When I bought my first pizza oven, I had a vision: a dozen or so friends in my backyard, freshly cut grass, a hot summer day and plenty of pizza to go around. It looked like something you might see on a brand’s website. I quickly realized I don’t live in an advertisement. And, no, it’s not because my lawn is overgrown.
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The Problem with Pizza Ovens
Even the best pizza ovens have one fatal flaw. They’re only big enough to cook one pizza at a time. That’s fine for a week night, but when you’re on the line to feed a bunch of friends and family, well, you better get cooking.
Even the best pizza ovens have one fatal flaw. They’re only big enough to cook one pizza at a time.
Like any indoor oven, outdoor pizza ovens take a while to reach temperature, and there’s usually a dropoff in heat in-between pies. I love hosting friends and trying out new recipes. But even a modest cookout can take hours and nothing kills the buzz like hungrily waiting for a 10-inch pizza you have to share with eight people.
Ooni Koda 2 Max
Ooni’s new outdoor pizza oven, the gas-only Koda 2 Max, looks to solve that issue. It has an extra-large 24-inch cooking surface that can cook a giant New York-style pizza or a pair of Neapolitan pies at the same time.
Ooni Koda 2 Max
The Koda 2 Max may even be a contender for the best overall pizza oven for most people, even those who don’t cook for a crowd. Two independent burners let you work zonally, and anyone who has ever scorched a pizza knows that the ability the move a pizza even inches away from a 900-degree heat source could be a game changer.
My only question mark around the Koda 2 Max pertains to the absence of a door. With the larger front opening, I wonder how hot it can get — and how long it can stay there. But there appears to be some sort of glass dropdown that helps with heat retention and dispersion.
Stay tuned for an update to our buying guide to pizza ovens, where we’ll compare this oven to the competition. The Koda 2 Max goes on sale May 28 with a price tag of $999.
