Ooni Koda 2 Max Pizza Oven Consider

My first outdoor pizza oven was the Ooni Koda 16. I nonetheless take into accout my husband excitedly firing it up and the magnificent corn, scallion, and Parmesan Neapolitan-style pizzas we baked in it. The crusts have been puffy and chewy, and the bottoms had that coveted leopard recognizing. It was simple to utilize, and the 16-inch opening made it a cinch to launch, flip, and retrieve each pie. 

Whereas better isn’t always larger, Ooni simply recently launched a behemoth mannequin of my beloved Koda 16: the Ooni Koda 2 Max. This whopper of a pizza oven is 24 inches huge, comes with two pizza stones, and sports activities actions a dual-burner gasoline system. This theoretically permits for infinite potentialities and mixtures, like pan pizza on one side at medium heat and Neapolitan on the other at extreme heat (though that sounds anxious). It moreover makes it simple to launch and swap pizza or cook dinner dinner numerous pizzas at once. 

To see if this massive oven is properly definitely worth the space and $1,000 value, I fired it up, burned by way of a tank of propane, and made tons of pizza, along with Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pies. 

The Assessments

• Heat Check out: I timed how prolonged the Ooni Koda took to realize its highest temperature with every burners on full blast. I used an infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of the stones and in distinction it to the stated temperature on the present show and the Ooni Be part of app. 
• Neapolitan Pizza Check out: With the oven at its highest heat setting, I made Neapolitan pizzas, noting how simple it was to launch, flip, and retrieve each pie. 
• Roman-Sort Pizza Check out: I made skinny, crispy Roman-style pizza scrocchiarella to see if I could administration the oven’s temperature and by no means bake up blackened pies. 
• Twin Pizza Check out: I fired up the oven and adjusted the temperatures on both facet to bake two fully completely different sorts of pizzas: Detroit and Neapolitan. It was a verify to see if each burner could very properly be tuned so that one side of the oven was significantly hotter than the other. 
• Usability Assessments: All by way of testing, I well-known how simple the oven was to rearrange, use, and clear.

What We Realized 

Additional Space Meant A lot much less Traumatic Throwing, Turning, and Fetching

The spaciousness of the Ooni Koda 2 Max made it simple to launch, flip, and take away pizzas.

I’ve examined a pair of outdoor pizza ovens and a few of the anxious elements of baking up a pie is the takeoff. In case you by chance hit the sting of the oven, the pizza ends in a tangled heap of sauce, dough, and toppings. I’ve had it happen, and it’s a bummer. 

This was not the case with this oven. It’s a mind-boggling 24 inches huge. Throwing a single 12-inch pizza in it nearly felt like a waste, nevertheless on the an identical time, it moreover made the whole experience quite a bit a lot much less anxious. I could merely throw two 10-inch pizzas, then flip and retrieve them with out the oven cramping my trend (truly). It was even simple to sidle in a Detroit pizza pan with oven mitts. 

It Heated Up Quickly 

With an infinite ground house and loads of space, I assumed the oven would take endlessly to realize extreme temperatures. Nonetheless it shocked me, hitting 660°F in 11 minutes—that’s pretty fast. It saved climbing and hit 850°F, the place it stabilized, in about 38 minutes. That’s spectacular considering completely different quite a bit smaller ovens we’ve examined take about 30 to 40 minutes to hit this temperature. The Ooni Koda 2 Max may very well be large, nevertheless it’s neck and neck with smaller ovens by way of heating cases. 

…And Cooked Pizzas Fast

Skinny Neapolitan pizzas cooked up in a lickety-split 22 seconds. I really should have turned the temperature down a bit after throwing the pies, since I ended up with a few ashy pepperoni. Instead, I tried using my turner peel to guard the best, nevertheless the oven’s heat retention and firepower have been so good that it didn’t do quite a bit to protect the thin slices of cured meat. Don’t be like me: Flip that heat down a little bit of after launching so your toppings don’t scorch. The Detroit pizza moreover cooked pretty quickly, in about 12 minutes at a lower temperature. 

