Whether you fancy yourself a pizza aficiona-dough or you just want to get more bang for your buck, it’s well worth investing in pizza oven accessories that allow you to use your pizza oven year-round. After all, pizza doesn’t care about the weather.
Yes, many people (wrongly) assume that the best pizza ovens are a seasonal purchase. And while freshly-made pizzas are certainly a welcome addition to the summer months, nobody said you can’t use a pizza oven in the winter! In fact, if you want to get the most out of your pizza oven, you’ll be happy to know that you can use it come rain or shine - and even snow.
As Francesca Fay, Senior Brand Manager at Ooni Pizza Ovens, explains, ‘While everyone enjoys eating and cooking outdoors under the summer sun, don't let a cold snap deter you from outdoor cooking.’ To do this, you’ll need some accessories, and we've picked our favourites below. So, save a pizza for us…
1. Different pan options
While you may have the best pizza baking stone to use with your pizza oven, that doesn’t mean you can’t use different pan options as the months go by.
Francesca says, ‘During the cooler months, you might choose to experiment more with the diversity of dishes that you create in your pizza oven. Winter months beg for low and slow-roasted meat joints, fresh bread and vegetable bakes.’
To cook these foods in your pizza oven, you can make the most of pizza oven roasting pans, cast iron skillet pans, and so much more. At the moment, Ooni is the only brand that’s really offering these different pan options - but we predict more options will become available as pizza ovens continue to reign supreme.
And you can generally use all of the best cast iron cookware in pizza oven too.
This roasting pan is ideal for slow-roasting chicken, meat, fish and vegetables in your pizza oven. It also comes with a white oak cutting board.
This cast iron skillet can cook anything from meat to cookie dough, and comes with a handle to ensure you can safely get it in and out your oven.
Dual-purpose, you can sizzle fajitas in your pizza oven on one side and then flip it to grill ribs on the other with this nifty product.
2. Pizza oven cover
Whether you want to use your pizza oven in the dead of winter or wait to fire it up come spring, a pizza oven cover will be a lifesaver. As well as helping to store your pizza oven over winter, a pizza oven cover will also streamline your cooking process when you want to use it year-round.
If you don't cover it, youll have to head out into the garden 10 minutes before making your pizzas to brush off any winter debris, dry off any rain droplets, and perhaps even clean off bird droppings. And that’s probably not something you want to do when you’re hungry.
Francesca adds, ‘Protection is key for year round use! If you’re storing your oven outside, make sure to shield it with a cover after each use. By investing in a high quality cover, you're not only prolonging the life of your oven but also ensuring that it’s always ready to deliver perfect pizzas when you need it to.’
Just make sure that you choose one that fits your pizza oven perfectly.
If you have the Ninja Woodfire Oven, this cover will fit it perfectly. It's made from water-resistant, anti-fade fabric and has an elastic drawstring for a snug fit.
This Ooni pizza oven cover fits the Karu 16 and is 100% waterproof. It's also a tight fit to prevent water from getting in the sides or around the legs.
Gozney's Roccbox cover is made from double-lined, 900D polyester waterproof material to protect from the elements in winter.
3. Toppings station
If you are hankering for fresh pizza when it’s raining, grabbing a coat and protecting yourself from the downpour is easy. And while you could attempt to make your pizza indoors before transporting it outside, this probably won’t work in your favour. Nobody likes a soggy bottom, after all.
So, why not prepare your pizza toppings inside, pop them in your toppings station (ideally one with lids), and then make it seconds before you slide it into the fire?
These topping stations often have airtight, flip-top lids that keep your toppings fresh and protected from the elements - which means that you can leave them in the rain and on the counter of your outdoor kitchen for when you want to go back for seconds.
This toppings station comes with airtight, flip-top lids that will keep your food fresh and free from any winter debris.
You don't have to have an Ooni pizza oven to have an Ooni toppings station. This one is also angled for easy access.
This affordable Amazon alternative offers six compartments, meaning you'll have more than enough space for your various toppings.
4. Different fuel options
If you want to use your pizza oven year-round, having a variety of different fuel options on offer is one tip you don’t want to miss - and not just to mix up the flavours of your pizza.
