Welcome to Alfresco Built – in Pizza Oven (Axe-Pza-Bi-Ng) – Review. The perfect combination of pleasure, versatility, and luxury, the latest generation of Alfresco Built in Oven model boasts a reinterpreted design, and a range of benefits place this oven only in the premium class.
The Alfresco Built-in pizza Oven is a premium pizza oven with enough bells and whistles to satisfy even the pickiest pizza lovers. This premium pizza oven is designed to give you an outstanding cooking experience, and highest quality homemade pizza. What this oven separates from almost any others is multi-purpose cooking possibilities and capacities. Alfresco Built in Pizza Oven will let you roast, sear, bake and do almost anything and everything that a commercial stove oven can do.
In this article, you will have a chance to learn everything about this high-class pizza oven. I will cover it from top to the bottom to help you decide whether or not you should invest in this state-of-the-art pizza oven.
Alfresco Pizza Oven-Review
About the oven
- Built-in outdoor pizza oven.
- Heavy-duty 304 stainless steel construction.
- Oven preheats in just 15 minutes and can reach over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 456 square inches of cooking space, enough to cook a 14-inch pizza.
- Halogen oven, light allows you to easily monitor while you bake, roast, iron-skillet sear, or cook pizza..
- Exclusive natural-air cooling system keeps control panel cool to the touch, so you cannot burn your hands.
- Overall Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 47.375 inches (W x D x H)
| Brand | Alfresco |
| Heating Method | Conduction |
| Finish Type | Stainless Steel |
| Fuel Type | Liquefied Petroleum Ga |
| Installation Type | Countertop |
| Best Place to Buy | Buy on Amazon |
Features
- Fireplace-like gas log absorbs and radically accelerates preheat time as it distributes heat up to the ceramic ceiling for intense top-down heat.
- 3/4″ thick high-quality ceramic slab hearth and ceiling for oven, intense, radiating heat.
- All 304 18-8 Hell-arc welded stainless steel.
- Removable 8.5″ glass stainless steel framed glass oven door.
- Up to 37,000 BTUs.
- Preheats in 15 minutes and reaches temperature up to 1,100 degrees F.
- 304 Series stainless steel U-burner.
- High performance tube-log burner.
- High-tech, high-heat ceramic infrared hearth burner.
- Removable hinges/doors.
- Double-walled removable top.
- Halogen oven light.
- Solid hot-surface ignition system.
- Heat-protected silicone-sleeved wiring.
Overview
The Alfresco Built-in Pizza Oven is an outdoor pizza oven that’s great for home cooks. It features a lightweight design that gives it decent portability when compared to similar products. This Alfresco pizza oven is a gas pizza oven that uses liquid propane or natural gas as the primary fuel source. It cooks pizza efficiently with radiant heat, so you don’t have to wait long for your favorite pizza. In fact, it reaches 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit in only 15-16 minutes. With 456 square inches of cooking space and 37,000 BTUs of power, cooking 14-inches of pizza is a breeze. Even if you are cooking your first pizza, you won’t have problems with this oven.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight design.
- Ceramic fiber insulation.
- Affordable fuel source.
- Comes with a stainless-steel wood and herb box.
- Minimal learning curve.
- Multiple burners and glass door.
- Comes in a propane or natural gas option.
Cons
- Not same taste as a wood-fired pizza oven but adding a wood chip inside of the oven you will get that smoke wood flavors of pizza or any other food you cook.
- Not the easiest fuel type to set up when using natural gas.
- Not useful with wood.
- Maintaining cleanliness and storage of the oven requires effort and time.
Design
What makes this Alfresco pizza oven unique is the design. The design is simple yet elegant. It features a stainless-steel exterior that matches almost any outdoor patio set. The Alfresco Pizza Oven can be used as a countertop or built-in oven. It’s a great option for people who have outdoor counters or to add to your outdoor kitchen setup.
Key Features
Several key Features set the Alfresco Pizza Oven apart from other pizza ovens. First and foremost, I will start with the internal halogen lights. Typically, it’s hard to see inside pizza oven. Either the door is closed, and you have to open it or it’s dark. Well, this Alfresco Pizza Oven offers a solution.
Instead of having a steel door, the door is made of glass. So, you can see through the glass to check on your pizza. Inside the oven, there is also a halogen light that shines when the oven is on. Even with high temperatures, you can see right in the oven. Plus, you don’t have to open the door and let out the heat to look at the pizza.
Another key feature is the temperature gauge. They’re dials located on the bottom right of the oven and they’re easy to set up and run. You get a wide temperature range and a few timer settings.
Build Quality
The build quality of pizza oven is also something to consider. Many pizza ovens are made with steel but that doesn’t mean its good steel. This Alfresco Pizza Oven is made with best stainless steel. The steel design insulates heat but that doesn’t get hot to the touch. So, you can cook your pizza fast without burning your hands.
