Woodfired pizza ovens are becoming increasingly popular household additions, with good reason. They are the ultimate in versatile home appliances as they serve roles in food preparation, outdoor heating and entertainment. However, while a woodfired pizza oven creates a seemingly endless list of possibilities, it requires constant and diligent care.
Like any other appliance, woodfired pizza ovens need regular maintenance to prolong their functional lifespan and preserve efficacy and performance. Therefore, the list below contains some handy tips. They will help you get the best out of your oven for as long as possible.
Clean it Regularly
Despite its rustic nature and aesthetic, a woodfired pizza oven needs regular cleaning to maintain optimal performance. If you allow too much ash to accumulate in the pit, it will lower your oven’s efficiency. Therefore, it is best to clean the oven by clearing the ash away once every week or more often when there is a period of heavier use.
Perform Seasonal Curing
Seasonal curing is a method of oven care where you light a fire in the oven but keep it at low heat. Next, you allow the fire to burn over a given period to dry out the oven by eliminating accumulated moisture. This periodic drying out prevents cracks and weak points from forming when you use high heat levels while there is moisture trapped within the oven’s structure.
As the name suggests, seasonal curing is best done as the seasons change. More specifically, the optimum time to cure your oven is just before a period of extensive use or after an extended interval of disuse. Furthermore, curing is primarily necessary if you don’t cover your range.
Cover Your Oven
The primary alternative to the need for curing is using an oven cover. Unfortunately, woodfired pizza ovens are not impervious to the effects of prolonged exposure to the elements. If you leave one exposed, you will likely observe that cracks, UV degradation or water damage will occur. Each of these will also significantly reduce your oven’s operational lifespan.
Therefore, it is best to keep your oven covered whenever it is not in use. There is a variety of quality covers available for sale.
Observe the Recommended Temperature Range
Woodfired pizza ovens are designed for optimal operation within specific temperature ranges. However, their ability to attain very high temperatures at any point may make it challenging to keep to the prescribed range during normal use. In this case, allowing constant use with very high heat increases the likelihood of burning your food and accelerates the oven’s aging.
To monitor the oven’s temperature during regular use, consider periodically using an infrared thermometer while cooking. If you need to adjust the heat levels, you may reduce the number of logs to lower the temperature and vice versa.
Use A Quality Fuel Source
It may seem innocuous, but the type of wood you burn in your oven is crucial. For example, if you light a flame using wood that contains a lot of moisture, it will burn less efficiently while producing flames with a lot of smoke. Such wood will then affect the food flavour and quality. In addition, the smokey flames will produce soot which accumulates within the oven and adds to your cleaning tasks.
Therefore, your woodfired pizza oven’s efficacy and longevity are only as good as how well you look after it. Consequently, if you want to wow your family and friends with delightful culinary creations produced in your oven from time to time, you have to keep up with its proper care and maintenance at every turn.
