It is the battle of the Ooni’s. The Ooni Karu and the Ooni Koda are two amazing portable ovens. In this comparison review post, you would learn which one is a better pizza oven than the other.
Ooni has been the best at what they do, and that is creating innovative ovens for outdoor use. The Ooni Karu and the Ooni Koda are the newest addition to their line of impressive ovens.
Both ovens have amazing heat retention features that allow you to cook pizzas in 60 seconds. They also have baking stones that are amazing in spreading the heat evenly.
Ooni Karu is a wood-fired oven whereas the Ooni Koda is a gas-only oven. They both have a sleek design that can be carried anywhere you want.
The Ooni Karu has garnered over quadruple of Ooni’s target even before its release. As for the Ooni Koda, it is a favorite when it comes to ease and speed of cooking.
So if you are having a hard time deciding on which oven is better, you have come to the right place. Here, we will be talking about the features of both ovens along with their performance, and what it is like to cook in them.
We will be discussing their similarities as well as their differences to help you choose which one fits you best.
Let’s dive in!
Features
The Ooni Karu is made out of stainless steel with a 430-grade metal. This allows the shell, and the roof of the oven to resist heat and avoid further corrosion.
The 430-grade metal contains 0% nickel which means that it is lightweight and is perfect for outdoor cooking. It protects the oven itself from rain and sunlight as well.
All the handles of the Ooni Karu do not conduct heat. They are made out of glass-reinforced nylon and prevents you from burning your hands even if you touch them without potholders or any protection.
The baking board that is included in the Ooni Karu is a relatively big board. It is a 0.6 thick board made out of cordierite which is perfect for retaining heat.
The oven weighs around 26 pounds or 12 kilograms. That is about the weight of a beer case and can be carried wherever you want to go.
As for the Ooni Koda, it has a very modernistic yet minimalistic design. It has a black powder-coated carbon steel shell and silver aluminum front.
This oven can be used outdoors but in my opinion, you have to limit its exposure to the natural elements. You can store it after use as it is small and portable.
It also has a baking board that measures 13 inches in width. This is perfect for your large pizzas as it can handle up to 12 inches of dough.
The Ooni Koda weighs lighter at just over 20 pounds. This makes it great for outdoor cooking and you can carry it around.
For me, the Ooni Karu is a better pizza oven when it comes to its features. The materials used in the Ooni Karu are more suitable for outdoor use.
It comes with stainless steel and protects the oven with this meatal as its shell. It is less likely to experience corrosion as it blocks the natural elements that may damage both the outside and the interior of the oven.
I am not saying that the Ooni Koda does not have this feature. It boasts an amazing black powder-coated carbon steel shell. However, it may be more susceptible to rain and sunlight.
They both have amazing features but I prefer Ooni Karu because you can use it outside for a longer period of time. That is because it is less likely to be destroyed by rain or sun.
Cooking inside the Pizza Oven
The Ooni Karu can reach 932 degrees Fahrenheit or 500 degrees Celsius in just 15 minutes. It can also retain that high temperature because of the insulation inside the oven itself.
That means that the Ooni Karu can cook an amazing pizza in just 1 minute. You can even cook one in less than 60 seconds depending on the thickness of your crust.
It uses both wood and gas as fuel. Using wood is perfect when you are outdoors and using a gas burner can be your back-up if you run out of wood- or the other way around.
But you need to purchase the gas burner attachment first in order to use gas as fuel. The Ooni Karu can also be fueled by charcoal. This is the first time that Ooni developed an oven that can use charcoal as a fuel.
You might be wondering if the Ooni Karu is clean as it uses wood or charcoal. Well, it is. The ashes that come from the wood or charcoal fall right off so you do not have to worry about cleaning them.
The Ooni Karu heats up pretty fast and has maximum heat retention. This is because of the amazing stainless steel shell and ceramic fiber insulation.
Add the baking stone and you get an evenly cooked pizza. It distributes heat on its surface and maintains the temperature for a quick-cooking session.
The Ooni Karu also has Ooni’s own patented flamekeeper technology. This means that it can retain heat for a long time and you can still continue cooking even when the fire is out.
The optimal temperature for getting that crispy crust on a pizza is 932 degrees Fahrenheit. The Ooni Karu maintains heat that can still let you cook at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for a chewy crust if that is what you prefer.
The Ooni Koda can reach up to a temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit within 25 minutes. When it comes to heating up, it is a little slower than that of the Ooni Karu but it packs a lot of power nonetheless.
When at full blast, the Ooni Koda can burn the edges of your pizza. So I find it best to lower the flame while cooking in the oven or turn your pizza around every 20 to 30 seconds.
The 800 degrees Fahrenheit in the Ooni Koda can also cook pizzas within 60 to 90 seconds. With that much heat and a small amount of time, you can still get that crispy crust.
The Ooni Koda is the first and so far, the only oven of Ooni that uses solely gas as its fuel. It comes with a pipe that you can attach to large propane gas and use it right out of the box.
You can also use 1-pound propane tanks. Although you might need to purchase a separate adapter for it if you do not own one.
The Ooni Kda does not have the patented flamekeeper that the Ooni Karu has. It relies on the powder-coated steel shell and its baking stone to retain the heat.
