There’s nothing quite like cooking in the elements of the outdoors. With the smells, tastes and social affairs that outdoor cooking creates, it enhances our experience and helps us to form more fond memories with family and friends. Gozney's Dome pizza oven is improving outdoor cooking experiences across the globe, especially for pizza lovers.
I have thoroughly tested the Dome and compared it against Gozney’s Roccbox to help you decide whether it’s worth investing in a professional-grade outdoor oven. At the end of this review, you can find out my final thoughts and whether it’s worth investing in this pizza oven, along with a few tips and tricks you can use to get the most out of the Dome.
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Pros
- Versatility
- Easy assembly
- Low maintenance
- Quality design
Cons
- Price
- Takes some getting used to
- Cooking floor space
- Digital thermometer: The Dome comes with a digital thermometer that displays the temperature of the oven, so you know when it’s ready to use. Also, you can hook up probes to the thermometer, so you know when the food is safe to eat.
- Heat retention: Due to its dome shape and professional-grade materials, the Dome has astonishing heat retention, which means you can cook evenly, and you don’t need to keep adding more wood to maintain the heat inside the oven.
- Air ventilation control: Using the dial, you can manage the airflow so you can easily control the flame and heat inside the oven.
- GozneyShield: GozneyShield is a ceramic bonded outer coating which makes the Dome more durable, water-resistant and UV stable, meaning you can use the oven all year round regardless of the weather.
- 5 Year Warranty: This is one of the best quality outdoor ovens on the market, however, you can still feel assured with the 5-year warranty (that you won’t need)!
- Dual-fuel system: The Dome allows you to cook with either wood or gas, so you have the convenience of choosing and easily switching between cooking methods. Want an unbeatable taste to your food? Use wood to cook. Have a bunch of people over and don’t have much time to tidy up? Use gas to cook.
Gozney offers a variety of ovens that are easy to use and of a professional standard for both residential and commercial use. The award-winning Dome pizza oven was launched in 2021 and quickly took the market by storm due to its innovative and practical design, as well as being incredibly versatile.
The Dome not only cooks magnificent pizzas, but you can also cook a wide variety of meats, vegetables and bread using many cooking methods including roasting, steaming, smoking and baking.
Requiring very little assembly, the Dome is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a high-quality and easy-to-use pizza oven. Coming with a 5-year warranty, this outdoor oven has been built to last using professional grade materials.
The Dome uses a multi-fuel cooking system, meaning you can conveniently switch between wood and gas to cook your food. I would highly recommend using wood if you want the best result and taste, or gas if you’re looking for convenience. The temperature can be easily controlled using a dial and can reach up to 500°C in minutes.
One of the reasons why the Dome is so popular is because of its versatility. With this outdoor oven, you’re not just restricted to pizzas. You can cook a full BBQ, and with incredible efficiency. As the oven can reach such high temperatures, you are able to cook pizza, meats and vegetables much faster than you could with a regular BBQ. My favourite foods to cook using the Dome were pizzas, halloumi and steak.
This oven requires very little assembly, other than to lift it to where you want it to sit (which can be slightly challenging as it weighs approximately 60kg). After lifting the oven to your desired location, you will need to attach the flue, ash tray, gas canister and digital thermometer before you’re ready to start cooking. The entire assembly took 2 of us around 30 minutes to complete.
Not only is it quick and easy to assemble, but also to maintain. If you’re using gas, there isn’t much oven cleaning involved. Using wood creates ash so requires more cleaning, however, you can easily brush the ash into the ashtray and wipe any soot off the oven's surface using a damp cloth.
As well as being designed for creating incredible food, the Dome is easy-to-use, practical and aesthetical.
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Due to the domed design and professional-grade materials, this oven heats up quickly and efficiently. I was able to heat the oven to 500 degrees Celsius in approximately 10-15 minutes and it retained the heat very well. I rarely had to add more wood to the fire.
The Dome has an outer coating called GozneyShield that enables improved water resistance, durability and UV stability, allowing you to use the oven all year round whatever the weather.
Whilst the Dome is appropriately priced for the quality of the oven, it will be unaffordable for some people. However, there are cheaper alternative ovens that Gozney offer, for example, the Roccbox.
I found cooking meats such as steak, kebabs and burgers very easy with the Dome. However, getting the perfect pizza will take some practice.
The cooking floor could be slightly wider to fit larger pizzas and have more space between the ash and food. There were a few occasions when ash would get on the food inside the oven.
Testing the Gozney Dome Pizza Oven
Gas Cooking vs Wood Cooking
I found that gas cooking gave me easier control over the heat of the oven than cooking with wood. In turn, I was able to get a better-looking pizza when cooking with gas. Using wood to cook was more difficult, especially when baking pizzas. However, the taste that comes from cooking with wood is unmatched and it just takes a little getting used to before you can get the perfect pizza.
Both methods proved easy when cooking meat such as chicken, sausages and steaks, and they both produced a luscious taste. In fact, I would argue it could be impossible to get that same taste using a standard kitchen oven.
Cleaning & maintenance
I found that cleaning and maintaining the Dome was easier than expected. The oven doesn’t leave a big mess to clear up, as it has been designed for convenience. When cooking with wood, the ash inside the oven can be brushed into the ashtray that sits beneath the stone cooking floor. All you have to do is remove the puck and gently brush the ash into the hole.
