Ooni Karu 12 is a multi-fueled pizza oven from Ooni and in this Ooni Karu 12 review we show you how you can cook homemade pizzas within 60 seconds then this is the pizza oven for you.
Ooni Karu gets HOT and you can cook the nice Neapolitan Pizza with leopard spots inside the pizza oven.
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The Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven is a multi-fuel pizza oven which means you can use wood, charcoal and gas a fuel to cook pizzas in the oven.
This new wood-fired oven is an honest, primitive way of cooking the perfect pizza. Ooni has been the best at delivering performance at a relatively low price.
The Ooni Karu 12 is released shortly after the Ooni Koda, which is another fantastic gas-fueled pizza oven.
Ooni Karu 12 feels like a mini Ooni Pro 16 but now we even have an Ooni Karu 16, which just makes it better for someone who is looking to cook 16 inches pizza and wants some more cooking space as compared to the Karu 12.
It was interesting to compare the Ooni Karu 16 vs Ooni Pro 16 but it is worth the read to know more about the Ooni ovens as every single model is unique.
We will discuss what makes this Ooni pizza oven different in this review as we talk about everything you need to know about Ooni’s newest product.
Features of the Ooni Karu 12
The Ooni Karu is made out of high-grade stainless steel overall that shines on the outside.
The baking board is made out of 0.6-inch cordierite, perfect for retaining heat.
The baking stone heats up evenly and cooks that crispy crust evenly.
The oven weighs around 26 pounds or 12 kilograms. The chimney is removable, and the feet are foldable, which makes for great portability.
Performance of the Ooni Karu 12
The Ooni Karu is said to heat up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit, this review is going to be more honest, so ideally it reaches 850 degrees Fahrenheit which is pretty close.
This means that the oven can cook your pizza in 60 seconds or less.
It uses both charcoal and wood as fuel. The oven also has a gas fuel feature; you just need to buy the Ooni Koda 12 gas burner attachment.
The stone board is also perfect for retaining heat and cooks evenly.
It boasts maximum heat retention and gives off a powerful fire for cooking with speed.
The ash from your fuel also falls off easily, so there is no need for cleanup.
The optimal temperature for cooking pizza is 932 degrees in order to attain that crispy crust.
While the oven can reach up to this temperature in 15 minutes, the heat-retaining capability of the oven allows you to cook at 500 degrees for a chewy crust if that is what you prefer.
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Ooni has been designing ovens for different fuels. Whether it’s gas, wood, pellets, or charcoal, you can find what fits you best and you can expect quality.
You have the choice to get what suits you best. The outdoor experience that the oven gives you is perfect for any outdoor picnic.
Ooni Karu 12 Design
Even the smallest features matter when it comes to ovens. Ooni has developed the Ooni Karu to fit their customers’ requests.
They have been testing different prototypes in their headquarters. They have developed a very detailed design.
The handles of the oven are cool-to-touch with the glass-reinforced nylons. This allows you to open or close any doors if need be.
The doors are also optimal for ease of opening or closing and retaining heat as well.
You need to set up the pizza oven when you first get it and when you set up the pizza oven it should not take more than a few minutes.
If you need help you can watch a few videos on how to set up an Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven, although I do not think it would be necessary.
The detachable chimney allows you to have better control of the temperature inside the oven.
The perforated fuel grate is also optimal for airflow and gives the oven the needed oxygen for the fire to heat up quickly.
The Ooni Karu is slightly bigger than the Ooni Koda because of the new chimney.
Ooni Karu multi fuel pizza oven allows you to put any fuel and has an ash-catcher to lessen the cleaning process.
It also gives you a choice to opt for gas fuel with the help of the Ooni Koda 12 gas burner attachment if you are running low on natural fuel such as wood or charcoal.
The Ooni Koda 12 gas burner attachment is sold separately.
Portability of the Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven
It is worth mentioning in this review that the Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven is extremely portable. The detachable chimney has an easy-turning design that lets you lock or detach it with ease.
It was developed after a few tests and was eventually designed to turn just halfway in order to lock or open it.
The detachable chimney also fits perfectly inside the oven. When you finish using the oven, you can put the chimney inside the oven and is ready for the next use.
The feet of the oven is also what makes it portable. It is not detachable but it can be folded under the oven.
