Under what circumstances do you use your pizza oven?

[Kelemvor]

Since getting the pizza oven ready to cook is a fair amount of work (getting the fire going and such) and time (waiting for it to get hot enough), I'm just curious as to how often people actually use their oven.

Do you use it when just making 1 or 2 pizzas for the family?
Do you use it when making 3 or 4 pizza when some company is over?
Do you use it when making 5-10 when having a party?

I love the idea of having a pizza oven but just don't know how often it'd actually get used.

Right now I use my regular oven with a pizza stone but I know there'd be no comparison.

[BrickStoneOven]

I used to use it once a week to make about 10-12 neapolitan or 5 NY pizzas for my fat ass alone

[Jackie Tran]

I used to use it once a week to make about 10-12 neapolitan or 5 NY pizzas for my fat ass alone

Holy Wow! 

I use mine about once a week to every other week in the summer time and about once every 2-3 weeks during the colder months.  Sometimes I will go a month or 2 during the winter without using it.  But when I'm not using it, I'm using my home oven and LBE, especially if it's just for me.

I typically invite folks over and bake 4-8 NY pies and a few NP for myself.  I actually like to experiment a lot  with different dough formulations so I will make 3-4 different doughs per bake as an excuse to fire the oven and then invite folks over to eat the experimental pies.  They don't seem to mind it at all.  Free WFO pizza, what's better than that?  Wait don't answer that....

[wheelman]

at least 2-3 times a month, sometimes 5-6.  i usually have friends over, not always though.  pizza night can be really special.
good question... you'll use it enough to make it worth having.
bill

[RobynB]

I worried about that too, but I'm very glad I went ahead.  Ours is indoors, so the only time we don't use it is the hottest parts of summer.  We usually fire it at least 2 weekends a month, sometimes more.  When we do heat it, we try to use it more than one day in a row and we also try to use the residual heat for baking, warming leftovers, etc.  Hubby will grill on the Tuscan grill in it occasionally.  We usually have at least a couple people over but will absolutely fire it for just the two of us.  Sometimes that's really fun, because we experiment more and are more casual about it when it's just us.  You will use it, don't worry.

[DNA Dan]

Not to take away from the other 1%.... But I have been using my conveyor oven about twice a week. 15 minutes to warm up and it turns on/off with a switch.

[Jackie Tran]

Not to take away from the other 1%.... But I have been using my conveyor oven about twice a week. 15 minutes to warm up and it turns on/off with a switch.

Dan have you posted pictures of your oven on this site? If so, can you provide a link?  What is your typical bake temp and time? 

Thanks

[bakeshack]

I use my oven about 6x a month minimum.  I always make at least 12 pies.  Unless I have guests, the half of the dough balls will become my practice dough balls.  I will just make "blanks" using tomato sauce.  This will allow me to cook 3 at a time and practice my spinning technique inside the oven, etc.

[DNA Dan]

Dan have you posted pictures of your oven on this site? If so, can you provide a link?  What is your typical bake temp and time?  

Thanks

Here is the thread I started for the pies I am making:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13389.40.html

The first ones I tried baking ~8 minutes with ~475 bottom and top heating, but it "roasted" the outside of the pizza too much. The pizza was cooked, but just wasn't too hot on the interior, veggies too crisp. So since most restaurants with conveyors seem to be longer than mine, I figured they probably can get by cooking so fast since they have more heating elements in them. I think mine only has 12, 6 on top, 6 on bottom. So the last pie I baked at 425 bottom, 425 top, and slowed the speed so it takes about 12 minutes. It was much better, but I think could use a little more top heat. This is tricky because smaller pies will cook faster in there. I used a fully loaded combination with raw meats as my longest possible bake time.

[Bob1]

I do not have an oven but I did pour the pad a few years ago.  I also wondered how often I would use it.  I am surprised that most of the responses so far are geared toward pizza.  Keep in mind that you could use it for cooking bread and slow roasted ribs, pork butts, etc as it cools the next day or two.  I would assume that you could fire it light just to maintain a residual 250 deg for  6 hour ribs with minor experimentation.

 I finally ordered mine and it will be here next week.  I recommend going for it.  Keep in mind that it may help with the resale of the house some day.

[Tscarborough]

I will do 1 or 2 in the kitchen, any more than that I fire the WFO, about twice a month or more.

[pizza dr]

Well the answer depends really how you define cooking

Is cooking something that is a passion or is it just a means of putting food on the table.  If your going to spend the kind of dough (no pun here) on a WFO than it better be a burning passion.  It takes a considerable amount of money and time to cook in a WFO.  Personally I wouldn't trade my WFO in my backyard for anything. 

But if I'm not too busy during the week I will fire it two to three times.  Its much easier to go from 350 degrees (residual heat)  to cooking temps and therefore a lot less time.  I also cook a lot of other things other than pizza... I do a lot of chicken dishes, paellas, beans, braises, breads etc.    It saves me a lot of clean-up and it also doesn't heat up the kitchen.

Good question...

Scot

[ringkingpin]

Interesting topic!

I have a 2Stone because I asked myself this very question: how would I use my pizza oven. 
I cook for 3 to 8 people at a time.  My normal recipe makes 9 250 gram balls for Neopamericana style pizzas.  What I don't use, I punch down and freeze in plastic containers.  When I want to have pizza for the three of us, I take balls out the night before and they're ready for pizzamaking the next evening. 
My twostone fires up in around 20-30 minutes depending and that is one of the main reasons I bought this thing.

[TXCraig1]

I use mine 3-5 times/month. I generally make 8 pies, rarely less, sometimes more. I almost never bake a pizza in my kitchen oven - just the WFO. If I didn't have the WFO, I'd probably stop making pizza.

[BrickStoneOven]

I use mine 3-5 times/month. I generally make 8 pies, rarely less, sometimes more. I almost never bake a pizza in my kitchen oven - just the WFO. If I didn't have the WFO, I'd probably stop making pizza.

What about your modded grill??

[TXCraig1]

What about your modded grill??

I don't think I could bring myself to go back.