Ooni Volt 2 Review: A Strong Case For An Indoor Pizza Oven

Two years ago, Ooni brought nan pizza statement indoors pinch the Volt 12. With that device, nan institution entered caller territory and proved that its marque of outdoor cooking could beryllium transformed for usage successful location kitchens. That exemplary wasn’t without its flaws though, including its bulky stature and precocious price. Still, it impressed maine capable to gain a spot connected our best pizza ovens list.

With nan Volt 2 ($699), Ooni wholly overhauled its conception of what an electrical indoor pizza oven could be. That starts pinch a much polished creation that’s somewhat smaller than nan first generation. The institution besides reconfigured nan controls, creating a button-based strategy that’s easier to understand and centers connected recently developed Pizza Intelligence technology. Given Ooni’s way grounds for consistency and performance, it shouldn’t beryllium immoderate astonishment that nan Volt 2 is different deed for nan pizza oven maker.

Design updates

As portion of Ooni’s redesign for nan Volt 2, nan exterior looks wholly different, correct down to nan updated controls and ample integer display. This caller exemplary has a much refined, much modern artistic — 1 that will surely fresh successful amongst today’s mini room appliances. The wide creation is softer and rounder wherever nan first type was angular and blocky. Plus, Ooni opted for a achromatic type successful summation to its modular gray, giving you nan expertise to take nan 1 that fits successful your room best. There’s besides a caller orange-ish ray that shines down onto nan counter, aliases immoderate aboveground you person nan Volt 2 on, which serves arsenic an parameter that nan oven is preheating.

Up front, a postulation of buttons person replaced nan 3 power knobs and mini dials from nan Volt 12. There’s 1 for each of Ooni’s caller Pizza Intelligence-powered presets and location are further options for mixed proofing, oven and broil/grill modes. The past 2 buttons successful nan main cluster connected nan near broadside are for redeeming civilization presets. Closer to nan center, location are 3 buttons for somesthesia control, crisping strength and nan timer. To group immoderate of those, you’ll usage nan larger metallic knob each nan measurement to nan right. This knob besides doubles arsenic nan boost activation erstwhile you request other powerfulness from nan apical heating element.

Ooni besides installed a caller integer show connected nan front, giving you somesthesia and timer updates astatine a glance. This is simply a immense betterment complete nan dials connected nan Volt 12, which couldn’t beryllium publication from a distance. With nan ample numbers connected nan Volt 2, I tin conscionable locomotion to nan doorway of nan room and peek successful if I want an update connected nan preheating process.

There are different refinements, for illustration nan larger viewing model connected nan beforehand door, but a awesome 1 is nan size simplification for nan Volt 2. Don’t get maine wrong, this is still a ample device; it’s astir nan size of a low-profile microwave. It’s besides still rather dense astatine astir 39 pounds. But Ooni did negociate to shave a fewer inches present and there, and erstwhile mixed pinch nan rounder creation cues, this makes nan Volt 2 look for illustration it isn’t arsenic monolithic aliases imposing arsenic nan Volt 12.

New features

Nearly each of nan Volt 2’s caller features halfway astir what Ooni calls Pizza Intelligence. The exertion is an adaptive power strategy for nan oven that uses unsocial heating elements and soul sensors. The setup tin set nan oven’s somesthesia successful existent clip “for speed, accuracy and baking consistency,” according to nan company. This exertion serves arsenic nan ground for those style-based presets I already mentioned.

More specifically, nan Volt 2’s presets see Neapolitan, Thin & Crispy and Pan Pizza that alteration you to commencement cooking without overmuch thought to clip and temperature. All of these tin beryllium adjusted arsenic each 1 has a somesthesia scope for further good tuning. Each 1 besides has its unsocial crisping strength and navigator temperature, some of which tin besides beryllium tweaked arsenic needed.

After utilizing each of nan presets during testing, I for illustration that Ooni made its 2nd pizza oven easier to usage for beginners. Even though I person immoderate at-home pizza making acquisition (thanks COVID-19), it was bully to not interest astir clip and somesthesia successful my investigation and planning. For much precocious users, nan expertise to usage nan presets arsenic a starting constituent and tweak nan parameters ensures that nan Volt 2 remains a staple successful nan room for a agelong time. Plus, nan 2 slots for wholly civilization presets intends Ooni experts will person abstraction to prevention their refined, personalized configurations.

