Ooni Volt 12 Review – The Best Value for 2023?

Rating Summary

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Who Do I Recommend For?

For aspiring pizza chefs 一, baking pizza in a traditional oven can be a trick. There’s a steep learning curve before the process becomes second nature.

You don’t have to go through the hassle; Volt 12 is a great place to begin your baking journey. It has an excellent adjustable thermostat, built-in timer, and boost mode to ensure you never undercook or burn your pizza ever.

Indoor cooking enthusiast 一 the Volt 12 works with electricity. This means you can knock out an amazing pizza right on your kitchen countertop without triggering the fire alarm.

Unlike most pizza ovens out there, there’s no need to venture outdoors in varying weather conditions. Besides, not everyone has access to outdoor space. This is the ultimate choice for home chefs without an outdoor space looking to enjoy fresh homemade pizzas.

Who I Don’t Recommend For?

Budget shoppers 一 Volt 12 is the most expensive pizza oven from the Ooni lineup. This electric-powered unit cost almost two times the price of the Koda 12 and Karu 12. If you are not looking to splurge on a pizza oven, Volt 12 is not the way to go.

Versatile appliance seekers 一 this unit has impressive controls and features. Technically, it offers the best cooking flexibility in any pizza oven. Sadly, it has a smaller cooking space, which limits what you can fit and cook in there.

Our First Impression: and Features

Build Quality

When it comes to Ooni products, I always expect sleek, elegant products built to last. Out of the box, the Volt 12 asserts my confidence in this world-leading brand. Its overall build quality and engineering were top-notch. Its controls were super responsive, and we all agreed it looked great on the countertop.

There’s no assembly required. The only thing I did was slide in the thick ceramic baking stone and plug the oven in.

After taking a good look at the newest member of the Ooni collection, there are some exciting hallmarks. For starters, this unit has an internal oven light offering enough illumination to track the baking process at a glance.

The door is another aspect I think Ooni outdid themselves. The triple-paned borosilicate glass door keeps the heat in while improving its aesthetics and visibility. Also, a comfortable oversized handle makes opening and closing the door a snap.

Being the first successful indoor-outdoor pizza oven, this unit comes with an all-weather shell. I’m referring to its powdered coating. It helps prevent accidental burns even when the oven is at full blast. And, of course, allowing you to use the outdoors without any worry. 

Size

I must admit, the picture was quite deceiving. This all-electric device is 20 inches wide and 2 feet deep. If you already have a lot of kitchen appliances on your counter, finding the right spot for this oven can be tricky.

The Volt 12 weighs a little over 52 pounds, which is twice the weight of my Karu 12. For short distances or storing in a cabinet, its weight won’t be a pain in your rear.

Indoor and Outdoor Usage

 The Volt 12 is arguably the most versatile pizza oven on the market. While it might require you to create space on your counter, it sits and works well indoors.

However, I have a covered patio with an Ooni foldable outdoor table close to a three-prong outlet. That’s the new home for this phenomenal pizza-making machine during weekends. Also, you could purchase the Ooni waterproof cover if your patio is a tad exposed, except if you intend to take it inside after each use. It’s always better to take precautions, especially with this high-priced oven.

Irrespective of where you place this oven, it requires a nearby power source. The power supply cord provided by the oven is short. You would have to buy an extension cord to have the flexibility to cook from your desired location.

Baking Stone

The Volt 12 came with a 0.4-inch cordierite baking stone. This is thinner than the 0.6-inch thick pizza stone I got with my Karu 12. I have mixed feelings already.

Thin baking stones heat up quickly, fair enough. The downside is a sudden temperature drop immediately after launching the pizza dough. Hence, it takes longer to achieve the perfect crust.

Power Consumption

Equipped with two heating elements rated 1600W, this in-demand pizza oven consumes less energy compared to most traditional ovens.

The operational cost will depend on the cooking temperature, duration, and electricity rate. It consumes about 0.861 kWh to cook two amazing pizzas, which cost me less than 50 cents. This is about the same energy my full-fledged kitchen oven drains to make a batch of crisp chips.

