The Ooni Koda 12 is a gas-powered pizza oven that is small and compact. With temperatures reaching around 950 °F, it’s made to bake a 12-inch pizza in 60 seconds flat. The sleek, minimalist design includes a matte black carbon-steel body. Along with three stainless steel foldable legs. This oven works well with both large patios and small balconies. Compared to some of the larger model pizza ovens, the Ooni Koda 12 is compact and easy to transport.
The control dial is located on the back of the oven. This is used to light a single flame band at the stone’s tip. Whenever the flame is turned up high, it rolls out over the oven’s roof. This will heat the stone to 950 °F.
What we like
- Lightweight
- Easy to store
- Portable
- Shallow body
- Comes fully constructed
- Foldable legs
- Removable pizza stone
And don’t like
- Lacks wood-infused flavoring
- No pizza peel included
- Pizza is difficult to turn
Specifications
- Dimensions: H: 11.5” x W: 15.7” x D: 24.8”
- Fuel: propane gas
- Stone size: 13.2” x 13.2”
- Weight: 20.4 lbs
- Stone material: cordierite
Ooni Koda 12 first impressions
The size of this pizza oven is the first thing we notice. Taking up very little space, the Koda 12 measures only 24” long and 15” in width. The legs fold up pretty flush. Thus creating an easy to store pizza oven. Not to mention Ooni’s packaging is at least 96% recyclable.
The oven is very lightweight, with or without the stone. So there’s no fear of straining your back when moving it around. Starting and using the oven is a breeze. It has a pretty easy to read dial. Along with a nice wide view of the pizza while cooking.
Build Quality and structure
The Ooni Koda 12 pizza oven is made of carbon steel. Along with a sleek and sophisticated appearance. Ooni’s ovens are known for their high build quality and deliver precisely what was anticipated. Not to mention stainless steel foldable legs with a premium carbon finish. Here is a glance of just a few of the Koda 12 features.
- The cordierite pizza stone baking surface helps create and keep in heat.
- An insulated shell offers optimal heat retention, allowing you to devour your pizza within only 60 seconds.
- Stainless steel foldable legs that make it very portable.
- Regulate the intensity of the flame with the gas control knob.
- The large window allows you to watch the flame and pizza.
- A high quality terminal is used for easy connection to a propane tank.
Ooni koda 12 Insulation
It’s comfortable to handle on the outside due to the materials used in its construction. Even though it can reach temperatures of approximately 950 °F, the heat does not reach outside.
The outer shell will reach uncomfortable temperatures, but nothing close to what is going on inside. The primary reason is that the shell is made of carbon steel. This feature not only allows it to keep the heat within, but it also allows it to be light and thin.
Gas as a fuel
This oven works on gas and needs to be connected to a self provided propane tank to work. Once hooked up, your pizza oven will reach 950 °F in 15 minutes.
The cooking process is easy with a gas powered pizza oven. Just pre-heat the oven for 15 minutes, get that temperature just right, and thats it. No fire to maintain, just cooking. Follow these easy steps.
- Preheat the oven
- Place the pizza on the stone.
- Turn the pizza every so often.
- Once the crust looks crispy and the cheese has melted, take the pizza out.
The only drawback with a gas powered pizza oven is the lack of smokey flavor. And unless thats a deal breaker, this is a small drawback. A wood-burning pizza oven would infuse a nice smokey flavor into the crust and cheese. However the easy to use Ooni Koda 12 makes cooking pizza a breeze. Just preheat it and focus on preparing your pizza. Plus you dont have to worry about topping off wood or pellets.
Temperatures and Efficiency
It doesn’t take much time to heat up. As mentioned above, just about 15 minutes. Just make sure the to check your propane tank before use. And make sure to fully open the tanks knob. This will allow enough pressure for the Koda 12 to heat up quickly.
The outside temperature has little bearing on the inside of the oven when in use. With the use of an infrared thermometer, the desired temperatures took a little longer to reach. However a 12″ pizza can still be cooked in just around 60 seconds. Just make sure to keep an eye on the temperature with a infrared thermometer. This will allow for more precise timing on preheating any pizza oven.
Ooni koda 12 Pricing
You can buy it for $399 from the ooni.com website. There you will find essential’s like a perforated peel or a slicer. The Ooni.com official website has all the accessories needed to make an amazing pizza.
Ooni Koda 12 heat up speed
The Koda heats extremely fast. With the regulator set at full speed, most of the pizza stone should be around 900 °F in 15 minutes. Though the front side of the pizza stone is always cooler than the back, the entire surface is scorching. Remember, never stick your hand in the pizza oven or touch the stone.
There is an air gap between the outside carbon-steel shell and the interior pizza dome. The outer shell achieved 350 °F after 45 minutes of usage at 900 °F. After baking a couple of pizzas at lower temperatures at around 600 °F, the outside shell barely reached 170 °F. Do not touch the shell while in use, these temperatures are still extremely hot.
Portability and Durability
The Ooni Koda 12 needs to be portable and easy to set up as an outdoor pizza oven, and it is. It has three foldable legs that fit neatly inside your truck or car. The oven gate is 13” x 3.5 ” and can comfortably accommodate a 12-inch pan. The entrance is broad enough to accommodate a 12-inch pizza peel without difficulty.
Please wait an hour or two after using the Koda 12 before bringing it back inside to store. Ooni advises against storing the Koda outside, and we agree. They mention the stainless-steel shell can withstand the elements, the cordierite stone isn’t as rigid. Sure, a few experiences will be okay, regular expose could be detrimental.
Since the pizza stone on the Koda is entirely removable, cleaning it is as simple as flipping it over. During the first few months of use, I would poke a hole in a pizza. This burned a lot of sauce and cheese all into the stone. Although the high temps of the oven completely cleaned the stone, there were still marks. So this flippable functionality came in handy.
The Koda’s peep hole allows you to keep an eye on how the pizza is cooking. While the large mouth allows you to slip pizzas in on a 12” pizza peel with ease. I would suggest buying a turning pizza peel to turn the pie regularly. This will help develop that oh so perfect crust.
Final verdict
The Ooni Koda 12 is a portable oven that has won numerous awards. It’s perfect for anyone who appreciates serving excellent pizza to friends and family anytime. With a weight of only 9.25 pounds and foldable legs, you can quickly pack this bad boy and carry it wherever you go. There’s even a bag to go along with it. Buy it on Ooni.com.
A Youtube video about how to cook a New York-style pizzas helped me realize how to develop a knack for consistency. Much like how we all learn to tie a knot these days. Youtube makes things easy and straightforward. It’s straightforward to master the perfect crust cooking with the Ooni Koda 12 pizza oven.
The use of an infrared thermometer will help keep the Koda’s temperature steady. Just before a pizza-making session, aim the dot right on the center of the stone. Then toss your pie in to cook. While watching the flame curl up right above the pizza, temp the stone again. Be sure to aim at the stone and not the pizza. This will result in fewer scorched crusts and toppings.
The Koda 12 heats up quickly and can make pizza in 60 seconds. The Ooni Koda’s flame-cooked flavor is popular among users. You can’t go wrong with this pizza oven for a one-of-a-kind event. This oven is ideal for people who want no mess with wood fired oven and prefer gas powered ovens. This is the best propane powered oven.