Another thing to note about build quality are the legs. While it’s a countertop pizza oven, it has four adjustable legs. These adjustable legs increase portability and give you more places to put it. It’s also one of the most durable pizza ovens. It lasts longer than most propane gas ovens and wood-fired ovens. Additionally, the steel is resistant to corrosion and stains.
Inside The Oven
Inside of the Alfresco Pizza Oven is where the magic happens. There’s a pizza stone where the pizza sits and burners in the front and back. Having multiple burners makes it easier to heat the pizza infrared heat. The oven also has a double-walled insulated top that retains heat. Heat retention helps the inside of the oven heat up rapidly. It’s also worth noting that the inside of the oven reaches temperatures close to 1,100 degrees.
The burners in the back of the oven are also the most powerful. They reach over 37,000 BTUs of power and use infrared heat to cook pizza. The inside of this Alfresco Pizza Oven is also large. It’s large enough to cook a 14-inch pizza and many other types of food. So, you can use it as more than a pizza oven.
Portability
The Alfresco Pizza Oven is surprisingly portable for its pizza. While it’s a larger outdoor pizza oven, it’s easy to move around. This is due to the oven’s lightweight design. The Alfresco Pizza Oven also benefits from a compact design. It’s small enough to resemble an indoor pizza oven but with more power and efficiency.
Setup
Setting up the Alfresco Pizza Oven is straightforward. It comes with everything you need right out of the box. The only thing you need to source on your own is the fuel source.
First Fire and Seasoning
Firing up the Alfresco Pizza Oven for the first time is not hard. Even if this will be your first homemade pizza, Alfresco makes the cooking process a breeze. It’s one of the easier ovens to set up because you don’t have to season any grates. To set up the oven for the first time you want to cure the oven. Curing the oven is done by letting the oven burn for a few hours at different temperatures.
First, let the oven burn at around 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 hours. Then, wait for 24 hours and then let the oven burn at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for another five hours. From there, you’ll want to cure the oven three more times at 350 degree F, 450 degrees F, and 500 degrees F. Always cure the oven for at least four to five hours with each cycle. Once the oven is cured, place your delicious pizza in the oven and get ready to cook.
It’s also possible to season the pizza oven but you don’t have to. To season the pizza oven, sprinkle a little bit of olive oil before cooking the pizza. Doing so will help you sear the crust and turn it black. Setting up black powder (activated charcoal) is also a good idea if you want to eat healthily.
Cook Test
There are several cook tests that you can perform. A cook test is a simple test that shows you how well a pizza oven cooks pizza. While the Alfresco pizza oven is advertised as an oven that reaches up to 1,100 degrees F, it’s important to verify this information. Luckily, I did the research. After testing the Alfresco Pizza Oven with an infrared thermometer, it reaches and maintains a high heat between 950 degrees F and 1,100 degrees F.
I also tested the time it takes to cook pizza and preheat it. It preheated in less than 20 minutes and finishes pizza in less than five minutes. My suggestion and recommendation are to bake pizza, bread, pies, potatoes and similar food on temperature that is around 750 F – 800 F. Keep your oven on max temperature and just a 2-3 min before you start cooking pizza, pie, bread, potatoes lower oven temperature between 750-800 Fahrenheit.
After the cook test, it’s clear that the Alfresco Pizza Oven performs as advertised.
Setting up the Fuel
Setting up the fuel is where the things can get complicated. The Alfresco pizza oven is a gas pizza oven, so you don’t need wood chips. However, you may need a natural gas line and additional components to complete the job. To simplify, you can opt to buy the propane fuel version. All you’ll need is a filled propane tank and you’re done.
What it’s like to Cook with the Alfresco Pizza Oven?
Cooking pizza with the Alfresco Pizza Oven is a breeze, even if it’s your first time. Still, there are some things you need to get used to. Plus, it’s good to know how to use this outdoor oven cook other food.
Cooking Pizza
When cooking pizza, the Alfresco Pizza Oven is in its element. It cooks 12-inch and 14-inch pizzas fast and makes that happened in just 4-5 minutes. The oven also preheats quickly, so you don’t have to worry about any long wait times. When cooking pizza with Alfresco Pizza Oven you’ll also notice some other benefits. The main benefit is heating retention and infrared technology. With these innovations, the oven cooks pizza perfectly.
Every time you cook a pizza, you’ll get melty cheese, delicious pizza crust, and perfectly heated sauce. Plus, you’ll never have to keep opening the door to heck on your pizza because of the glass doors. Every time you open the oven doors to look at the pizza, brings the temperature of the oven down. The top of the oven is also spacious, so the heat has no problem rising in the oven for fast pizza cooking.
