There has been a small bump in the road for the pizza oven industry and many are asking, is the Ooni 3 pizza oven discontinued and what are better Ooni pizza oven alternatives?
Here we will be giving you the best options that you have in replacement for the Ooni 3. Ooni produces a lot of portable pizza ovens with so much power to cook authentic pizzas.
Speaking of, cooking pizza needs a lot of heat in order to achieve that crispy crust and chewy insides while also being able to finish the toppings evenly and quickly to prevent burns.
Ooni has no problem producing pizza ovens that can do this. There are a few that you can purchase that are close to the performance of the Ooni 3 and others that are far better.
For example, you have the Ooni Fyra. This pizza oven is the one that was produced by Ooni to replace the Ooni 3 and it has better capabilities that we will be talking about later on.
Ooni also sells the Ooni Koda, another impressive portable pizza oven. It can reach high temperatures and can cook pizzas in a matter of minutes without wasting too much fuel.
Then, you have the Ooni Karu which is a close pizza oven in comparison to Ooni 3. It is compact, and can also cook pizzas in just minutes while also conserving fuel.
All of the mentioned pizza ovens are good choices if you wanted to replace your Ooni 3. They are compact and can be brought into any outdoor activities that require cooking like camps.
So if you are looking for something that comes close to the Ooni 3, then stick around as we take a look at what else Ooni offers and see how they perform next to the discontinued Ooni 3.
1. Ooni Fyra
Ooni Fyra is the first pizza oven that was released after the discontinuation of Ooni 3. It is better in air circulation and it can produce the same heat and power that the Ooni 3 had.
One amazing feature of the Ooni Fyra is found in its chimney. The patented chimney that was installed with the Ooni Fyra has a lever where you can open or close the pathway of the air.
This offers maximum control over the temperature inside the pizza oven. You can close it if you want to lessen the heat inside and open it to preheat or heat up the pizza oven faster.
You can also maintain the heat in the Ooni Fyra in an easier way. See, this pizza oven has a door that can remain in place to keep the heat inside while also allowing you to take a peek.
The door of the Ooni Fyra is one of the best-designed doors in the industry. The handle is made out of glass-reinforced nylons so you can touch it without burning yourself from the heat inside.
The door also has a peephole which is very useful to observe what is happening inside it. With this small hole, you do not need to remove the door just to take a look at your pizza.
With a stainless steel shell, the Ooni Fyra largely depends on its compact size and doors for retaining heat. This is perfect to keep the heat radiating from the inside.
The chimney offers just enough airflow while the doors do not let heat out of the pizza oven. These are only a few of the reasons why the Ooni Fyra is such a great pizza oven.
The Ooni Fyra uses wood pellets as fuel so it can produce a nice smoky flavor. Ooni did not hold back in designing the pellet hopper to be efficient and easy to use as well.
Initially, you can put pellets directly into the pellet hopper when you start cooking. But when the time comes for refilling, you do need to dig into the hot pellet hopper to refill it.
There is a dedicated chute for you to just slide the pellets in without fully opening the pellet hopper. This is perfect to prevent accidents and to allow the pellet hopper to load with fresh pellets.
The Ooni Fyra can also go up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit in just 15 minutes. This is the perfect temperature for cooking pizzas in just 60 seconds or sometimes even less.
Another advantage of the Ooni Fyra is that it can conserve fuel. One full load of the pellet hopper can last up to 20 minutes compared to the 8-minute limit of the Ooni 3.
2. Ooni Koda
This pizza oven from Ooni is one of the most portable pizza ovens on the market. It does not have any protruding features such as pellet hoppers or chimney so it can be stored in small spaces.
The Ooni Koda kept the classic shell design and foldable legs of Ooni so traveling with it is no problem. You can fit it in a small backpack when you go camping or tailgating.
One unique design of the Ooni Koda is the drooping entrance which is very useful since it does not have doors. The opening of this oven helps retain heat so you can cook for long periods.
In case you were wondering, Ooni still put features that allow the Ooni Koda to have proper airflow even if it lacks a chimney or vent at the back for the air to enter the pizza oven.
The vents of the Ooni Koda are strategically placed underneath the chamber. This creates the proper ventilation needed by the small pizza oven to heat up and maintain the temperature.
It can also produce a maximum temperature of 932 degrees and preheats in just 15 minutes allowing it to cook authentic pizzas in just 60 seconds or less.
It uses propane gas as fuel and it can be connected to any standard propane gas tank. It also has a special hose that allows it to connect with 1-pound tanks which are perfect for traveling.
