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thirded. I have a nice big countertop in the kitchen that’s at the right height for me. I make them in there then a quick step outside to launch.

What’s your process since getting the ooni? I’ve found that shaping on the worktop then dragging onto the bamboo launching peel works really well, gives the pie a final stretch then let’s me tinker yo get it as round as possible

they’re looking great 👍🏻 my current method is launch the pizza, wait until the back left edge is just starting to brown a tiny bit (really just before it starts to colour) then turn it 180°. After this I’ll usually do one or two more 90° turns to put any pale patches in the hotter zone. in a couple of weeks I’ve got my youngest kid’s third birthday party so (pandemic permitting) we’ll be serving pizzas to my biggest crowd yet. I’ll be doing probably a dozen or so pretty much back to back. Should be fun! Also I’d be interested if anyone has done a lot in one sitting - how many have you managed before having to reheat the floor?

Not sure I’ve ever gone quite to 16”. But once you get used to turning, 12-14” pizzas are a doddle to cook evenly. I guess whatever size your oven, cooking at the absolute limit is going to pose some challenges. The thing I love about the koda 16 is that making a single normal sized pizza is easy - a lot easier than trying to do a 12” in their smaller ovens. Obviously it would be easier still in a massive wood burning oven, but there are cost and convenience trade offs in that which would put it out of reach for a lot of people. I suppose it comes down to what you’re going to be cooking - if it absolutely has to be 16+” pizzas, or you want to crank out 20+ an hour then you’re going to need something different. But for “normal” sized Neapolitan pizzas I think ooni have really hit the sweet spot here.

when I was younger and had been out drinking we always used to order “half chips, half fried rice, half curry sauce” from our local Chinese takeaway ps - agree about irn bru. Terrible stuff.

Over this side of the pond my current favourite is Basco - they do loads of speciality Spanish meats and charcuterie. Whole suckling pig, milk fed lamb and (at the other end of the age spectrum) 10-12 year old Galician beef from ex-dairy cows: It’s been great being able to get hold of interesting food this last year, despite having eaten out maybe only 2-3 times.

that’s pretty spectacular value - one of those would set me back the equivalent of about $75 here in the uk

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as that feeling of flow, absolutely no conscious thought or effort going in to what you’re doing.

This really does explain a lot - I’ve had Hershey’s a few times when I’ve travelled to the states. I’d always thought it tasted odd, now I now why!

I can confidently say that you’ll love it 😊 it works so well, was a doddle to set up and even my first pizza came out half decent. the main thing I’ve learned with mine so far is the importance of fully proofed dough - times when I’ve tried to do it too soon haven’t been as impressive as when I’ve made sure it’s ready to go. But that doesn’t mean waiting an age if you don’t want to - the emergency dough recipe on the ooni site works really well and is ready to go in an hour or two. Having said that, if you’ve got a bit longer the last one I did was an overnight biga and I was pretty much delighted with it.

My mum had a set of the Raymond blanc pans. Truly awful. I was never a fan of the design but on top of that they barely lasted a couple of years. baffles me how chefs who have made a career out of minute attention to detail could put their name to tat like this. Pays the tax bill I guess…

I’ve done pitta and naan a few times. They generally turn out well. Kerry’s right about the heat coming mainly from the back, however, with pitta the amount they puff can put them a bit near the ceiling of the oven. If they touch that they scorch pretty badly. Best technique I’ve found is being ready with the peel and just shielding them if they start to get a bit close. the other thing I’m still getting right is the thickness to roll out the dough to. There’s a pretty narrow window between being too thick and doughy and too thin they turn out like a crisp cracker. I’ve had a look but can’t seem to find any pictures, will post some up next time I try them

Are we just ignoring the fact the pizzas look terrible?

I’d definitely get the gas one - have used the pellet/wood oonis and after the novelty wears off you won’t use anything but gas. it’s so much easier and the taste is identical

Would shrimp be acceptable? brined shrimp, cooked on cedar planks and dressed with lemon and chive butter might be a nice bridge between boring plain food and something fun to make. They’re bloody tasty too.

Also cannot wait for this, looks a great product. chris, any thoughts about using it to control a fan blower for kamado Cooker?

@MikeMac this is great to hear. Glad it’s working out so well… I’m really getting sold on this idea. Hope you don’t mind me picking your brains some more: what have been your big wins? Like what food have you cooked that’s really improved on your previous normal ovens? anything you’d have done differently? Model choice, location, ventilation?

Just resurrecting this old topic. how have the last few years been with the Rational? I used one while on holiday in Italy a couple of years ago and was blown away. Would love to get one if/when we ever move house again.

@Kim Shook, the crackling on this pork was really good and I think that came down to the method. It was certainly a lot better than my usual attempts! as others have suggested, separating the skin from the meat is very helpful. In this case the sheet of skin was cooked SV at 70°C for 24 hours. After this time it was seriously soft with all of the collagen broken right down. Before starting there was very little fat on the underside which I think was helpful. I reapplied the skin to the cooked meat before crisping but I’m sure it could have been cooked separately too. Maybe dried the sheet in the fridge overnight before using the broiler or a very hot convection oven. edit: this is the skin before and after SV: mane reuinted with the rolled belly before tying and blasting at 230°C:

Reporting back on the pork belly. Wow! What a recipe. Really enjoyed this. One day I’ll definitely try the whole thing but for now I’m really happy with the parts I did. the belly is super moist, the skin sticks really well once it’s rolled back up and it cooked evenly and quickly. The tartness of the apple purée was perfect, and I loved the salad cream.

he’s brilliant isn’t he. For all the reasons you say, a very very impressive chef and person. shame about the books, I’ve only made a couple of things out of this one but I love it already. His steak and chips dish took me the best part of nine hours but was so worth it. Every element was as good as I’ve ever made - fillet of beef, triple cooked chips, onion rings, a spectacular bernaise, cafe de Paris butter and an absolutely belting red wine sauce. the “hog roast” is a multi element pig celebration. I’m only doing the belly part and some of the sides today but the whole contains: - rolled and Sv belly - braised head meat croquettes - stuffed trotter - a salt crust bag of baked potatoes - little gem salad with salad cream - apple puree - pork sauce I’ll post a pic from the book later edit: just had a look and it seems the book is available in the US in the new year... or even on kindle right now... https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Flowers-Cookbook-Tom-Kerridge/dp/147293539X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hand+and+flowers+cookbook&qid=1608796206&sprefix=hand+and+flowers&sr=8-1

Today I’m starting a version of Tom Kerridge’s “hog roast” from his new hand and flowers cookbook. belly of pork rolled and SV for 8 hours at 70°, the skin in a separate bag done for 24 hours. Once they’re both cooked and chilled I’ll put them back together again ready to roast tomorrow evening.

Looking great @Ann_T how do you find it?

You’re going to love it! I’ve it used mine for a few weeks (been on a lower carb diet to shed the extra weight I’ve gained during lockdown!). Can’t wait to get it out again.

I have that exact same oxo one and it’s the best I’ve used. For me, the non-negotiable add on was a pair of Kevlar cutproof gloves. They cost all of £7 on amazon but have saved my hands more times than I can remember. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FDQJVF2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FvMhFbR1FW434