Few things are as predictable in life than:
- On the first remotely sunny & warm day of the year here in the UK, the media bombards us with ads for barbecues & pizza ovens.
- You have a great idea to write a blog item about your own pizza oven ‘journey’, but before you can even finish it, the heavens opens and we are back to ‘normal’ British weather again!
So as we look back with fond memories of what could be this year’s entire summer (May 2016!) here’s my own pizza oven story – who knows it might help you decide what to buy in time for next year’s British and brief sunny interlude!
Those reading this entry who know me, must be thinking that I have now completely lost the plot:
Why did Jeff buy a Pizza oven? Surely when considering a means to cook a pizza outside, ‘fire’ would be his least preferred heat source option?
Why did he not create something similar to Scaramangas giant solar beam from ‘The Man With The Golden Gun?’
Though I am guilty as charged for going slightly over the top tech-wise on some of the house, when it comes to outdoor living, I find there is nothing more immensely pleasurable than reacquainting one’s self with one’s primeval instincts to stoke a raging fire and savour the unforgettable aroma of singed sideburns. Plus, if the world does self-implode (as predicted if the UK leaves the EU in June), right after the power grid conks out, I will smugly see out my final hours devouring a large Italian style pizza in one last, tasty arrivederci! to our European friends.
I'm not ashamed to admit it, but my first attempt to find a pizza oven turned out to be a complete disaster. If it were ever to find its way into a contemporary art gallery, you would certainly find it on a plinth in the human emotion section entitled ‘dissatisfaction in re-factored concrete’. I do not wish to relive the entire traumatic affair on here but let’s just say that I found myself perpetually living in fear of finding new sinister looking cracks grinning at me from the ovens interior, and being forced to literally ‘eat dirt’ as my pizza creations became increasingly garnished with concr?!ete croutons emanating from the ovens increasingly heat pitted, non-replaceable base. These are not cheap items to purchase, so my first bit of advice to anyone thinking about purchasing a pizza oven: buyer beware. Luckily for me I was able to get a full refund after the replacement oven, a second 90Kg dollop of disappointment was no better than the first, and with my cash back, I suddenly realised I had been looking for completely the wrong type of oven all along.
Sooty & Geek
Now I absolutely love pizza, but there are only so many pizzas a geek can eat in a week, before he or she starts getting bored of tomato covered bread. Pizza oven vendors have cunningly recognised this barrier to purchase and love to post up all sort of elaborate recipes as to make a claim for their products versatility – one even likes to advertise that you can cook a full Sunday roast in theirs. Let me tell you, unless you’re OK with performing the cooking equivalent of keyhole surgery at 350C, try as you might, your arms and hands will turn soot black, as, most likely, will your food - once you finally managed to harpoon dinner from the fiery depths of your chicken crematorium. There is a reason why the traditional the pizza oven is designed in the shape it is, and why you need to use something that looks like a snow shovel to use it. News flash: It’s not roast chicken.
Morsø Forno: More than just Pizza!
So it turns out that the ideal pizza oven, isn't actually a pizza oven after all, or at least it doesn't look like one. I had actually stumbled upon the Morsø Forno on my first pass of searching for something that looked like a ‘proper’ oven, and decided it could not possibly even accommodate a mini pitta bread let alone pizza. Little did I know I would end up eating both my words, and my pizza from it too.
The more research and video watching of how Danish Chef Gorm Wiswehcook was using his (one of which I include at the bottom of this blog), the more I realised the Morsø Forno was the outside oven for me. This Danish company has been making stoves and ovens since 1853 I thought, they must know a thing or two about them.
The Forno weighs in at 96Kg, yes that does sound a little hefty, but on arrival, the great thing about this oven is that it comes in multiple parts which are simply put together. Probably not recommended but my handyman shifted the main parts all on his own, carrying one part at a time, and carefully placed one part on the other. A sturdy table with a granite top was all that was needed, so no building project required. But it’s possible to put together, and even more importantly, un-put together, and therefore move, to anywhere you like.
