Straight to the Level
The Gozney Arc took nearly 40 minutes to achieve 900°F, however it nonetheless baked up lovely back-to-back pizzas with leopard-spotted crusts in 90 seconds or much less. Plus, it was tremendous simple to make use of.
My husband has a love-hate relationship with making pizza (and out of doors pizza ovens). There’s the enchantment of cooking exterior and chatting with mates as you throw a pie—however there’s additionally the fact: torn dough, the propane tank working out, the pie popping out just a little too charred. The evening often ends with semolina flour scattered into each nook and cranny and with my husband questioning why he thought slinging pizza all evening (whereas friends mingle and drink beer) could be enjoyable.
All that mentioned, he nonetheless enjoys cranking up the warmth and making some Neapolitan-style za, and any pizza oven that may streamline that harried expertise, properly, it’s value one thing. I’ve lengthy cherished the Ooni Koda for its simple interface (simply screw on the propane tank, flip the knob, and the warmth will get blasting), so I used to be curious when Gozney launched a compact domed pizza oven with a “lateral rolling flame” that replicates that of “conventional wood-fired ovens, distributing warmth evenly and constantly,” per their web site. In addition they promised this design would permit house pizzaiolos to “spend much less time turning pizza and extra time making reminiscences.” Effectively, rely me (and my husband) in. To check it, I made round a dozen Neapolitan-adjacent pizzas and some calzones, burned by means of a tank of propane, and nonetheless ended up with semolina flour in every single place.
The Checks
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
- Pizza Check: I made a dozen Neapolitan-style pies (some with sauce and cheese and others with pepperoni and salami). Earlier than cooking them, I preheated the oven to 900°F, timing how lengthy this took, and utilizing an infrared thermometer to take the temperature of the pizza stone on the left, middle, and proper. I additionally timed how lengthy it took for the oven to reheat to 900°F after throwing a pie, repeating this 3 times. I used the pizza peel and turner offered by Gozney to throw, flip, and retrieve the pizzas.
- Calzone Check: I used the Arc to cook dinner calzones, noting how evenly and shortly they baked.
- Use Check: All through testing, I famous how simple the oven was to arrange, use, and clear.
What We Discovered
It Was Simple to Use, and the Dimension Was Spot-on
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
Like many gas-powered pizza ovens, the Gozney Arc was tremendous simple to arrange and use: twist on the propane tank to the connector hose, open it up, press and switch the dial, and it fires up. Adjusting the warmth was simple, too, because you simply needed to flip the dial—my solely qualm with it was that it spins a bit additional north than wanted because the max warmth setting sits round 9 o’clock. The smaller Arc oven I examined was additionally a lot massive; I didn’t have any points maneuvering the launching peel inside and even bigger bakes, like calzones, match properly with out being cramped.
It Took a Whereas to Warmth Up however Was on Par With Different Pizza Ovens
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
I used an infrared thermometer to learn how lengthy the stone took to achieve 900°F, which is an efficient warmth for cooking thin-crust pizza. Because the burner is on the left facet of the oven, that space heated up the quickest, reaching 900°F in round 27 minutes, whereas the middle took round 38 minutes to come back to temp. Due to the arcing flame, the precise facet of the stone additionally heated up sooner than the middle. For instance, seven minutes into heating, the left facet of the stone was 565°F, the middle was 494°F, and the precise facet was 520°F. Whereas there have been variations, they have been small and confirmed that the heating was fairly constant.
…However It Cooked Pizzas FAST
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
The entire pizzas I made have been prepared in 90 seconds or much less and each certainly one of them emerged with puffy crusts and leopard recognizing on the underside. Restoration time was quick, too: on common, the oven took rather less than two minutes to climb again as much as 900°F. This stellar warmth retention, whereas a boon when it comes to time spent cooking pizzas (I actually might sling a pizza and eat it too!), did imply I needed to pay shut consideration to pies as they cooked. If I acquired distracted, there was a penchant for blackened dough bubbles and charred toppings.
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
Calzones have been just a little trickier to nail since they take longer to cook dinner and want much less blistering warmth; even once I saved the flame low, I nonetheless had to make use of the turner peel to defend the highest of the crust so it didn’t emerge fully burnt. That mentioned, that is an oven meant to churn out pizzas and isn’t particularly made for calzones, so I don’t assume this can be a unfavourable. Total, it did its designated job, and it did it properly.
The Verdict
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
The Gozney Arc was simple to make use of and arrange. I examined the 14-inch measurement and located it a lot versatile, however it’s additionally offered in a larger 16-inch pizza capacity in order for you a fair greater choice. The oven was just a little gradual to warmth, taking almost 40 minutes for the middle of the stone to achieve 900°F (the left and proper sides heated sooner because of the nature of the arcing flame), however it retained warmth very properly and churned out excellent thin-crust pizzas in beneath 90 seconds, with little reheat time wanted. The one massive draw back is that, at $700, it’s $100 greater than the Ooni Koda 16, certainly one of our different prime gas-powered picks.
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The Execs
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
It’s simple to make use of and cooked leopard-spotted pizzas quick—there was little reheating time wanted after slinging a pie (it often took about two minutes to climb again as much as temperature), which meant I might spend much less time cooking and extra time consuming and socializing. I believe the 14-inch measurement is large enough for most individuals’s wants, too. I didn’t have any points launching or retrieving pizzas with the Gozney peel, and the inside felt spacious when turning pies. Gozney does promote a stand for the Arc, which I used and located nice (it holds the oven at eye stage and has folding prep tables), although it’s an additional $250.
The Cons
Critical Eats / Grace Kelly
It’s costly—at $700 for the 14-inch capability Arc, it’s $100 greater than the Ooni Koda 16, which carried out equally in our different assessments. The Arc was additionally a wee bit gradual to hit 900°F within the middle of the stone, although it nonetheless did a wonderful job shortly cooking pizza after pizza.
The built-in thermometer wasn’t correct: a couple of minutes into heating, the thermometer mentioned the oven was 188°F whereas the infrared thermometer studying was round 463°F within the middle of the stone. This development continued because the oven heated, although the displayed temperature did get nearer to the precise temperatures as time went on. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t depend on the built-in thermometer.
Key Specs
- Weight: 47.5 kilos
- Inner width: 14.8 inches
- Exterior dimensions: 19 x 22 x 13.5 inches
- Max temp: 950°F
- Stone thickness: 2 millimeters
- Gasoline sort: Propane
- Guarantee: 1 12 months from date of buy
FAQs
What’s the distinction between the Gozney Dome and the Arc?
The Gozney dome is a dual-fuel oven; you should use propane/wooden or pure gasoline/wooden. The Arc, conversely, is propane-only. The Dome can also be a lot bigger at 26 x 24.8 x 28.8 inches, whereas the Arc is nineteen x 22 x 13.5 inches. Each attain temperatures as much as 950°F and boast even heating.
Can the Gozney Arc be used indoors?
Because it makes use of propane, it’s greatest to make use of the Gozney Arc exterior to be secure.
Why We’re the Specialists
- Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Critical Eats and has been testing kitchen gear for nearly three years.
- Previous to this, she was an environmental reporter, prep cook dinner, and bartender.
- She’s made numerous pizzas along with her husband utilizing out of doors pizza ovens.
- For this evaluation, she cooked dozens of pizzas and some calzones to check the Gozney Arc’s capacity to bake up even, well-cooked pies.
Editor’s observe: We acquired a press pattern of the Gozney Arc, however all of our opinions are our personal.
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