With the advent of summer tantalisingly close, days of al fresco dining are just on the horizon. And what could be better than munching on a professional-style pizza that you just cooked in your outdoor kitchen? Oh, we know – making said pizza in an affordable way without the need for a pizza oven.
As much as we love pizza ovens, they don’t come cheap by any means, with the most affordable setting you back by £250, a figure that can stretch to thousands of pounds for some of the best pizza ovens on the market.
So if you don’t have the necessary funds (or space) available for a Stanley Tucci-style dreamy outdoor kitchen set-up but still want to enjoy a restaurant-level homemade pizza, there are other (and more affordable) ways to do so. Here are 3 of the best...
3 products for making pizza without a pizza oven
'Making pizza at home doesn't necessarily mean you need a pizza oven,’ confirms Molly Cleary, Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor. ‘Though pizza ovens from the likes of Ooni and Gozney have the high heat needed to make the process easy, you can mimic the art with one of these clever substitutes, even if the results aren't exactly the same calibre.’
So without further ado, these are the products to help you make a restaurant-grade pizza at home without a full-on pizza oven – all priced under £35.
Lidl Grillmeister BBQ Pizza Oven
Lidl’s barbecue pizza oven is a solid fan favourite, which sells out every year. Launching in stores on Sunday 2nd June this year, it’s set to fly off the shelves even faster as its price has been lowered by £5 from £39.99 to £34.99.
In order to make use of the Lidl Grillmeister BBQ Pizza Oven, you will need to attach it to your best BBQ – and it’s compatible with any gas or charcoal barbecues. The attachment is fitted with a thermostat so that you can easily control the temperature, as well as a removable pizza stone.
ProCook Rectangular Pizza Stone with Rack
Speaking of pizza stones, ProCook’s pizza stone with a rack, which is currently available for only £12, is designed to help you achieve the perfect pizza every time. All you need is a working oven.
Made from ceramic, much like traditional pizza ovens you see in restaurants, the material aids in retaining heat in order to create a perfectly crispy base. And once you pull it out of the oven, you can serve the pizza on the stone with the help of the provided metal rack as the stone will keep the pizza warm for the next 30 minutes.
Home-Complete Cast Iron Pizza Pan
Similar to the ProCook pizza stone, Home-Complete’s Cast Iron Pizza Pan, available on Amazon for £33.65 can also work in tandem with an oven or a BBQ to deliver the ideal pizza result. Offering a round surface of the best cast iron cookware measuring 14 inches, this durable pizza pan heats up evenly to high temperatures to properly cook the pizza base through.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, ‘I got this primarily for pizzas, so I haven't tried it for anything else ... yet. It gets hot, very hot, but that's kinda the point. So how does it work for pizzas? At last, fully cooked, crispy bases! It works great with fresh, frozen and home made. If you're tired of soggy pizza bases, then you should give this a try!’
Finally, Molly adds one further recommendation not included in our round-up. ‘Another highly recommended option I've seen after sleuthing around on pizza making forums is the Ferrari G3 (£135.00 at Amazon), which gets a lot of love from users. All of these options go to show that pizza making is possible at different price points if you know where to look.'
