Pizza ovens come into the home

Pizza cooking appliances are making their way into the kitchens and gardens of the French, who are huge fans of this Italian delicacy. Since the health crisis, demand for pizza ovens has been on the rise, and we’re seeing a proliferation of models. Home Fashion News examines the trends in this new way of living, both indoors and out, and presents its selection of ovens and accessories.

The French are the second largest consumers of pizza in the world, after the United States and ahead of Italy. In 2023, they ate 1.19 billion pizzas (source: Gira conseil, experts in the food consumption market). Forced to stay at home during the lockdown, people have improved their culinary skills and made their own preparations. And for pizza lovers, what could be better than experiencing authentic cooking at home? Hence the explosion in the home pizza oven market. 

An authentic cooking experience at home

Individuals want to create their own tasty, crispy pizzas: a friendly, fun and relaxed way to prepare meals with family and friends. Compact and convenient, the pizza oven is becoming a popular addition to barbecues and planchas in gardens. A real community has grown up around these ovens, exchanging techniques on how to make the dough for the pizza. It’s become a real time for cooking and tasting. The trend for home pizza ovens is now firmly established and continues to grow, fuelled by the influence of social media, which encourages the sharing of recipes and creative pizza ideas. And for the passionate enthusiast, it’s the experience of being their own ‘pizzaiolo’ at home.

The benefits of the pizza oven

Designed to reproduce the authentic flavour and texture of a perfectly cooked pizza, the pizza oven differs from a conventional oven in its ability to reach a high temperature (up to 500°C), and to distribute the heat evenly. This very high temperature rise will crisp up the dough by removing its moisture, and will quickly sear the topping; the pizza is cooked in just a few minutes (generally 1 to 3 minutes). Some outdoor ovens are versatile and can be used to bake bread, pies or even meat dishes. Compact, the pizza oven is easy to install and use, and doesn’t require a great deal of technical expertise: it can be placed directly on an outdoor kitchen or on an indoor work surface; the smallest models reach the ideal temperature more quickly, consume less energy and are generally affordable. Adding to these advantages is the conviviality an outdoor pizza oven brings. In the wake of the Covid crisis, the garden has been confirmed as a place to live and cook, where simple, authentic moments can be shared with family, friends or even just the two of you.

But which oven should you choose from the many options available? Consumers will choose the oven that best suits their needs and preferences in terms of quality, space, frequency of use, and budget.« There is still a demand for large ovens, which are becoming a central feature of outdoor kitchens.But there’s more of a craze for small ovens, which are almost portable, because they’re quicker, easier to use and maintain, and much cheaper in comparison (small ovens rarely cost more than €600, while large ovens cost more than €1,000)’, explains Grégoire Pestre, web customer service manager at Barbecue & Co. Located in Feucherolles, in the Paris region, this store specializing in fire-based cooking is the largest in Europe. ‘It was the Ooni brand that democratised this small format pizza oven.Its most recent product, the Karu2 Pro, costs 800 euros and is the most expensive model in our range of small ovens.The Le Marquier electric ovens are good products, but they are larger and more expensive.In concrete terms, the main change in this product category concerns the energy used: from wood-fired ovens, we switched to food-grade pellets, then to gas for its practicality, ease of use and speed of heating.The range of electric ovens is quite new, and the selection is still relatively limited; however, it is expected to grow as demand for this type of energy increases.’ Barbecue & Co distributes three main brands of small pizza ovens: the Scottish brand Ooni, the Danish brand Cozze which offers gas and electric ovens featuring a unique ceramic stone that rotates automatically during cooking; and the Italian-French design brand ZiiPa, which offers an oven base with a knob that allows the pizza to rotate without being removed from the oven.

The different types of pizza oven

The wood-fired oven is synonymous with authenticity, but requires a little preparation. With stone baking and direct heat input, it reproduces the conditions of traditional pizzerias. The slightly smoky taste of the wood is transferred to the dough, giving it a unique flavour. The pellet oven (wood pellets compressed for heating) is an environmentally-friendly alternative; this model combines the smoky flavour of wood with cleaner storage and use, making this oven a good compromise. Easier to use than a wood-fired oven, the gas oven offers precise control: it lights up in seconds and quickly reaches a stable temperature. It’s perfect for those who want even cooking without having to manage the wood. The more recent electric oven allows you to control the temperature during cooking, without compromising on performance. Brands like Cozze, Le Marquier, and Ooni offer high-performance, versatile electric pizza ovens; their spacious cooking chambers allow for pizzas of various sizes to be baked. Whether you prefer a refractory stone base for traditional wood-fired cooking or a stainless steel model for quick baking, the ovens – available in different sizes – provide cooking capacities to suit every need.

