PrintJapanese Stovetop Pizza Oven
I'm obsessing over this Japanese stovetop pizza oven that looks like it would replicate the ideal baking conditions of a traditional Italian pizza oven. I say "looks like" because, honestly, could this thing really work? I have my doubts. Not to mention that the pies that come out look incredibly small.
Still, with a slight dome-shape to better reflect heat to cook the pizza top, and intense gas-burner flames from below, the little ceramic oven gives me hope, and I'm eager to get my hands on one.
Impress Watch has what appears to be a test-drive of the oven on its site, but it's in Japanese, and I can't read it. I do love that they include an upskirt shot (right) with their review, though.
It's made by a company called Hakuho and runs ¥10,000 (about US$93 as of publication). Any Slice readers in Japan? I'll make it worth your while to pick one up for me and ship it my way.
Inoue-san, are you reading? Help a (pizza) brother out!
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9 Comments:
Color me intrigued. I'd be curious to know what the recommended burner BTUs are and time required to get the oven to optimum temp.
cooksultant at 5:48PM on 01/19/08
I don't read Japanese but I ran the "Impress Watch" site page through a translating engine. Setting aside the confused idiom I culled the following:
- gas cookstove burner with 15860 BTU is recommended
- the dim's are 360mm (14.17") x 135mm (5.31") x 250mm (9.84") (diameter x height x thickness)
- weight of pizza stone 5kg (11.23 Lbs.)
- suggested cooking temperature is 300º C (572º F) but higher temperatures can be acheived
- preheating time 15 - 20 minutes
- standard cooking time, thin crust pie, 3 - 4 minutes
This does look pretty cool. Unfortunately I don't have a gas stove so I'm SOL. I'd love to hear more about this if someone can get their hands on one!
Percebes at 1:21AM on 01/20/08
Sorry, I got lost in translating... The dim's should read:
- 360mm (14.17") x 135mm (5.31") (diameter x height)
- recommended pie size + 250mm (9.84")
Percebes at 1:32AM on 01/20/08
whoa. I have so many mixed emotions. And all I can manage is a keanu reeves "whoa"
lola27 at 2:41AM on 01/20/08
konnichi-wa!!
Thanks for calling me. Yes, I know this. I'll mail you when I get more info ; )
tomoco at 5:10AM on 01/20/08
It's a novel idea, but there are some problems: Jeff's Perfect Pizza Bonanza (http://slice.seriouseats.com/jvpizza/) as well as Heston Blumenthal (In Search of Perfection) showed that 500C and a cooking time of just over a minute is the benchmark to aim for. Furthermore I have my doubts whether a glazed stone-such as the one used in the stovetop oven-can have a high enough thermal capacity to make this oven work at higher temperatures. I would recommend something like a soapstone instead.
DrJunge at 8:52AM on 01/20/08
Doesn't slice/serious eats have a genius grant from the Macarthur Foundation or a nutrition grant from the National Institutes of Health to obtain one of these and conduct a true scientific study on this product? It seems as if Slice would be doing a service to the public health if it had one shipped from Japan, then invited readers to participate in a blinded, controlled study comparing the pizza produced by this product with a control pizza: an identically topped and sized pizza produced by, say, Dom or Mark and had the readers decide. I'll bring the vino.
famdoc at 9:18AM on 01/20/08
I just saw this today on JapanTV. Looks fantastic!
My DH is going to Japan in May & I'm hoping he'll bring one back.
I'll have to find out more info by then, of course.
I also have only electric here, so we'll see. Maybe it can be used in an oven here to improve home made pizza.
The point is, of course, that most folks don't have ovens in Japan.
lifeisshort at 3:31PM on 01/21/08
I am going to be looking for this today (I live in Tokyo and you have no idea how hard it is to get a proper pizza). I'll probably put up some pics on my blog once I get it done. Thanks for the heads up :D
jawaadmahmood at 11:41PM on 02/15/08