As soon as I saw the words, pizza oven for sale, I knew I was in trouble – in a good way. I’d always wanted a pizza oven
but found them too expensive or not authentic enough. Here was a wood-fired
pizza oven that was affordable, versatile and came from the home of wood-fired
cooking, Portugal (via Brisbane!)
What was just going to be a pizza oven
became an ‘everything’ oven once I realised how good it was. My bread-making
skills improved enormously once I had the pizza oven. Suddenly, I wasn’t only
making traditional loaves and rolls but also authentic Indian and Turkish
bread, too.
Pizza Oven
The pizzas were mouth-watering; ready in
two to three minutes with a delicious thin wood-fired crust and perfectly
cooked toppings. The flavours were so much better than a conventional
oven-cooked pizza.
As I got braver, I cooked other dishes in
the pizza oven, including vegetable lasagne and gratins. Slow-cooked stews were
tender beyond belief and so tasty guests regularly asked for seconds and
thirds! There were never any leftovers.
You see, the difference with this pizza
oven was that it was a traditional domed wood-fired oven. Manufactured using
hand-made refractory clay bricks, this was like the ovens
used many thousands of years ago across Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy.
Pizza Oven for Sale
At its highest temperature, the oven cooks
perfect pizza and then, as the heat settles, it is stored in the bricks to
release just the right amount over time. That’s when you cook your gratins,
bakes, stews and soups. It gives slow cooking a whole new meaning.
So, next time you see the words, pizza oven
for sale, and you’re tempted, make sure it’s an authentic clay oven. There are
many modern pizza ovens on the market but, without the clay and the dome and
the wood fire, you may very well be disappointed.
