Buying your first pizza oven is a small purchase next to a kitchen renovation, but it shapes how you cook for years. At HORVATH we sell everything from £100 portable electric ovens to four-figure stone-floor wood-fired beasts, and the right one for you depends on four short questions. Spend ten minutes on this guide and you will save yourself a much longer return process later.
Wood, electric or gas — which fuel is right for you?
Wood-fired ovens hit 430°C and bake a true Neapolitan crust in 90 seconds, but they ask for kiln-dried logs, a chimney-safe location and the patience to fire up half an hour before the first pie. Electric ovens plug in, hold a steady 400°C and cook to a timer — perfect for indoor counter tops and rainy evenings. Gas and LPG ovens split the difference: outdoor mounting, no firewood, and a temperature dial that responds in seconds. None of these is "better" in the abstract; the right answer is the one that matches your kitchen and your routine.
Size and capacity
The single most common buyer mistake is buying an oven that is too small or too big. A 30 cm stone bakes one classic 12-inch pizza at a time and suits two-person households; a 33 cm stone holds a larger pizza or a small loaf of sourdough. Commercial single-chamber ovens take 60×60 cm trays and start to make sense once you are catering for ten or more people. If you plan to host garden parties, size up — an oven that can do four pizzas back to back is twenty minutes saved every time guests arrive.
Where will it live?
An indoor pizza oven needs a heat-safe counter, ventilation and an electrical socket inside two metres. An outdoor wood-fired oven needs a non-combustible base, three metres of clearance from anything wooden, and ideally a covered structure for the off-season. Portable ovens are designed to be lifted onto a garden table; commercial units are usually bolted in. Measure twice before you buy, and double-check chimney requirements with the manufacturer if you choose wood-fired.
Maintenance and consumables
All pizza ovens need three things: a clean stone, the right peel, and the correct fuel. Stones should be brushed (never washed with soap) after each session; cracks beyond hairline mean it is time to replace. Wooden peels are forgiving; metal peels last longer but bruise dough. Wood-fired models burn through roughly one log per pizza when up to temperature. Budget a small amount for consumables every year and your oven will outlast most other kitchen kit.
Conclusion
Pick the fuel that fits how you cook today, not how you imagine cooking. Buy the size that matches your usual table, not the table you might one day have. Place the oven where the heat and the chimney are safe before you fall in love with how it looks. And when in doubt, email mail@horvathcamp.co.uk — we have stood in front of every oven we sell and we will tell you honestly which one fits.
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