How Fast Does a Wood-Fired Oven Cook Food?
When you’re hungry, you want to eat, not wait for your food—but if you’re putting something in the oven, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing. Fast food can be an option, but we all know how healthy that is. One of the most efficient and healthiest options is to cook in an outdoor pizza oven. We’ve clocked this cooking method, and you’ll be surprised at how fast it really is.
Temperature, Fuel, and Insulation
Maxing out at about 750 degrees Fahrenheit (up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit with Saputo stones), a pizza oven beats the one in your kitchen by about 300 degrees. Unlike a traditional oven, the heat in a pizza oven is very slow to dissipate. This is because of two things: fuel and insulation. Hardwoods like maple, cherry, and oak burn hot for a long time. Combine this with great insulation, and you’ve got an oven that can cook food in record time.
Okay, So How Fast Is a Pizza Oven, Really?
It depends on what you’re cooking, but since we’re talking about wood-fired pizza ovens, let’s assume you’re cooking a pizza, complete with homemade dough and every topping you can think of. In an oven that’s completely preheated, a pizza can be fully cooked in one to two minutes.
Compare that with your kitchen oven, which might take 15 minutes or more, depending on the temperature you’ve chosen to cook it at. What if you aren’t into pizza? Here are some average cooking times for some other popular foods:
- Roast chicken and vegetables – 45-50 minutes
- Freshwater fish – 3 to 5 minutes
- Beef tenderloin (medium rare) – 5 to 8 minutes
- Ciabatta bread – 35 to 45 minutes
- Corn – 10 to 15 minutes
You might be thinking that because that pizza oven is so fast, you must be losing something in terms of flavor and nutrients, but this aspect will surprise you, too.
Other Advantages of a Pizza Oven over the One in Your Kitchen
The truth is that you gain flavor with a backyard pizza oven. This is because of the temperature and fuel you use. Those hot-burning hardwoods not only help your meals to cook far faster than in your kitchen oven but, as they are cooking, they also infuse your food with their unique flavors.
Nutrients are also something you’ll get more of with a pizza oven. This is thanks to its high efficiency. Because it takes far less time to cook anything in a pizza oven than in a traditional oven, fewer nutrients are lost—and that’s great news for anyone who wants to have a healthier diet.
So, how do you go about getting a pizza oven for your outdoor kitchen? The first thing to know is that not all pizza ovens are created equally. If you’re ready to shop, Fontana Forni ovens offer 100% Italian construction, maximum temperatures of 900 degrees Fahrenheit, and over 40 years of innovation. Discover how easy it can be to have a top-quality pizza oven. Call us today at 1-877-842-9822.
