Wood Fired Pizza Oven versus Gas

Why Does Wood Fire Cook Faster than Gas?

Wood fire pizza ovens cook much quicker than gas ovens. For example, a pizza will take between 1-2 minutes to cook in a wood fire oven. A pizza in a gas oven will take around 30 minutes to cook. Big difference! All the unique elements of the wood fired oven build up and result in faster cooking times. So, what exactly makes a wood fired oven fast?

A wood fired oven uses fuel (pizza oven wood), oxygen and ignition together to create a solid flame. Each of these elements result in heat, fire and smoke. A combination of heat, fire and smoke contribute to the cooking process. Compare this to a gas oven, where the cooking process is due to heat. Gas ovens lack smoke and fire, meaning that wood fired ovens have a massive advantage in this area.

Smoke does not only come from the fire, but also from liquids and drippings from the food. When food is placed in the wood fired oven, liquids are evaporated out of the food and end up contributing to the smoke. More smoke means faster cooking (and better flavour).

There is also a trick to speed up the heating process. When it comes to picking your wood, make sure it’s cured. Cured wood means that it is dried out. Dryer wood will start burning quicker. This will not decrease cooking time, but it will speed up the time it takes for your oven to heat up. If you want to optimise the speediness of your wood fired oven, opt for cured wood. We recommend O Sole Mio wood by Il Faggetto, which is imported from Italy and all famous pizza makers around the world use them

In summary, the wood fired oven’s unique combination of fire, smoke and heat result in much faster cooking times than gas ovens. These elements not only speed up the cooking time, but also significantly improve the flavour, adding depth and richness that cannot be replicated.