Bertello Pizza Oven Review: Should You Buy This Oven?
There are few things as satisfying as sinking your teeth into a freshly-made pizza. The combination of cheesy goodness, savory toppings, and crispy crust is impossible to resist. And when you make your own pizza at home, you can customize it to suit your unique taste. Whether you like your pizzas loaded with vegetables or topped with pepperoni, you can make it just the way you like it.
Best of all, making your own pizza doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of elbow grease, you can have a delicious pizza on the table in no time. If you’re anything like me, the idea of making your own pizza from scratch is incredibly appealing. Not only does it sound delicious, but it also seems like a fun project that the whole family can get involved in.
So when I heard about the Bertello Pizza Oven, I was immediately intrigued. The oven became a household name after appearing on the hit show Shark Tank in 2020. Bertello bills itself as the “ultimate pizza oven for home cooks,” and they offer various bundle options, which allow you to cook with wood, charcoal, pellets, gas or the combination of gas and wood at the same time (Sounds cool, right?)
Could this oven really help you make perfect pizzas at home? Or is it just another gimmicky kitchen appliance? Read on to find out!
Unboxing & Setting-Up The Bertello Pizza Oven
The Bertello Pizza Oven comes in a large, heavy-duty box. Inside, you’ll find a pizza stone, a pizza peel, a long thin rod (which you can use to pull out the ash tray) and an instructional booklet (of course!). If you opted for the propane and wood-fired options, then you would have two additional boxes to unbox. The propane burner and wood tray come in different boxes from the oven.
On opening the propane burner box, you will find the burner along with an instruction manual, the gas hose and nozzle, and a deflector shield. The deflector shield is used when you are not using the wood tray together with the gas oven.
It is also worth noting that the Bertello Pizza Oven is relatively easy to set up. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes, even if you’re a first-time user. All you need to do is remove the four legs from under the barrel-shaped stainless steel body. Then slide the charcoal or wood tray through the opening at the front and secure it in the back of the oven, then push in then pizza stone and fit it on four metal pegs. Last but not least, unfold Bertello’s pizza peel and you’re good to go!
Bertello’s propane gas burner is very easy to set up as well. All you need to do is to put the deflector shield inside the Bertello. Then, you can slide the propane burner into the oven and screw it on tightly. Once the propane burner is in place, push down the legs on the deflector shield to ensure it is firmly in place over the burner.
And of course, you also have the option of the propane + wood setup. If you have any experience making pizzas, then you’d know that this is an exciting option. Using the propane + wood combo allows you to keep the temperature of your oven super high while adding the woody smokey flavor to your pizza. This is the best of both worlds, and it’s what the Bertello excels at.
Design & Features
The Bertello Pizza Oven is a good-looking oven. It has a modern, sleek design that would look great in any backyard or patio. The Bertello is made of stainless steel and has a double-wall construction. It is also insulated by ceramic-fiber. By combining steel and ceramic-fiber, Bertello created an oven that is both sturdy and properly insulated. This means that the heat generated by the fire is trapped inside the oven, making it more energy-efficient. It projects a strong image with the visible rivets, black 360 powder coat finish, and simple panes.
One of the best things about the Bertello pizza oven’s design is that it’s very user-friendly. The front opening makes it easy to slide the pizza stone in and out, and the four metal pegs keep the stone in place. The large wooden handle stays cool to the touch, so you don’t have to worry about burning yourself. And the Bertello’s pizza peel is long enough to reach the back of the oven, so you can easily pull out your pizzas without having to reach inside the hot oven.
The back charcoal chamber is super easy to load and has an opening that allows you to light it with matches without any trouble. Just be careful; the flames from the charcoal have a tendency
for shooting out the back of the oven, so putting the oven door back can be difficult. It comes with tongs which make it much easier to move around the charcoal.
