Determining the best pizza ovens is vital for starting a pizzeria. From big, business operations to small family-owned businesses, what would be ideal for one setup may not be appropriate for a different type of setting. Factors such as size, area, source of fuel, and type of pizza are some of the things that you should be considering when choosing a pizza oven for any foodservice facility. Now let us tackle some of the above considerations and discuss the specifics of purchasing the perfect pizza oven for your pizzeria.
4 Types of Pizza Ovens (Commercial)
Four different types of commercial pizza ovens are available, namely:
- Brick Pizza Ovens
- Conveyor Pizza Ovens
- Pizza Deck Ovens
- Pizza Convection Ovens
When selecting your pizza oven, pay close attention to innovations in the world of pizza. Brick ovens, which are claimed to produce the best quality pizza, are the top choice by pizza consumers. Deck ovens can also produce pizza of good quality, and convection and conveyor pizza ovens are a good alternative in setups where the main priority is efficiency. Nevertheless, as cited above, the dilemma of choosing the right pizza oven for your business would not be addressed as easily as that— you need to also determine how much pizza you would like to produce how much space you have at your disposal, which kind of pizza you would like to create, as well as how much is your budget for the oven.
Electric vs Gas Ovens
The deck, convection and conveyor pizza ovens can be used with either an electric or gas hookup. There are a few minor differences, however, between gas and electric pizza ovens. It is rather best to work via a gas pizza oven for those high-volume and traditional pizza maker. Such devices will make a crispier crust while evenly cooking the rest of your pizza.
But what it would really ultimately come down to is the available utilities that can be used in your establishment. If your establishment has neither natural gas nor the liquid propane hookup, then the electrical pizza ovens will work perfectly to suit your needs. An electric pizza oven would also be a better alternative for mobility-dependent businesses, like those of food stalls and concession carts, which most probably do not have any access to gas.
Pizza Production
Low Production
Comparing to other types of ovens, commercial pizza convection ovens have only a comparatively low output of pizza production. These typically feature 2-5 racks per chamber. Each rack can only fit one or two 16″ pizzas. It would generally take 5-6 minutes for a convection oven to perfectly cook one pizza. This time varies depending on the temperature and the number of pizzas being cooked in the oven at the same time.
Commercial convection pizza ovens are best for those restaurants which are not mainly serving pizza but just have it as one of their menu options.
Medium Production
In comparison, deck pizza ovens have a smaller pizza production than conveyor pizza ovens. Typically, every deck will accommodate about 4-6 pizzas at the same time. Cooking times are generally longer (around 6 to 8 minutes), and the pizzas have to be watched closely and moved around, which means that you might run out of cooking space and lose some time recovering the heat lost. One method that deck pizza ovens can resolve the limitation of cooking space is by stacking several decks in a single oven, one on top of the other. The number of decks can range from one to five or six.
Brick ovens are comparable in two aspects to deck ovens: cooking space is limited and cooking times are slower than conveyor pizza ovens. Unlike the deck ovens, however, brick ovens typically have only one cooking platform. A brick oven can fit 10-12 pizzas at a time and can cook a pizza in less than 5 minutes at the right temperature.
High Production
If it is a priority to produce a high volume of pizza, you will want to buy a conveyor oven. The continuous cooking system featured by conveyor ovens can pump out pizzas as quickly as you can make them.
Available Space
Small space
Convection ovens do not take up a lot of space as opposed to the other 3 types of pizza ovens. One of these ovens will just cover 15 to 60 cubic feet. This is suitable for businesses with space constraints.
Medium space
Deck pizza ovens are great for the pizza place which has a tiny space or if the owner wants to allocate more room for other equipments. Even though this would take up just as much space as a conveyor oven, its stacking design means that much of the space used here is vertical rather than horizontal.
Large space
Space is required at the entrance and exit of a conveyor oven. It indicates that you need more than enough floor space to fit a conveyor oven. If there is still plenty of room in your pizzeria, a conveyor oven is worth purchasing.
As with the other ovens, the size of brick pizza ovens varies. Unlike the other styles, however, brick ovens are typically built to fit a particular space. The brick oven is about aesthetics for most restaurants as much as it is about its functionality. Thus, it is the centerpiece attraction, built sufficiently large and in a spot where customers can see it and admire it in action.
Cost
The price is the determining factor for a lot of people when it comes to choosing which pizza oven to buy.
Convection ovens range from $1,000-$10,000 which makes them fairly affordable so far as pizza ovens go. Portable or countertop ovens are cheaper, with prices ranging from $100 to $11,000. Conveyor pizza ovens will range between $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the brand, condition and other special features that it has. Deck ovens are similar in price range to conveyor ovens. The key thing which makes these pizza ovens so cost-effective is that it is low maintenance and has a long lifespan. Deck ovens can last several years, sometimes decades. It signifies that they can preserve their resale value and can, therefore, be a worthwhile investment.
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