Choosing the right oven for your needs

Temperature and heating time are not the only criteria to consider. The materials used are also very important: stainless steel models retain heat well. The size, weight and capacity of the ovens are also decisive factors. Some ovens are portable, lightweight, flexible and take up little space (Ooni, ZiiPa, Cozze mini ovens). You also need to check the insulation for better energy efficiency, and how the heat is distributed. Finally, the oven’s ease of cleaning and maintenance should not be overlooked. 

Some ovens have extra features, such as rotation systems to cook the pizza evenly without removing it from the oven (like the ZiiPa Piana oven), thermostats to maintain a constant temperature, or windows to monitor cooking.

Choosing the right pizza oven also depends on practical constraints: indoor or outdoor? Occasional or intensive use? Should you choose an entry-level model or opt for a premium oven? Consumers will be looking for a model that offers the best value for money according to their needs.

Indoor pizza ovens

There’s no need to wait for the summer months to enjoy a home-made pizza: some brands are offering to turn your kitchen into a pizzeria thanks to indoor ovens. Cuisinart presents an oven with a complete pizza kit; Ninja offers a small oven with 8 cooking modes; Lagrange has developed a high-performance pizza oven. Sage Appliances has come up with a high-performance mini indoor oven: thanks to patented Element IQ technology, it can reach 400°C to cook a real Neapolitan pizza in just 2 minutes. It provides conductive, radiant and convective heat, which you can get with a traditional brick oven. « At Sage, our credo for all our products is to bring professional quality into the home: our ‘Smart Oven Pizzaiolo’ electric pizza oven is the perfect example. It is one of the few on the market that can reach 400°C, which is one of the secrets to baking a great Neapolitan pizza, caramelizing the dough perfectly without drying out the toppings’, explains Romain Maulave, Director of Sage Appliances in France. The famous Margherita pizza was indeed created in the colours of the Italian flag – tomato for red, mozzarella for white and basil leaf for green – in honour of Queen Margaret of Savoy, who was visiting Naples with her husband King UmbertoI of Italy. « The oven cavity is very small, only 8 cm thick. There are three modes of heat distribution: deflectors, heating elements, and fans that spread heat throughout the cavity, above and below the pizza, so that the desired temperature is reached to the exact degree and rises extremely quickly’. Sage prefers to let people test the product and emphasise the educational aspect, rather than selling technical specifications. The brand created the first ‘French Amateur Pizza Championship’ during the Paris Fair in 2024, with the help of the Italian chef from the George V Hotel, Simone Zanoni. Following its great success, the brand will repeat the event at the 2025 Paris Fair, this time for both amateurs and professionals. Sage Appliances is also present at Le Bon Marché shop in Paris, where it regularly organises events. ‘Our pizza oven can also be used outdoors: the components used in this oven are made of top-grade stainless steel, which shows low sensitivity to corrosion and rain. It is, for example, referenced at Yacht Solutions, a shop specializing in nautical equipment and accessories for leisure boats’ adds Romain Maulave.

For Charlotte Richard, nomadic chef, food photographer and book designer: «  I worked with Sage at the Paris Fair, and to me, the brand dominates the market for small electric ovens. This type of product cooks a pizza in under 20 seconds once it’s placed in the oven – it’s this performance that people love. Ninja, on the other hand, has launched a great pizza oven with good value for money. When you go for an Ooni oven, you’re dealing with a wood-fired heat source that requires some know-how. Since I spend most of my time in stores, I see that Sage and Ninja are the market leaders. Smeg also offers an indoor and outdoor oven that is very popular.”