The Ooni Koda is perfect for outdoor use. It can retain heat perfectly for long periods of time because of its cold-rolled carbon steel with a powder-coated finish on the shell.
It also has the classic Ooni cordierite baking stone. The Ooni Koda is small so it only needs a 13.5-inch long baking stone with a 10-millimeter thickness which means it preheats quickly.
The baking stone helps even out the finish on your pizza by producing and retaining radiant heat that also helps keep the heat in the oven stay inside it.
3. Ooni Karu
This is also one of the most portable pizza ovens that Ooni has produced. It does have a chimney and a cover at the back but they can be snapped off easily for transporting.
The Ooni Karu is a wood-fired oven so it produces a lot of smoke. The smoke then helps in adding flavor to the pizza toppings that you are cooking to make it more delicious.
Setting up the Ooni Karu is very straightforward and you do not need any tools. The chimney and covers snap on easily and they can be removed with a simple twist.
It has kept the foldable legs of Ooni pizza ovens and the other protruding features can fit inside the Ooni Karu so there is no problem in finding enough space for storage or traveling.
One tool that you are going to need is a hex key for when you want to switch fuel. The hex key is included with the product so you have everything you need to set up the Ooni Karu.
This is one of the advantages of the Ooni Karu. When you run out of wood as fuel, you can set the other burner attachment which makes it capable of burning gas as fuel and vice versa.
It does not use too much wood for burning but you will need to refill it every after a few minutes. The wood used in the Ooni Karu is small so you need to chop them to the right size.
Once the Ooni Karu has preheated properly, the refilling of the wood burner would not be needed as often. You can then adjust the temperature via the chimney.
Another thing that you can do when cooking is to remove the chimney. It has a feature where you can retain the temperature inside by replacing the chimney with a stopper.
Just like the other models from Ooni, the Ooni Karu can get up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit and preheating the pizza oven only takes 15 minutes while it cooks pizzas in just 60 seconds.
It is perfect for 12-inch pizzas but you will need to purchase a pizza peel that can fit inside the Ooni Karu to make the process of cooking pizzas easier.
Cooking inside the oven needs to be hands-on. You are going to need to turn the pizza halfway to prevent burning one side of it and leaving the other side raw.
Other Alternatives
If you are interested in other models that are far from the Ooni 3, Ooni produces larger pizza ovens where you can cook 16-inch pizzas for parties or large gatherings.
The Ooni Pro and the Ooni Koda 16 are the largest models from Ooni. They are very powerful and large 16-inch pizzas can also be cooked in just 60 seconds or less.
They can both reach 932 degrees Fahrenheit by preheating them for at least 20 minutes. They are large so the preheating time is considerably longer than the other models mentioned.
The Ooni Pro is a multi-fueled pizza oven so you can switch from wood and charcoal to propane gas if you want. This is perfect for cooking in the backyard to get a proper source of fuel.
The Ooni Koda 16 is gas-powered so it heats up consistently. It has an L-shaped burner to help distribute the heat inside the oven more evenly so that the pizza does not get burnt on one side.
It does not have a chimney so it can be transported with a separate purchase of a bag. However, it is pretty large so you will need a little bit of space for storage.
The Ooni Pro is also large and it does have a chimney. This sometimes gets in the way when storing the Ooni Pro or when transporting it from one place to another.
These pizza ovens are also heavy with the Ooni Pro weighing over 26 kilograms and the Ooni Koda 16 at 18 kilograms so transporting them by hand is a little bit difficult.
Conclusion
The Ooni 3 was an impressive pizza oven that can cook authentic Neapolitan pizzas in just 1 minute. Its production was stopped recently because of the emerging new models.
However, Ooni made sure that they produce proper replacements. The Ooni Fyra is one of the most powerful and most portable pizza ovens on the market right now.
The Ooni Koda and Ooni Karu are no different when it comes to power and portability. They can all cook pizzas in just 1 minute and can be used in outdoor cooking like camping, picnics, and tailgating.
If you want a bigger pizza oven for your backyard picnics, then you can choose between the Ooni Pro and Ooni Koda 16 as they can both perform at the highest level.
The pizza stones in all of these models are included with the product and they help in cooking pizzas evenly without producing hot or cold spots that make uneven finishes on the crust.
So if you want something to replace your Ooni 3, then you can choose from the five models above or even look for something else as Ooni produces other pizza ovens that can perform perfectly.
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