How the Alfresco Pizza Oven Performs
When it comes to performance, the Alfresco Pizza Oven doesn’t disappoint. It’s one of the best outdoor pizza ovens and reaches high temperatures to cook food fast. It also has a more reliable fuel source and great cooking efficiency.
Fuel
For fuel, the Alfresco Pizza Oven uses natural gas or propane fuel. Gas works well because it reaches high heat quickly. Gas burners are also better at creating indirect and radiant heat. Ultimately, you get more control over the cooking with gas compared to a wood fire.
While the natural gas fuel source option gives you easy access to fuel, it’s not easy to set up. Installing the oven requires lines that run from your home to the oven to ensure it has a fuel supply. Unfortunately, this can make it lees portable than some similar ovens.
Cooking Efficiency
When it comes to cooking efficiency, the Alfresco Pizza Oven is hard to beat. Just because it preheats in less than 20 minutes and cooks a pizza in less than 5 minutes, bread and pies in very short period of time as well. Radiant heat is something that this oven excels at. Pizza comes out with super malty cheese and crispy crust.
Big plus is heating retention. The inside of the oven is isolated, so you don’t have to worry about heat escaping. There is also a glass door you can use to see inside without releasing the hot air by opening the door.
Overall, it’s one of the more efficient pizza ovens available on the market.
Cleaning and Maintenace
Before the cleaning process make sure that oven is completely cool. Whipping down oven with soft cloth and rinse it down with warm water. If it is oily and greasy use multipurpose clean cleanser and apply with soft cloth and then rinse with warm water. When comes to the stubborn or burn on grease use Nailon stain pad together with clean cleanser. Never use wire pads, or wire brushes if they are not made of stainless-steel.
After cleaning wipe everything with dry clean cloth. If possible, keep your oven away from sun, rain, extreme cold weather. Storage it in the garage or storage room covered until next time you use it.
More Details
Alfresco Pizza Oven comes with a pizza stone and wood and herb box. This oven offers their pizza oven prep and plating center. This neat accessory comes with all kinds of features. It has a plate shelf storage, a removable cutting board, and ice-cooled pan rail for toppings or for use as a rail for your drinks.
Having a pizza oven cart is the great idea to add to this product. Oven cart allows you to move your pizza oven around more easily and storage after using and cleaning it. Pizza cart includes a shelf underneath for storage.
Customer Service
Customer services is king, especially today when a lot of it is handled online. Fortunately, Alfresco has excellent customer service support. It’s easy to call the phone number and service representatives return the call within 48 hours.
What makes Alfresco’s customer service oven better is the fact that Alfresco has answers to many questions on its website. Therefore, it’s possible to get clarification on a question almost immediately.
Warranties
Alfresco has a great warranty policy for its kitchen appliances. The basic warranty for all grills is a limited lifetime warranty on all stainless-steel parts. It’s only limited because it doesn’t cover scratches, corrosion, or ceramic.
Another warranty option is the five-year warranty. This warranty covers cooking trays, pizza stones, pizza peels, and drip pans. There is also a similar two-year warranty that covers ignitors, gas attachments, and other grill components.
It’s always good idea to get a pizza oven that has a warranty. High heat has a tendency to break things, so it’s good to be prepared.
For whom is this product best for?
If you’re a pizza lover looking to make an investment in a well-rounded and quality pizza oven, I’d say that the Alfresco Pizza Oven is for YOU. The Alfresco Pizza Oven offers a wide range of different food preparations with a good deal of customizability. Plus, all food comes out in tip-top quality.
I also love that the Alfresco Pizza Oven has a few pieces of technology that can actually save you money in the long run. For example, the stainless-steel finish lasts much longer than some of the other finishes on other pizza ovens. Inside of the oven keeps temperatures, and maxima’s gas usage.
So, Alfresco Pizza Oven with right maintenance, cleaning and storage, can last with you for so many years. It can bring you so many moments of pleasure cooking the food and enjoying family and friend’s events.
Final Verdict & Is it Worth it?
The Alfresco Pizza Oven will always be my favorite, and one of the top choices. It’s perfect for any pizza event and it’s a great option for the beginners. The cooking surface is almost perfect for pizza and it delivers some of the best results around.
Overall, you won’t find many other kitchen appliances like the Alfresco Pizza Oven. Even back yard gas grills and charcoal grills struggle to compete with this product.
If you’re looking for the best outdoor pizza ovens, look no further than Alfresco, and thus particular oven. It’s a true commercial-quality pizza oven for home use. Plus offers you to roast, bake, sear, broil, it’s definitely multi-purpose oven and it can bring multipurpose pleasures for all food lovers.
Mahalo for reading my Alfresco Pizza Oven review. I hope it was helpful!
| Brand | Alfresco |
| Heating Method | Conduction |
| Finish Type | Stainless Steel |
| Fuel Type | Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
| Installation Type | Countertop |
| Best Place to Buy | Buy on Amazon |