Alfresco Pizza Oven Expert Review - Countertop & Built-In Models

Alfresco is a company that’s well known for producing luxury outdoor kitchen and open air culinary products.

And their pizza ovens are no exception. In this article we’ll be talking about their flagship outdoor gas pizza oven - which comes in both countertop and built-in configurations.

Overview Of Alfresco Pizza Ovens

Configuration Options

The Alfresco pizza oven comes in two different configurations - built-in or countertop.  The countertop model can be mounted on any non-combustible surface - Alfresco also offers custom carts for pizza oven mounting.

Both of the oven configurations are 30-inches wide and available with either propane or natural gas as the fuel source.

High Heat Performance

Their special build, material, design, and manufacturing process (more on that in a moment) allows Alfresco pizza ovens to be preheated in lightning 15 minute speeds, and reach outstandingly high maximum temperatures - up to 1,000ºF+.

With the short preheat time from the turn of a knob, it couldn't be simpler to hit the scorching temperatures required for Neapolitan pizza.  

Alfresco pizza ovens are great for the pizza lovers out there (duh!) but the design and level of performance allows for much more.

Really, you can cook all sorts of things using all kinds of different techniques such as baking, roasting, searing, and of course creating perfect Neapolitan pizzas. 

Important Features Of The Alfresco Pizza Oven

• Made with 304 18-8 heli-arc welded stainless steel that’s just as durable as great it is looking.
• ¾ " thick high-quality ceramic slab hearth and ceiling for some intense heat that is perfectly reflected within the oven compartment section 
• A full 8.5" opening with stainless steel-framed glass doors that look great and provide good heat resistance. 
• Rear exhaust that provides good circulation for the whole oven.
• High performance tube-log burner
• High-Tech, High heat ceramic infrared hearth burner
• Removable hinges and doors so you can clean easier.
• Double-walled removable top
• 456 sq. in. of cooking space
• Halogen oven light
• Alfresco’s exclusive natural air-cooling plenum keeps control panel
  cool to the touch
• Available in LP or Natural Gas to suit your needs best

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Alfresco Pizza Oven Review

 

Key Specs

There’s 456 sq. in. of cooking space, so there’s plenty of space crank pizzas out for a large group.  Since the oven is designed to funnel heat top down, you get to utilize the entire hearth for cooking - which makes this oven extremely efficient on space.

The actual oven doesn’t take up much room either, with the built in dimensions being 30"W x 30"D x 47.37"H - and much of the height measurement can be attributed to the chimney. 

The countertop version has smaller dimensions of 30"W x 30"D x 24"H - and the unit is ventilated on 3 sides and only needs an inch of clearance to non-combustible surface on the rear and sides to work safely.

Pictured: Alfresco Countertop Pizza Oven (NG/LP)

While being just as effective, it’s quite space efficient, and perfect for use on the counter if you don't want to go through the process of installing a permanent built-in pizza oven.

Last but not least, the temperature range of the Alfresco pizza oven is 250ºF - 1,000ºF, which is the widest temperature range of any pizza oven on the market.

Benefits

Easy To Operate

When you’re outside cooking you don’t want to be hindered by heat and a million different things going on - you want to be able to focus on fun and enjoying time with friends and family.

This is part of the ethos behind the design of Alfresco products - and their pizza oven couldn't be easier to operate.  With the turn of a couple of burner knobs, you can be firing up tasty Neapolitan pizzas within 15 minutes.

Alfresco’s exclusive natural air-cooling plenum keeps the control panel you use to change the temperature constantly cooled so that you don’t accidentally burn yourself on the controls while cooking.

There’s also a halogen oven light that’s been placed inside of the oven so that you can tell the color of your food without having to open and close your oven non stop.

It’s these little features that really make this go from a basic appliance to a tool you can use to have fun and be creative with the food you make. All while doing it remarkably quickly of course.

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Easy To Clean

Cleaning with the Alfresco pizza oven is made easier by the thoughtful design.

The detachable windows allow for you to simply pop them off and wash by hand in your sink, and the arch at the front is also detachable, which makes it so easy to clean the inside of your oven after use.

Cleaning isn’t a huge necessity for the inside of the oven though because of the extremely high temperatures that the inside of the oven can reach, you rarely see any real mess inside of the oven, and if there is any it’s easily wiped away with a standard dish cloth and soap. 

The oven’s usage of durable and high quality materials ensures that the exterior of the machine won’t deteriorate over time while outside.

Any stains or marks that do happen to fall onto the exterior of the oven can be cleaned off with a cloth, or if it’s trickier just some basic warm soapy water and wiping it off should work fine.

The steel always looks shiny, and does its job well at holding off the effects of the weather while the oven sits outside. 