Perfect Forno and Function
Unlike its concrete predecessor, the Forno is hewn from iron and it looks and feels absolutely stunning. It’s not an oven, more a work of art and if ever there was an object that was the epitome of both form and function – this has got to be a serious contender. It’s built to last, there is nothing to easily break, chip or crack. Even the fire bricks that make up the central oval cooking area are segmented and completely, easily removable and therefore replaceable.
Yes, I admit the Forno was not cheap, but actually, the previous oven was even more expensive, so I was able to splash out on a load of quality accessories and still have a little cash left over. Classy leather oven gloves, all weather cover, cast iron casserole dishes, cast iron hot plate, cast iron grill, fire tongs, and a ‘fire trumpet’ as I call it. The fire trumpet is a device not to dissimilar to a croupiers rake, which has an ingenious double use. Move your wood around, then doing your best Dizzy Gillespie impression, blow down the ‘trumpet’ mouth piece at one end to literally breathe new life back into fading embers. Maybe drilling some holes in it I could actually play a tune – ‘Come On Baby Light My Fire’ by the Doors maybe?!
(Above: Why not take a 360 view around the inside of a Morsø Forno!? Admire my 'fire trumpet' playing also!)
HyperConvergence Of Pizza Oven, BBQ And Smoker in one!
But the problem is, the real genius of the Morsø does not become blazingly obvious until you have already suffered the misfortune of buying a ‘normal’ pizza oven - by which point it’s probably too late – your money is spent and your goose is well and truly cooked (more likely, completely carbonised). Because only once you have cooked with both will you discover how the Forno delivers such a superior cooking experience. Gone is the long soot lined tunnel, replaced instead with a gaping, inviting aperture, which, when situated in pride of place in your garden, is literally screaming ‘cook in me’ at you. The openness of the oven not only transforms cooking, but also simplifies the tasks of cleaning, stacking kindling and lighting it too. The wide opening and cavernous interior also means that with the appropriate Morsø accessories, you can cook a whole lot more in your oven than just pizza, the cast iron grill stand being a personal favourite. Quite simply the best flame grilled Stilton topped burgers I have ever tasted. If you like smoked fish, once the fire has died down a bit, if you stick a wet flannel over the chimney, chuck some smoking wood dust in the oven, and stick the front door on, you can make the most delicious home-made smoked salmon from it too.
(above: I using the grill accessory to make the best burgers I have ever tasted. They looked so good cooked I couldn't be bothered to show you the finished result - sorry!)
Finally, as if all the above isn't enough to convince, to appreciate this oven, you don’t even need to cook in it at all. It’s just as good as an outdoor fireplace, light it up on a cold autumn evening and it will heat everything around it – the thing absolutely chucks heat out. Pizza ovens are heat selfish, they are designed to keep heat in. The Forno gets just as hot (and can retain it due to the heat retention properties of iron) but it’s also extremely sociable at ‘sharing’ its heat too. Just don’t sit too close!
Morsø designed cooking success right into this product when they created it. I'm no professional cook, but it’s a simple fact that, because you are so much closer to the food, you are so much better able to manage it, see it, smell it and taste it. So if cooking is all about the senses, common sense should therefore dictate that your next Pizza oven should be a Morsø Forno!
