Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven

I decided on this oven after reading all the reviews on this and competing models. I liked the following: - cooking surface size - ability to use propane tanks or portable tanks - low price I was concerned about: - durability of the control button The oven comes mostly assembled, you just need to reposition the burner cover, insert the stone, screw in the front panel, attach the thermometer, the regulator and hose; and finally the handle of the oven door. Connect to your propane bottle and you're good to go -- takes no more than five minutes. I think I understand why some people have problems with the control button: it combines gas control, safety shut-off and piezo igniter. You need to turn it to the on position, wait as you hear the gas coming in, and then turn a little further to trigger the igniter -- and keep the button pushed until all three burners light up. If they don't, the gas gets shut off (it's a safety feature). Took me a few attempts to figure out how it works. Even on a fairly chilly evening (50F) the oven reached 530F in just a few minutes; pizza cooks in under four minutes and comes out absolutely gorgeous. I have used it four times so far and every time we comment on how wonderful this inexpensive oven is. Don't forget to buy a pizza peel, an infrared thermometer and a cleaning brush for the stone; and use semolina flour liberally to prevent sticking on the peel or the stone. Highly recommended! Update -- the oven is 7 months old and I had a problem with the knob being very hard to turn. I called the support line and got a rep right away who patiently walked me through troubleshooting, and they are mailing me replacement parts free of charge. I wish I could add an extra star for exceptional customer service. Great product, great company! Update - a couple of years later and I *LOVE* this oven! It took me a while but my pizzas are now really good and friends always ask for them. This little oven may be inexpensive, but it works very well and is durable -- and the manufacturer really stands behind its product. I couldn't recommend this more.

This is a great oven. Gets very hot and cooks great. The stone is easy to remove and clean. But there are some things you need to know to get the best results. First, learn how to make good dough. Good pizza is far more about the dough than it is the oven. So start with Caputo 00 flour. Add 65% water. 2% salt, and 0.6% yeast. You want to end up with 275g of dough for each 12" pizza. Make sure to let it proof for about 90 minutes, then make into balls and let rest for another half hour or so. You can throw them in the fridge and use the next day (for the best tasting crust) or use them immediately. The stone gets hotter than the air in the top of the oven. This is why people complain about burnt crust. So I heat the oven up to about 700. I cook the pizza for exactly 2.5 minutes, then I grab the pizza with the spatula (buy the accessory kit, you will not regret it) and lift the pizza to the top of the oven for about 30 seconds to finish off the top of the pizza. Also, don't use plain flour to dust your pizza peel and don't even think about corn meal. Use semola flour. It will allow the pizza to slide off the peel easier and it won't char and build up on the bottom of your pizza as easily. I would also suggest that you forget about the propane adapter for using large propane tanks. I could never get it to work reliably even after getting a replacement regulator. I finally bought some refillable 1lb tanks and they work flawlessly while still allowing me to safely refill from my large tank. This is a great little oven for a great price. I highly recommend it.

Love this pizza oven. If you enjoy making pizza from scratch, this is a small investment for the taste. I make several pizzas at one time and freeze the extras. In addition to the amazing taste directly out of this oven, the frozen ones are so much more superior than one from the grocery store and you know what's in it. If you make sure the oven and stone reaches the proper temperature and it will, make sure your dough is well floured, then no problems getting the pies in and out of the oven. I highly recommend purchasing the separate tool kit as you will need it for tossing the pizza in and getting them out. This oven also has a wide opening so getting the pies in and out is extremely easy. Last, and the reason for the attached pictures. Upon arrival of the oven, the stone did have a small chip. I contacted the manufacturer (Camp Chef located in Salt Lake City) for a replacement. Because of the size of the stone, the first two shipments arrived broken in three pieces due to poor packaging and probably Fedex personnel not paying attention to the FRAGILE markings on the boxes. On the third shipment Camp Chef double wrapped the stone and double boxed the stone but unfortunately the stone had a small chip on the corner. The fourth stone shipment arrived in perfect condition. The moral of this long story is Camp Chef did not waver in their commitment to making sure I received a perfect replacement stone. Accolades to Camp Chef.

