Ooni Koda 2 Max Pizza Oven Evaluation

My first outside pizza oven was the Ooni Koda 16. I nonetheless bear in mind my husband excitedly firing it up and the magnificent corn, scallion, and Parmesan Neapolitan-style pizzas we baked in it. The crusts had been puffy and chewy, and the bottoms had that coveted leopard recognizing. It was simple to make use of, and the 16-inch opening made it a cinch to launch, flip, and retrieve every pie. 

Whereas larger isn’t at all times higher, Ooni just lately launched a behemoth model 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 a dual-burner gasoline system. This theoretically permits for limitless potentialities and combos, like pan pizza on one facet at medium warmth and Neapolitan on the opposite at excessive warmth (although that sounds worrying). It additionally makes it simple to launch and switch pizza or prepare dinner a number of pizzas directly. 

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

The Assessments

• Warmth Take a look at: I timed how lengthy the Ooni Koda took to achieve its highest temperature with each burners on full blast. I used an infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of the stones and in contrast it to the said temperature on the show display and the Ooni Join app. 
• Neapolitan Pizza Take a look at: With the oven at its highest warmth setting, I made Neapolitan pizzas, noting how simple it was to launch, flip, and retrieve every pie. 
• Roman-Fashion Pizza Take a look at: I made skinny, crispy Roman-style pizza scrocchiarella to see if I might management the oven’s temperature and never bake up blackened pies. 
• Twin Pizza Take a look at: I fired up the oven and adjusted the temperatures on each side to bake two totally different kinds of pizzas: Detroit and Neapolitan. It was a check to see if every burner could possibly be tuned in order that one facet of the oven was considerably hotter than the opposite. 
• Usability Assessments: All through testing, I famous how simple the oven was to arrange, use, and clear.

What We Realized 

Extra House Meant Much less Hectic 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 couple of outside pizza ovens and one of the vital worrying elements of baking up a pie is the takeoff. Should you by chance hit the sting of the oven, the pizza leads to a tangled heap of sauce, dough, and toppings. I’ve had it occur, 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, however on the similar time, it additionally made the entire expertise a lot much less worrying. I might simply throw two 10-inch pizzas, then flip and retrieve them with out the oven cramping my fashion (actually). It was even simple to sidle in a Detroit pizza pan with oven mitts. 

It Heated Up Shortly 

With an enormous floor space and many house, I assumed the oven would take eternally to achieve excessive temperatures. Nevertheless it shocked me, hitting 660°F in 11 minutes—that’s fairly quick. It stored climbing and hit 850°F, the place it stabilized, in about 38 minutes. That is spectacular contemplating different a lot smaller ovens we’ve examined take about 30 to 40 minutes to hit this temperature. The Ooni Koda 2 Max may be giant, but it surely’s neck and neck with smaller ovens with regards to heating occasions. 

…And Cooked Pizzas Quick

Skinny Neapolitan pizzas cooked up in a lickety-split 22 seconds. I really ought to have turned the temperature down a bit after throwing the pies, since I ended up with a couple of ashy pepperoni. As an alternative, I attempted utilizing my turner peel to protect the highest, however the oven’s warmth retention and firepower had been so good that it didn’t do a lot to guard the skinny slices of cured meat. Don’t be like me: Flip that warmth down just a little after launching so your toppings don’t scorch. The Detroit pizza additionally cooked fairly shortly, in about 12 minutes at a decrease temperature. 

Let’s Speak About Its Twin Burner System 

A giant a part of what makes the Ooni Koda 2 Max distinctive is its twin burner system. Once I was doing background analysis, I stored studying about the way it allows you to prepare dinner wildly various things directly. And in the event you’re searing a steak on one facet and need to char some veg on the opposite, I get it. However I used to be skeptical within the case of pizzas: Who’s going to sling Neapolitan pizzas similtaneously a pan pizza? However, for science, I gave it a go and cooked a Detroit pizza on one facet and threw a couple of Neapolitan pies on the opposite. The outcomes had been implausible: The Neapolitan pizzas had been properly charred and the Detroit pie had the requisite crispy edges and backside and chewy, tender crumb. That mentioned, adjusting the twin burners to wildly totally different temperatures—aiming for 550°F for the Detroit pizza and 850°F for the Neapolitan—proved inconceivable. I wound up throwing the Neapolitan at round 740°F on the suitable facet, whereas the left facet hovered at 700°F for the Detroit. Whereas it’s a giant oven, it’s troublesome to get one facet tremendous scorching and the opposite a extra middling temperature. 

The Thermometer Was Pretty Correct 

Most built-in thermometers—be they on a grill, pellet smoker, or on this case, pizza oven—are inaccurate. That’s why I used to be shocked that the one on the Ooni was fairly on level throughout my warmth check. 9 minutes in, the onboard show mentioned the temperature was 525°F. My infrared thermometer readings had been 530°F on the left, 545°F within the middle, and 526°F on the suitable, for a mean of 534°F, which was solely 9 levels off. Whereas this was spectacular, I’d nonetheless put money into an infrared thermometer for utmost accuracy when baking pizzas. 

The App Has Potential

The pizza oven connects to the Ooni app, which shows real-time temperatures for both sides of the oven. This theoretically allows you to set the oven up and go inside to prep, whereas nonetheless with the ability to monitor temps. It will be a implausible characteristic if it didn’t disconnect instantly after I stepped foot inside. Whereas it’s good in the event you’re puttering across the yard close to the oven, I want I might see the oven temps from a larger distance. 

The Verdict

Should you LOVE making outside pizzas and have the cash and house to permit for it, the Ooni Koda 2 Max is a good oven. It heated up shortly contemplating its large measurement, and the spacious opening and cooking space made throwing pizzas stress-free. The proof was within the pudding too: It baked up implausible Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pizzas. 

That mentioned, in the event you solely see your self making pizzas outdoors every so often, I like to recommend a smaller, much less dear Ooni oven. Additionally, whereas the dual-zone temperature management was good in principle, I don’t understand how helpful it’s in apply except you need to take care of the drama of throwing two pizzas directly. 

However, general, it’s a implausible outside pizza oven that heats up shortly, bakes killer pizzas, and feels roomy doing it. 

The Execs

The Ooni Koda 2 Max was simple to arrange, ignited shortly, and climbed to 860°F in 38 minutes, which is kind of spectacular contemplating it’s so giant. Its huge cooking floor and gaping opening additionally made it simple to throw and retrieve pizzas. It cooked thin-crust pizzas blisteringly quick, in about 22 seconds, and gave them beautiful leopard-spotted undercarriages. It additionally baked up a wonderfully cooked, crispy-edged Detroit pan pizza, showcasing its versatility. General, it’s a implausible pizza oven that does its job nicely. 

The Cons

Make no bones about it, it’s costly. It’s additionally enormous, and I’d suggest having a big, heatproof outdoor table to set it on. It burned by way of propane shortly, and having a spare tank available was helpful. The twin burners had been a pleasant characteristic, however I did discover it troublesome to residence in on wildly totally different temperatures. Lastly, I might have beloved it if the app and oven had higher long-range connectivity—because it was, it dropped the sign each time I went inside. 

Key Specs

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

FAQs

What’s the distinction between the Ooni Koda and the Ooni Koda 2 Max?

The Ooni Koda is available in two sizes: 12 and 16 inches. Each of those ovens have a single stone and a single burner. The Ooni Koda 2 Max is 24 inches and sports activities 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 outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. 

Why We’re the Consultants

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

Editor’s word: We obtained a press pattern of the Ooni Koda 2 Max, however all of our opinions are our personal.