Member’s Mark Pizza Oven Review: In-Depth Testing and Results

With over a decade of experience as a chef, I’ve perfected the art of pizza-making at my restaurant, Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston. Over the years, I’ve worked with a wide range of pizza ovens, and after testing the Member’s Mark 12″ Portable Rotating Gas Pizza Oven for several months, I’ve gained in-depth insights into its performance and unique features.

Features Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

Here are some of the features that make this oven stand out:

• Pizza cooks in just 60 seconds.
• Comes with a rotating cordierite pizza stone that runs on batteries.
• Heats up to 900˚F in just 25 minutes.
• Includes a 12″ aluminum pizza peel and a 4″ stainless steel pizza cutter.
• Made for outdoor use exclusively.

Product Specifications

Assembly And Usability Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

When I got the Member’s Mark pizza oven I found out that assembling it was easy; this followed a manual that was given to me during purchase. After fitting the legs firmly and joining the gas hose, I fixed the cordierite pizza stone and hood as directed. Setting up of accessories did not require any hard work. The burner lit well when ignited and during use, preheating took some time with pizzas being cooked in around two to ten minutes on the revolving stone base. There was also a decent amount of control to see that they didn’t get burnt down. Cleaning wasn’t hard afterward; it was easily done after using. 

Unboxing And First Impressions Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

At first glance at the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, I instantly thought that how thin its pizza stone was. On a positive note, the inclusion of a great looking pizza peel made me really happy. The cover tightly fit over the oven with a pungent smell right from the start, and this left me wondering whether it would be durable enough. 

Moreover, I did not like the look of this small oven for pizzas; it was kind of odd and unappealing. Nevertheless, there was one useful thing about this built-in thermometer in it. While being rather simple, the gas burner has an unusually delicate flame.

Quality And Materials Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

I found that all accessories provided were of good quality. However, I have concerns as to whether or not the thinness of steel used could result in significant deformation under heavy use conditions. Similarly, a pizza stone as much as 3/8” inches thick looked more thinly than expected which seemed inconsistent with its manufacturer’s reputation for quality.

Shape And Its Importance For Pizza Cooking

The round top of this oven is supposed to help distribute heat throughout equally so your pizzas cook just right from side to side. This means it can help avoid having some parts of your pizza overcooked when others are still raw.

Temperature Control Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

This can be a challenge when trying to control the temperature on the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven. After preheating for at least 30 minutes, I realized that it never reached 900 degrees Fahrenheit as claimed. It also has a weak and small flame which makes it hard to control its temperature.

Using The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven For The First Time

For my first test, I made Neapolitan pizza because of its simplicity and had some dough left from my previous review. Although the crust in my first pizza test didn’t rise as much as I wanted, it also didn’t have enough leopard spotting – an indication of real Neapolitan pizza. For a second pizza, I tried to increase the heat but still fell short of what I desired. Even when I moved the pie closer to the fire, there was no significant improvement in temperature at all; only burnt crusts.

Size Of Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

There wasn’t much online information, but based on their official website, it is about 24.2″ x 15.5″ x 11.6″. It’s strange how this is probably one of the smallest and lightest ovens that I’ve tried though. But for the price, I guess you can’t really complain much about its small size.

How to clean the Member’s Mark Pizza oven?

Cleaning the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is not too hard. The oven should be completely cooled down before cleaning. Then, go over any parts of the surface that have any food dirt on them with a sponge and dish soap. To do this, you can use a soapy water solution for better cleaning results. Just mix little dishwasher liquid with lukewarm water, deep a piece of cloth or sponge in it and scrub softly the appliance. Lastly, remove all soap residues using a new wet fabric. For regular maintenance, ensure your pizza oven is kept clean for your next meals.

Is it possible to use the Member’s Mark Pizza oven inside the house?

It can be used inside, but I do not recommend doing this. This oven is meant for outdoor use, so using it indoors could be risky for several reasons. It gets really hot and might make smoke and smells that stick around. It’s safer and better to use it outside like it’s supposed to be used. Plus, cooking outdoors adds to the experience, giving you more space and ventilation.

How much time does the Member’s Mark Pizza oven take to make a Margherita pizza?

It does not heat up very well based on experience. I cannot exactly tell how long it takes to prepare Margherita pizza in The Members Mark Pizza Oven because after 30 minutes waiting, we could not get it hot enough to cook properly. Although sometimes longer than some other ovens, usually around 5 to 10 minutes should bring a pizza to the right temperature since this cooker takes extra time to heat up fully before cooking the pizza right.

