We all know how convenient a good pizza oven can be to help us with a restaurant-made level pizza. But did you know your pizza oven can do even much more? That very hot oven is a versatile tool that can cook almost anything.
While your neighbors might still be learning to make pizza dough, you can be roasting vegetables in 8 minutes, baking amazing bread, and searing steaks that taste better than a restaurant's. Let's learn all the cool things your oven can do.
Why Your Pizza Oven Works So Well
Your pizza oven has three big advantages over your regular kitchen oven, which is why it cooks so well.
First, it gets extra hot, reaching 700-900°F, while a regular oven usually stops at 500°F. This extra heat is what makes food brown and crispy on the outside but still juicy on the inside.
On top of that, it cooks super fast, often two to three times faster than a normal oven. This means you spend less time waiting and more time eating.
And finally, if you have a wood-fired oven, it adds a great smoky flavor that you just can't get indoors. Gas models, on the other hand, offer pure, high heat for a clean and consistent taste.
Making Amazing Roasted Vegetables
If you want to try something new, a great place to start is with vegetables. Cooking them in a pizza oven gives them a deep, sweet flavor because the high heat makes the outside golden and a little crispy, while the inside stays perfectly soft.
| Vegetable | How to Cut | Cook Time | Temperature |
| Bell Peppers | In quarters | 8-10 mins | 650−700°F |
| Zucchini | In 1-inch circles | 6-8 mins | 700°F |
| Asparagus | Trim the ends | 5-7 mins | 700°F |
| Brussels Sprouts | Cut in half | 10-12 mins | 650°F |
| Cherry Tomatoes | Leave on the vine | 8-10 mins | 600−650°F |
| Mushrooms | In large pieces | 6-8 mins | 700°F |
How to Do It
The technique is simple. Just cut your vegetables into pieces that are about the same size, and then toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use a cast iron pan or another pan that is safe for high heat. Once your oven is at 650-700°F, slide the pan inside and cook for about 8-12 minutes, making sure to stir them every few minutes so they cook evenly.
Keep in mind that harder vegetables like carrots and potatoes need a little more time, around 12-15 minutes at a slightly lower heat of 600°F, so it's a good idea to start cooking them first.
Baking Great Bread
Your pizza oven can also work like a real bakery. The intense heat helps the dough rise very fast—a process bakers call "oven spring"—while also making the crust perfectly crispy.
- Focaccia: This is a simple, thick Italian flatbread that’s delicious with olive oil and herbs. Bake it for 12-15 minutes at 550-600°F.
- Naan: For a soft, puffy Indian flatbread, you can place the dough right on the oven floor. It cooks in just 2-3 minutes at 700°F or higher.
- Pita Bread: This bread puffs up like a balloon in about 90 seconds when cooked at 750°F or higher.
- Calzones & Strombolis: For something heartier, you can make these stuffed breads. Think of a calzone as a folded-over pizza and a stromboli as a rolled-up pizza log. Bake them for 8-15 minutes at 600-650°F. Just be careful, because the filling gets incredibly hot, so you'll want to let them cool for a few minutes before cutting.
Cooking Perfect Steaks and Meats
This is one of the best things to do with your pizza oven. The high heat gives meat a perfect brown crust in just a minute or two, which keeps all the delicious juices inside.
| Meat Type | Oven Temperature | Cook Time | Cooked Temperature |
| Steak (1-inch) | 700-800°F | 6-8 mins total | 130°F (Medium-Rare) |
| Chicken Thighs | 650-700°F | 12-15 mins | 165°F |
| Pork Chops | 650°F | 8-10 mins | 145°F |
| Salmon Fillet | 600°F | 6-8 mins | 145°F |
For a perfect steak:
First, take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook. While it's warming up, put salt and pepper on it. Heat a cast iron pan in your 750°F oven for 10 minutes until it's very hot.
Then, carefully sear the steak for 90 seconds on each side to form a perfect crust. Try not to move it while it's searing.
After searing, continue cooking for 3-5 more minutes, checking the internal temperature with a meat thermometer until it reaches your desired doneness. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before you cut it.
A thermometer is very important here because it's hard to tell if meat is cooked just by looking when it cooks this fast.
Cooking in a Cast Iron Pan
A cast iron pan is a great tool for your pizza oven because it can handle the high heat, and you can use it to make all kinds of one-pan meals. For example, you can make breakfast dishes like Shakshuka (eggs cooked in a flavorful tomato and pepper sauce) or simple baked eggs in just a few minutes. You can also make appetizers like a hot cheese dip, and for dessert, you can even bake a giant cast iron cookie in about 8-10 minutes.
A quick tip for your pan: The high heat is actually good for cast iron. To clean it, just use salt and a little oil while the pan is still warm.
Making Quick Desserts
Yes, you can even make dessert, but the trick is to let the oven cool down first. This is because most desserts cook best at 400-500°F, and if it’s too hot, they will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked. You can try roasting fruits like peaches or plums with honey, or bake a tasty apple crisp.
Smoking Food with Leftover Heat
If you have a wood-fired oven, the fun doesn't have to stop when you're done cooking your main meal. As the oven cools down to the 225-300°F range, it becomes the perfect environment for smoking. Instead of building a new fire, just use the heat that is already there and add a small piece of smoking wood like apple or hickory to create a wonderful smoky flavor. This is a great way to smoke salmon, cheese, or even a whole chicken.
How to Be Successful
To cook great food in your oven, all you need to do is remember these simple rules.
- Control the Heat. Since different foods need different temperatures, you'll need to learn to let the fire die down to lower the heat.
- Use the Right Pans. It's important to use pans that can handle high heat, like cast iron. You should never use pans with plastic handles or non-stick coatings.
- Get Your Food Ready First. Because things cook so fast, it's very important to cut and season all your food before you start cooking.
- Watch Your Food. Food can burn in seconds in a hot oven, so check on it often and turn it if you need to.
- Use the Leftover Heat. Don't waste a hot oven! You can plan your whole meal by starting with foods that need high heat, like pizza, and then moving on to things that need less heat, like bread or dessert, as the oven cools.
You Can Cook So Much More!
As you can see, your pizza oven is not just for pizza; it’s a powerful tool for all kinds of outdoor cooking. Start with something easy like roasted vegetables to get a feel for how it works. Once you get good at controlling the heat, you’ll be amazed at what you can make.
And the best ovens are good at changing from very hot to less hot. An oven that stays warm for a long time is especially great for cooking different things one after another, since you can sear a steak when it's super hot and then bake bread as it cools down. The most important thing is to learn how your own oven holds and loses heat. Once you know that, you can cook almost anything.
So, what will you cook first?
Discover Big Horn® Outdoors pizza oven and make more possibilities.