As you may know, different fuels have different heating times, and this can be a lifesaver when you want a quick pizza fix in the dead of winter. But in the summer, you probably have time to choose a slower burner. However, you will have to make sure you've invested in a dual-fuel source pizza oven in the first place like the Gozney Roccbox or Ooni Karu.
Stephen Talbot, sales director at Logs Direct explains, ‘For optimal temperatures, hardwood logs and briquettes typically need about 20-30 minutes to reach the optimum temperature that is perfect for a crisp, slightly charred Neapolitan crust. Pellets might get you there a bit faster, usually in 15-20 minutes.’
It’s also worth noting that if you do choose to buy logs, you’ll need to store them properly over the winter months to ensure they’re ready to be used as soon as possible.
Stephen says, ‘Pizza oven logs should be stored in a dry and ventilated area, away from moisture and pests. You can stack the logs in a woodpile or rack and cover them with a tarp to protect them from rain or snow.’
Alternatively, you could skip the logs or pellets altogether and opt for a gas-fired pizza oven instead. This normally takes around 15-20 minutes to heat up, so around the same time as pellets.
These hardwood logs are ideal for the Ooni Karu ovens, and are kiln-dried for low moisture content and minimal ash.
If you prefer to use pellets, this all-purpose blend offers a balanced, mild and sweet flavour throughout the year.
These briquettes are restaurant-grade, and offer a consistent burn and long-lasting embers. Plus, they're 100% natural.
5. Stand with wheels
There are pizza oven stands… and then there are pizza oven stands with wheels. And while either is a great addition to your outdoor cooking setup, we’d always suggest buying a pizza oven stand with wheels if you want to use your pizza oven stand year-round.
Our Kitchen Appliances Editor (and pizza oven queen), Molly Cleary, is a big fan of her Gozney pizza oven stand. She says, ‘It means you can wheel it about (potentially under cover) if it starts to rain.’ In fact, this is particularly true if you have a pergola in your garden.
And even if it’s not raining during the winter months, you could still wheel it around the garden and follow the sun to pretend it’s still summer, and the wheels just offer up so many different opportunities to use your pizza oven when most people would assume that you wouldn’t.
This is the stand that Molly uses for her pizza oven, and she can't recommend it enough. The tables either side are extremely handy, too.
Made from powder-coated carbon steel, this stand is extremely durable and weatherproof. It even has hooks for other accessories.
If you're looking for an affordable all-rounder, this pizza oven stand is it. It's also got wheels so you can move it around with ease.
6. If in doubt, opt for an indoor pizza oven
Although not technically an accessory, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs properly if we didn’t offer up alternative pizza ovens. After all, the pizza oven you choose can make a big difference as to whether you can use your oven year-round or not.
If you’re set on al fresco dining, Ninja's Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven is a great option as it comes with a special RCD plug for protection from any electrical issues - which means you can still use it in the rain.
But if you can’t bear to go outside, why not opt for an indoor pizza oven instead? Yes, they exist! Molly has tested and loved the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven - which can be used both inside and outside - and gave it a whopping 4.5 stars out of 5.
And while there aren’t a huge number of indoor pizza ovens out there, they are becoming more common. In fact, ProCook has just launched an indoor electric pizza oven air fryer - so you can also use it as one of the best air fryers, too.
This electric indoor pizza oven can either be used to make delicious pizzas or food in the air fryer. You can choose.
With a weather-safe plug, this outdoor oven can be used to make pizzas whatever the weather.
FAQs
Can I use my pizza oven in the winter?
Yes, you can use a pizza oven in the winter! You can use a pizza oven throughout the year, but there are some adjustments you’ll need to make to be able to use a pizza oven safely and successfully. These are:
- Always place your pizza oven in a position where the wind hits the back of the oven rather than the front. This will aid heating and cooking rather than extinguish the flame.
- Aim to keep the pizza oven as dry as possible, so use a cover if possible.
- Don’t overload the pizza oven with fuel, as this can result in thermal shock. Instead, do this gradually.
What else can you put in a pizza oven?
Although you can use a pizza oven year-round, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cook pizza in it. You can cook everything from your Sunday meat joint to fresh loaves of bread and vegetables in your pizza oven. In fact, anything you want to cook in a normal oven, you can also cook in a pizza oven.
So, will you be buying any of these accessories to use your pizza oven year round?