Pre-Heating Time On The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven has a strong 304 stainless steel burner that’s designed to heat up fast. Based on their website it can supposedly reach temperatures of up to 900˚F in just 25 minutes of preheating.

What else can you cook in the Member’s Mark Pizza oven?

The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is quite useful and can prepare more than just pizza. I recommend making smaller or flatter items for instance, flatbreads, focaccia, sandwiches, quesadillas, roasted vegetables, chicken wings, baked fish fillets, and small cuts of meat like lamb chops, chicken thighs or pork tenderloin. I believe this oven is particularly good for desserts such as fresh fruit cobblers baked in a cast iron skillet or baking dish; brownies, cookies; cinnamon rolls; mini pies; s’mores dip and fruit tarts. Since different foods may require different heat settings compared to what you use when preparing pizzas for them to be cooked properly it is prudent that you monitor the temperature carefully. If you cook your dishes one by one they will all be uniformly cooked and they will also all fit in the oven. This can improve outcomes if one uses cast iron skillets as well as baking sheets to help it fit well inside the oven.

Drawbacks Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

There are a couple of drawbacks to the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven that I can think of. Although I just saw this online through their site and tried to look for reviews from other people, it is not as well known, which was one of the reasons my expectations were not too high. The second drawback is the price; it is fairly cheap so I can’t complain too much about the features, especially since I noticed the steel body and stone are quite thin. Moreover, I noted an uneven distribution of heat in it which impaired taste in food. Lastly, even after 35-40 minutes it struggled to reach high temperatures, which contradicts their claims of reaching high temps with no problems.

Price Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven only retails for $174.99 on Amazon, which is quite cheap and affordable. This makes it a great option if you are just starting out or if you don’t make pizza often. View the current price on Amazon.

How does the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven compare to other outdoor pizza ovens?

Initially, Member’s Mark pizza oven could match the temperature of Ooni Koda 16 but it couldn’t keep up and capped at about 755°F after thirty-five to forty minutes. It had a weak flame compared to Koda’s strong one. During testing, it struggled to reach the high temperatures needed for Neapolitan pizza, hitting only 760-775°F. There was also no elevation in heat by moving the pizza closer to the flame. However, it isn’t ideal for Neapolitan pizzas but it can make decent or acceptable ones. Get Gozney Roccbox or Ooni Karu 12G instead if you want way better pizza.

User Reviews Of The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

A number of users have experienced problems with the cooking that was uneven, with some saying outside was burned and inside was still raw. Another user claimed having made multiple attempts to no avail and was left disappointed and frustrated. Similarly, another buyer claimed that the oven has a weak ignition system, indicating that it is not of excellent quality and customer service is poor. However, other customers have praised the effectiveness of this oven especially when it comes to making crunchy pizzas more quickly. In spite of the mixed reviews about it, those who liked it said they loved its portability and crispy pizza results which makes it an easy tool for outdoor cooking.

Check out more feedback on Amazon, Reddit or YouTube —lots of great reviews await!

My Cooking Tips For The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven

Here are my cooking tips for the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven:

• After each use, ensure the pizza stone is clean. A quick scrub with a grill brush and wipe with a paper towel should do the trick, ensuring any leftover residue is removed.
• Remember that with this oven, you’ll need to babysit the flames and adjust as you go to ensure even cooking and temperature control. 
• Keep in mind that the oven operates using batteries, so make sure they are fully charged for optimal performance.
• Cook smaller items or by batch only, do not overcrowd the oven.

Is the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven Worth It?

It’s a good option, especially if you don’t make pizza a lot or travel much. It’s cheap, easy to carry around, and perfect for cooking on the go. But it could work better. 

Pros:

• Affordable
• Light
• Portable

Cons:

• Could perform better

Chef’s Opinions

For me, The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven has received mixed reviews. Although it is inexpensive; there are areas where improvement can be made. It’s perfect for people who are always on the go or do not cook pizza frequently and are fine with getting better at handling it. Nevertheless, if you need something outstanding in terms of performance then this may not meet your needs. It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to spend just a little more money I would recommend looking at Gozney Roccbox pizza ovens instead.

If you choose to buy it, kindly use my referral link.