Technical Specifications
| Size | Weight (unboxed) | Cooking Surface | Heating Capability | Fuel Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 x 14 x 10.5 inches | 34.6 pounds | 13.5 x 12.5 inches | ≥ 930°F | Propane, wood or charcoal |
With the gas oven attached, the weight of the Bertello pizza oven goes up to over 40 pounds. Can we call that portable? I doubt. But without the gas option, this oven is one of the most portable outdoor pizza ovens on the market.
Cooking Performance
Now, on to the most important part: how does the Bertello perform?
In short, it performs excellently. The Bertello pizza oven can reach temperatures of up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to cook a pizza in 60-90 seconds. The double-wall construction and ceramic-fiber insulation make sure that the heat is evenly distributed throughout the oven, so you don’t have to worry about hot spots. Some versions of the Bertello pizza oven also come with an infra-red thermometer, so you can keep an eye on the temperature inside the oven.
The stone’s great heat retention, as well as the billowing flames scathing across the top of the oven, mean that too much heat on your pie is a serious hazard. You would need to make quick rotations of your pie every 12-15 seconds during cooking to prevent it from burning. This is one of the challenges of using the Bertello pizza oven.
Another thing to note like we have mentioned earlier is to be careful with the flames coming out from the top of the oven. The way to do this is to open the opening in your direction. Your wrist should move towards and not away from you. If not handled carefully, the flames can be a hazard.
With all these do’s and don’ts, it is obvious that the Bertello pizza oven has a steep learning curve. Although the assembly and technical side of things is easy to learn for beginners, the cooking can be more challenging. At the beginning, you might have some difficulties controlling how cooked the pizza is, timing the sessions etc. Overall, it might take some time to get used to the oven but once you do, you’ll be a Bertello pro in no time.
- Sleek design: The Bertello pizza oven has a sleek and modern design that will look great in any outdoor space
- Portable: At about 34 pounds, the Bertello pizza oven is one of the most portable outdoor pizza ovens on the market
- Easy to assemble: The Bertello pizza oven is easy to assemble, and can be ready to use in just a few minutes
- Heats up quickly: With the Bertello pizza oven, you can get your pizzas cooked within 60 seconds
- Affordable pricing: with features like these, the price is quite reasonable, and it’s a no-brainer
- Steep learning curve: It might take a bit of time getting used to the oven especially if you are new to making pizzas
- Additional attachment for gas adding weight and length: The Bertello pizza oven comes with an attachment for using gas, which makes it less portable.
- Dangerous flames: The Bertello pizza oven produces flames from the back that can be dangerous if not handled carefully
- Charcoal and Wood Fired Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven cooker (Gas attachment sold separately)
- Cook at over 930 degrees Fahrenheit (500 Celsius) with the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven
- Use Charcoal, Wood, Pellets or our Gas Burner Attachment(sold separately) for authentic wood fire and gas brick oven pizza
Useful Tips for Using the Bertello Pizza Oven
Now that we’ve gone over the pros and cons of the Bertello pizza oven, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your oven:
-Start by preheating the oven for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This will help ensure that the oven is evenly heated.
-When cooking, make sure to rotate the pizza every 12-15 seconds to prevent burning.
-If there’s any spillage on the pizza stone while baking, make sure to clean it before you launch the next pizza.
-Keep an eye on the temperature inside the oven with the infra-red thermometer. This will help you avoid overcooking or undercooking your pizza.
-If you want a wood-fired flavored pizza but don’t want to wait for the oven to heat up, start by heating it with gas. Once the desired temperature is reached, turn the gas flame low and cook with wood. By doing this, you will get the best of both worlds.
Get the Bertello and Start Making Delicious Pizzas!
Phew! That was a lot of information on the Bertello pizza oven. We hope that this review has helped you decide if the Bertello pizza oven is right for you.
If you’re looking for a great pizza oven that will allow you to make delicious pizzas at home, then the Bertello is a great option. It’s easy to assemble and use, and it heats up quickly so you can get your pizzas cooked in no time. With its sleek design, it’s also sure to be a hit in your outdoor space. So what are you waiting for? Get the Bertello and start making pizzas today!
