{"id":1907289,"date":"2023-08-18T08:56:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T13:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1907289"},"modified":"2024-11-26T17:03:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T23:03:15","slug":"solo-stove-pi-prime-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/solo-stove-pi-prime-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Solo Stove Pi Prime Review: Our Expert Gives This Budget-Friendly Pizza Oven Her Stamp of Approval"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Solo\r\n\r\nHomemade pizza is the ideal dinner. Whether you have friends over or you need an easy weeknight meal, pizza is a universal crowd-pleaser. And thanks to the number of pizza ovens on the market, it's become even easier to fire a pie with your favorite pizza sauce<\/a> and go-to toppings and have it on the table in less than two minutes.\r\n\r\nI've tested multiple outdoor pizza ovens<\/a>, including the Ooni Koda 16<\/a>, Ooni Volt<\/a>, Blackstone pizza oven<\/a> and the original Solo Stove Pi pizza oven<\/a>. However, none of them are as budget-friendly as the Solo Stove Pi Prime<\/a>, which retails for just $349. To see how it stacks up to other options, I put this pizza oven to the test.\r\n

What is the Solo Stove Pi Prime pizza oven?<\/h2>\r\n\"\r\n\r\nThe Solo Stove Pi Prime is an outdoor pizza oven powered by gas. It hooks up to a propane tank, just as you would hook up a barbecue grill. The front dial lets you easily turn the oven on and adjust to the ideal temperature, whether cooking pizzas or making roasted vegetables or burgers.\r\n\r\nThe oven is sleek with its stainless steel exterior and partial black coating at the bottom. It weighs about 30 pounds and measures 15.5 inches tall by 20.5 inches wide. The opening is 13 inches\u2014making it ideal for pizzas that are 12 inches or smaller. In the box, you'll find the pizza oven, gas hose and pizza stone to get started. Essential pizza-making tools<\/a>, such as a pizza peel and turner, are sold separately.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT superlative=\"We Tried It\" product_name=\"Solo Stove Pi Prime Pizza Oven\" image=\"2084132\" image_credit=\"VIA MERCHANT\" pr_name=\"Solo Stove\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/solostove.pxf.io\/q4YLYj\" pr_display_text=\"Shop on Solo Stove\" retailers_2_name=\"Amazon\" retailers_2_url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0CG2MB8YB\/\" retailers_2_display_text=\"Shop on Amazon\" retailers_4_name=\"Home Depot\" retailers_4_url=\"https:\/\/www.homedepot.com\/p\/327611677\" retailers_4_display_text=\"Shop on Home Depot\" \/]\r\n

Solo Stove Pi Prime Product Features<\/h2>\r\n\"\r\n\r\nSolo Stove is known for its clever smokeless backyard fire pits<\/a>, which utilize a signature design to promote airflow. (One of our editors is smitten with the Solo Stove Bonfire<\/a>.) The same technology is apparent in their pizza ovens; the circular dome design of this pizza oven allows the heat produced by the gas flame to radiate within the oven, creating an ambient temperature of 800 to 900 degrees.\r\n\r\nThe stainless steel construction provides great heat retention, while still being durable and long-lasting under Solo Stove's lifetime warranty. The front dial is easy to turn and control, and its placement makes it much more convenient to turn the pizza oven on and adjust temperatures as necessary.\r\n

How We Tested the Solo Stove Pi Prime Pizza Oven<\/h2>\r\nI set the Solo Stove Pi Prime up straight out of the box and tested it by making multiple pizzas. It's been a staple in my backyard for over six months.\r\n

Set-Up<\/h3>\r\nThe pizza oven comes in a large box with the oven intact all in one piece. Pulling the oven out of the box and placing it on a heat-safe surface is simple. The pizza stone was wrapped separately, so I placed it in the oven. Once set up, I connected the hose to a propane tank.\r\n

Lighting the Pizza Oven<\/h3>\r\n\"\r\n\r\nThe front dial on the pizza oven serves as the lighting and temperature control. To turn on the pizza oven, I opened the gas tank and then turned the dial to the ignition symbol for it to light. It's quick and easy to light the pizza oven, and once it's lit, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to heat up to the proper cooking temperature on high.\r\n\r\nThe insulation of this oven is incredible, and even with it at 900 degrees, you can't feel the heat on the exterior. This design helps to alleviate heat transfer on the bottom of the oven, which makes it much easier to put on just about any surface, including wood, marble and stainless steel tabletops.\r\n

Cooking<\/h3>\r\n\"\r\n\r\nWhile Solo Stove's original pizza oven had the option for cooking with wood, the Pi Prime is gas-only. This update provides much more control over temperature and the live flame. After the oven preheats, I like to turn the dial down to medium, which reduces the height of the flame for more control.\r\n\r\nThe pizza oven has a wide enough opening to fit a 12-inch pizza easily. Once I slid my prepped pizza off the pizza peel, I allowed the base of the crust to set for about 30 seconds before turning. The stone's heat cooks the pie's base quickly, while the flame's ambient heat helps the crust rise and the toppings cook. Keeping a consistent eye on the pizza while it's in the oven and turning frequently is crucial to cooking a crust with even browning. Once the pizza is cooked, all that's left to do is retrieve it with the pizza peel, allow it to rest for a few minutes, slice it up with a pizza cutter<\/a>\u00a0and dig in!\r\n\r\nI found that my pizzas cooked within 90 seconds to two minutes each, depending on the toppings and cheese choice. The crust around each pizza was fluffy with just a touch of char. And while I always choose to use homemade dough and my favorite pizza toppings, you can also choose to order pizzas online<\/a> to cook in this oven. Just be sure to defrost your pies before placing them on the hot pizza stone!\r\n

6-Month Update<\/h3>\r\n\"6\r\n\r\nIf you're new to cooking pizza in an outdoor oven, time and time again, I'll recommend the Solo Stove Pi Prime. Based on my comparisons of testing multiple pizza ovens, it's still the best value thanks to its great performance, lower price point and included lifetime warranty. After more than six months of use, I've found I can get creative in the Pi Prime, using it to make excellent pizzas and much more.\r\n\r\nBecause of its domed design and great heat retention, I can use the flame and residual heat to bake scones, biscuits for strawberry shortcakes, stuffed bell peppers, and more. The front dial is still one of my favorite features, with convenient placement and the ability to have extra control over the flame height. That definitely comes in handy to avoid charring a pizza or baking in the oven. I haven't noticed much of a patina developing on this oven, and the wear and tear on the pizza stone has been minimal. Like the original Pi pizza oven, you can easily remove the split stone and flip it over, which helps to cook off any burnt-on flour, even while you're busy making pizza on the upright, clean side. It makes cleaning a breeze!\r\n\r\nWhile it is best to put it inside a garage or shed over winter, I left this pizza oven outside on my deck over a snowy winter, with the cover on. I've fired it up multiple times without any problems since then.\r\n

Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n