As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at my restaurant, Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve had the pleasure of testing many pizza ovens. In this comparison, I’ll dive into the Ooni Karu 12 and the DeliVita, two popular choices for pizza enthusiasts. Having used both ovens in my kitchen, I evaluated them based on quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and even conducted a real pizza cooking test to see how they perform under the same conditions. If you’re curious about my testing process, feel free to check out my detailed article on how I test pizza ovens.
The Ooni Karu 12 is a versatile and portable outdoor pizza oven designed for wood, charcoal, or gas cooking, while the DeliVita stands out with its unique hand-finished clay design and sleek appearance, offering a more traditional wood-fired cooking experience.
Here, I’ve done an in-depth comparison of the Ooni Karu 12 and the DeliVita, backed by my test results.
Lastly, a small note: this article contains referral links that help support my blog at no extra cost to you. If you decide to purchase either oven, using my links would be greatly appreciated! Let’s get started.
Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Quality and Materials
| The Ooni Karu 12 boasts a robust stainless steel construction that ensures durability and resilience against high temperatures. Its build quality feels premium, and it can withstand outdoor elements effectively. |
The DeliVita is made with a clay interior and a fiberglass exterior. While lightweight and durable, the clay can feel delicate and requires extra care to prevent cracking. Its recyclable packaging and weather-resistant shell are nice touches.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Temperature Control
| The Ooni Karu 12 offers impressive versatility, allowing users to control temperatures with wood, charcoal, or a gas burner (sold separately). Its double-insulated chamber helps retain consistent heat. |
DeliVita relies solely on wood for fuel, which adds a rich smoky flavor but requires manual adjustments. There’s no built-in thermometer, so you’ll need an infrared gun to monitor temperatures accurately.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Shape
| Ooni Karu 12‘s dome shape optimizes heat circulation, ensuring even cooking of the crust and toppings. The design minimizes smoke escape and maximizes airflow for uniform results. |
The dome shape of the DeliVita helps circulate heat evenly, but its size is slightly limiting for making large pizzas. It does well for small-scale cooking but feels less efficient compared to Ooni Karu 12’s design.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: First-Time Usage Impressions
| The Ooni Karu 12 is intuitive and user-friendly. First-time users may experience a slight learning curve with wood-fired cooking, but it quickly becomes straightforward. It produced a perfectly cooked Margherita pizza in under 2 minutes during testing. |
Using the DeliVita for the first time required a bit more effort. Managing the wood fire and the pizza peel was tricky, especially for beginners, resulting in slightly uneven cooking during the initial test.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Power Source
| The Ooni Karu 12 offers unmatched versatility with the option to use wood, charcoal, or a gas burner. This adaptability makes it ideal for various cooking scenarios. |
The DeliVita exclusively uses wood, offering an authentic wood-fired taste. However, managing the wood can be cumbersome, especially for those unfamiliar with this style of cooking.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Size
| Weighing 26 lbs, the Ooni Karu 12 is portable and easy to move, making it a great choice for camping or outdoor events. Its compact size is perfect for smaller spaces. |
The DeliVita is compact and stylish but relatively heavy for its size, making it less portable. It can cook one 12-inch pizza at a time, making it suitable for small gatherings.
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Ooni Karu 12 VS DeliVita: Ease of Cleaning
| Cleaning the Ooni Karu 12 is simple. Regular ash removal and wiping the chimney with a dry paper towel are sufficient. The stainless steel exterior is easy to maintain. |
The DeliVita requires careful cleaning of the clay interior. Ash removal is straightforward, but the lack of built-in insulation means it can be messy if not handled properly. The fiberglass exterior, however, is easy to wipe down.
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Pizza Cooking Test
The Ooni Karu 12 demonstrated its impressive heating capability by reaching optimal cooking temperatures of 715–850°F in just 15 minutes. Its efficient design and insulation allow it to preheat quickly, making it a reliable choice for time-sensitive cooking.
On the other hand, the DeliVita Wood-fired Oven took approximately 15–20 minutes to reach its ideal baking temperature of 500–550°F. While this is slightly slower than the Ooni Karu 12, it is still a reasonable time for a wood-fired oven.
The Ooni Karu 12 cooked a classic Margherita pizza in under 2 minutes, delivering a perfectly crispy crust, bubbling cheese, and evenly cooked toppings. The heat distribution in the dome ensured there were no burnt spots, even on the edges.
In comparison, the DeliVita also cooked a Margherita pizza in about 2 minutes. The crust was golden and the cheese melted beautifully, though the edges were slightly uneven due to the manual effort required to rotate the pizza frequently.
The Ooni Karu 12 delivered a pizza with a perfect balance of flavors. The crispy yet airy crust complemented the melted cheese and fresh toppings, resulting in a pizza reminiscent of those from authentic Italian pizzerias. The ability to use wood, charcoal, or gas allowed for a slight smoky flavor that enhanced the overall taste.
The DeliVita pizza had a distinct, smoky wood-fired flavor thanks to its reliance on real wood as fuel. The crust was crisp and flavorful, although the texture varied slightly on different parts of the pizza due to the learning curve in using the peel effectively.
In conclusion, while both ovens produced delicious pizzas, the Ooni Karu 12’s precision and speed gave it a slight edge in delivering consistently perfect results with minimal effort. The DeliVita offers an authentic wood-fired experience but requires a bit more manual attention.
How We Tested
To ensure a thorough and fair evaluation, we tested both the Ooni Karu 12 and the DeliVita Wood-fired Oven under similar conditions. Both ovens were set up in an outdoor environment, and we used high-quality wood as the primary fuel source to maximize flavor and performance.
We began by measuring the preheating times, ensuring each oven reached its optimal cooking temperature before proceeding. Using a laser thermometer, we tracked the temperature consistency across the cooking surface. For the test, we prepared a classic Margherita pizza in each oven—a simple recipe that allows us to focus on crust texture, even cooking, and flavor.
For the Ooni Karu 12, we tested its versatility by switching between wood and charcoal, observing how quickly it adapted and maintained its heat. In the DeliVita, we focused on its heat retention and the natural wood-fired flavor it imparted. Each pizza was cooked to golden perfection, with close attention paid to the crust’s crispiness, the cheese’s melt quality, and the overall taste.
After testing, we evaluated ease of cleaning, noting how quickly we could remove ash and residue from each oven. This allowed us to compare not just cooking performance, but also how practical each oven is for regular use.
This comprehensive process ensured that our comparison reflected real-world conditions and offered valuable insights into the strengths of both the Ooni Karu 12 and the DeliVita Wood-fired Oven.
Conclusion
In conclusion, whether you choose the Ooni Karu 12 or the DeliVita Wood-fired Oven depends entirely on your cooking style and needs. If you value versatility, speed, and precise control, the Ooni Karu 12 is an exceptional choice. On the other hand, if you’re drawn to the charm of a traditional wood-fired oven with a handcrafted design, the DeliVita offers a unique, artisanal cooking experience.
Both ovens are excellent in their own right, and I genuinely believe they can elevate your pizza-making game. If you decide to purchase one, I’d highly appreciate it if you use my referral links. It helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. Here are the links:
Thank you for supporting my work, and happy pizza-making!