You’ll notice after the first use of the Dome, soot will build up just above the opening of the mouth. This can easily be cleaned using a warm damp cloth. Be sure to remove the sticker before using the oven for the first time.
The oven takes quite a while to cool down, so I usually waited until the next day to clean it.
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Dome Pizza Oven vs RoccBox Pizza Oven
I have compared the Dome to Gozney’s other popular and more portable residential pizza oven, the RoccBox.
Dome Specifications
External oven dimensions: 660mm H x 630mm D x 732mm W
Internal oven dimensions: 190mm H x 470mm D x 550mm W
Max temperature: 500ºC
Oven weight: Oven alone 58kg / In its packaging 68kg
Fuel Type: Wood / Wood and gas
Cooking floor: 30mm cordierite stone
Insulation: Non-carcinogenic and water soluble insulation manufactured from calcium and magnesium silicate fibres.
Roccbox Specifications
External oven dimensions: 413mm W x 531mm L x 473mm
Cooking floor dimensions: 315 x 340mm
Max temperature: 932ºF / 500ºC
Oven weight: 20kg
Fuel Type: Gas / wood
Body & legs: 304 stainless steel
Cooking floor: Cordierite stone
Insulation: Calcium silicate
Outer jacket: Safe-touch commercial-grade silicone
Conclusion of Gozney Dome Outdoor Oven
The Dome is a fantastic solution for outdoor cooking that perfectly combines convenience for residential use and professional quality. With this oven, you get a fine balance between the primitive feeling that comes with cooking outdoors using wood, and modern-day convenience due to the option of switching to gas cooking. So, despite the slight learning curve of getting a perfect pizza when cooking with wood, the challenge is what makes the oven so great. It’s fun and rewarding to cook outdoors using the Dome.
Having a pizza oven in your garden means you can have a new dynamic to your barbecues… pizzas! If your barbecues are getting boring with the same food every year, now you have the option to transform them with a wider range of foods.
Having an outdoor oven will benefit you in ways that you don’t expect, for example it enhances your social life. Whether you’re with family or friends, the experience that comes with cooking outdoors with your loved ones creates memories that you can cherish, and these memories are enhanced with the Dome.
If you can afford the price tag of the Dome, I highly recommend investing in this outdoor oven, especially if you’re looking to upgrade your barbecues and outdoor cooking experience. If the oven is out of your price range or you need a more portable option, Gozney’s portable outdoor oven, the Roccbox is a worthy alternative.
If I could change one thing about the Dome, I would make the cooking floor space wider to allow more space between the ash and food. This would also allow you to cook multiple items at once more easily.
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A few tips for getting the perfect pizza
Heat the oven up correctly
When using wood, start the fire in the centre of the oven and leave it to warm up for 8-10 minutes. Then move the fire to the left side of the oven and leave for another 8-10 minutes. After this, move the fire to the right-hand side of the oven and begin cooking once it has reached your desired temperature. This method will help you heat the oven evenly. Add an extra piece of wood to the fire if the temperature starts to drop.
It’s important to heat the oven up slowly and gradually so you can get the optimal temperature for what you’re cooking and avoid cracking the stone cooking floor.
Heavy Duty Cooking Trays
When I first used the oven, the high temperatures caused my trays to bend. So, when purchasing the Dome, I would recommend investing in some highly durable oven and pizza trays to avoid this issue.
Placement & Turning Peel
All the accessories turned out to be handy. However, the placement peel and turning peel are both necessary for convenience.
The turning peel makes it easy to move the pizza once it’s in the oven. The placement peel is very useful for placing the dough and cooking trays in the oven. When you need to take the pizza out of the oven, the placement peel makes it very easy to do so without the risk of burning your hands.
FAQs about the Dome
Is the Gozney Dome worth it?
If you can afford the price tag, absolutely! There aren’t many outdoor ovens that can compete with the Dome. If it’s too expensive for you, the Roccbox is a worthy cheaper alternative.
What other pizza ovens would you recommend?
We have reviewed and highly recommend the Ooni Karu 12 and the DeliVita pizza oven. The Ooni Karu 12 is much more affordable with multiple fuel options. The DeliVita rivals the Dome with a similar price tag, however it's limited to just wood.
Does the Dome only cook pizzas?
No, you can cook just about anything using the Dome with a variety of cooking methods including roasting, steaming, smoking and baking.
What temperature can the Dome reach?
The maximum temperature is 500 degrees Celcius. Although it can reach higher temperatures than that, it isn’t recommended as it could damage the oven.
Is the Dome portable?
Not really. You could transport it if you had a large enough van. However, it weighs 58kg and would require a few people to transport it. However, the Roccbox has been designed for easier portability.
What gas does Gozney Dome use?
Bottled propane.
What accessories come with the Gozney Dome?
Detachable flue and cap, Dock and Accessory Port, Digital thermometer, display unit and batteries, 2 x temperature probes for checking the internal temperatures of food items, Manual Air Regulation Vent and Ashtray Module, Manual.
Dual fuel ovens also include Integrated gas burner and regulator, Ignition and flame regulation dial, 1 x stone floor puck to switch between wood and gas.
*Wood, peels and accessories sold separately.
Can you use the Dome indoors?
Yes in UK and USA, but you can only use gas indoors, not wood. In Australia, the Dome can only be used outdoors.
Can you use Gozney Dome in the rain?
Yes, you can use the Dome in any weather conditions due to the GozneyShield technology which acts as a defensive barrier for the oven.