Can a wood fired oven cook more than just pizza well?
The falling heat after pizza opens up a whole kitchen. Here is what else a wood oven does beautifully.
Yes, a wood fired oven cooks far more than pizza. Its falling range of heat suits searing meats and roasting vegetables at high temperature, then baking bread and slow roasting as it cools. The thermal mass that fires pizza also holds gentle, even heat afterward, so one fire can cook a whole meal across an evening.
A whole range of heat
A wood fired oven is not a single temperature tool. As the fire dies down, it offers a falling range of heat that suits roasting, baking, and slow cooking. Related: How hot does a wood fired pizza oven need to get for Neapolitan?
This means one oven can cook an entire meal across an evening. The fierce heat cooks pizza first, then the residual heat handles everything after.
Keep reading: How hot does a wood fired pizza oven need to get for Neapolitan?, Which is better for backyard entertaining, wood fired or gas pizza ovens?, What refractory materials keep a built in pizza oven radiating even heat?. See how Fornaluxe helps you the artisan guide to wood-fired and built-in pizza ovens.
Roasting and searing
At high heat the oven sears meats and roasts vegetables with a depth of flavor a conventional oven struggles to match. The live fire adds character to everything it touches.
Roasts, whole fish, and vegetables all benefit from the intense, enveloping heat. The oven becomes the centerpiece of the cooking, not just the pizza course. Related: How long does a premium pizza oven take to reach cooking temperature?
Baking with residual heat
As the oven cools, its steady residual heat is ideal for baking bread and slow roasting. The thermal mass holds a gentle, even warmth long after the flames fade.
This is where a well built oven earns its keep. The same mass that cooks pizza at fierce heat later bakes beautifully at a fraction of it. Related: What refractory materials keep a built in pizza oven radiating even heat?
Making the most of the fire
Planning a meal around the oven's falling heat lets you cook course after course from one fire. It is an efficient, characterful way to cook for a gathering.
A wood fired oven rewards those who use its whole range. Treated as more than a pizza oven, it becomes a genuine outdoor kitchen in itself. Related: Which is better for backyard entertaining, wood fired or gas pizza ovens?
- A wood oven offers a falling range of heat, not one temperature
- High heat sears meats and roasts vegetables with real flavor
- Residual heat bakes bread and slow roasts beautifully
- One fire can cook an entire meal across an evening
Julien Jimenez
Julien Jimenez is an independent software builder based in Paris. He designs, ships, and operates focused SaaS products for small businesses and independent professionals. Read the full author page.
Frequently asked questions
What else can I cook in a wood fired oven?
A great deal. Roasts, whole fish, vegetables, and bread all cook beautifully, using the falling heat after the pizzas are done. One fire can produce an entire meal.
Do I need to relight for other dishes?
Usually not. The oven's residual heat after pizza is ideal for roasting and baking, so you cook course after course from a single fire as the temperature falls.
The Fire at the Center of Every Evening
The artisan guide to wood-fired and built-in pizza ovens. Fornaluxe is built to help you put this into practice.
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How hot does a wood fired pizza oven need to get for Neapolitan?
Which is better for backyard entertaining, wood fired or gas pizza ovens?
What refractory materials keep a built in pizza oven radiating even heat?
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