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My sister very kindly gave me a Uuni pizza oven for Xmas. Before I mess up our first attempt are there any hints and tips you can offer?
Anyone successfully cooked anything other than pizza?
Start here: https://kungfubbq.co.uk/ooni-blog - he's condensed a lot of the wisdom from the community groups into a few sensible posts. Lots of ideas for non-pizza stuff on there too.
I find an IR thermometer essential (so you can check the temperature of the stone) as well as a cheap wood peel for putting pizzas in as it doesn't stick as much - use the Uuni metal one for turning and taking out. Other stuff is really about making life easier but you absolutely can do brilliant pizza without anything else.
They can be tricky single-handed, the most common failures are not keeping the fire going properly, you need to keep pellets topped up all the time. It's way easier if someone is cooking and managing the oven, and one is prepping pizzas to go in.
So its a pizza made needlessly and expensively difficult kit.
The gas burner makes it a lot easier and consistent
Which model?
So its a pizza made needlessly and expensively difficult kit.
No, it's a fun and interactive way of cooking pizzas and other stuff, in much the same way that having friends over for a barbecue is a lot harder than going out to a restaurant.
I find an IR thermometer essential (so you can check the temperature of the stone) as well as a cheap wood peel for putting pizzas in as it doesn’t stick as much – use the Uuni metal one for turning and taking out.
+1
Not got an Uuni but a brickbuilt oven outdoors. They are super fun, but do take a bit of getting used to.
+1 for maintaining that temp and keeping the fire fed. Also an IR thermometer as said is essential, as you want to start putting the pizzas in as soon as that temp is bang on.
I always do a few starter in as temp is getting up. A nice easy one to start off with is Jalapeno poppers. Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese then wrapped in bacon. I usually pop them in an enamel tin.
Also made an apple cake using a cast iron skillet in the oven.
Agree with jonv, we use it all the time with friends coming over, it is a really social and interactive way to cook. Everyone has a go at making their pizza and people trying each others creations.
Sorry it's a Uuni 3.
I found the biggest thing to make a difference is having multiple peels (I bought cheapies from Amazon and got a 2nd Uuni branded one as a present). We have ended up with four which means that I can cook pizzas for the family in about 7 minutes - just saves a lot of time messing around. Takes no time to get up to temp and don't need to stress about keeping the pellet hopper topped up if you're just banging them in one after the other nice and quickly.
I think they're ace. We cooked outside on either the Uuni or a small ceramic egg BBQ every weekend over the summer (I did the Christmas capon in the BBQ this year). I got given the sizzler griddle thing which is good too - check Amazon for much cheaper alternatives...
You'll need a gas blow torch to light it and an IR thermometer to make sure its hot enough. A stainless steel jam funnel for keeping the hopper topped up is also useful. Do not walk away from the oven or get distracted once youve put a pizza in as they are cooked in under 2 mins.
and keep turning it - every 15s or so, otherwise the bit at the back by the fire will be cremated before the front is done.
and keep turning it – every 15s or so, otherwise the bit at the back by the fire will be cremated before the front is done.
Really? I find that just slinging them in they're done all the way across in about 90 seconds...
I believe the 3 has the burner a bit further back than on previous models - maybe that helps even out the temperature?