The Vanstone Family Pizza Oven Kit enables you to build your own fully functioning pizza oven at home. The dome dimensions, flow-through and vent flue sizes and ratios are all in balance and working well. The kit provides the basic structure that allows you to complete the oven. For your convenience it also supplies essential materials that are usually difficult to source.
Size: The oven floor is 900mm in diameter. Depending on the sizes of the pizzas, you can cook a batch of four pizzas simultaneously. With a small fire on the side, the oven’s heat can be maintained for many batches, one after the other. Cooking time for pizza is usually 10 – 15 minutes and this depends on the oven temperature.
You may also use the oven for cooking other dishes like your favourite roasts, breads, fish bakes or roasted vegetables.
The basic Vanstone Family Pizza Oven Kit includes:
- Dome components: 4 pieces precast concrete
- Floor: 5 pieces precast concrete
- Door arch precast concrete
- Chimney pipe or flue. A single economy galvanised pipe 150mm diameter x 900mm long is provided with the basic kit. The heat will soon burn up the galvanising and you can then paint it with heat resistant paint. Never use enamel or other solvent based paints as it will catch fire. More durable flue pipes are available depending on your preference
- Vermiculite bricks for a base under the oven
- Rock wool blanket 2.5m x 1.2m
A few important basics to give you a taste:
1. Well Ventilated Space:
The oven must be built in a well ventilated space. Outdoors or semi-outdoors like your patio or lapa is ideal. If you are going to build it indoors, make sure that you comply with the fire regulations for indoor fireplaces.
2. Plan for the Chimney:
Make provision and plan for the chimney. It is important that the oven “draw” effectively i.e. air must move freely through the opening via the dome to the chimney and away. Apart from this, if you don’t get rid of the smoke, your experience will be unpleasant and even bad for your health.
The chimney top should protrude above any nearby bulky structure like a wall by at least 500mm. Nearby is say two metres but the local situation must be considered for free air movement. If the oven is indoors or under a patio roof, the chimney must lead to the outside. The best place for a chimney to end is above the roof but this is not always practical. The path should preferably be vertical all the way. If this is not possible, use as few bends as possible.
3. Insulation:
The oven must be well insulated. This goes for both the floor and the dome. Without it, heat will escape through these membranes and the oven will not maintain enough heat to function properly.
Take care when handling rock wool or similar products like glass wool. It is made of sharp-pointed fine volcanic rock fibre. It has no health consequences like asbestos but, if handled carelessly, it can cause itching. Take a few precautions before working with rock wool: Wear a long sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, safety goggles and a dust filter. Do not over-handle the rock wool, do not throw it, bash it or tear it. Cut it with good domestic scissors.
4. Learn How to Use Your Oven:
Learn how to use your pizza oven. It is not as straight forward as a braai. So learn the few basics and it will be easy and a pleasure for you and your family and friends to enjoy for years to come.
Getting started: Download the Complete Document (287KB)
Accessories:
You are going to need a few cooking “tools” to enjoy making your best pizza.
It is freely available in South Africa. Just Google “Pizza Accessories”
