Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven

I decided on this oven after reading all the reviews on this and competing models. I liked the following: - cooking surface size - ability to use propane tanks or portable tanks - low price I was concerned about: - durability of the control button The oven comes mostly assembled, you just need to reposition the burner cover, insert the stone, screw in the front panel, attach the thermometer, the regulator and hose; and finally the handle of the oven door. Connect to your propane bottle and you're good to go -- takes no more than five minutes. I think I understand why some people have problems with the control button: it combines gas control, safety shut-off and piezo igniter. You need to turn it to the on position, wait as you hear the gas coming in, and then turn a little further to trigger the igniter -- and keep the button pushed until all three burners light up. If they don't, the gas gets shut off (it's a safety feature). Took me a few attempts to figure out how it works. Even on a fairly chilly evening (50F) the oven reached 530F in just a few minutes; pizza cooks in under four minutes and comes out absolutely gorgeous. I have used it four times so far and every time we comment on how wonderful this inexpensive oven is. Don't forget to buy a pizza peel, an infrared thermometer and a cleaning brush for the stone; and use semolina flour liberally to prevent sticking on the peel or the stone. Highly recommended! Update -- the oven is 7 months old and I had a problem with the knob being very hard to turn. I called the support line and got a rep right away who patiently walked me through troubleshooting, and they are mailing me replacement parts free of charge. I wish I could add an extra star for exceptional customer service. Great product, great company! Update - a couple of years later and I *LOVE* this oven! It took me a while but my pizzas are now really good and friends always ask for them. This little oven may be inexpensive, but it works very well and is durable -- and the manufacturer really stands behind its product. I couldn't recommend this more.

Update as of August 18....... Started getting yellow flame and Soot, I disconnected the hose and regulator, I tried different tanks, I looked st how to adjust air flow but there isn’t a way to do it. I’m sure the regulator is faulty, not impressed after only one month of use. Emailed camp chef to ask for a regulator replacement, let’s see what happens it’s only been a day......will update. Quickly put it together, it was late at knight but managed to knock out two pizzas, first was a bit over done at bottom. For the second One I lowered the heat and it was much better. Need a bit of time to get to know the over. Love the size and opening, pizza is not the only thing that this oven can make. Oven looks good, easy to put together we’ll see over time how well it’s made but so far so good.

pour l'instant tout est parfait

I have used my pizza oven a few times and love it. The crust has come out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, the way I like it. A few things I have learned while using the oven are: 1. Temperature is measured in two ways and both are very important to the outcome. The stone needs to reach a temperature of 500-550 degrees F for the perfect crust on an artisan style 8-10" pizza that cooks quickly, but not so quick that it burns or the cheese and toppings don't have time to heat/melt. The only way I know of measuring this is by using an infrared thermometer. I purchased the Camp Chef Thermometer in the Pizza Kit http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Italia-Artisan-Pizza/dp/B00IJWB1W2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1461861551&sr=8-5&keywords=camp+chef+artisan+pizza and it has worked well. The second important temperature is the ambient air temperature above the stone in the oven. It is measured by the thermometer on the top. Ideally you want this as hot as possible without over heating the stone. It melts the cheese and cooks the top of the crust. 2. If you overheat the stone past 550 degrees, it is best not to try to cook a pizza. The crust will cook entirely too fast, the toppings won't be hot and you will be frustrated. The stone holds heat well, so it will take a while to cool down. Shut the oven off, wait for it to cool a while, then start again. Ideally, you should watch the temperature as it is heating up and adjust the flame according to the stone temperature. 3. When the stone arrived it had a lot of dust on it. Probably just small fines of stone, but I wanted to wash it. I quickly washed the stone in the sink using a little dish soap on a sponge not allowing it to soak in. I found that the stone was so porous that I could smell soap while it heated up in the oven for the first time. I was worried about a soap taste, but it didn't happen. I think a small amount of soap could still be used quickly on the stone, but I would probably only rinse the stone in water. If I initially washed with soap, I would rinse or even soak the stone in fresh water several times to ensure the soap is completely rinsed out. 4. While cooking on the stone you will inevitably drop cheese and other toppings that will burn on the stone leaving black carbon build up. I have used the metal Camp Chef pizza spatula in the kit listed above to scrape the residue to the back of the oven while hot. You could probably go the opposite direction from back to front while the oven is cool, but I find that I usually think of it between pizzas while cooking. The stone eventually turning a different, darker "seasoned" color over time is normal and even desired. Don't worry about cleaning it too much or at all. I usually use a damp paper towel prior to heating the oven to wipe off dirt and residue. 5. I find that you can easily cook two 8" pizzas at a time. It is important to keep them rotating and even sometimes swap side while cooking for even distribution of heat while cooking. 6. If you use the wooden pizza peels, make sure that you add some flour or cornmeal on the peel to prevent the dough from sticking and not sliding off when sliding them from the peel into the oven. You will also want to not leave the dough on the peel for too long while assembling your pizza. Shake the peel slightly side to side and from to back to free up the pizza prior to sliding it into the oven.

This is a great oven. Gets very hot and cooks great. The stone is easy to remove and clean. But there are some things you need to know to get the best results. First, learn how to make good dough. Good pizza is far more about the dough than it is the oven. So start with Caputo 00 flour. Add 65% water. 2% salt, and 0.6% yeast. You want to end up with 275g of dough for each 12" pizza. Make sure to let it proof for about 90 minutes, then make into balls and let rest for another half hour or so. You can throw them in the fridge and use the next day (for the best tasting crust) or use them immediately. The stone gets hotter than the air in the top of the oven. This is why people complain about burnt crust. So I heat the oven up to about 700. I cook the pizza for exactly 2.5 minutes, then I grab the pizza with the spatula (buy the accessory kit, you will not regret it) and lift the pizza to the top of the oven for about 30 seconds to finish off the top of the pizza. Also, don't use plain flour to dust your pizza peel and don't even think about corn meal. Use semola flour. It will allow the pizza to slide off the peel easier and it won't char and build up on the bottom of your pizza as easily. I would also suggest that you forget about the propane adapter for using large propane tanks. I could never get it to work reliably even after getting a replacement regulator. I finally bought some refillable 1lb tanks and they work flawlessly while still allowing me to safely refill from my large tank. This is a great little oven for a great price. I highly recommend it.