Last year I reviewed an Ooni wood-fired pizza oven. The oven did a great job despite the fact that I used premade pizza dough. (And boy did I hear about it in the comments on the video.) The company sent me one of their new Ooni Koda gas-powered outdoor pizza ovens It’s pretty impressive. (And I used real pizza dough!)
The new Ooni Koda pizza oven is $299. That doesn’t include the cost of a gas tank. If you don’t already have a tank, you’ll need to go out and get one; you can find gas tanks at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Academy, Wal-Mart, and other stores that sell outdoor supplies.
The company has this to say about their new offering,
Your time is precious, so make it count. Ooni Koda fires out jaw-dropping pizzas in 60 seconds flat. No assembly, no mess, no fuss. Cooking outdoors with gas has never been so simple (or so beautiful). Ready right out of the box, the super compact Ooni Koda is good to go in seconds. Simply flip open the foldable legs, insert the stone baking board, and connect to a gas tank. Bring your pizza game to any outdoor party thanks to Ooni Koda’s award-winning, portable design, crafted for ultimate speed, convenience and ease of use. Featuring instant gas ignition, Ooni Koda is ready to cook in 15 minutes and can reach temperatures up to 932°F (500°C). Use the heat control dial to cook Neapolitan-style pizza in just 60 seconds, right through to roasted fish, vegetables and steaks.
Inside the box, I found the pizza oven, a stone baking board, a user manual, and a propane tank gas regulator and hose.
The company was also kind enough to send a metal pizza peel. You’ll definitely want to have at least one of those on hand.
What I loved about this new pizza oven was the fact that it came fully assembled. The last time I reviewed one of their products, I had to spend a significant amount of time putting it together. It wasn’t difficult, but it was time-consuming. With the new pizza oven, I simply pulled it out of the box, extended the three permanently affixed legs and the gas regulator and hose.
Within five minutes, I was ready to use the pizza oven. That’s pretty impressive.
I love the black finish on the top of the oven. It looks rather cool but doesn’t be fooled, when the oven is on it gets incredibly hot. You certainly don’t want to touch any part of the pizza oven while it’s on — save for the regulator valve at the back.
Inside the unit is the pizza stone. You’ll want to make sure this is hot enough before putting your first pizza inside.
Key features of the new oven include:
- Fast: It heats to 932°F (500°C) and cooks pizza in just 60 seconds
- Easy: there’s no assembly required in the built-in gas ignition and an adjustable heat control dial make it easy to turn on and use
- Compact: it fits in any outdoor space, and it’s easy to move to another location with ease
The fact that the new pizza oven is gas-powered is a huge win in my book. It means you can simply turn on the gas, turn on the regulator at the back of the oven, and press the ignition button to get going. Letting the pizza oven heat up for 15 minutes or so is key so that the pizza stone is hot enough.
As I mentioned in the video, the first time I used the pizza oven I didn’t wait long enough, and I had a mess of gooey pizza dough and sauce instead of a pizza. So instead of getting something like this…
…I initially got this.
The second time I tried to make pizza using the Ooni Koda, I made sure not to make the same mistake twice.
A purist might worry that the gas-powered version of the oven won’t produce the same quality pizza that you get from their wood pellet fired devices but never fear, a patented flame keeper device keeps the flames rolling down onto the food for a quick and even cooking process.
The oven weighs just over 20 pounds, which means it’s portable. It also means this isn’t a huge pizza oven. It only handles pizzas up to 12 inches wide.
The powder-coated, cold-rolled carbon steel shell and high-quality quarter right stone baking board inside speak to the quality of this pizza oven. $299 isn’t inexpensive but for the money, you get the quality product that will have you cooking pizzas within minutes and will last for years to come.
Here’s what the company has to say about its purpose and mission:
- We believe that everyone deserves great pizza: Our innovative pizza ovens make cooking incredible pizza at home fast, easy, and affordable. To make truly fantastic pizza, you need very high heats; Ooni 3, Ooni Koda and Ooni Pro reach double the temperature of domestic ovens in 20 minutes or less and cost a fraction of the price of traditional, permanent wood-fired ovens.
- We fuel your fire: We’ve thoughtfully designed our family of pizza ovens to suit a range of fire cooking needs. Whether you prefer to cook with wood, pellets, charcoal or gas, or are looking for an outdoor pizza oven that offers the flexibility of cooking with different fuels at different moments, we have an oven to suit your needs. From truly great pizza to roasted fish, baked vegetables, seared steaks, and even fresh bread, cooking with Ooni means creating incredible flame-cooked meals.
- We love to cook outdoors: The natural heart of inspired social occasions, our award-winning pizza ovens draw food lovers together for exceptional food experiences. Designed for the outdoors and either portable or transportable, cooking with Ooni 3, Ooni Koda or Ooni Pro means serving up fantastic dishes in your backyard, at the beach, or any outdoor space.
- We’re innovators: Ooni completely revolutionized the outdoor cooking landscape when we launched the world’s first portable pellet pizza oven. Six years on, we’ve continued to define the outdoor pizza oven category with the launch of further pizza oven models – our family now includes Ooni 3, Ooni Koda and Ooni Pro – plus a comprehensive range of must-have accessories, tools, and merchandise to offer the best cooking experience possible to Ooni users.
And here’s a video look at my second attempt using the Ooni Koda gas-fired pizza oven.
Additional features include:
- Extreme Heat & Speed: The insulated steel shell and stone baking board mean optimum heat retention, so Ooni Koda is ready to start cooking within 15 minutes.
- Ultimate Convenience: Firing up Ooni Koda is as simple as turning a dial; cooking with gas means minimal smoke and soot for fuss-free maintenance.
- Flame-cooked Flavor: The built-in, patented flame keeper device carries rolling flames down and onto food.
- Gas-powered: The built-in gas ignition means instant flames, with an adjustable heat control dial for effortless cooking. Maximum power: 4kWh (13648 BTU)
- Pizza Size: Cook pizzas up to 12 inches wide.
- Portable: Throw a pizza party in any outdoor space. Ooni Koda is just 20.4 lbs (9.25kg) and can be moved with ease.
- Materials: Powder-coated, cold-rolled carbon steel shell, with a high-quality cordierite stone baking board inside.
As previously noted, the oven is $299. It comes fully assembled and ready to use, but you’ll need to add a gas tank. In addition, you will likely want to spend a few dollars on one of the company’s pizza peels. And if you think you might want to take the pizza oven at it with you on a trip or to a barbecue, you might consider picking up their carry/cover for $37.50.
I really love this pizza oven. I love the solid construction, I love the fact that it comes fully assembled, I love how easy it is to use. And I love the fact that you get fresh pizza within just a few minutes. If you are a purist, you may want to consider one of the company’s pellet-fueled pizza ovens. For someone like me though this is a great way to get fresh pizza without the need to have it delivered.
The Ooni Koda 12 Pizza Oven retails for $349; it is available directly from the manufacturer.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample of the Ooni Koda pizza oven
What I Like: Comes fully assembled; Gas- powered and easy to use; Portable; Cooks pizza in a minute
What Needs Improvement: Requires you to have a gas tank; Pizza size maxes out at 12”