What type of oven should I get???

[mnjesse]

My wife and I are building a new house over the next few months and she agreed to let me do whatever I want in the kitchen! I would really like to get an oven with steam injection. Does anybody have any suggestions about good/bad ovens? Thanks

[Jackie Tran]

What do you want to do with the oven, make bread?   What about pizza?  What type of pizza do you wanna make?

[mnjesse]

My favorite type of pizza is NY style, but I also make cracker, pan style, american style. With that in mind, it would be great to get an oven with a higher than average temperature capability (for the pizza) with steam built in (for the bread). Most of my bread baking has been a giant failure, but I really want to get into that more and would like appliances that match these goals. Other things that I will use it for are an occasional turkey, roasts and other baked goods such as cookies, brownies,etc...

[Jackie Tran]

I haven't priced any out, but I suspect that a steam injected oven would be very expensive.  For bread, you don't need a steam injected oven.  People all over the world are making great breads in non steam injected ovens just fine.  There are many ways to inject steam into or trap steam into any oven for bread baking.  So unless you have money to burn, I wouldn't get a steam injected oven unless it's given to you. 

Also, can steam injected bread ovens bake pizza?     Maybe yes, maybe no?  For home use, I would look into a wfo oven.  It's very versatile for both bread and pizza.   You might also look into a gas/wood combo oven.  I would seriously consider a neapolitan wfo.  I know that's not what you are making now, but should you become interest years down the road, your oven can do it.  The last thing you want to do is invest a bunch of money into a non versatile steam injected bread oven. 

We seem to have a number of members who are well verse with different pizza ovens that can probably put out good bread without the need for steam injection ports.

[Tman1]

I'd say go with a brick oven too.. you can cook anything in there. I did 2 turkeys last Thanksgiving.

Steam is required at times, but if you put enough bread into the oven, the steam can come from the dough itself.

[barryvabeach]

Gardenweb has an extensive forum on kitchen appliances, and you will find posts on mostly high end ovens - stoves - $5,000 and up.  Not much discussion about how hot they will go, and not much about steam, but tons of discussion about the burners on stoves ( sealed v. open burner) and the upper btu and lower btu outputs on burners.  The forums at the freshloaf.com contain a number of messages about steam and use of steam injection ovens v. other methods to inject steam.  My recollection is that many of the bakers really love the steam injection features, though it is pricey, and there are some reliability concerns with the products offered in the US.  The other methods are usually not as good since they usually involve a one time injection of steam, the steam ovens allow steam to be injected at various points.    Gaggenau and Miele are two overseas brands referred to commonly for offering steam injection.   I would guess that steam isn't going to help at all in making most pizza.

[mnjesse]

Thanks for the advice so far. I did a little research yesterday and I don't think they make a higher temp steam oven. That  means I would need two ovens which I really don't want to do.

It seems that most of you think I should get a WFO. I am completely open to that idea and my wife would be ecstatic since she loves neopolitan style pizza. The house we are building is going to be a split level. We are still in the phase of finalizing our plans and I am wondering what types of supports/ventilation are required to have a WFO inside of the house? What kind of cost am I looking at for a WFO that is of a moderate size. I don't want something too small or too big. Thanks

[BrickStoneOven]

She put a WFO in her house. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13956.msg140178.html#msg140178

And making some pretty awesome pizza http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,18183.msg177320.html#msg177320

[TXCraig1]

If you're building from scratch, go for the gusto. Get a 100cm Acunto or SF and have it a free standing centerpiece like a restaurant. Put my garage setup to shame. 

[TXCraig1]

We are still in the phase of finalizing our plans and I am wondering what types of supports/ventilation are required to have a WFO inside of the house?

If you're building the house, venting should not be a big deal. It's no different than a fireplace. Just be sure whoever designs it know what they are doing so it draws right. For that matter, I'd get a pro involved ASAP. You have to live with whatever you do for a long time. Get it right.

[TXCraig1]

She put a WFO in her house. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13956.msg140178.html#msg140178

Thinking about this a little more, if you are considering a WFO, keep in mind that it will either stick out of the side of your house like Robyn's or it will take up at least 25sqft (5x5 - and that's a pretty small oven) by the time it is insulated and enclosed in your kitchen that you will need to plan for.

[mnjesse]

I was just looking on the Forno Bravo website and they seem like a good deal. Which one does everyone suggest? What type of extra support is needed if they are inside of a house and not on a concrete floor? If I decide to put one of these outside, how good do they handle cold winters? I live in ND and the temps vary from -40 to 110. Will I need to put some sort of protective housing around it? Will I be able to bake in the winter with it?