Capacity

Volt 12, as the name implies, is an oven with a 12-inch cooking space. However, it’s not generous with its cooking space. This model offers roomy enough to cook and shuffle 12-inch Neapolitan pizza for proper doneness.

Also, you can easily throw in cast iron cookware to make some chewy crust Detroit-style pizzas. Anything beyond that won’t go in. The limited height of this oven prevents cooking tall or bulky food items.

Other features

You don’t get a lot of extra handy features on gas and wood-fired models. This electric-fueled oven brags about a couple of innovative features that offer a more fun and superior pizza-making experience.

The Volt 12 has a “boost” mode that gets the oven at full blast for the quickest recovery time. So, no longer wait between bakes; every pie is just as sumptuous and crisp as the first.

And you won’t believe there’s a timer function. This makes cooking and chatting with your guest easier since you won’t be babysitting this one.

What Makes Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven Special?

Ooni has remarkably broken a significant bar with the Volt 12. This unit brings the performance of a gas or wood-burning pizza oven indoors. This feat was thought to be dangerous and almost impossible.

This one-of-a-kind appliance is not just an indoor version of other Ooni’s excellent backyard ovens. It delivers a unique and flexible pizza-making process with balance controls and dedicated temperatures.

The Volt 12, unlike the regular kitchen oven, attains scorching hot temperatures of up to 800 degrees. This is essential for making mouthwatering pizza with a crisp texture like traditional ovens.

Not only is it capable of creating perfect stone-baked pies, but it makes achieving it so easy. My little cousins can make tasty, Instagram-worthy pizzas in a few minutes, thanks to its automatic heat mode. And, of course, under my strict supervision.

What I Like About Ooni Volt

800-degrees-F cooking performance 一 the revolutionary Volt 12 is no joke. It generates a lot of heat I couldn’t get on the regular ovens. With such intense heat, my pizzas come out firm with bubbling cheese in about 2 minutes. Even at 650 degrees F, it takes around 12 minutes to make the perfect New York pizza for a nice family treat.

With intuitive controls and heat dials 一, unlike the traditional methods, I can actually get the oven to my preferred temperature. I don’t have to feed a flame or track the pizza stone’s temperature. With the adjustable heat dial, every pizza comes out exactly as I set out. Sometimes, I need the toppings to cook longer without burning the crust. This is possible with the Ooni Volt 12.

Exquisite craftsmanship 一 The Volt, like most Ooni pizza ovens, features excellent engineering. This unit has one of the best insulation systems – no heat leaks whatsoever. Also, the powdered coating protects the shell from getting hot. This is important to me because this model requires more interaction with its outer body, unlike traditional options, since it has control dials.

Our Ooni Volt Complaints

Bulky size 一 Volt 12 eats up a lot of counter space. If you plan on using this latest model indoors, you’ll likely create space for it, except if you own a large kitchen or outdoor space.

Expensive 一 this all-electric oven is truly meant for people who have space and money to spare. This unit might be out of reach for people looking for a budget option. It offers a lot of perks, but it comes at a salty price.

Smoke cases 一 After cooking a lot of pizza, you can’t help but notice some smoke that might trigger your fire alarm. This is due to the residue on the pizza stone burning off. It’s nothing to worry about. A powerful extractor fan solves this issue.

Testing The Ooni Volt: How Is Its Performance?

Performance

The Ooni Volt 12 baking performance is nothing short of a marvel. This oven packs a powerful cooking punch with its robust 1600W heating element.

It’s astonishing how quickly it reaches up to 800 degrees F in under 15 minutes. With such incredible heat, you can achieve various culinary feats, from thin and crispy to deep-dish pizzas.

That’s not the best part:

Cooking with this paradigm-shifting oven is easier than with gas-powered alternatives. There are dials to instruct the oven and get perfect results every time. You can choose how long and at what temperature you want to cook food. Even if you get distracted by other activities, it’s difficult to ruin your pizza with this oven.

Worth mentioning;

The Volt 12 offers a more even cooking space. In my experience, it’s more forgiving to shuffle pizzas. So, when people say that the Ooni Volt 12 can turn anyone into a top pizzaiolo, it’s not an exaggeration.

