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Ask just about any teenager anywhere what they want for dinner (or lunch, and sometimes even breakfast) and they'll say, "Pizza sounds good." So when I bought the Ooni Karu 12-inch pizza oven a year and a half ago, I looked at it as an investment for future food planning with a teenage son.
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Not only has this oven proved to be an efficient way to make pizza, but it's also brought us hours of joy, with pizza nights with our son and his friends. You get a perfectly crisp pizza in less than three minutes -- and faster once the oven warms up.
Why I chose the Ooni Karu 12-inch over other sizes and models
I picked this pizza oven over the other Ooni ovens for three main reasons. The first was the portability; I love that it doesn't take up a ton of space and that it can be disassembled and placed into a carrying case. I had visions of campouts and lakeside excursions, but usually, we just use it at home.
The second reason was the price: Ooni outdoor ovens can get pricey, and since I wasn't sure how much we'd use it, I didn't want to drop $500. I got mine for around $300. Even our CNET editors noted that the Ooni Karu is the best pizza oven for those on a budget.
The third selling point of this model was its fuel options. I didn't want to get locked into a pellet-stove model where you have to buy and keep in-stock pellets. I wanted wood fire, and I did purchase a box of the Ooni wood the first time but you can chop your own as long as you keep the pieces small enough to fit your stove; 6 inches is the maximum. The other great thing about the Karu is that you can get an adapter to convert this to gas. I haven't done this yet, but it's nice to have options.
The Ooni works in (almost) all seasons
I live in Minnesota, so we've used the Ooni in all four seasons: we use it constantly in the spring, summer and fall. When winter rolls in temperatures can typically get below zero but this last year we had a very mild December, with late December temperatures in the 40s (Fahrenheit). So we fired up our Ooni on Christmas Day. We have used it in temperatures below 30 degrees, but it's hard to keep it hot enough -- it isn't as efficient in cold temperatures -- and frankly, it's just not as fun standing in 25-degree weather while you tend your pizza.
Ooni does recommend removing the pizza stone while storing your oven in temperatures below freezing to avoid potential cracks, but we find we just put it away for most of January and February. March can be fickle here, but it becomes a sort of right-of-passage when the weather is nice enough to fire up the Ooni again. We leave ours out in the rain a lot and it hasn't affected its appearance at all.
Don't skip these accessories
You will definitely need a pizza peel so you can use your oven right away. I use the Ooni 12-inch stainless steel pizza peel, but with this smaller oven it can get tricky to turn your pizza, so a smaller, wide spatula is also a handy tool, like a classic long-handled grill spatula. I also opted for the custom cover for the Karu, which makes it portable. Off-season, I store it in this cover to keep it in nice shape.
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