Outdoor ovens

For ZiiPa, it all began in 2022 with the launch of ‘Piana’, its very first pizza oven, pellet-fired, compact, colourful, high-performance, high-quality, accessible and innovative thanks to its unique rotation system: « We added a knob to the front of the oven to activate a rotating tray. Because the ‘Piana’ is a small, compact oven with the firebox at the back, the pizza cooks very quickly at the back and more slowly at the front. You can’t turn the pizza inside: by avoiding awkward handling, once the pizza is in the oven, the knob helps to control its cooking, » explains Colette Deschand, Design and Marketing Manager at ZiiPa. We also wanted to bring a little more style to a world that is still very masculine and associated with barbecues. We’re one of the few brands to add colour to pizza ovens. Far from the traditional shades of red, orange and yellow, we are offering six trendy colours: Slate, Eucalyptus, Terracotta, Charcoal, Sand and Chalk. In September 2024, we presented our new gas model at Maison&Objet: the ‘Piana Sedici’, featuring a cooking surface of over 40 cm. In France, the demand for gas models is high, likely because they offer ease of use. ZiiPa stands out for the design of its products, its colours and its branding. The company really has this culture of sharing around pizza. ZiiPa is investing in the development of new oven models’.

The French leader in outdoor cooking, Le Marquier is one of the only brands to hold the OFG (Origine France Garantie) label; 80% of its production is made in France. These days, people live outside as well as inside: the outdoor kitchen has become a complete living space, » explains Régis Flusin, Chairman of Le Marquier. The pizza oven market saw a significant boom after the lockdown. The import brand Ooni entered this market and was copied by other brands with Chinese models of pizza ovens. To meet demand from our shops (mainly garden centres, DIY stores, kitchen equipment shops and hyper-specialist outlets such as Barbecue & Co), Le Marquier first offered an import oven that ran on gas. Then we went a step further and produced electric indoor ovens in France, which can also be used in our outdoor kitchens, capable of reaching 450 degrees and cooking Neapolitan pizzas. We created the ideal oven – high-performing, comprehensive, and of professional quality – unmatched on the market. It can also cook gratins, tarts, or a rib of beef… The only ovens that can rival ours are the big Italian-style ceramic pizza ovens, but they cost a lot more. The company manufactured the body of its ovens and developed the interior in collaboration with Arpa (which designs and assembles electrical cooking equipment in Alsace). How will the trend evolve? « I think that the explosion in the market will naturally stabilise: We will see a decline in entry-level oven volumes, as they are technically limited, and a shift toward higher-quality ovens. At Le Marquier, we are positioning ourselves at the top end of the market with our ovens priced at €899 and €1,190’.

Louis Tellier ‘s “Marcel” oven gives the cookware manufacturer access to the pizza oven market. Basically, it’s a bread oven that can do everything. However, 70% of the customers who buy it will use it mainly to make pizzas’, explains Mickaël Gouin, Louis Tellier’s Sales & Marketing Director. A pizza oven needs to reach a minimum temperature of 450°C. To bake a pizza in one minute, it needs to be close to the flame, which should be visible and lick the ceiling. However, our oven has a damper system to close the firebox, effectively turning it into a heat-retaining oven, allowing the temperature to drop just like a conventional kitchen oven. This is what sets ‘Marcel’ apart from a standard pizza oven. Our oven uses pellets, but also wood logs and charcoal; it’s going to switch to gas in spring 2025, so we’re preparing a special kit; Each type of fuel corresponds to a specific cooking method. With this oven, designed for outdoor use only, we’re talking professional quality: made of pure stainless steel, it can sleep outdoors all year round, and it’s totally insulated. We were extremely surprised by the enthusiasm for this product, and overwhelmed by the demand. That’s why we came up with some trendy colours for 2024.The Marcel oven was designed during the lockdown. Initially, it was an internal project that has the particularity of linking all Louis Tellier’s businesses and markets: kitchen utensils, cooking utensils, pastry-making utensils, but also our manufacturing process (working with stainless steel, bending, welding, assembly, etc.). ‘The oven’s positioning hit the mark. We entered the market a little against the tide two years ago – at the time, there were only small pizza oven models, mainly pellet-powered, priced around €300-400. Our oven is multifunctional, not only in terms of fuel but also in the way it allows you to cook. Today, the market for entry-level ovens seems to be slowing down; all our competitors in this market are tending to move upmarket and establish themselves over the long term. Just as restaurants have opened up their kitchens to the dining room, individuals also enjoy adding a theatrical touch to their kitchens when entertaining guests and putting on a bit of a show. The Marcel oven is also used by caterers. In 2026, we plan to launch a ‘big Marcel’ for more experienced private customers and restaurant owners. It’s clear that pizza ovens have been gaining traction over the past two years, and it’s a fundamental trend with outdoor cooking on the increase. We’re even seeing the conviviality that pizza ovens bring to the commercial approach’.