It heats up at a high temperature and remains cool-to-touch on the outside.
These ovens can reach the optimal temperature for cooking pizza. Although the Ooni Koda has a lower heat average, it can still cook a crispy crust on your pizza.
They both perform well in an outdoor setting so you can bring them in the backyard, the beach, or wherever you want.
Design
The Ooni Karu and the Ooni Koda are both portable and are designed to fit their customers’ requests. They are both amazing and have had outstanding reviews (even though the Ooni Karu is a new release)on how well they were designed.
The Ooni Karu has handles that are cool-to-touch. The handles are made out of glass-reinforced nylons that prevent burns when you touch them.
The doors of the Ooni Karu can be easily opened or closed for heat retention and control. They are optimal for moving the pizza around to avoid burning one side of the pizza.
The Ooni Karu also features a detachable chimney that was designed to be installed and removed with a simple twist. The chimney can also fit inside the oven itself so it does not cover a lot of space when traveling and in storage.
It also features foldable feet which are great for less storage space. They are easy to fold as well so you can set up the oven in no time.
The Ooni Koda, on the other hand, does not feature a chimney. Some customers find the chimney as an awkward addition to a portable oven.
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Instead, it features heat vents under the oven that adds to its compact design. The Ooni Koda is basically a smaller Ooni Karu that does not have a chimney.
It also features the foldable legs of the Ooni Karu and is perfect for ease of use and less storage space. The Ooni Koda has a single controller for ignition and gas flow. It is found on the back of the oven.
It also comes with a pipe that is used to connect the oven to the fuel source. You can simply attach the pipe to a propane gas tank and ignite it with one turn. The Ooni Koda is a small oven. It does not have a chimney so you can store it in a small place.
The Ooni Karu has a chimney and is a little bit bigger than the Ooni Koda. However, because of the detachable and foldable features, it comes close to the Ooni Koda when it is at its smallest form.
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Ooni really took the time to design these ovens for comfort in cooking and portability. I can hardly choose between the two when it comes to this category as they both have sleek designs and can be carried around or stored in small storages.
Cooking inside the Pizza Ovens
The Ooni Karu is as authentic as it can be. Starting with its name, ‘Kura” which means “rugged” in the Finnish language.
It uses wood and charcoal as its main fuels and allows you to cook Neapolitan pizzas. With its great heat retaining and flamekeeper technology, you can cook your pizza in 60 seconds or less.
You can also opt to use gas fuels if you have Ooni’s gas burner which is sold separately. The Ooni Koda uses gas fuel and can cook your pizza quickly. With just under 60 to 90 seconds, you can have your perfectly cooked pizzas.
Both of the ovens are portable. This makes cooking in them very easy as you can carry them around wherever you want to go and cook.
They also feature a great heat retaining technology and they both heat up very fast. They can reach temperatures from 80 to 932 degrees Fahrenheit.
This makes cooking pizza easy as all you need to do is prepare your pizza and put it inside the ovens and you will have the perfectly cooked pizza in no time.
The Ooni Karu and the Ooni Koda do not limit you to pizza only as well. You can use the ovens to roast chicken or cook vegetables in them.
You can just prepare your food in a cast iron and put it inside the ovens and the food will be cooked in a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
Ooni has been in the pizza oven game since 2012. They have developed several ovens that are designed with high-quality materials and offer different features along with portability.
The Ooni Koda uses gas fuel only and I recommend you using it outdoors. You can also use a 1-pound gas for outside use if you have the adapter.
The Ooni Karu uses wood and charcoal which are more suitable for outdoor cooking as you can pick up your fuel anywhere. You can also use gas fuel with Ooni’s gas burner which is sold separately.
These two ovens do not disappoint with all their amazing features. With the Ooni Koda sold at under $300 and the Ooni Karu at $350, rest assured that they can perform well beyond their price.
I will leave it to you on which oven suits you best. Just be sure to check out these two ovens as they are perfect for enjoying nature and a great pizza outdoors.
Tell us which one among the pizza ovens are your favorite and which one would you choose between the two.
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You present a lot of facts but you don’t answer the question posed in the title… Which one do you prefer?
Well, I actually like both but I would prefer the Koda just because it is gas-fueled as it is easier to use. That is why I present a lot of facts so that you are well informed before you make a purchase decision and you are not biased with what I personally like.
Depending on my needs, I would go with the Koda since I like less hassle but if you want a WOOD FIRED pizza oven then there is no way going for Koda and hence you should choose Karu.
I hope you get my point. Both the ovens are good and so it really comes down to which one would you prefer in this case.
Please please please update your review though…in the conclusion you say, “The Ooni Koda uses gas fuel only and you can use it inside your house.” That is not so! You can not and should not ever use these indoors!!!! Thank you for the great article nonetheless. 🙂
That has to be a mistake on my part because it is so obvious that you cannot use it indoors, thank you so much for pointing it out! I really appreciate it!
Which oven cam make a 16″ pizza and also use pellets?
I dont think there is a pellet pizza oven for 16″, you can get the Ooni Fyra but that is just 12″. However, wood fired pizza ovens like the Pro 16 and Karu 16 can be another option.