Warranty Coverage

Continuing with the benefits of Alfresco products, you can put your worries to bed easily with their warranty coverage:

• Lifetime warranty on all stainless steel parts manufactured by Alfresco themselves.
• 5 year warranty on burners and drip pans.
• 2 year warranty for parts and labor to replace and repair defects in stainless steel parts
• 1 year warranty on all other remaining components

It’s easy to see that Alfresco cares about customer satisfaction, and this has been made apparent as Alfresco knows that you’re spending your money on a quality product, and want it to last a lifetime without fault.

Availability Of Accessories, Upgrades, & Complimentary Alfresco Products

Alfresco is known for offering the most complete selection of outdoor kitchen products in the luxury market.  That means they've designed products to help you create an ultimately customized outdoor kitchen.

So whether you want to pick up some accessories that will specifically compliment your pizza oven, or you want matching doors, drawers, and appliances, Alfresco has you covered.

In a moment, we'll take a closer look at Alfresco's pizza oven specific accessories.

Drawbacks & Things To Consider

There aren't many glaring downsides to the Alfresco pizza oven. It’s efficient, innovative, and stylish, and one of the highest end products on the market.

Bearing that in mind however, they aren't perfect, and there are a few things that you should consider when buying one of these ovens. 

Expense

While not the absolute most expensive outside ovens on the market, the Alfresco oven come in at the high end of the price spectrum.

And if you're considering a built-in configuration, bear in mind that you'll incur an extra cost for you our your contractor to install the unit.

Gas vs Wood Fueled Flavor

We don't want to get too deep into the gas vs wood pizza oven debate, but one thing is clear - wood fired pizza ovens tend to produce a classic smokey hint to your pizzas.

Gas on the other hand, won't produce this result - it may or may not make a difference to you, but it's worth considering as the Alfresco pizza ovens are not designed for wood fuel.

The trade off, of course, is that Alfresco ovens only take 15 minutes to preheat, whereas a wood pizza oven can take up to 45 minutes to preheat each time you cook.

A Closer Look At Alfresco Pizza Oven Extras & Upgrades

As previously mentioned, Alfresco offers a variety of products that both enhance and upgrade your pizza experience.  Here we'll take a look at some of the more popular products:

Pizza Prep And Plating Center

If you really love your pizzas now that you’ve gotten your Alfresco pizza oven, you can add a built-in station next to your oven that you use to prep your pizzas.

We see customers pair the pizza prep center with built-in ovens, but it works great with countertop ovens too.

There’s a large inbuilt cutting board, which you can remove for cleaning or using elsewhere.

This you can use to roll your dough on, or chop any fresh ingredients you’d like to use, or just anything you’d like to prep before you put inside of your oven!

There’s also a plate shelf you can use to store spices, oils ,pizza pans, equipment, and of course, pans on, and there’s even an ice cooled pan rail which is perfect for individual pans with your ingredients on. 

Not cooking? You can easily turn the prep and plating center into a mini bar by placing your alcohol underneath in the plate shelf, and having any garnishes inside of the plate shelf! 

This is a great addition to your oven if you’re the entertaining type, and really extends that space that you can create with your pizza oven.

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Pizza Oven Carts

If maneuverability is something that’s important for you, then the pizza oven cart is the perfect accessory to pair with your countertop oven.

Made from similarly durable materials, it allows you to move your cart around seamlessly while still having all of the same bonuses as if it were stationary.

There’s space below for a gas canister to power your oven, and the added maneuverability really allows you to create whatever space you want to cook.

If you’re throwing a party this is a great addition to your oven so that you can keep the space of your garden tidy, while still having the performance of an Alfresco pizza oven.

Alfresco also offers a deluxe cart for the countertop oven that has mega storage space, a prep center, and a paper towel station.  It's a great option for commercial applications.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Use An Alfresco Pizza Oven?

Operationally, all you need to do is turn your knobs on after your gas fuel source is connected.  That's it!

You can really allow your imagination to take hold with the alfresco pizza oven though - its high temperatures are great for foods other than pizza.  You can cook delicate cuts of meat that you want with a perfect seared crust, and good temperature inside.

How Long Does It Take To Preheat The Alfresco Pizza Oven?

It takes about 15 minutes for the oven to reach 900ºF+ in temperature.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Pizzas?

A standard pizza only takes 2-3 minutes to reach absolute perfection, what’s not to love! 

The infrared hearth heating system combined with the top down heat funnel and 40,000 BTUs of cooking power mean you can cook pizzas in no time.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, the Alfresco pizza oven is a fantastic outdoor oven that’s great for someone that loves food.

Or just loves to entertain! It’s stylish, extremely fast, and has great features to help you when cooking for a crowd, or just yourself! So if you’re looking for an outside oven, We'd highly recommend either of the Alfresco pizza ovens!