*Added update below* I am posting my initial impressions of this pizza oven including unboxing temp readings. Packing was good, nothing was broken or bent, although the way it was packed an impact on the top of the box could easily hit the pizza stone. No issues for me though. Assembly was easy, total of 4 screws to remove/reinstall. The worst part was cleaning 4 adhesive spots off the top that held on the Camp Chef paper branding. NO idea why they used adhesive instead of the removable tape they use on the front. Oh well, 5 minutes, not a big deal. Construction is decent. Double-walled, however apparently no insulation between the inner and outer walls. More on this later. The stainless used for this unit is cheaper, much like a cheap "stainless" grill you get for $200. It looks nice now, but WILL be susceptible to rust if left wet. Honestly I wasn't expecting 305 stainless, so not a huge deal. Don't leave it out in the rain. Design is where it gets some points off. Double-walled but no insulation means the thing gets hot on the outside. Not a huge deal as grills also get hot, but just not efficient for an "oven". The cooking surface is wide at 20", however shallow depth of only 13". That means the largest pizza I can cook is probably 12" with it coming right out near the front and the back. Not sure how that will affect cooking. I would say optimal size is a 10" pizza. The door is nice and helps it heat up quicker. The handle never gets too hot to hold. The unit has insulated feet so it should be ok on most surfaces. The burner is below the stone and has a large diffuser to help spread out the heat. Heating!! This is why we get a pizza oven, so it can get hotter than the indoor oven. During this initial testing there was a very light breeze of less than 5mph and the outdoor temp was 75. After 10 minutes the stone and internal temp (measured by thermometer on top) were about 650 on high. After another 10 minutes (20 total) the stone was close to 900 and the internal temp was pegged on its thermometer and over 800 on mine. The consistency across the stone was good, always within 20 or so degrees. After another 10 (30 total) the temps were the same as after 20. I then cranked it down to medium (or my estimation of medium as the dial doesn't quite line up) to see where it would settle to. After 10 minutes it was still 900+ on the stone and 850+ internal. Note that up until this point I left the door on between readings. Next I took the door off, left it on medium and after 10 minutes it settled to 780 on the stone and 660 internal. Next, back up to high with the door off, and after 10 minutes it had dropped to 720 on the stone and 650 internal. Another 10 minutes and the stone settled at 675 and 600 internal. So initial heating run tells me that without the door, I can get the stone to 675 and internal around 600-625 and hold there on high. If I use the door I can get the oven to 900+ on stone and 850+ internal. Comparing this to an Ooni, which can get to 900 without a door, its a bit disappointing. The difference is the Ooni's burner is not below the stone, and it is insulated. I'm going to cook some pizzas in a couple days and follow up with the results. *Update after cooking some pizzas* First pie I cooked (topped with cheese and pepperoni) after heating the oven for 20 minutes with the door on. Stone was around 900 and internal around 850. As others have stated, the bottom cooked quicker than the top, resulting in burnt bottom and unfinished top. I tried again, with the intent of lifting the peel off the stone for a little bit to finish the top. It was difficult as parts of the crust were still flexible. Poor results, I do not recommend trying to run this thing at 900 even though it will get to that temp. Second pie (topped with cheese and pepperoni) I removed the door and let the oven settle to 670 on the stone and 625 internal. Still had the issue of the bottom cooking faster than the top. I was able to lift the pizza up off the stone to finish the top, so my son ate that one. Third pie (topped with cheese, onions, mushroom and uncured salami) the oven had settled a bit more to what I think its normal operating temp would be, and temps inside as even as possible. Here I got good results, with a nice crispy bottom and soft internal on the crust, and the toppings looked great. The pizza took about 4 minutes to cook. Fourth pie (topped with cheese, onion, mushrooms and anchovies) came out great, just like the third. So my final pros of this over are: -Decent build quality -Looks nice -Comes with adapters for small or large propane tanks -Comes with a door to help pre-heating -Cooks a very nice pizza in around 4 minutes at 650 or so degrees Cons: -Cannot be used to cook pizzas in 1 minute at 900 degrees, even though it can get that hot. -Pizza stone in only 13" deep, allowing only a 12" pie max. I imagine you can jam two smaller 9-10" pies in there if your peel was only 10" wide, which is a small peel. -Stainless is lower quality and will likely rust over time. -No insulation between outer and inner shell. So, for just over $400 this is a solid pizza over than can deliver great pies in about 4 minutes. I'm on the fence about keeping this one, or returning it and opting for an Ooni. The 16" Ooni is a bit more money, but seems to cook more evenly at high temps based on reviews I have seen. It can also support an actual 16" pie, and is insulated. I'm also considering returning this and getting a Camp Chef 2 burner stove for $120 and then the Camp Chef pizza oven that sits on top for $130, for a total of $250. Then I have a slightly bigger stone at 20x15 or 26x12.5. Anyway, I think at $250-300 I definitely keep this, but at $410 its maybe priced a bit high. Either way I will be turning out some great pizza from now on!

Like all the other 1 star reviews the product works great for a few cooks. Just long enough for it to be past the return window. And if you purchased from Amazon the won’t help you. If you purchase direct from Camp Chef they won’t help you because you purchased from Amazon. Camp Chef clearly knows what their issue is, they are choosing not to rectify it. My oven is less than a year old and I cannot get a refund or replacement. Seems ridiculous to Me. There is a defect between the regulator and the diaphragm allowing the gas flow. After a few cooks the regulator fails and a replacement is no help. The oven will simply not ignite. I went to a local propane company and paid a couple of guys to try and fix the issue but they were unable to. Camp Chef offered to send parts but unless you’re some sort of mechanic or knowledgeable with the inner workings of the oven you’re unable to repair it. It’s definitely a wasted $400. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere, there are plenty of other options available to you.

