Pizza Today - July 2017 - 41

units don't require a separate burner
chamber, so there's more vertical real
estate available for additional ovens.
Deck ovens usually have a maximum
temperature of 650 F (but usually run
closer to 550 F).
Since gas burners are located below
the baking chamber, deck ovens are
potentially more consistent in temperature than brick ovens; however,
they also have a much lower degree of
heat retention. Operators need to be
cognizant of the oven door, as leaving
it open will result in an uneven bake
due to excessive heat loss. The location
of the burners also means that there's
very little top heat, so intense charring
is difficult to achieve.

100 percent of its heat by convection just
works better for the product," says Hyland.
He's also happy about the unexpected benefits
of using a conveyor oven. "I don't have to hire
someone just to work the oven. There's no
training time required to get used to it."
Unlike his wood-fired pizzeria, Emmy
Squared doesn't misfire a single pizza.
According to oven distributor Peter de
Jong, it's crucial to identify one's desired
pizza style before purchasing an oven. "The

biggest mistake you can make is buying an
oven for the wrong reasons," he says. It's also
important to test an oven in person with your
own dough before deciding. There is no such
thing as a perfect oven just as there is no
perfect pizza. The key is to find one that fits
your restaurant and your product. n
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's
Pizza Tours in New York City and
SliceOutHunger.org.

Conveyor Ovens

Brick and deck ovens share the risk
of operator error because someone
must manipulate the pizza during the
bake. Conveyor ovens were introduced
in part to reduce that risk potential
by removing the need for human
supervision. The pizza coasts through
the oven chamber heated by either
stationary elements, like a toaster, or
more advanced air impingement units,
which hit the product with jets of hot
air. Most conveyor ovens bake solely by
convection, but new products featuring
stone conveyor belts have recently hit
the market.
Conveyor ovens are not particularly
attractive; so they're unlikely choices
for visible kitchens. They also provide
no direct contact with a hot surface,
as with a brick or deck oven, so it's
difficult to produce a crust with the
crunchy exterior and soft interior
achieved by those oven types.
Matt Hyland was surprised by
his own decision to use a conveyor
oven at Emmy Squared, a pizzeria he
opened in the Williamsburg section of
Brooklyn with his wife, Emily, in 2016.
Emmy Squared serves a Detroit-inspired pizza completely unlike the thin,
wood-fired pies at their first pizzeria,
Emily, which is also located in Brooklyn. "The pans we use are super thick,
so an oven that produces almost
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Pizza Today - July 2017

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