Brick Oven vs. Wood Fire Oven

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If you’ve had wood-fired pizza, you know it was cooked in a wood-fired oven. Sometimes it’s cooked in a brick oven. Regardless, chefs use these popular ovens for outdoor cooking and baking.

Each oven has its own unique features and offers different benefits from using them. Let’s find out how they’re different and what oven is best for you below.

What are the Differences?

As you may know, there are differences between a wood-fired and a brick oven. Here are the differences.

 

Wood-Fired Ovens

 

• It produces a smoky flavor
• Uses wood as a fuel source
• Produces high heat for cooking, therefore cooking faster
• Has a rough stone surface for cooking
• More ideal for pizzas

 

Brick Ovens

 

• Relies on electricity or gas as a source of heat
• Slower, more even cooking
• The cooking surface and interior of the oven can differ
• Ideal for baking bread and pastries
• Heats up faster than wood fire ovens
• Retain heat better than wood fire ovens

 

With these differences, you can hopefully now determine which will suit your cooking needs better!

 

What is Similar Between the Two?

You know the differences, but do they have similar qualities? Here are some similarities between the two ovens:

 

• They both use wood fires to cook food.
• Both can reach high temperatures quickly
• Both can be used for a variety of cuisines
• Both can be used for a variety of cooking techniques

 

Which One is faster?

This depends on the oven used and such. Of course, as we mentioned, the brick oven heats up faster than the wood-fired one because it runs on electricity or propane. It also retains the heat better as well.

However, if you want a pizza almost pronto, it’s best to heat up the wood fire oven as it uses high heat and is able to cook the pizza quickly.

 

What Type Do Chefs Prefer?

Using both of these ovens is a chef’s dream, but it depends on the flavor profile and the time it takes to make something for their preference.

While it boils down to their personal preferences, it truly depends on their specific needs and the cuisine they are making for the establishment.

 

Which One is Easier for Maintenance?

Brick ovens can be easier to maintain, as it’s closed ovens compared to wood fire ovens.

However, both ovens are easy to maintain with a simple wipe-down after they are cooled down.

 

Final Thoughts on Brick oven vs. Wood fire oven 

As you’ve read today, brick ovens vs. wood fire ovens are two popular ovens that can cook a variety of food.

So whether you want to go for the traditional wood fire or you just want something that cooks faster and retains heat well, one of these ovens will most certainly work for you.

They can be found in some retail stores and online. Be sure to check out reviews before you invest in one. Whichever one you decide to get, it’ll be a nice addition to your outdoor kitchen for tasty food.