The packaging was excellent, everything arrived perfectly. Originally we were going to buy a $299 foam mold and I was going to build a brick pizza oven, then I found this. I am VERY impressed with the quality for a $229 item with Prime shipping. It is well built, and looks like it'll last quite a few years. You have to hold the gas knob for a moment after it lights to keep the flame on. It says it takes 15 mins to heat up, I've used it 3 times and it heats up in 10 mins. I bought a 9" spatula to turn the pizzas so that it'll be small enough to turn one pizza if I do 2 10" pizza's at once. So far I've done 3 Costco 12" frozen thin crust margarita pizza's, each with pepperoni that I cut and put on top. Cooking time on them was less than 10 mins, the pepperoni curls up and gets crisp around the edges, the whole pizza crust gets perfect and crispy, do turn the temp down to Med when you put the pie in, it's hot in that thing and my first pizza got a little too done on the top. Make sure to rotate every 3-4 mins to get a good consistent cooking all around. This pizza oven is a win-win!!! Best money I ever spent.

Update: I tried this oven for the first time last night. I prepared by watching several Youtube videos, as I was nervous about burnt pizza bottoms and uncooked toppings. It went really, really well. No burnt bottoms, and toppings were cooked perfectly and lightly browned. You just need to get the timing and temperatures (air and stone) right. I'm really pleased. Previous review: I just set this up today and haven't tried it yet. I hope Camp Chef reads the reviews and changes their glue. I've been happy with the Camp Chef brand in the past. However, removing the label on top of this unit was torture. I tried several solvents and finally had to carefully use solvent plus my fingernail to slowly remove the label. I didn't want to damage the finish. All that said, I can't wait to try out this pizza oven. It way easy to assemble and looks great.

I've used my kamodo egg for pizza a bunch but it's a bit of a pain to get fired up for a few pizza's. If you don't get just the right lump coal, it will never get REAL hot. Enter this thing. Seen it was delivered in the morning, got home in the afternoon and my wife had already made pizza dough in the bread maker so I was FORCED to put this together and fire it up. Assemply took 20 minute, I was taking my time! Fired it up and the stone got to 550f in a bit over 10 minutes. Put the first pie on a few minutes after that. I cheat and put parchement paper under the pizza and cut it off around the pizza so it just slides right off the peel into the oven. After a minute, I can just yank the parchment paper out from under the pizza. I turned the pizza around a bit after some time (maybe 2 minutes). After about 4 or 5 minutes the top cheese was getting nice and toasted and I pulled it out. It came out GREAT, easy to cook and fast. Perhaps a pizza oven isn't a great item to have during coronavirus lock down, we will probably be eating pizza several times a week now, but hey, we don't have to go get it for take out anymore.

Update as of August 18....... Started getting yellow flame and Soot, I disconnected the hose and regulator, I tried different tanks, I looked st how to adjust air flow but there isn’t a way to do it. I’m sure the regulator is faulty, not impressed after only one month of use. Emailed camp chef to ask for a regulator replacement, let’s see what happens it’s only been a day......will update. Quickly put it together, it was late at knight but managed to knock out two pizzas, first was a bit over done at bottom. For the second One I lowered the heat and it was much better. Need a bit of time to get to know the over. Love the size and opening, pizza is not the only thing that this oven can make. Oven looks good, easy to put together we’ll see over time how well it’s made but so far so good.

pour l'instant tout est parfait

First and foremost, seller was quick to issue a return solution and would buy from them again. Oven: I had seen some comments about bad regulators but I though they where just unlucky. Oven arrived, like many others mentioned, stickers on stainless is a bad idea and it took me more time to remove the glue on the oven than to assemble the parts. First start was quick, looked inside and could see some flames, did notice they where no huge but had no reference. Had the oven heating for 20 minutes but temps could barely reach 250 deg. Looked inside and noticed the flames actually quite small even on high. Changed to a 1lbs bottle then to a second 20lbs bottle, same issue. Did a regulator reset, (common issue with low flames) did not change anything. To make it short, spent an afternoon troubleshooting a 400$ product that never ever worked right out of the box. Seller was quick to let me know the replacement part would arrive in a couple of days, which makes me think this is not uncommon. Too bad Camp Chef is not addressing this issue more seriously and changing the OEM regulators to a new supplier to avoid these situations. Product is on its way back, will spend a bit more money to get better quality product.

Love this oven - best purchase ever! Took some time to get a handle on the nuances of temperature. Get an infrared thermometer

4 star only because oven came with a faulty regulator. After several attempt of trying to get oven over 600 degrees failed , I wrote back to the company and they sent me a new regulator. Now it’s cooking great pizzas at 650-700 !!