Pizza is so delicious; what's not to like? A perfect meal is created by combining the sauce, toppings, and gooey cheese. Although you can buy pizza from a restaurant, preparing your own has a certain charm and limitless potential.
Pizza makers are designed to make homemade pizza easy and fun; hence, they have become very common. Whether you live alone, frequently travel to new locations, or lead a busy lifestyle, a pizza maker is necessary to fulfill your late-night cravings or cook treats for your kids and friends.
What is a Pizza Maker?
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Pizza makers are devices that allow you to cook brick and commercial oven-style pizzas without a brick or a commercial oven. Instead, they work by heating your pizza toppings evenly with the pizza's crust bottom.
Unlike the standard oven, a pizza maker consumes less energy, and it's suitable for making your pizza from scratch or preparing a frozen pizza with little hassle. In addition, a pizza maker can achieve high temperatures of over 400 degrees which is a perfect temperature to fully cook your pizza toppings, melt the cheese and form a baked crispy crust.
With countless options in the market today, finding the best pizza maker can be overwhelming and challenging. So, to make it easy for you, we have listed the best pizza makers and included a buying guide to help you know what to look for when shopping.
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1. Betty Crocker BC-2958CR Pizza Maker
Of course, I will start with my personal favorite that I own. Shameless plug! As a restaurant pizza lover, I was looking for a versatile model to cook pizza and other food items such as nachos, homemade flatbreads, quesadillas, cinnamon rolls, and tostadas.
I have prepared delicious pizza close to your favorite Domino's pizza severally with this model, and it only took me 10 minutes to warm up and start baking. However, when cooking pizza, I needed to be alert during the cooking process to ensure I achieved a gooey top and a crispy pizza crust.
Image Credit: amazon.com
Luckily, my Betty Crocker BC-2958CR has an indicator light that alerts me when the pizza maker is ready to use, which minimizes guesswork to give me a perfect Sunday brunch meal. Also, it was super easy to set up, and all I had to do was open the top and position my 12-inch pizza on the plate.
In conclusion, other people prefer this Betty Crocker BC-2958CR pizza oven for its lightweight design and compactness, making it easy to save on storage space.
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2. Presto 03430 Pizza Maker
You cant mention innovation in pizza ovens and not mention the Presto, thanks to its electric features and a small footprint. Seeing this rotating oven model was attractive from the word go as it's not your usual pizza oven for cooking pizzas.
Although I purchased the previous version, I have used this pizza maker at a friend's place, and not only does it take up minimal counter space and it will also cook your frozen pizza to perfection. This is because the Presto 03430 pizza oven needs warming or preheating, meaning you can start baking your pizza immediately, even when it's frozen.
Image Credit: amazon.com
It also impressed me that the rotating pizzazz pizza maker cooked pizza within 15 minutes, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to ease their pizza-making process. Also, with two burners, we noticed that our pizza toppings cooked well and the cheese melted smoothly.
Other customers also praised the non-stick cooking plate, which offers unbeatable food release performance and gives you a damp-wipe cleaning experience. Also, we expect extreme durability and reliable performance with the two-year manufacturer warranty we have gotten so far.
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3. Breville Pizza Maker
If I were shopping for a pizza maker for professional purposes like cooking homemade pizzas to sell in my estate, the Breville pizza maker would be my top choice.
According to most customers' reviews, this pizza maker was perfect in giving you results similar to the ones of a brick oven. Its ceramic pizza stone received the most praise since it cooked pizza evenly and allowed users to cook at high temperatures.
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Another impressive feature is that it includes two heating elements on both the top and bottom and also has a temperature adjuster found on the upper lid. This is perfect for controlling the crust settings to achieve perfect pizza results.
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4. Courant 12 Inch Pizza Cooker and Calzone Maker
Another top choice we had when shopping for my own was this Courant pizza maker with a calzone maker, which was suitable for cooking various food items apart from pizzas. However, although this is the case, the pizza oven still bakes a delicious 12-inch pizza with a crispy crust in only a fraction of the time.
Image Credit: amazon.com
Unlike other models, we loved this option since it also included a self-regulated thermostat to guarantee your pizza is baked to perfection. Of course, it was also a top choice because the power-on and ready-to-cook indicator lights made the baking process hassle-free.
Also, we recommend this for an effortless cleaning experience thanks to the non-stick-coated baking plate, which ensures your pizza will have a crispy crust. The pizza maker model was praised for its compactness since it allowed users to store it without any issues.
