Technology

Lessons learned Cooking in a wood oven

Despite popular belief, the owners of Patio & Pizza Outdoor Furnishings weren’t always experts in pizza ovens. We started out like everyone else with a few (or maybe a lot) failed pizzas and a lot of lessons learned. It was our passion for good food that prompted us to improve our methods and eventually share our gained expertise with the world in the form of our artisan ovens and delicious recipes. With that in mind, we thought we’d share some of our top tips to give you a head start when using your own wood oven for the first time.

Here are 8 lessons we learned while mastering wood cooking:

1. Get it hot

Light the fire in your wood oven before you think it is necessary; It won’t damage anything and will ensure your pizza oven is hot enough when you’re ready to cook. Pizza ovens are designed to withstand extreme temperatures for extended periods of time, by virtue of how the pizza is cooked. Starting your fire early also means you can reduce your flame to an ideal bed of red-hot embers that maintain a constant temperature and distribute their heat more evenly than an erratic flame.

2. Valuable wood

Start your fire with small pieces of wood and use very dry wood; it will lessen the chances of a smoky fire coming out of the front of your oven when cooking. While a bit of smoke can be a welcome addition, as it can impart unique flavors to food, you don’t need to use “green” wood to achieve this effect. Generally speaking, the smoky flavor can be achieved with completely dry wood and a bit of TLC to ensure there is a small flame left within the coals. You can also try experimenting with different types of wood, such as cherry, to test how different smoke flavors can interact with your recipes.

3. Keeping it crunchy

Make sure the oven floor is at the right temperature before adding your pizza by using an infrared thermometer. Aim for at least 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything less than this will mean that the dough maintains its soft, sometimes sticky consistency for a while before it starts to brown, making it difficult to rotate the pizza in the oven and increasing cooking time. Rather, be sure to account for the impact of a higher temperature on the time it takes to bake your pizza to prevent burning.

4. Ashes to Ashes

When things burn, they leave memories behind. It’s important to use a good clean brush to sweep any leftover ashes off the pizza oven floor before adding anything to cook; This not only prevents ashes from sliding onto freshly baked slices, but also extends the longevity of your oven by preventing buildup from forming and potentially damaging your oven interior. From time to time, give your oven a deep clean to pick up anything you missed during your pre-bake sweeps.

5. Flour is power

Use a lot of flour on the pizza peel to make it easier to slide the pizza dough off the peel when you place the pie in the oven. The flour reduces the friction of the sticky dough on the shell, which is necessary to cleanly move a cake into the oven; otherwise, the quick movement of removing the peel from under the pizza could drag some dough around, or worse, pull the pizza out of the oven and onto the floor.

6. We all start somewhere

Use a large spatula to help slide the pizza off the peel when you start. Practice makes perfect when learning how to use a pizza peel, and it’s better to rely on extra moving force during your first few attempts at baking than dealing with pizza on the floor or upside down in the oven. When placing your pizza in the oven, simply slide the spatula just under the side of the pizza facing you and over the peel, then with a small forward motion with the hand holding the peel, gently push the pizza out. off the shovel and into the oven.

7. Less can be more

Try making small pizzas! It gives your friends and family the chance to make their own with their choice of sauces, cheeses, dressings, and more. You can make an entire event out of a pizza party where everyone can make their own personal pizza, and it gives you some relief when planning guests who have dietary restrictions. Aim for pizzas that are about 8 inches in diameter, which is usually enough for one person to enjoy (and they can always have another in 90 seconds!).

8. Experiment, experiment, experiment!

A well made pizza oven will last a lifetime. There’s no reason to stick with the same recipes you’ve made over and over again. In fact, there’s no reason to stick to just pizza! On the Patio & Pizza Recipe blog, you’ll find countless recipes for different styles of pizza, desserts, barbecue, and more. You’ll find that you can make pizza out of just about anything you have in your pantry or refrigerator, and even if one doesn’t turn out as you planned, the lessons you learn will make you a better pizza cook and overall chef. for life.

To stay in the loop on how we use our ovens, be sure to subscribe to the Patio & Pizza email list, where we share recipes, ideas, tips & tricks, and more. And as always, happy cooking!

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