Professional pizza oven: buying guide

A perfect pizza dough requires a professional oven that is fit for the purpose

 

Production efficiency, consistently uniform cooking, ease of management and a refined design are just some of the promises that a good pizza oven must know how to keep in order to be defined as such.

 

There are various types of professional ovens which, when purchasing, must be chosen on the basis of the needs of each pizza maker and vary according to the destination and the type of use to be made.

For example, those who bake pizzas from a Food Truck will need a tool that is light, compact and capable of responding well to the vibrations of the road.

On the other hand, those who work in a restaurant kitchen may need a versatile tool capable of cooking pizzas to perfection, but which, if necessary, can also grill, stew and roast the various dishes on the menu.

Regardless of the type of activity, however, a professional oven must guarantee perfect results and facilitate the work of all the staff.

So, how do we go about choosing the perfect professional oven for our business? Let’s find out!

This article contains:

  • What features must a good professional oven have?
    Lightness
    2.   Innovative insulation and technology
    3.   Ease of installation and movement
    4.   Low fuel consumption
    5.   Sophisticated design
  • How much does a restaurant oven cost?
  • The professional oven to choose based on the type of kitchen

Which are the best professional pizza ovens?

Professional pizza oven: buying guide | Alfa Forni

What features must a good professional oven have?

Each business has its own needs based on the space available, the presence or absence of a flue, the style of the restaurant or the type of pizza and products that it intends to offer to its customers.

The first thing to take into consideration, therefore, is certainly the type of fuel you intend to use to fuel your professional oven.

According to the type of fuel supply, we can distinguish between:

  • Wood-burning oven
  • Gas oven
  • Hybrid oven
  • Electric oven 

Each of these types, exploiting different fuels, consequently has different characteristics.

 

For example, a wood-burning oven is probably the most challenging to manage, but it manages to give the dishes that unmistakable aroma of wood, especially with long cooked dishes, as well as being particularly attractive for those who organize cooking show evenings.

Where as an electric oven and gas oven are undoubtedly easier to manage, thanks to the automatic temperature control and ease of cleaning.

In order to choose the type of fuel supply that best suits your needs, it is useful to identify the connections that are already available in your kitchen and consider the intended use of the oven.

A solution for those who cannot choose between the charm of wood and the practicality of gas is offered by dual-fuel ovens.

Precisely for this reason, Alfa Forni has developed a particular technology that allows you to use a gas oven as if it were a wood oven, thus allowing to choose from time to time the fuel to be used according to the needs of the moment or the dish to be cooked.

We are talking about the Kit Hybrid, thanks to which it is possible to place a special lid over the gas burner.

However, in addition to the type of fuel supply, it is also useful to consider other characteristics when choosing the best professional oven for your needs, such as:

  1. Lightness
  2. Innovative insulation and technology
  3. Ease of installation and movement
  4. Low fuel consumption
  5. Sophisticated design

Let’s see these features in detail.

Vuoi scoprire qual è il forno più adatto alle tue esigenze?

Professional pizza oven: buying guide | Alfa Forni

1.   Lightness

Often the space available is one of the main problems both in traditional kitchens and for Food Trucks where a pizza oven is usually one of the most bulky tools.

Modern professional ovens, however, are capable of solving this problem by combining small dimensions and lightness with great performance.

Thanks to CompactFlame technology, Alfa Pro professional ovens ensure maximum production capacity in the smallest possible space, representing the ideal solution for dehors, outdoor living and open spaces.

Suffice it to say that the smaller models weigh only 195 kg and measure only 90 cm in depth.

 

2.   Innovative insulation and technology

The best professional wood and gas ovens must be able to offer excellent performance, keep fuel consumption low and last over time.

This is why they must be made with top quality materials and cutting-edge technology.

Alfa Pro ovens are built with a particular insulation that uses three layers of ceramic fibre and one layer of Gasbeton, an innovative, resistant and insulating material: this allows the temperature to rise very quickly without having external overheating problems.

Furthermore, thanks to Forninox technology™, which combines AISI 304 stainless steel properties with those of refractory bricks, Alfa Pro professional pizza ovens are able to be light, easy to handle and reach operating temperature in just 30 minutes.

The materials used to make the oven and the technology used allow Alfa Pro professional ovens to guarantee perfect cooking results, maximum energy efficiency and reduced consumption.

 

3.   Ease of installation and movement

Another feature to consider when choosing a professional oven concerns the ease of installation and manoeuvrability of the instrument, that is, the ability to easily move it from one setting to another.

Alfa Pro professional ovens do not require special installation and positioning, as each model can be easily moved, consistently guaranteeing high cooking performance.

This feature makes this type of oven extremely versatile for those who want to take advantage of outdoor spaces during the summer.

