An awesome dual-fuel pizza oven that’s great at home or on the road
Ooni Karu 12: One-Minute Review
The Ooni Karu 12 is a wood/charcoal-fired pizza oven that is an affordable entry point for anyone looking to start out making pizza at home.
The Karu 12 won’t lock you into a particular fuel type straightaway either, like many other budget-friendly offerings do, since Ooni has a gas conversion kit for the oven that you can buy at any time for an additional $100 / £90 / AU$189. This flexibility is critical for anyone who isn’t sure if they want the ease-of-use from gas-powered pizza ovens or the traditional smoky flavor of a wood-fired offering. It also makes it easy to swap between the two for anyone who might want to try both.
The dual-fuel equation isn’t the only thing this pizza oven has going for it – it’s also got a sleek looking pressed metal exterior and a cordierite baking stone capable of getting above 752°F / 400°C for perfectly cooked pizza bases in minutes.
There’s enough insulation to mean it’s only about five minutes to reheat the stone between pizzas, but the package also only weighs 26.4lbs / 12kg, has foldable legs and a detachable chimney to make it extremely portable if you want to take it camping.
You will want to leave some room in the budget for accessories like the infrared thermometer and a pizza peel since sliding loaded pizzas and getting the correct temperature can seem impossibly difficult for novices. Even with a number of accessories tacked on, this unit is great value. Ooni Karu 12: Price
Available since 2020
$299 / £299 / AU$649
The Ooni Karu 12 is one of the more affordable options of the Ooni range. At just $299 / £299 / AU$649, it’s actually one of the best-value portable pizza ovens from any brand.
For this you get the basic Ooni Karu wood and charcoal burning pizza oven with a stone base and chimney. If you plan to leave the pizza oven in your backyard and are happy to use wood or charcoal to make all your pizzas, then this is all you’ll need, but if you’re new to pizza-making, it’s much easier to start on gas.
For a more convenient cooking arrangement, the Karu 12 Gas attachment will set you back $100 / £90 / AU$189. If you’re new to pizza ovens this is an essential feature, since it makes the unit much easier to control, but the faster and easier gas heating is convenient for frequent users too.
For portability you’ll want the $40 / £40 / AU$80 Ooni Karu 12 Carry Cover, which seals the little kit up to make it easy to transport.
The units are also available to buy in bundles with things like a pizza peel, remote thermometer and official cookbook, all of which make a big difference to the quality of pizza you’ll be able to make.
• Value score: 5/5Ooni Karu 12 specsOoni Karu 12 review: Design and features
Stylish steel design
Foldable legs
Made for 12-inch pizza
There’s a lot to like about the design across a bunch of available pizza ovens, so it’s got some tough competition. Still, the Karu 12 is definitely one of the most stylish-looking ones around… and it’s actually even more charming to look at in person. But it isn’t just the sleek Airstream-like press studs and polished steel that’s great about the Ooni Karu 12, it’s also really cleverly designed.
The foldable legs are tall enough to keep this oven elevated off combustible surfaces without adding a heap of unnecessary bulk, and the chimney is easily detachable for compact storage and portability.