When the feet are folded and everything else dismantled, the chimney is placed inside the oven; it is like looking at the oven with no feet and vent.
The Ooni Karu 12 multi-fuel pizza oven allows you to store it with ease because of these features. When the oven is in its simplest form, you can put it in a small storage cabinet and can be used again.
This portability feature allows you to keep the oven in a bag. It is perfect for traveling outdoors.
How to use the Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven?
You need to light up the Ooni Karu 12 and preheat the oven till it reaches the temperature of 400 degrees celsius. You can use an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the pizza stone.
Once you think that the pizza stone has reached the ideal temperature, you can insert your pizza using a pizza peel.
If you have not yet used a pizza peel and this is your first time then check out these tips on how to use a pizza peel the right way.
I love using my Neapolitan pizza dough recipe with this pizza oven as it gives the best result. You can even use the cold fermented pizza dough recipe as that is my family’s favorite as well.
Ooni Karu 12 vs 16
Both the Ooni Karu 12 and the Ooni Karu 16 are great pizza ovens and it depends on which pizza oven you think is great for you.
If you have a lower budget then you should stick with the Ooni Karu 12 but if you want to get the BEST outdoor pizza oven from Ooni then Ooni Karu 16 is the better option.
Ooni Karu 16 has added features but the cooking and other process is the same, just that you get more features and it is larger in size which means more cooking space.
The size of both the pizza ovens is pretty decent but if you just want a larger cooking space then go for the Karu 16 which is larger in size.
You can cook almost most of your recipes in both the ovens, they only differ in dimensions and space. So, you can choose the Karu 12 vs 16, depending on your needs.
How to light the Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven?
If you are using wood as the fuel then it can surely get a little tricky on how to properly light your Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven so that you can get started with cooking inside it.
Check out this video to know the best way to get your Ooni Karu 12 started!
Cooking inside Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven
The Ooni Karu 12 multi-fuel pizza oven is authentic in almost every way. Starting from its name, “Kura”. It is a Finnish word that stands for “rugged” and gives you that primitive feel.
A pizza cooking tip is that keep an eye on the pizza while cooking as you need to turn it in a few seconds, else the pizza can easily burn.
This tip will save you a lot of burnt pizza that you might end up cooking in your oven when you first get it.
You can cook pizzas using wood as fuel as that would give you some authentic Neapolitan pizzas. These pizzas just taste amazing, and the best part, they can be cooked in under a minute.
If you do not want to use wood all the time, then you can even go with other fuels that the oven uses, and you are not going to be disappointed with the results.
If you want to use charcoal in the Ooni Karu 12 then do check out this interesting post.
It is compatible with Ooni’s gas burner using propane. You can order a separate attachment from Ooni’s company website.
The Ooni Karu has a way of producing the high temperature needed in 15 minutes. It also needs less fuel to attain high temperatures compared to most of the ovens in the market.
Cooking pizza in the oven is the primary function of the Ooni Karu. However, it does not limit you to only pizza.
The pizza stone, if it gets cracked in future, can be replaced and you can easily get the pizza stone replacement from the official Ooni Store.
You can cook a variety of food recipes in the oven. It is also perfect for fish, chicken, and vegetables. All you need to do is place the dish on a cast iron pan and put it inside the Ooni Karu.
Within no time, you are going to have the best dishes cooked inside this pizza oven.
Final thoughts about the Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven
Ooni has been on top of the game when it comes to making innovative pizza ovens. They have developed many high-end pizza ovens along with must-have accessories.
The company has been sticking to its values- passion, innovation, friendliness, precision, and their general belief that everyone deserves a world-class pizza.
The Ooni Karu is no exception to the high-quality ovens in the market. It features Ooni’s newest innovations, from their design, to the materials that are used in making the plan a reality.
The Ooni Karu can heat up in a few minutes and retain that heat. It allows you to get that perfect crust of pizza in 6 seconds.
It accommodates different kinds of fuel from wood, pellets, to charcoal. It can also be attached to Ooni’s gas burner if you run out of wood or charcoal.
==> Get the best Deals on Ooni Karu 12!
The Ooni Karu also retains heat for a long time.
This means that running out of wood or charcoal would be less likely to happen as it needs less fuel to heat up and retain the heat.