Making pizza pinch nan Volt 2

You’re astir apt wondering really bully nan pizza is retired of this thing, right? After all, nan creation prowess, features and specs mean thing if nan extremity consequence is terrible. That’s not nan lawsuit here, nor has it been connected immoderate Ooni oven I’ve tested. I peculiarly bask baking pizzas pinch nan Volt 2 (and nan Volt 12 before) because I tin do truthful successful nan comfortableness of my ain kitchen. Everything I mightiness request successful a pinch is adjacent by and there’s nary unfastened occurrence to support aliases show for safety.

First, let’s talk preheating. Ooni says nan Volt 2 tin beryllium fresh to navigator pizza successful 12 minutes, and I suppose that’s existent if you’re doing a lower-temperature bake. In my tests, nan oven took precisely 25 minutes to get to its 850-degree Fahrenheit maximum (ideal for Neapolitan pies) and conscionable complete 18 minutes to deed 660 degrees. That second fig is nan target somesthesia of nan Thin & Crispy preset, which was my favourite of nan 3 Pizza Intelligence options. Both of these prevention clip complete utilizing your location oven since a batch of recipes show you to preheat that appliance for an hour.

A awesome information pinch nan Volt 2 is pizza size. The oven’s baking chromatic tin accommodate 12-inch pizzas, which intends family pizza nighttime will entail everyone making their ain aliases baking aggregate pies astatine nan very least. For my family, I made 4 during my Neapolitan test, stretching and topping each caller pizza aft nan erstwhile 1 vanished baking. After removing a pizza, nan chromatic somesthesia drops, but nan Volt 2’s Boost characteristic uses a 45-second burst to thief it recover. I recovered that by nan clip I cautiously stretched and topped nan dough, nan oven was fresh for nan adjacent pizza.

Across Neapolitan, Thin & Crispy and Pan Pizza modes, nan Volt 2 produced genuinely stellar results for each style. I’ll statement that I utilized mixed recipes for each style from The Ooni Pizza Project by Scott Deley. I’ve recovered that his guidance leads to astonishing pizzas, moreover if you’re readying to conscionable usage your location oven. Using nan Volt 2, Neapolitan pies had ample leoparding and cooked quickly successful nan precocious heat. Thinner, New York-style pizza was so crispy connected nan bottommost and perfectly browned connected apical while still having a pleasant chewiness. And my Detroit-style cookware tests were crispy connected nan edges and pillowy soft inside.

There are 2 important things to statement astir utilizing nan Volt 2. First, nan exterior gets hot, particularly astatine 800 degrees and above. For that reason, you’ll want to debar sitting thing connected apical of nan oven while you’re utilizing it (or very adjacent to it, really). You’ll besides request to let ample clip for nan extracurricular to cool earlier storing nan Volt 2. The oven runs its ain shutdown cycle, but nan exterior whitethorn still beryllium excessively lukewarm to put distant erstwhile that’s complete.

Second, contempt a steam and fume filter, nan Volt 2 still expels steam retired of nan back. I combated this by putting nan oven connected my flat-top stove nether nan exhaust fan, but you’ll request to scheme accordingly if you don’t want that wafting astir your kitchen. I could spot this being a problem for mini surviving spaces for illustration apartments.

The competition

If you’re looking for Volt alternatives, location are 2 main competitors. The long-standing incumbent is Breville’s Pizzaiolo. It excessively offers easy-to-use presets and features successful summation to a grade of manual operation. My main rumor pinch it was nan price, which was initially $1,000 but is now $800. That reduced value is still $100 much than nan Volt 2. I besides had problem pinch nan confined information baking area and really difficult nan oven is to cleanable since debris could autumn down astir nan bottommost heating element.

There’s besides nan Current Model P. This 1 wins nan value warfare astatine nether $500 and it excessively has presets and a max somesthesia of 850 degrees. Current’s app has a Pizza Build Calculator that assists pinch time, somesthesia and ingredients. I haven’t tested this 1 yet, but it’s connected my database for nan adjacent future.

Wrap-up

There’s nary sophomore slump here. The Volt 2 is simply a large upgrade complete nan original Volt — that overmuch is undeniable. It’s easier to usage for each accomplishment levels acknowledgment to its clearer controls and ample display. Presets activity well, but they tin besides service arsenic a starting constituent for further look refinement for knowledgeable users. And nan pizza — my goodness, nan pizza is consistently edifice value (or better) crossed a scope of styles. Combine that capacity pinch a amended looking design, somewhat smaller footprint and little starting value and you’ve sewage a compelling lawsuit for a standalone indoor pizza oven.