Spirit of innovation: a do-it-yourself pizza oven

It’s a simple concept, but we had to think of it: the ‘Montagio’ from Vulcano is a high-performance pizza oven that can be assembled in 20 minutes, without tools. A first for an oven that redefines the art of wood-fired pizza. The ‘Montagio’ is a model that stands out for its design and ease of installation. The components fit together seamlessly; once assembled, it takes just 20 minutes to reach 400°C and bake authentic wood-fired pizzas. Vulcano wasfounded in Alsace in 2011 by Kevin Kohler. The company offers a wide range of pizza ovens and ovens that can be converted into barbecues. The ‘Montagio’ outdoor oven was a great success at the Hardware Show in Las Vegas in March 2024. This patented kit oven not only offers a good-quality product at a lower price, but it’s also fun to assemble, » says Ludovic Exel, Vulcano’s communications manager. It’s a wood-fired oven that can be converted to pellet. Its cooking quality is equivalent to that of the brand’s other ovens. Accessible to a wide range of users, ‘Montagio’ offers a practical, high-performance solution for fans of outdoor cooking.

Essential accessories

Pizza oven specialists offer a whole range of accessories to enhance the cooking experience and support every stage of the art of pizza making. Ziipa, for its part, has developed accessories covering preparation, cooking and serving, ensuring a complete pizza experience. These accessories match the colours of their ovens. ZiiPa is a spin-off from Sequoia Diffusion, a company specialising in silicone cake moulds. To mark the launch of the ‘Piana Sedici’ oven, new accessories were added to the catalogue at the end of the year: ‘Atina’ (Four stylish and trendy 32 cm pizza plates (RRP: €29.90); PPI: €29.90), ‘Tellini’ (topping station; RRP: €49.90), ‘Sacco’ (protective oven cover; RRP: €29.90), and finally ‘Torno’ (laser thermometer; RRP: €39.90). ZiiPa’s full range of accessories is designed to accompany every stage of the pizza-making process: « Whether it’s preparing dough balls, baking pizzas to perfection, serving them elegantly, or making storage and transport easier, our accessories guarantee a flawless pizza experience every time. »

‘Louis Tellier already has 1,700 accessories that can be paired with their ovens. However, a few exclusive accessories have been launched specifically for the ‘Marcel. Behind this oven lie decades of products created by Louis Tellier and Gobel, perfectly suited to accompany it,’ explains Mickaël Gouin. The ‘Berceuse à pizza’ makes cutting pizzas into equal slices easy and fast with a few simple motions. It’s also ideal for chopping garlic, onions and herbs effortlessly and without crushing them. Made from acacia and stainless steel, the ‘Berceuse’ has a sharp 35 cm blade. It comes with a protective sheath. RRP: €20.90. There’s also an acacia serving board for cutting and presenting pizzas. RRP: €36.70. A denim-coloured kitchen and pastry apron featuring Louis Tellier silk-screen printing and one front pocket, completes the range of accessories. It’s cut below the knee for comfort and optimal protection from splashes and stains. It’s made from hard-wearing oxford fabric, and the side ties and neck strap are reinforced with metal rivets. RRP: €48.95. Finally, the ‘Marcel’ cover, made from highly weather-resistant polyester, offers protection against moisture, dirt and UV rays. The reinforced seams and waterproof fabric ensure long-term durability, even in harsh weather conditions. It fits perfectly into the ‘Marcel’ wood-fired oven (remove the chimney from the oven beforehand and store it in the cooled oven). RRP: €46.10.

‘When it comes to accessories, ceramic stones can be placed inside simple ovens to achieve the signature ‘leopard’ finish when turning the pizza,” says chef Charlotte Richard. Indeed, when the intense heat of the oven meets properly fermented dough, air bubbles swell and form spots reminiscent of leopard skin. « Fireproof gloves, a pizza peel… In fact, you can really use a whole world of everyday accessories. It’s true that essential accessories such as a pizza peel, pizza stone or thermometer… can be found in product ranges from other brands.

