{"id":1915679,"date":"2023-09-19T12:57:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T17:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1915679"},"modified":"2024-05-07T12:39:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T17:39:17","slug":"ooni-koda-16-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/ooni-koda-16-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ooni Koda 16 Review: Our Expert’s Top Choice for a Beginner-Friendly and Versatile Pizza Oven"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Ooni\r\n\r\nAn outdoor pizza oven<\/a> is not only the ideal tool for making delicious homemade pizza, but it's also fun to use. Nothing beats a pizza night on the deck or in the backyard with friends and family. And I've hosted them countless times with my Ooni Koda 16 pizza oven<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAs a professional baker and pizza oven enthusiast, I've tested 10 different pizza oven options on the market including Solo Stove<\/a>, the Ooni Volt<\/a> and the Ooni Karu 12G. I've owned the Ooni Koda for over two years now. This is definitely one of the top ovens I go back to every time I'm cooking pizzas.\r\n\r\n[dam-video dam-id=\"50173\" type_of_player=\"jw\" \/]\r\n

What is the Oona Koda 16?<\/h2>\r\nThe Ooni Koda 16 is a gas-powered pizza oven. It has a connecting gas hose that hooks up to a small propane tank like your regular home barbecue. The exterior of the pizza oven is covered with a powder coating. This gives it a sleek design while also making it weather-resistant. The oven reaches incredibly high temperatures and has plenty of space to cook homemade pizzas<\/a>. You can also use this versatile oven for cooking with cast iron for a variety of other meals.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT superlative=\"We Tried It\" product_name=\"Ooni Koda 16\" short_description=\"This gas-powered outdoor pizza oven reaches up to 950 degrees and is designed for large pizzas, meats, fish and vegetables.\" image=\"1989908\" pr_name=\"Ooni\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/ooni.com\/products\/ooni-koda-16\" pr_display_text=\"Shop on Ooni\" retailers_2_name=\"Amazon\" retailers_2_url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Ooni-Koda-Propane-Pizza-Outdoor\/dp\/B085LGV57D\/\" retailers_2_display_text=\"Shop on Amazon\" retailers_3_name=\"Williams Sonoma\" retailers_3_url=\"https:\/\/www.williams-sonoma.com\/products\/ooni-koda-16-pizza-oven\/\" retailers_3_display_text=\"Shop on Williams Sonoma\" retailers_4_name=\"BBQ Guys\" retailers_4_url=\"https:\/\/www.bbqguys.com\/i\/3071251\/ooni\/koda-16-portable-propane-gas-outdoor-pizza-oven-uu-p0ab00\" retailers_4_display_text=\"Shop on BBQ Guys\" \/]\r\n

Ooni Koda 16 Features<\/h2>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nThe Koda 16 is constructed from carbon steel, which makes it incredibly durable. My oven actually accidentally fell out of a truck during a move and it was perfectly fine. The thick steel creates great insulation to keep heat in, and the wide opening at the front makes it easy to turn pizzas.\r\n\r\nThis is one of the largest pizza ovens in the Ooni line-up, so it's not ideal for someone hoping to save on space. However, that extra space inside always comes in handy for me, and at just under 40 pounds, it's still movable to be able to store or even take out for tailgating.\r\n\r\nThe cordierite stone provides a beautiful cooking surface, and it heats up quickly to allow for that fast 30-second cook on the base of the pizza. From there, I turn it a few times to cook the toppings and finish the crust\u2014it only takes about 90 seconds to fully cook a pizza from launch to finish. Once cooked, I like to pull the pizza out of the oven and let it rest for a minute or two before grabbing my pizza cutter<\/a> and digging in.\r\n

How We Tested It<\/h2>\r\nI've been testing the Ooni Koda 16 for over two years.\r\n

Set-Up<\/h3>\r\nThe Ooni Koda 16 is one of the easiest pizza ovens to set up. It shipped in a large cardboard box with plenty of padding. Once it arrives, all you have to do is open the box and pull the entire unit out. Extend the three folding legs, unwrap and gently place the cordierite stone inside. Attach the gas hose and you're ready to fire it up! Set up the oven on a heat-safe surface for cooking. Ooni recommends a seasoning process for the first use of your oven. I lit my oven and let it sit on high heat for 30 minutes before using it.\r\n

Lighting the Pizza Oven<\/h3>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nThe Ooni Koda 16 has an ignition and temperature dial on the side of the oven. Once the gas tank is flowing, it's quick and simple to turn the knob to ignite the burner. However, it's important to stand to the side of the oven rather than in front\u2014you'll keep clear of the rush of heat that comes out. Once the oven is lit, I keep it on high to allow it to preheat for 20 minutes. I like to cook my pizzas right around 750 degrees, so I always let the stone heat up accordingly and check the temperature with an infrared thermometer<\/a> to make sure it's hot enough before the first launch.\r\n

Cooking Pizzas<\/h3>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nThe Ooni Koda 16 was the first pizza oven I ever used, and there was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. It's crucial to prep the dough<\/a> with plenty of semolina or flour to keep it from sticking to the pizza peel. However, you don't want too<\/em> much of that flour going into the pizza oven and burning the bottom of your pie. To avoid that, I always use a perforated pizza peel<\/a>, which lets the excess flour slide out before launching the pizza.\r\n\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nOnce a pizza is in the oven, it takes about 30 seconds for the bottom of the crust to set, thanks to the heat of the pizza stone. I always cook with my flame on medium for better flexibility. The Ooni Koda 16 has an L-shaped burner, so the live flame is only on the left and back of the oven. I have found this design makes it much simpler to cook and turn your pizza without having to worry too much about burning it. The extra cooking surface area definitely helps out with that, allowing you to keep the pizza in the heat while avoiding the live flame.\r\n

Cooking Other Items<\/h3>\r\nWhile pizza is the number one food I cook in my Ooni Koda 16, I've also used this oven for a variety of other things. I've cooked apple crisps<\/a> in this oven in a cast iron skillet, as well as used it to make incredibly juicy burgers and flavorful chicken. This can also be achieved in the Koda 12, but I've found that the extra surface area of the Koda 16 makes it that much easier.\r\n

2-Year Update<\/h3>\r\nI've been using the Ooni Koda 16 for two years, and it's still the pizza oven I go back to time and time again. When I have friends over for a pizza party, it's consistently their choice when I give the option of a few others to use. While some users have noted that the L-shaped flame makes for uneven heating and cooking, I find it part of the appeal. That specifically shaped flame allows you to control the cook of your pizza by turning it to capture the heat. Plus, the interior gives me plenty of space to work with, allowing me to turn my pizzas with ease.\r\n\r\nI have kept the oven consistently outside in a variety of types of weather, without any issues. Its carbon steel construction has held up through plenty of elements and moving, staying pretty well unchanged from the day I got it. There are a few scratches on top and there are signs of staining and wear on the pizza stone itself, but it doesn't affect performance. I like to think of it as a memento of the hundreds of pizzas I've cooked and enjoyed in the oven.\r\n\r\nI still love the convenience of cooking with gas, allowing me to precisely control the flame height with the temperature dial and find the size to be a perfect fit. The one key lesson I've learned along the way is that your Ooni accessories<\/a> are sure to come in handy for making better pie, especially a perforated pizza peel to eliminate too much transfer of flour onto the stone while cooking.\r\n

Pros<\/h3>\r\n