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5. Ooni Koda Pizza Maker
Our fifth recommendation is the Ooni Koda Pizza Maker. We loved its performance and were impressed with how lightweight and simple it weighed, only 20.5 pounds. Also, unlike all the models in this list, this one has detachable legs making it easily portable from one place to another.
Image Credit: amazon.com
Ooni Koda Pizza Maker could not miss our list thanks to the maximum temperature settings ranging to 932 degrees, meaning it can cook pizza at high temperatures. Luckily, it features a thin powdered insulated shell, ensuring it's touchable even with the heat.
The gas-powered oven is also perfect for making pizza in a short while since it makes pizza in less than a minute, which is perfect for families. Other customers didn't fail to mention how well-constructed and stylish the pizza maker was at an affordable price.
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What are the Types of Pizza Makers?
1. Electric Pizza Makers
Electric pizza ovens are specifically meant for indoor use and, to be exact, for the kitchen countertop. It features dual heating elements at the bottom and top to ensure you get an even heat distribution which can also be adjusted to fit your desired level of crispiness on the toppings and crust.
Most pizza lovers prefer electric pizza makers thanks to their portable nature, which minimizes the fuss of connecting different gas sources.
2. Coal-fueled
These outdoor pizza ovens are your best bet if you prefer making pizzas and baked goods with authentic smoky tones like the ones you ordered. These are the best pizza ovens for those who like the traditional way of doing things since these flawlessly capture that char-grilled flavor.
3. Natural gas or propane
Gas-fired pizza makers are the most popular and widely used ones since they come with a heat-defusing pizza stone that even cooks the crust. Propane pizza ovens are designed for outdoor use, are easy and quick to install, and remove any possibility of the mess created by wood debris or ashes.
However, you will need to purchase the propane or natural gas tanks separately, and they also need professional maintenance and regular refills to keep your gas pizza maker functioning properly.
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Pizza Makers
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1. Quality of Cooking Surfaces and Materials of Body
In this day and age, a good pizza oven will mostly come with a non-stick baking surface. However, you need to check if your non-stick plates are durable because some easily peel off, which can cause contamination to your food items.
We recommend you opt for high-quality cooking surfaces and check the material and quality used to make your pizza oven. There are options such as plastic, metal, and stainless steel, which all work, but some, like plastic, will have less durability.
Lastly, opt for a dishwasher-safe pizza maker to ensure you have a seamless clean-up process.
2. Weight and Size
The size of your pizza maker determines how large your pizza will turn out. For a large family to enjoy a good portion, size is a top factor when shopping for the best pizza oven. Generally, the large-sized pizza makers accommodate about 12 to 16-inch pizzas, but if you live alone, you don't need this size.
Also, consider portability unless you intend to place your pizza oven on a patio or a countertop without moving it. A lightweight pizza maker is easy to take out during gatherings or picnics and ensures adequate storage.
3. Versatility
Get a multipurpose machine that will maximize your money's value for versatility. Some pizza makers are versatile and may be used to make various foods, including pancakes, omelets, uttapam, chicken tikka, fish tikka, and many more savory foods. Getting a machine that makes various foods rather than just pizza is preferable.
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4. Variable Temperature Control
As a pizza lover who enjoys homemade pizzas, I can tell you temperature range is one of the most important considerations. A good temperature range is 500 to 650 degrees Fahrenheit or a bit higher than this.
However, ensure your pizza maker has a low-temperature option to make food items other than pizzas, such as mini frittatas, fluffy omelets, or pancakes.
5. Countertop Space
This is an important consideration if you plan to use an indoor oven since you need somewhere to place your oven. Depending on the available space, you can choose a compact pizza maker or one with a substantial design meant for large homemade pizzas.
6. Indoor Vs. Outdoor
Before you start shopping, you should already know where you want your pizza oven to be. I will choose an indoor pizza oven if I want access to my pizza oven all year round. However, this would need me to have an outlet, but it eliminates the home pizza ovens that use gas or wood for fuel.
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In contrast, if you have a perfect space in your backyard for entertaining while cooking, you should opt for an outdoor pizza oven. You can find portable pizza ovens with outdoor ones, which can be ideal for second homes or game days.
Notably, indoor pizza ovens operate on electricity, while outdoor pizza ovens need gas or wood as fuel sources.
Conclusion on the Best Pizza Makers
There is no hard-and-fast rule to choosing the best pizza maker for your kitchen. However, ensure you examine the quality, features, after-sales service, and results of the best options you find.
The ones that match your needs should also be able to help you realize potential savings. We hope our list will help you reach a decision and start your pizza-making journey at home.
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