The mobility of a professional oven, therefore, proves to be a particularly interesting feature for all the pizzerias that in addition to having a restaurant, also have a Food Truck for participating at events and demonstrations or for those activities that organize cooking show  evenings.

 

4.   Low fuel consumption

Never before has it been so essential to keep your oven’s fuel consumption low to make ends meet each month.

This is why it is necessary, during the purchasing phase, to choose a professional oven that has been designed and built with the highest quality materials while using cutting-edge technology: this is the only way can you be sure of being able to cut costs related to your oven’s wood, electricity or gas consumption.

Forninox ™ technology allows Alfa Pro to create professional pizza ovens that accumulate heat very quickly, thanks to the dome made with a thick sheet of stainless steel.

It heats up much faster than the refractory bricks thus allowing the oven to be ready to cook a pizza in just a few minutes.

So, how much does a professional oven consume? Alfa Pro professional ovens can reach 500° C in just 30 minutes and cook up to 8 pizzas in about 90 seconds with a consumption of only 4 kg of wood/h and 2 kg of gas/h, allowing for significant savings in terms of both time and money.

 

5.   Sophisticated design

Aesthetics too are fundamental, especially if the kitchen is visible. A professional oven becomes the focal point of the room, representing a true piece of furniture.

Hence, the more or less rigorous lines must be designed to be coordinated with other appliances and to integrate elegantly into the environment.

In a good professional pizza oven, the choice of external materials and the quality of the internal components must ensure functionality, sturdiness and attention to appearance.

Customers want to eat well, but also enjoy a unique and pleasant experience in a well-defined and welcoming environment where the gestures of the pizza chef are highlighted and framed by the sophisticated design of the oven.

How much does a restaurant oven cost?

The price of a professional oven depends on several factors including the quality of the materials used, the technology implemented, the thermal efficiency and the size of the cooking chamber.

It is therefore difficult to answer this question unambiguously.

Numerous offers are available on the market, each with its own technical characteristics and capable of responding to the needs of different types of catering activities.

Nevertheless, if you buy a quality product, made in Italy with high construction standards, the price is unlikely to be too low, but you will have the certainty of using a reliable, high-performance tool that will repay the investment made over time.

Vuoi scoprire qual è il forno più adatto alle tue esigenze?

Professional pizza oven: buying guide | Alfa Forni

The professional oven to choose based on the type of kitchen

Thanks to their lightness and extremely compact dimensions, modern professional ovens are able to adapt to any type of kitchen and need.

Not just traditional pizzerias and restaurants, therefore, but also:

  • Food Truck
  • Outdoor areas
  • Cooking shows

Each of these kitchens requires an oven with different production capacity and characteristics.

For example, a business activity on wheels will need a light professional oven, but at the same time robust, able to withstand road vibrations, without risking weighing down the vehicle down.

 

The Alfa Pro line professional wood-fired and gas-fired pizza ovens are specifically designed to meet the needs of those who have a Food Truck and want to contain gas and wood fuel consumption.

An example is the Quattro Pro Top by Alfa Pro model which is a compact, light and practical professional pizza oven, perfect for installing on a Food Truck or for anyone with a catering business.

This instrument can churn out 3 to 4 pizzas at a time, reaches 450° C in just 30 minutes and is perfect for those looking for an efficient instrument, since it has low running costs as it consumes only 4.5 kg of wood per hour.

Mobile solutions, on the other hand, are the ideal solution for those who have an outdoor space such as a terrace or garden that they intend to use during the warmer months.

In fact, thanks to the wheels, Alfa Pro ovens can be easily moved from indoors to outdoors, not to mention that the stainless steel structure with 7 layers of powder paint is extremely resistant to weather conditions.

The lighter and more compact professional ovens are also ideal for those who want to entertain their customers by organizing cooking show evenings where the pizza chefs can be admired as they work.

The Alfa Pro professional ovens, thanks to CompactFlame technology, which allows you to have a pizza oven with a real flame even in limited spaces, are ideal for offering this type of show.

Finally, for classic venues, Alfa has studied a traditional line designed for those who want a timeless design for their business, without sacrificing innovation and technology.

An example is the professional pizza oven Napoli, built entirely by hand in Italy with refractory terracotta materials produced directly by Alfa; it represents a small masterpiece of craftsmanship ready for use.

 

 

Which are the best professional pizza ovens?

The best professional pizza ovens are light and compact in shape, offer excellent performance while having low fuel consumption and a refined and innovative design.

There is no best one in absolute terms, because as we have seen, each business has its own peculiarities and needs.

This is why Alfa Pro offers a wide range of professional solutions to meet everyone’s needs, consistently guaranteeing perfect cooking, reduced fuel consumption and an attractive design thanks to continuous innovation processes

Professional pizza oven: buying guide | Alfa Forni

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