Presto 03430 Pizzazz Pizza Oven

We make an assortment of homemade pizzas on a regular basis. When I saw the Pizzaz Pizza Oven I really wanted one but wasn't willing to pay the price of $40 or more. I finally found it on sale for $25 and so it became mine.

About the Pizza Cooker

The contraption looks similar to an iron with a removable spinning pan in the middle. There is a heating element on the top and the bottom of the tray which allows you to cook your crust how you like it. The knob on the top of the appliance initiates the heat and starts the pan spinning. You can choose upper only, bottom only, or both to achieve the resuls that you like. You can disregard the instructions on the pizza box since this is not a conventional oven. Cooking time is approximately 15 minutes. The pan can be removed but it is best not to cut the pizza on the pan since it will scratch easily.

This bakes both homemade pizzas and frozen pizzas including those that rise.

No scrubbing is required to clean the pan. I've never even had cheese or toppings get on the pan. Since the gadget is short I don't have problem storing the appliance and it isn't used too much so doesn't need to be stored in a handy location.

Benefits

We have a pizza stone which makes great pizzas. The only problem with that is that the heat of the oven raises the temperature inside the house by several degrees. The pizza oven does not need to be preheated and it doesn't throw off much heat so this is a major advantage especially in the summer time.

Unlike the pizza stone, the dough never sticks to the bottom of this pan and nothing needs to be dusted below the pizza to prevent it from sticking.

Taste is another major benefit. For some reason pizzas taste better when prepared on this. We normally don't like frozen pizzas but they're much better cooked this way. The crust is better. The last time I made a frozen pizza the family wasn't sure if it was a frozen pizza or homemade.

Drawbacks

The biggest drawback that I have for this product is that it must be attended while cooking. Children could easily get burned or the toppings could easily catch on fire. Hovering over this product for 15 minutes defeats the purpose of a fast food meal for me.

The only function that this product serves is heating pizza. This wouldn't make sense for someone who doesn't make pizza on a regular basis.

This only cooks round 7 to 12 inch pizzas. This can not be used to reheat a fraction of a pizza or other food because it would damage the pan's finish.

Overall

I am impressed that the pizza alway comes out flavorful and the crust is perfect every time. You can have crunchy crust without burnt toppings or soft crust without a soggy center. Heating the pizza is simple and is in and out faster than the conventional oven. If you're picky about how your crust turns out you'll appreciate this.