How do you know someone is a vegan, does Cross Fit, or has a pizza oven? They’ll tell you, obviously.

I recently joined a group of like-minded people with shared interests and values. Some may call it “a cult” but we like to think of ourselves as an elite squad of entertainers. We always volunteer to host get-togethers. We have an excessive amount of flour in our pantries, and an air of smugness about us that even gives us the ick. We are, of course, owners of backyard pizza ovens.

Just as we went gung-ho on smoking any meat that would stay still long enough in 2012, the home cook was ready for the next big thing. And that big thing was pizza. A cleverly timed campaign by Italian rehab-to-riches entrepreneur Tom Gozney featuring high-profile Australian chefs and secret supper clubs recreated the diamond effect. What the engagement ring was to Tiffany’s, the campaign was to pizza ovens. 

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Brand ambassadors like Luke Powell, Matty Matheson, Joel Bennetts, Jessica Nguyen, and Rasheed Philips took to their Instagrams to sing the (justified) praises of their new toys. They were turning out rustic, beautiful, perfectly burnished pizzas in 60 seconds and we wanted a piece of the pie action.

Big Green Eggs and brisket were kicked to the curb to make room for the pizzeria. Gozney and competitors like Ooni, Alfa Forni, and Cossi have flooded social media and rapidly transformed into the new status symbols. Proving that the trend has crawled out of the supper clubs and into the mainstream is the appearance of a $69 portable pizza oven available now at Kmart. 

So why are we so obsessed with the pizza oven? In 2020, the world was primed for a new hobby. Between the 9:15am Premier’s address and counting down the minutes until Beer O’Clock, most people had a lot of time on their hands. When we were finally allowed to see our friends, we brought our new-found cooking skills with us and needed a Covid-safe way to show them off. An ever-increasing collective shirking of Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Crust paired with the rise of portable ovens made really great pizza more accessible than ever. 

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Most ovens max out at around 300 degrees celsius, and make perfectly fine pizza. But for the ‘gram-worthy Napoli-style pies, you’re going to need something that cranks up to at least 550. To accomplish a temperature of that magnitude outside of a commercial kitchen is impressive and also extremely fun.

Despite being big, clunky, requiring the perfect dough recipe, and constant attention – pizza parties are fun. Selecting your own pizza toppings is fun. Watching the theatre of a seasoned pizzaiola (and the not-so-seasoned) is fun. 

The tool is also not exclusive to pizza. Instead of a flash in the pan, the pizza oven is versatile – Florentine steaks, pies, crumbles, spatchcocks, veggies, the list of what can be cooked in a pizza oven goes on and on. It takes a bit of practice, and you will make a mess but I can tell you right now, the swell of pride when you nail your first pizza is worth every penny. If all else fails, we can order pizza.

How long does it take to cook pizza?

In an outdoor pizza oven that’s hit around 450-500 degrees celsius, a pizza will take approximately 60 seconds to cook so make sure you have everything prepped in advance.

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