There are several pizza cooking methods you can explore – even at home! The introduction of home-versions of outdoor wood-fired and gas-fired pizza ovens has leveled the playing field. For about the same price as an outdoor BBQ grill, you can make a pizza the same way they are made in Naples, Italy!
Even without buying a pizza oven, there are a variety of pizza accessories that you can get your hands on for under $50 that will open up the doors for all manner of pizza cooking methods.
Don’t have an oven? Don’t have a yard? We have a solution for that too!
Indoor Oven
An indoor oven is probably the place to start your pizza journey. Provided your oven can get to 450°F and you’ve got at least a cookie sheet, you can make pizza today!
Indoor Oven Accessories
You can certainly elevate your indoor pizza game with the addition of a couple of inexpensive accessories: the pizza stone, the pizza pan, and/or the pizza steel.
Pizza Stone
For most, the pizza stone is the best investment you can make for an indoor oven pizza. This is a stone or ceramic slab that you put in the bottom of your oven. It gets baked up to temperature while your oven is preheating and really allows the bottom of the pizza to cook thoroughly because of the direct heat.
We have been using this pizza stone for over 10 years and it’s never left the oven except to clean it. Just don’t use soap! Only baking soda and water – and even those in moderation.
Pizza Pan
This is basically the pan that made Pizza Hut famous. So it’s with good reason that it has a place here! Be it a “coupe” pan (which is a round shallow pan with a lip), a deep dish pan (like Pizza Hut uses), even ones that are perforated with holes or with a screen. We love the GoodCook AirPerfect which is just $15.
Pizza Steel
The pizza steel is much like a cookie sheet in how it looks but it’s better to compare it to a pizza stone. Its big advantage is that because it’s metal, it absorbs and transfers heat much more quickly than a pizza stone. Like a pizza stone, you still need to preheat the steel in the oven and transfer (launch) your pizza onto it.
Indoor Alternatives for Pizza Cooking Methods
Guess what – you don’t even need an oven! There are a number of pizza cooking devices that plug into your wall outlet and will cook your pizza effectively. Varying from about $40 for a Betty Crocker Countertop Pizza Maker to the Ooni Volt Electric indoor oven, even if you’re in a New York apartment without an oven at all, there are options to allow you to show Ray’s Pizza who’s boss!
Outdoor Pizza Oven
The outdoor pizza oven is the champion of home pizza cooking methods. With options that allow wood-fired, gas-fired, or in some cases both, you’re going to have a blast! Outdoor pizza ovens can come at a more (or much more) premium price point, so you’ll want to spend some time contemplating the option that’s best for you, so please check out our thoughts on this!
Short answer though, is we really love our Solo Stove Pi!
If you’ve got a home pizza oven, you can make your own Neapolitan Margherita pizza fit for a queen!
The Pizza Peel & Pizza Turner
Several of these methods require delivering your pizza safely into and out of your oven. A pizza peel is a really key element for doing this!
You may also really benefit from investing in another item – the pizza turner. A turner that’s perforated at the bottom can help let moisture escape from the bottom of the crust during the turn. Ooni’s pizza turner is a great option, with a nice long handle to keep your hands safe!
