$95 Pizza Oven Trial

Decided to try out the Walmart (Ozark Trail) Portable propane pizza oven ($94). I have to admit, for a less than $100 it performed surprisingly well. With that being said I have been making pizza for a decade and I say that because experience definitely comes in to play with this oven. Here are my pros & cons.

Pro’s

1. Price: for literally less than $100 you CAN make delicious pizza’s.
2. Simplicity: there is literally nothing that requires assembly. Straight out the box, all that’s needed is to attach a propane tank and slide in the pizza stone.
3. Temperature: this thing gets seriously hot. The thermostat read 1000° in less than 15 minutes. Additionally, my pizza cooked extremely fast. I didn’t time the cook this go because I was dealing with other issues (as described in the cons) but overall cooking time is definitely not a “con” with this oven.
4. Quality: The build of this oven honestly feels decently solid for $100. The legs are sturdy and the metal body appeared to hold heat appropriately.

Con’s

1. Size: 10” pizza. And that’s a stretch. I didn’t bust out a ruler, but even utilizing the provided peel as a guide, my pizza edges were touching the sides of the oven. Not necessarily a problem, but if you’re looking for a typical 12-16” pizza… you’re not getting close with this one.
2. Temperature: This is both a pro & a con. The oven reached high temperature quickly, but at times got too top hot to cook a pizza evenly without burning (even on its lowest setting). I had to literally shut off the oven twice so the top would not burn before the crust was cooked. Now… due to the size of the oven it heats really quickly so I removed the pizza, cranked it max (to heat the stone), shut it off, and put in the pizza to cook the crust more.

Overall, I’d say in a pinch for an individual or small family this $94 oven is a go. With that being said, if you’re new to making pizza at home be patient. Limited space and drastic temperature between the top and bottom of the oven will require finesse.