Dual Burners

The Volt 12 employs cutting-edge dual heating technology. This means you have two heating tubes, one at the top and the other below the pizza stone. The manufacturer explained the whole science behind it, but I’m just glad its heating system achieves the promised scorching temperatures.

Here’s a fabulous thing I’ve come to love about the dual heating system. You can adjust the heat level of the heating tube separately. So, I can keep heating the pizza base until it’s charred enough without burning the toppings and vice versa. It really comes in handy, especially when the topping is perfectly cooked, but the base is still soggy.

Boost Function

For a wood-fired oven, after baking the first pizza, you would have to feed the flame to get the oven to temperature. This can take longer than 5 minutes, especially if the outdoor condition is unfavorable.

Volt 12 requires this drill but with zero input from your end. It has a convenient “boost” button to fire this oven back to the temperature in half the time. These days, I find myself bringing out the Volt 12 to meet huge guests’ unique demands.

Temperature Control and Timer

When it comes to cooking flexibility, this unit leads, and others follow. While numerous backyard pizza ovens can reach high temperatures, Volt 12 allows you to set the temperature.

On top of that, there’s a timer function for up to 20 minutes. So, home chefs can cook perfect meals without babysitting the entire process.

For example, I often set the oven to 650 degrees F and walk away for about 10 minutes. Once it reaches the desired temperature, I slide in my New York-style pizza onto the stone. Then, keep the timer at 5 minutes and relax. When I hear the ding sound, I know that the most incredible New York-style pizza is ready for me to enjoy.

What Else Can You Cook Ooni Volt 12?

The Volt 12 is not as spacious as other 12-inch models from Ooni. However, it’s great for cooking all sorts of dry dishes, including bread, as long as they fit inside the oven. While you might be attempting to experiment with this premium device, avoid cooking oil-heavy dishes or fatty meals.

What’s About Other People’s Opinions?

• Thousands of customers agreed that the Volt 12 is the best countertop pizza oven despite triggering their fire alarms on the first attempt. They loved how easy it was to make tasty stone-baked pizzas. Its innovative technologies and automatic cooking mode received a lot of praise from lots of users.
• Adrienne So from Poland, through WIRED, loved how she could make amazing pies with only a little tinkering. Plus, she mentioned the sudden drop in the stone’s temperature when you open the door to shuffle it.
• Other customers complained of not being able to use this device’s pyrolytic cleaning ability indoors. Attempting to burn off the residue on the stone tends to create a lot of smoke. So, most of them said they did this cleaning process outdoors after having a fabulous indoor baking experience.

Coupons, Trials, Warranties, Shipping, and Ooni Support

Shipping: Ooni will deliver this remarkable device free of charge to you anywhere in the United States except Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska. For people living outside the United States, you’ll have to pay a shipping fee, including other necessary fees like customs duties and import taxes.

Refund Policy: users can test the Volt 12 and return it within 60 days of receipt if they don’t like the performance. No question asked!

Warranty: Ooni backs this electric-powered oven with a generous 2-year warranty. Within that period, the manufacturer is responsible for any fault it develops.

Quick Things You Know About The About Ooni Volt 12

Ease of use

This unit cooks at extreme temperatures without dealing with the hassle of managing flame. It’s the most convenient pizza oven ever made.

This top-choice appliance comes with knob dials to set and create the perfect cooking environment for your pizza. This effulgent device has an oven light, which makes peeping at the pizza-baking process a breeze.

Cleaning and maintenance

Like gas-fired units, the electric version demands minimal post-baking cleanup. You can burn and wipe off any residue thanks to its pyrolytic nature. It’s essential to do this drill outside or in a well-ventilated kitchen.

Upgrades, accessories, and attachments

Pizza oven cart/table

Ooni has an incredible line of pizza oven tables. They are made of durable metal materials to withstand varying outdoor conditions. Also, they come with multiple storage options and sometimes a hook to hang your propane tank. The most helpful feature is the castor wheel for easy transportation of heavy pizza ovens.

Volt 12 cover

The Ooni Volt is truly a multipurpose device that can cook indoors and outdoors. However, it’s recommended to store this device indoors. Suppose you plan to leave it outdoors for a couple of days. In that case, you need a protective cover to avoid irreparable damage.

Frequently Asked Questions