We tried the new Ooni Volt electric pizza oven – is it better than the Karu 16?
There’s lots to like about Edinburgh-based pizza oven brand Ooni. The newly-Christened B Corp bagged a world-first back in 2012 with the launch of the Karu 12; a release that gave us all a fun, accessible way to make proper Neapolitan pizza at home. And for what it’s worth, we’ve been impressed with everything we’ve tried to date. So, a local brand with quality products and a commitment to sustainability? Sounds good so far – but it’s Ooni’s latest release, the electric-powered Volt 12, that’s really intrigued us.
Until now, all pizza ovens on the market have been gas or wood-powered, necessitating outdoor use. This gives them a similar seasonality to barbecues; all but the most ardent pizza fans will likely pack theirs into the shed during winter, dusting them off only once the sun shines again. But this new model, which is designed to fare equally well both inside and out, makes it far easier to enjoy your pizza oven even on days the sun is remaining firmly behind the clouds.
At £799, this is the brand’s priciest offering, costing £100 more than the second most expensive Karu 16 model, which is also larger. A budget option this is not. Nonetheless, the higher price is offset by the fact it can be used year-round, and allows those without outdoor space the chance to experiment as well. It’s also worth mentioning that the Ooni is not just for pizzas. A quick flip through the brand’s official recipe book finds a versatile selection of tasty dishes to try, further upping the value-factor.
Admittedly, I was a little dubious by the indoor use claims. We own a Karu 16 and, when making pizzas in this wood-fired Ooni, the heat of the stone combined with short cooking times can generate additional smoke at times. As such, I was concerned this setup might not work well inside, particularly in smaller kitchens.
It was time to put the claims to the test. We gathered 12 willing participants inside a West Sussex Airbnb on a chilly March weekend. Our task was simple: to cook – and eat – a lot of pizza in the kitchen without losing our security deposit. Did the Ooni Volt 12 set our holiday home on fire? Let’s find out.
Ooni Volt 12 pizza oven review
The Ooni Volt 12 has no chimney or legs, making it a sleeker, smarter-looking option than the rest of the range, especially with its swanky new digital temperature controls. The shape means it’s easier to keep in a cupboard than the others but, given it weighs just under 18kgs and measuring 62 x 53 x 28cm, it’s still a large machine. Bear this in mind if you’re lacking storage space.
It has a speedy 15-minute heat-up time, which gives you time to prep a couple of pizzas, then we were ready to go. Immediately, we hit a couple of snags. If you’ve used a wood-fired oven before, you might experience a learning curve.
This oven has a setting to adjust whether you want the heat to come up from the base or distribute more evenly throughout the machine – a handy feature that we grew to like. The first time, however, we kept the heat more focused on the stone, as it would be more traditionally. This, plus cranking the Volt up to max temperature, resulted in some seriously burned pizza bases – and a very smoky room! Concerned my worst fears would come true, we opted to disconnect the fire alarm.
But to my relief, after a few goes and reducing the temperature, we were getting some much better results. There was no difference in the quality of the cook in comparison to using gas or wood, and there was a smaller gap in between pizzas coming out of the oven as we didn’t have to wait for it to get back up to temperature. Hungry guests certainly appreciated this – especially given there were a few mishaps to begin with resulting in somewhat inedible offerings!
But it was on the oven’s second outing where we really got to grips with its power, experimenting with the location of the heat so it was more radiative throughout the whole oven. This time, there were no burnt bases or fire drills. The pizzas were delicious right from the start, taking only a minute to cook, as you’d expect. My fears were officially assuaged.
Ooni Volt 12 pizza oven review: The verdict
I had mixed feelings about the pizza oven to begin with, and was worried my concerns had been validated after its first use. And that’s without mentioning that I live with a complete barbecue aficionado; who just really ‘likes cooking with fire’, in his words. So the greatest compliment that could be paid is that, after a couple of goes, the Ooni Volt has won both myself, and him, over.
Ultimately we had some fabulous results in quick time-frames and I’m looking forward to cooking other recipes inside as well. In fact, I feel the Volt is especially well suited to experimenting with non-pizza recipes as the internal temperature remains more consistent than using charcoal and is easier to control.
So, would I recommend the Ooni Volt? Yes I would – and I’m pleased to confirm our full deposit was returned nonetheless. As such, my only advice would be to have a couple of practice sessions before you pack it up for a holiday. Don’t crank the heat up to the max straight away – and perhaps open a window when using it indoors… just in case!
What comes with an Ooni pizza oven?
Only the pizza oven with the stone comes in the package. You’ll need a pizza peel and a cutter at least to get the most from your machine. For outside cooks, Ooni’s storage stand has been hugely useful for us, although if you’re only going to use your Volt indoors, it won’t be necessary.
Here are some of our top tried-and-tested pizza oven accessory picks to help you get the most from your machine.
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