ooni firelighters which were provided), and light it. Finally, push the grate into place in the back of your pizza oven.

Ooni is the name to trust when it comes to backyard pizza ovens. Ooni's Fyra 12 (349) is the most affordable model. Ooni also makes the Fyra 12 portable. It is 22-pounds in weight. The Fyra 12 uses dry hardwood pellets to fuel its combustion. These pellets are more easily transported and available at many hardwood stores and grocery stores throughout the U.S.

However, if you have a big family or plan to make pizza the focal point of your next dinner party, I highly recommend going with a gas-powered option like the Koda 12. It will set you back an extra $50, and you'll forfeit some of the portability inherent with pellets, but you'll enjoy yourself, and your company, a whole lot more.

Before I cooked pizzas in the Ooni Fyra, I heated it for 30 minutes at high heat and let it cool down before wiping it with a kitchen towel. Ooni states that this is necessary to get rid of any residues during manufacturing before you cook in it.

The pizza oven arrived in an extremely compact box, which was very easy to transport to the garden. I was amazed by the compact packaging and couldn't believe the entire pizza oven was inside.

All-natural fire starters (and organic wood pellets) were purchased at a local hardware store for my maiden pizza expedition. They initially seemed to work well. However, the oven didn't reach the required temperatures and each pizza took longer than 4-6 minutes. I found that the Ooni brand starter and hardwood wood pellets lit up faster than my oven and cooked the same dough in less time (1-2 minutes).

It was a real bummer that my Ooni arrived with plans to make pizza that same day. However, I discovered that I didn’t have the right materials. Ooni will not ship a pizza peel, so be sure to choose a model that's thin and narrow enough to fit your pizza. I really liked this one. While you could probably use a wood peel to make it work, I found I needed the thinness in metal to be able to maneuver.

There's definitely a knack to doing this to ensure you get the pizza off the peel in one piece without losing your toppings (and patience). Gently shuffling it off the peel is the best way and you soon get the knack of it after a few tries.

It takes up very little space in the shed, which is always a bonus when it's already packed to the rafters. We can also store it easily when it's not in use. Ooni's covers can be purchased to fit the oven if you don’t have enough storage. You can also carry the cover with you to the beach, friend's home, or on camping trips.

I will admit it, the first few pizzerias I tried didn't come out as I expected. They were burned on the edges and not cooked well on the inside. My experience was not good. The general consensus was, "These aren't as tasty as the ones at Franco Manca."

It's difficult to tell when your pizza oven is ready to cook because it doesn't have a built-in thermometer. However, I found that 15 minutes was enough time for it to heat up in most conditions. It's possible to see rolling flames through the viewing window. This is a good indicator that it's ready to cook.