It is a portable oven, and you can carry it wherever you go. You can also store it in a small space, and there would not be any problem.
When it comes to people who enjoy the outdoors, the Ooni Karu is a must-have.
Ooni has developed the oven for people who love cooking while enjoying nature.
With a price of under $350, you can have this fantastic oven and enjoy world-class food in your backyard, at the beach, or any outdoor location.
Another multi-fuel pizza oven to consider is Roccbox, it costs a little more but definitely worth it. Check out the Ooni Karu 12 vs Roccbox pizza oven review to know better about Roccbox Pizza Oven.
The Ooni Karu is a must-have, especially when you love the outdoors and the high quality of foods.
Be sure to look into the features that fit you best and make sure to get the Ooni Karu today to avail of their promos.
I hope you found this review helpful and if you have anything to add, leave it in the comments below!
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If you liked the pizza oven let me know what you think about it in the comments below!
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I really like the portability that this pizza oven seem to have, I have been interested in buying a pizza stone for a long time but maybe there should be time to buy this oven instead, it feels very handy and have a great design.
But do I make pizza soo much that I need An oven?
Hard times deciding things like these 🙂
I mean once you get the pizza oven for yourself, you would be making pizza very often. There are a lot of things that you should consider about the pizza oven but the most important factor would be the ease of cooking.
This is an interesting review. I would never think to buy such an expensive appliance.However, , I bet the pizza is tasty! I am shocked by how fast the crust can cook in this. I think the portability of this product too. It is a well thought out product.Your review has made me aware that this type of product is available. Thanks.
I’m glad you found this review! Was it recommended to you by a friendd? How did you come across the review?
Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful article as it has been really helpful. The deal is I love pizza too and a few days ago I was planning to buy a pizza Oven.
My husband told me about this in Ooni Karu Pizza Oven and he recommended to buy a pizza oven from Ooni. When reading your article, I found out more about the Ooni Karu Pizza Oven. I think this oven would be good for cooking pizzas.
Thanks for writing such an informative post as it will help me a lot. I must say that this article is very helpful as it helped me make a purchase decision. And I will definitely share this article on my social media account. Much obliged
Glad you liked it!
We have been cooking pizza on an outdoor BBQ. Its good but must be watched constantly and it gets pretty messy. This little over seems to be perfect for our needs. We also do a lot of RVing which something portable like this is essential. Although you wrote about the weight you didn’t mention the overall dimensions which is important for storage. The cost is certainly reasonable. I think that the option between wood and charcoal is fantastic. Thanks for this thorough description of the pizza oven. I am thinking based on the time frame you mentioned, that it should be available this month.
It weighs about 12 kgs and for the exact dimensions, you can check out the product page mentioned in the post.
Wow! That thing is like the Rolls Royce of pizza ovens. I love it! A pizza in less than a minute, that looks that good, would be such a hit in my house with three kids under 10.
Quick question – hope it’s not dumb. But I know it is good to cook steaks at super high temps…can you use a pizza oven to cook a steak?
Yeah, you can!
Hey, Your guide is awesome for everyone like me.. The ooni Karu looks amazing from seeing the picture. I run a restaurant and I make pizza and some other things similar . I would love to know the price it goes for in the states if you have any idea about it. From reading your article it sounds like a good buy and would love to give it a try. Thanks for sharing such awesome post.
Just click on the link in the post to get to know the current best price you are getting it at! I hope it helps…
Thank you so much for an excellent discussion about Ooni Karu Pizza Oven.
I have been trying for a few days to buy Ooni Karu Pizza Oven for my home. but I don’t have much idea about this oven. but thanks to you It helped me to learn about the Ooni Karu Pizza Oven. After reading your article I have learned many new things about this oven. It really helps me a lot. You really wrote a very useful article for us. You have highlighted all the points of the Ooni Karu Pizza Oven that will help us a lot. Thank you so much Finally, I can buy Ooni Karu Pizza Oven for my home.
I’m happy to see that you found the post helpful. Do let us know how you liked the pizza oven!
Hi, can you cook bread such as loaf or baguette in the Karu?
Oh, yes, you can! Check out the post on how to make Sourdough bread inside an Ooni Pizza Oven!.
Hope this helps!