Everyone knows that pizza is just dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings. With only seven basic ingredients and a pizzeria on every corner from here to Shanghai, why is it so hard to find a good slice of pizza? The experts will tell you that right after quality ingredients and the right recipe, the most important factor in making a good pizza is the right pizza oven.

Anyone who plans to make the real thing should take some time to shop around at catering equipment shops researching the kinds of ovens for sale. This will make a huge difference in the final product. While the very best is a wood-fired brick oven, the sad truth is that most shops don’t have the space, time, or the capital to invest in one. Not to worry, however, there are several other good pizza ovens out there.

Within the spectrum of commercial kitchen equipment, there are basically two kinds of commercial oven suitable for making high quality pizza: a deck oven and a convection oven. The deck oven most closely imitates an open wood fire. These can be gas or electric, hard wired, or a portable oven. They work by heating up a stone shelf or shelves which cook the pizza crust from underneath. Ambient heat inside the oven melts the cheese and cooks the toppings. While these ovens are often quite large, a counter top oven can be used for small volume restaurants or for reheating. One brand that comes highly recommended time after time is blodgett ovens.

While a convection oven is less than authentic, many shop owners will appreciate that it cooks faster and uses less energy than other methods. Using a fan to circulate hot air, these are the most efficient ovens you can buy. While industrial sized ovens are available, a counter top convection oven is the most frequently used in pizzerias.

Anyone starting up a pizza business will want to spend some time researching which pizza oven for sale best meets their needs as well as their budget. After you have decided what kind of pizza equipment is most suitable, you will also need to decide between an electric or a gas oven. Obviously everyone has to worry about the bottom line, but keep in mind that a pizza is only as good as the oven it is cooked in. While industrial ovens are a big expense, a good oven will profoundly affect both the quality of the food you serve, as well as the speed and efficiency with which your cooks can work. It is always advisable to buy the best oven you can afford for that authentic pizza taste. Good luck and buon appetito!