Knifemaker Déglon has created a large, round peel that makes it easy to transport pies, pizzas, and pastries. Built to last, this peel is available in various diameters. Its ‘Stop’Glisse’ over-moulded handle is made from polypropylene.

Cookut offers the ‘Crispiz’ pizza stone, which cooks pizzas in 5 minutes. Made from a refractory material with numerous holes, it stores heat and cooks in a similar way to a traditional brick oven. In addition, the holes allow hot air to cook the dough directly under the pizza, eliminating any moisture. RRP: €39.90.

The Microplane pizza cutter, with its large, ultra-sharp stainless steel blade and modern black ‘Soft Touch’ handle, cuts pizzas, flammekueches and tarts in no time at all. When cutting a crispy pizza, the force used is transferred to the pizza cutter in the best possible way. It’s easy to dismantle: simply open the hook and the blade can be removed for quick cleaning, even in the dishwasher. 

Selection of models for the pizza experience

The Cuisinart indoor pizza oven: With this high-capacity indoor oven, you can bake 30 cm family-sized pizzas one after the other. The adjustable time and temperature settings allow for perfect cooking up to 400°C, satisfying even the most demanding pizza enthusiasts. The oven can also be used to bake gratins, savoury tarts, quiches, or cakes. Simply plug it in and enjoy effortless cooking. It features a large viewing window and interior lighting, enabling you to monitor the cooking process without opening the oven. The included pizza kit comes with a large ceramic stone for crispy pizzas, a deep tray for quiches and tarts, a foldable peel for easy pizza removal, a stainless-steel pizza cutter, and an instruction manual with recipe ideas. RRP: €399.99

Lagrange pizza oven: The brand is dedicated to developing small appliances that are affordable and easy to use. This indoor oven is equipped with 8 integrated programmes to prepare a variety of specialities, from Neapolitan pizza to pita bread. Its temperature can reach up to 430°C, thanks to its two heating elements, and it includes a 60-minute timer to ensure perfect cooking. The oven features a large 32×32 cm baking stone, rails with castors for easy insertion, and a 25 cm peel for effortless pizza removal. It also has a triple-layer safety window to prevent burns. An interior light allows you to monitor the pizza as it cooks. RRP: €349.99

Le Marquier ovens: The brand has developed two electric outdoor ovens from the ‘Signature’ collection, featuring elegant lines and designed and manufactured in France. Ultra-high-performance, they offer rapid temperature rise – up to 350°C for the black model and up to 450°C for the satin-finish stainless steel oven. They feature control knobs with heating indicator lights. A front-facing thermometer monitors the internal temperature. Both are equipped with a removable 34.5 x 37.6 cm cordierite refractory stone, providing a large cooking surface. They have 2 independently controlled heating elements (upper and lower). The ovens are fitted with a glass door and interior lighting to keep an eye on the cooking process. Cleaning is made easy with a pyrolysis function. These versatile ovens can bake pizzas, bread, meat, and gratins. RRP: €899 and €1,190

The ‘Marcel’ oven by Louis Tellier: A portable outdoor version with an innovative design, ‘Marcel’ has been created to revive the spirit of traditional bread ovens. Aesthetically pleasing and functional, it’s easy to use thanks to its rear combustion chamber (with wood logs or pellets) and its patented flame-blocking damper system, allowing for precise control over all types of cooking. It benefits from the expertise of the French manufacturer of catering utensils and is designed for both domestic and professional use (caterers, restaurant owners, etc.). The exterior is 100% stainless steel. The interior is insulated with ceramic fibre. It features a viewing port to monitor cooking and a professional-grade probe thermometer on the front to control the temperature. Its refractory stone measures 33 x 37 cm. It handles low-temperature cooking at 150-200°C, as well as rapid cooking at up to 450°C. It can reach 500°C in under 20 minutes. It is equipped with a temperature regulator and a removable ash tray for easy cleaning.

