How are pizza ovens made?

Pizza ovens are made by combining three parts: a heat chamber lined with insulation, a baking surface such as a cordierite stone, and a heat source that can be electric elements, gas burners, wood or pellets. The maker’s published figures show how each design handles heat, from a Breville countertop oven that reaches 750 degrees to a Big Horn outdoor unit that reaches 1110 degrees at maximum.

What separates one oven from another is how the heat reaches the pizza. Some designs heat the stone from below and radiate heat from above, some wrap a burner around the chamber, and some rotate the stone so the pie turns through the heat. The sections below follow those choices through the ovens in our Best Pizza Ovens for Fast High Heat and Best Indoor Pizza Ovens That Reach 800 Degrees guides.

The heat chamber and its insulation

Every oven starts with a cavity that holds heat. The Breville BPZ820BSS Smart Oven Pizzaiolo uses a double-pane, heat resistant front window and insulation surrounding the heat chamber, which the maker states keeps extreme temperatures inside the cavity while the outside stays cool. That insulation is what lets a countertop oven sit on a kitchen counter and still run at high heat.

Outdoor ovens solve the same problem with a steel body. The Big Horn 12 inch outdoor oven is built from stainless steel, and the Cozze 13 inch gas oven uses corrosion-resistant stainless steel with a matte finish. The body holds the heat, the door or opening controls how much escapes, and the stone sits inside as the surface the pizza lands on.

Size follows from the chamber. The Breville measures 18.15 inches wide, 18.25 inches deep and 10.5 inches high, and weighs 32.3 pounds. The Ooni Karu 12 measures 15.75 inches wide, 31.5 inches deep and 30.31 inches high, with a chimney and folding legs that come off for transport. The Big Horn 12 inch oven measures 21.6 inches long, 14 inches wide and 28 inches high, with a 12 inch by 12 inch square pizza stone.

The stone is the baking surface

The stone is the part that touches the dough. Breville states that its incoloy heating elements heat a cordierite stone and hold the temperature, which gives the base its char. The Cozze 13 inch oven uses a cordierite stone that rotates automatically, so the pie turns through the heat instead of being turned by hand. The NutriChef outdoor oven also uses a rotating stone, and the kit includes a peel, the stone and a regulator with hose.

Stone shape varies with the oven. The Big Horn 12 inch outdoor oven lists a square stone at 12 inches by 12 inches. The Piezano XL uses a flat 14 inch stone made of natural ceramic, and the maker states the stone is removable for cleaning. The Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven includes a 14 inch heat conducting stone and a lightweight peel.

A stone only works if heat reaches it. Breville describes three paths: conductive heat through the stone for a charred base, radiant heat from the elements for a spotted crust, and a reflector shield that protects toppings so they char without burning. That three part arrangement is the core of how a high heat oven is put together.

The heat source: electric, gas, wood or pellets

Electric ovens use heating elements above and below the stone. The Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven uses 1800W rapid heat up technology with upper and lower heating tubes, and its PID control holds temperatures from 220 to 850 degrees. The Gourmia electric oven delivers 1800 watts and lets you adjust upper and lower burners independently. The Chefman oven runs both elements from 300 to 800 degrees and lists 1700 watts at 120 volts.

Gas ovens use a burner shaped around the chamber. The Cozze 13 inch oven has a triple side U-shaped burner that wraps heat around the stone at the front, sides and back, and it reaches up to 950 degrees. The NutriChef oven uses an L-shaped main burner with an adjustable heat control dial for a constant temperature.

Wood and pellet ovens burn fuel in a tray or chamber. The Ooni Karu 12 uses a fuel tray designed to maximize airflow and can run on wood, charcoal or an optional gas burner, reaching 950 degrees. The Big Horn 12 inch oven runs on hardwood pellets or optional gas and electric burner attachments, reaching 1110 degrees at maximum. The Breville takes the opposite route, using its Element IQ system to switch heating elements rather than fuel.

Controls, presets and how heat is directed

Presets are how makers package heat settings. The Breville Pizzaiolo offers Wood Fired, New York, Pan, Thin and Crispy, and Frozen, plus a manual mode for choosing temperature and which elements run. The Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven lists six programs: Manual, Wood Fired, Frozen, New York, Thin Crispy and Deep Dish. The Gourmia lists six pizza presets and seven functions including air fry, bake, roast, broil, toast, bagel and dehydrate.

The Chefman oven offers five touchscreen presets, Neapolitan, New York, Thin Crust, Pan and Frozen, plus a manual setting. The Piezano XL uses top and bottom heat settings with a built in thermometer display so you can watch the bake. The Presto Pizzazz Plus takes a simpler approach: a rotating tray turns continuously, and the top and bottom heating elements are separately controlled so you can run either or both.

Preheat and cook times are part of the design too. The Ooni Karu 12 is stated to be ready in 15 minutes and to cook a 12 inch pizza in 60 seconds. The Cozze is stated ready to cook in 15 minutes and to cook a pizza in 60 seconds. The Big Horn 12 inch oven is stated ready in 18 to 20 minutes, with pizzas in 60 to 90 seconds. The Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven preheats in 15 minutes and cooks a 14 inch pizza in 3 minutes.

What the published figures do and do not cover

The figures above are what the makers state about their own products. They cover dimensions, weight, wattage, top temperatures and stated cook times. They do not describe the factory process, the grade of steel, or how the chamber is assembled. This site has not compared those details, and nobody here has used these ovens.

Some figures are simply not published. The Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven, the Piezano XL and the NutriChef outdoor oven list no weight. The Cozze 13 inch oven lists no weight in its features. Where a maker publishes a weight, it can differ from a listing figure: the Ooni Karu 12 is listed at 26.46 pounds and stated in its features at 26.4 pounds. The Big Horn 12 inch oven is listed at 24.91 pounds and stated at 25 pounds.

Read the numbers as the maker’s own statements. The Breville reaches up to 750 degrees, the Chefman and Gourmia reach 800 degrees, the Piezano XL reaches 800 degrees, the Big Horn 14 inch indoor oven reaches 850 degrees, and the Ooni Karu 12 and Cozze reach 950 degrees. Those top temperatures, the stone type and the burner or element layout are the clearest picture of how each oven is made.