Let’s Converse About Its Twin Burner System 

An infinite part of what makes the Ooni Koda 2 Max distinctive is its twin burner system. As soon as I used to be doing background evaluation, I saved learning about the way in which it lets you cook dinner dinner wildly varied issues at once. And for many who’re searing a steak on one side and must char some veg on the other, I get it. Nonetheless I was skeptical inside the case of pizzas: Who’s going to sling Neapolitan pizzas concurrently a pan pizza? Nonetheless, for science, I gave it a go and cooked a Detroit pizza on one side and threw a few Neapolitan pies on the other. The outcomes have been unbelievable: The Neapolitan pizzas have been correctly charred and the Detroit pie had the requisite crispy edges and bottom and chewy, tender crumb. That acknowledged, adjusting the dual burners to wildly fully completely different temperatures—aiming for 550°F for the Detroit pizza and 850°F for the Neapolitan—proved unattainable. I wound up throwing the Neapolitan at spherical 740°F on the suitable side, whereas the left side hovered at 700°F for the Detroit. Whereas it’s a large oven, it’s troublesome to get one side large scorching and the other a additional middling temperature. 

The Thermometer Was Fairly Appropriate 

Most built-in thermometers—be they on a grill, pellet smoker, or on this case, pizza oven—are inaccurate. That’s why I was shocked that the one on the Ooni was pretty on degree all through my heat verify. 9 minutes in, the onboard present acknowledged the temperature was 525°F. My infrared thermometer readings have been 530°F on the left, 545°F inside the coronary heart, and 526°F on the suitable, for a imply of 534°F, which was solely 9 ranges off. Whereas this was spectacular, I’d nonetheless put cash into an infrared thermometer for utmost accuracy when baking pizzas. 

The App Has Potential

The pizza oven connects to the Ooni app, which exhibits real-time temperatures for each side of the oven. This theoretically lets you set the oven up and go inside to prep, whereas nonetheless being able to watch temps. Will probably be a unbelievable attribute if it didn’t disconnect immediately after I stepped foot inside. Whereas it’s good for many who’re puttering throughout the yard near the oven, I need I might even see the oven temps from a greater distance. 

The Verdict

In case you LOVE making outdoor pizzas and have the money and space to allow for it, the Ooni Koda 2 Max is an efficient oven. It heated up quickly considering its massive dimension, and the spacious opening and cooking house made throwing pizzas stress-free. The proof was inside the pudding too: It baked up unbelievable Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pizzas. 

That acknowledged, for many who solely see your self making pizzas exterior every now and then, I wish to advocate a smaller, a lot much less pricey Ooni oven. Moreover, whereas the dual-zone temperature administration was good in precept, I don’t understand how useful it is in comply with till it’s essential to maintain the drama of throwing two pizzas at once. 

Nonetheless, basic, it’s a unbelievable outdoor pizza oven that heats up quickly, bakes killer pizzas, and feels roomy doing it. 

The Professionals

The Ooni Koda 2 Max was simple to rearrange, ignited quickly, and climbed to 860°F in 38 minutes, which is form of spectacular considering it’s so large. Its huge cooking ground and gaping opening moreover made it simple to throw and retrieve pizzas. It cooked thin-crust pizzas blisteringly fast, in about 22 seconds, and gave them lovely leopard-spotted undercarriages. It moreover baked up a splendidly cooked, crispy-edged Detroit pan pizza, showcasing its versatility. Complete, it’s a unbelievable pizza oven that does its job properly. 

The Cons

Make no bones about it, it’s pricey. It’s moreover massive, and I’d counsel having a giant, heatproof outdoor desk to set it on. It burned by way of propane quickly, and having a spare tank available was useful. The dual burners have been a nice attribute, nevertheless I did uncover it troublesome to residence in on wildly fully completely different temperatures. Lastly, I may need cherished it if the app and oven had larger long-range connectivity—as a result of it was, it dropped the signal every time I went inside. 

Key Specs

• Inside width: 24 inches 
• Exterior dimensions: 29 x 16.5 x 25.5 inches 
• Most temperature: 950°F
• Gasoline type: Propane
• Assure: 5 years
• Choices: App connectivity, digital temperature hub, twin burner setup
• Comes with: Two stones, two burners, two probe thermometers

FAQs

What is the distinction between the Ooni Koda and the Ooni Koda 2 Max?

The Ooni Koda is accessible in two sizes: 12 and 16 inches. Every of these ovens have a single stone and a single burner. The Ooni Koda 2 Max is 24 inches and sports activities actions two burners and two pizza stones. 

Can the Ooni Koda 2 Max be used indoors?

No, the Ooni Koda 2 Max runs on propane or pure gasoline, and will solely be used exterior or in a well-ventilated house. 

Why We’re the Consultants

• Grace Kelly is an editor at Extreme Eats and has been testing kitchen gear for almost three years.
• She examined the Ooni Koda 2 Max over the course of a month, using it to make Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pizzas. 

Editor’s bear in mind: We obtained a press sample of the Ooni Koda 2 Max, nevertheless all of our opinions are our private.