When the damper is open, the flame rebounds off the top of the chamber for high-temperature and fast cooking. The oven’s legs are foldable, the chimney is detachable, and the integrated transport handle is adjustable. ‘Marcel’ weighs 36 kg and is now available in two new colours: Coral and Khaki, reflecting current décor trends, alongside the original Basalt finish. RRP for the ‘Marcel Basalt ’ oven: €1,190. RRP for the ‘Marcel’ in Coral and Khaki: €1,390

Ninja‘s Woodfire: This traditional oven bakes pizzas in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, excluding preheating time. It also functions as a smoker and high-heat rotisserie, with 8 integrated cooking modes. Featuring ‘Woodfire’ technology, it effortlessly creates authentic smoky flavours with rapid and even diffusion. Its temperature is adjustable: from 40 to 370°C, allowing for precise results. Its large capacity makes it ideal for entertaining. It is weatherproof. It comes with a Woodfire pellet test kit, a pellet scoop, a high-heat cooking plate, and a recipe booklet. The cooking surface measures 30 x 30 cm, and the oven weighs 22 kg. RRP: €399.99

Ofyr pizza oven:  It combines the advantages of a traditional pizza oven: a refractory stone, a double-walled steel dome, and easy temperature control. Placed directly over the fire, it reaches up to 300°C while keeping the cooking surface clear, allowing for the preparation of multiple dishes simultaneously. By rotating the outer layer, an opening allows hot air to escape. Versatile and wood-fired, this oven can grill, simmer, steam, or smoke dishes. Simply remove the dome and stone to transform the cast iron plate into an additional plancha or grill. Compatible with ‘OFYR 85’ and ‘100’ models, it comes as a complete set, including the stone, stand, cast iron plate, dome, and pizza peel.

The ‘Karu 2 Pro’ from Ooni: The brand is the world leader in home pizza ovens. This multi-fuel oven is the most versatile in the range. It can cook pizzas as well as vegetables, roasted chicken, or large cuts of meat on a 40 cm cooking surface. You can choose between wood, charcoal, or gas cooking for an authentic flavour. Ideal for outdoor use year-round, it is weather and fade-resistant thanks to its carbon powder-coated steel shell. Reaching 500°C in just 20 minutes, the ‘Karu 2 Pro’ can flame-cook pizzas in 60 seconds. Equipped with ‘Ooni Connect’ technology, amateur chefs can monitor the oven’s temperature in real time via their smartphone, ensuring optimal and precise cooking. The ‘Karu 2 Pro’ also features a digital food probe. Its large glass door provides a clear view of the pizza as it cooks. Dimensions: 81 x 50 x 83 cm. Weighs 28.4 kg. PPI: €799.

The ‘Smart Oven Pizzaiolo’ from Sage Apliances: This is the first mini-oven capable of reaching 400°C and baking a wood-fired style pizza in just 2 minutes. It replicates the three types of heat generated by a brick oven: conductive, radiant, and convective. The ‘Element iQ’ system is an innovative and high-performance network of components that uses intelligent algorithms to direct power precisely where and when needed, creating and maintaining the ideal cooking environment for different pizza styles. With seven pre-set cooking modes, the ‘Smart Oven Pizzaiolo’ can handle all pizza styles. It can cook a 30 cm pizza. It can also grill vegetables and bake a wide range of flatbreads. An automatic eject door removes the pizza stone for safer handling. Its double-glazed doors retain heat inside the oven. Dimensions: 46.1 x 47.2 x 27 cm. PPI: €729.99.

The Vulcano ‘Montagio’: Made from 2 mm stainless steel, this oven is designed for easy assembly in just 20 minutes without the need for tools. Once assembled, its open firebox allows flames to pass through. The 36 x 36 cm refractory stone is 15 mm thick. The Montagio reaches 400°C in 15 minutes. It can be used to cook real wood-fired pizzas. And it’s easy to install. PPI: €349

The ‘Piana Sedici’ by ZiiPa: More spacious than previous models, this gas oven allows for the cooking of larger pizzas as well as meats and fish, thanks to its 16-inch (40 cm) cordierite refractory stone that retains heat. With its L-shaped flame, the ‘Piana Sedici’ reaches 500°C in just 20 minutes, delivering exceptional performance and fast cooking in 90 seconds. It comes with a laser thermometer for precise temperature control. The ‘Piana Sedici’ is available in ZiiPa’s four signature colours, along with two new trendy shades: Sand and Chalk. RRP: €599