Fuel type: Gas vs. wood pellets
The Gozney is an excellent oven, but heavier than the average model at 60 pounds.
Outdoor home pizza ovens mostly run on gas, wood or wood pellets. Propane gas pizza ovens can be connected quickly, ignite instantaneously and heat up in just a few minutes. They also burn clean, with less smoke and little mess to clean up. They can be hooked up to propane tanks in the same way you would a grill.
Wood and charcoal ovens, in contrast, must be loaded (and sometimes reloaded) with fuel before use and take longer to heat up; also, a consistent temperature is trickier to maintain. They also make a bigger mess, leaving behind ash and soot. Although you may assume wood-fired pizza ovens would impart a smoky flavor, the pies are not subjected to much smoke or in the oven long enough to absorb the wood flavor. The ovens do smell nice once they’re fired up.
The Alpha Nano is the largest oven of all the models we tested, allowing you to roast whole chickens and other food that won’t fit inside most home pizza ovens.
Size and portability
If you have a dedicated space for your oven, a larger, heavier model should work. If you’ll be looking to store it away between uses or move it around regularly, a more portable oven is a better choice. At-home pizza ovens start at around 20 pounds, while semiportable and stationary pizza ovens can weigh several hundred.
Accessories
A pizza peel is the most critical accessory for making pies at home.
