Gas fired VS. Wood fired pizza ovens

Are you looking to upgrade the quality of your oven baked pizza? Does the authenticity of your wood fired pizza oven weigh on your decision? Do you plan on acquiring a Vera Pizza Napolitana certification? 

A true wood-fired brick oven has the capacity to provide fantastic cooking while providing the reassuring authentic setting of a restaurant. Wood-fired ovens cook some of the best pizzas in the world and if you are planning on being VPN certified you must employ the use of a wood-fired oven. 

Will a true Wood-Fired commercial pizza oven add to the overall scene in your restaurant? Will the oven be in the  view of customers? 

A true wood-fired pizza oven establishes an authentic taste to your food, and to your restaurant. More and more customers are developing an affinity for true wood fired pizza ovens. 

Depending on your restaurant’s situation, Californo offers both Modular and Assembled Wood Fired Ovens. Learn more from our Modular vs. Assembled page, and see how each one fits your restaurant. 

What are the advantages of having gas fired vs. wood fired pizza ovens 

• Gas assist commercial pizza oven helps to maintain oven temperature, which frees us staff who would otherwise be tending the fire.
• “No Burn” days are newer mandates that some jurisdictions have instituted, and Californo’s gas pizza oven gives you the ability to cook pizzas on a “no burn” day.
• People want the taste and presence of wood fire in their pizza, but it is much more practical to have gas do the bulk of the heating and have the wood fire supplement the gas oven.
• People that raise their own bread use the gas assist to cook at lower temperatures in the morning and when the bread is done they add wood and start cooking at a temperature consistent with VPN style pizza.
• Temperature control is simplified with gas. 

Is there a difference in the thermal performance between gas pizza ovens and brick ovens? 

There are three ways in which the wood-fired pizza heats up: thermal re-distribution, flame refraction, and heat from the coal base. Thermal re-distribution does not change according to fuel source. The refraction of the flame is something that does change with fuel source, so Californo’s gas assisted oven replicates the refraction of a wood burning flame. So the main difference is the base heat, and a gas oven’s dome heats up fast but the floor takes a while. There is a strategy for heating the floor of the gas oven up while still maintaining an optimal  dome temperature, it is by heating up the oven for a bit longer before you start cooking pizzas. 

Can wood and gas be used at the same time in the oven? 

Yes. Our gas pizza ovens are designed to perform gas assist duties, which means you can cook with wood and just use the gas as temperature control. Using gas on top of wood increases the efficiency of your pizza making, primarily due to the oven heat-up times. 

Restaurant’s have placed wood in the center of the oven and turned on the gas heat, and by the time the temperature rises  to 370-500 degrees Fahrenheit the wood starts to combust without a match-light. This is extremely convenient for people who want to cook with wood but do not have the time to tend the fire. When used together, wood and gas fuels reach optimal oven temperature 10 to 20 minutes faster. 

Are you more concerned with efficiency or authenticity? 

Using a gas pizza oven, you not only create almost an identical taste but also there is less effort and hassle on your part. A wood-fired pizza oven is authentic but it comes with a price. The experience and skill of your cooking staff will be at arms with the wood-fired oven whereas the gas pizza oven removes that burden from your staff.