Pizza ovens have been a leading category for a few years now. Just look on Google and you’ll find that plenty of brands have entered the market to meet demand. But Gozney started the whole hype with the excellent (and remarkably portable) Roccbox. Expanding the range has been a regular thing since then, with some models better received than others.
I think they’ve built one of their finest to date with the Gozney Arc, which brings the balance closer when we’re looking at the essentials of performance and price. It’s pitched as a compact outdoor pizza oven but takes up more space, offering a more professional performance with a design geared towards versatility and ease of use.
Does Gozney strike the balance well? Read on for my full thoughts on the Gozney Arc and why it’s essential for an Aussie summer.
Design
The Arc boasts a sleek, modern aesthetic with a durable powder-coated steel exterior. Its compact dimensions—18.9 inches in width, 22.2 inches in depth, and 13.5 inches in height—allow it to fit comfortably in various outdoor spaces, from expansive backyards to modest balconies. Although with the stand it does take up quite some space, especially when towering in the backyard.
This does up the stability score, however, so I think it’s a nice balance between portability and reliability here.
Inside, the oven features a 20mm thick removable cordierite stone cooking floor, known for excellent heat retention and the ability to produce crispy pizza crusts. This is furthered by the use of an innovative lateral gas burner, which is side-mounted and creates a rolling flame that brings it much closer to the performance of a wood-fired oven.
Performance
Using a design that more evenly distributes heat across the cooking surface has an overall benefit to both cooking time and result, which reduces the number of times you’d need to turn the pizza. This means it’s much easier to use than Gozney’s older models as well, taking away a barrier it seems many have when it comes to buying a good pizza oven.
The lateral gas burner is the key to the overall design here. With it, the oven reaches a maximum temperature of 500C in 30-40 minutes. That’s the same as the award-winning Roccbox so I’m confident my results are easily replicable. I can cook a traditional Neapolitan-style pizza in just under one minute in this thing, and the gas burner makes the cooking process that much more straightforward.
There’s also a built-in thermometer for real-time temperature readings, although I found I needed this less and less the more I trusted the Gozney to burn up to the optimal temperature faster than the standard oven with a pizza stone. Still, it’s always worth checking just in case. The consistency in heat means more precise cooking and better control once you get used to the oven – which should take a good few rounds.
My pizzas come out beautifully charred and even. It’s quite easy to tell when a pizza oven isn’t quite doing the perfect job as there’s always one little slice where the toppings aren’t as cooked as the others. I had zero problems with the Arc in this regard, and I repeated the results numerous times.
Gozney has made cleaning more straightforward as well. The removable cordierite stone doesn’t need much upkeep but it can be taken out and cleaned separately.
Verdict & Value
The Gozney Arc comes in two different sizes and starts at $1,199. I’d say you don’t need the more expensive XL version given the Arc is so reliable and fast at cooking pizza. Unless you’ve got a huge party to entertain, just cooking one pizza at a time is going to be perfectly fine. 10 pizzas in 10 minutes? Forgetaboutit.
I do like the study Arc Stand that’s included. It doesn’t mean I have to awkwardly rest my pizza oven on three legs on the backyard table but can have it sit at the perfect ergonomic height. Gozney also sells the Arc Booster, which can raise the oven when placed on a countertop. However, don’t use it inside. You’ll want an electric pizza oven if you want to do some cooking indoors. The Gozney Arc is for outdoor use only.
Perhaps the most value I can see in choosing the Arc over some of Gozney’s other excellent pizza ovens is that it’s so damn easy to use. Beginners who haven’t had a pizza oven before should be going for this one, simply because of that game-changing side-mounted burner that better automates the process and ensures consistency without you even having to touch the pizza.
Just one, and done. That’s how it should be with pizza ovens and I’m glad Gozney got there in the end. Now I can’t wait to see what they do next.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Cooks evenly so no undercooked centres or underdone toppings; no need to turn the pizza in the oven; the stand positions it at the perfect height, easy to set up.
Lowlights: Still quite expensive; still takes a while to reach optimal cooking temperature so need to pre-plan.
Price: $1,199