Brian - 27 February 2017 12:58
Hi Jeff, Very interesting - thank you, We live here in the UK and wonder if there is a possibility of using the Forno indoor. A 365-day use could justify the steep purchase price, and it could keep the kitchen warm in winter.... Best, Tony
Jeff - 27 February 2017 13:12
Thanks for the comment, glad you found this interesting! I would talk to the people at Heritage and see what they say. I have seen pizza ovens inside before, and with the correct flu & venting, that can be done - whether you can do it with a Forno, not so sure. First thing is that unlike your typical pizza oven the outside surface of the forno - well you could probably cook Naan breads on it it gets so hot 400c on the outside easy. Pizza ovens are designed to keep heat so are not going to get too hot on the outside because they should be extremely well insulated. Forno no so. Aside from being extremely hot to touch / melt / set fire to anything within half a meter or it - I'm sure it would make you entire house extremely uncomfortable in a very short space of time heat wise. It absolutely chucks heat out. The best place for a forno is probably as close to the house as possible, perhaps partially covered you could move it under there, and get someone to construct a flu out for you. If you are in the Woking area and want to check it out - just let me know - happy to show it off. But talk to Heritage - and tell them I sent you of course!!! :)
Tony - 27 February 2017 14:34
Thanks for the prompt reply! Would love to see it - where are you based?
Jeff - 27 February 2017 14:43
Woking!
J-F - 30 March 2017 14:02
Hi Jeff, I was almost sold out last year when I saw the oven on the net and now that I've read your review I'm sold more than ever :D My only concern is how it would react to differents weather, I live in Canada, Montreal and I'm wondering about a cold night at freezing point, light snow, rain etc. Is it something that you think that would rust easily? I would love to use it all year except in the winter, I would store it at this time. What are your thoughts on that? Thank you sir.
Jeff - 30 March 2017 15:05
Hi there J-F. It's anywhere near as cold here in the UK as over there, however we do have a lot of rain and it did get down to -8c this winter on a few nights. I wouldn't want to leave my oven exposed so I forked out for the cover - http://www.osowarm.co.uk/products/Morso_Forno_Cover.html As it says on the site - it's a tough cover and easy to slip on / off. So my oven pretty much has this on all the time, when I want to use it, off it pops and I get cooking. After use, I leave the oven to cool down for a while before putting it back on. So I think this is going to be fine for Montreal!
Spencer - 12 April 2017 22:55
How long does it take to warm up for cooking Pizza's?
Jeff - 12 April 2017 23:07
Hi Spencer! Probably about 30 minutes from cold - get a good fire going with a stack of kindling, Keep adding to it every 10 minutes, after 30 minutes you should be good to move the wood to the back and sides of the oven making a space in the middle. Use an infra red thermometer to check temps - should be up to 350c. Thin crusts will go right in and pretty much right out again - if you are having a go at a deep pan - these are much trickier - you'll need to sort of blind bake the base in the pan first, and when the temp has dropped a little add the toppings and keep the pizza in for longer. A 'normal' heavily insulated pizza oven will keep it's heat for a very long time (12 hours for a big old brick one) - the Forno gives you about 15 minutes of very top temp, before you have to reload it with wood to top it up. So you have to be quick about it - but thin crusts will take only a few minutes each so plenty of time unless you are having a pizza party, then you might need to do two batches..... but then I'm not exactly a professional cook am I!
Jens - 9 February 2018 11:04
I would stay away from it. I bought one and after 2 years and 3 months it started rusting and pitting. Morsø Rep said sorry mate out of warranty :-(. By the way it is not as well insulated as a normal pizza oven and therefore you need a heck of a lot of wood. The design is nice though but the Forno is surely not an item designed with form follows function in mind. Happy to provide pictures of the state of my Forno after 3 1/2 years, it’s appalling.
Jeff - 9 February 2018 11:17
Hi Jens, Yes well there is no insulation, I agree with that, but as mentioned in the blog, I would not class a Forno as a typical pizza oven. It's a different cooking (and heating!) experience. It's also a grill, and a smoker. I have used mine for all of these. Yes it does use more wood than a brick oven, but then you can always use briquettes which are more dense, and are more 'stable'. The biggest problem with my Forno is that with typical wood, you have to be very careful with making sure you are feeding it the right amount and size of wood, and at the right time. Timing is everything - it needs to be carefully managed. Once you are ready to start sticking pizzas in, there was typically only a small window (10 mins) when the oven stays hot enough to make good pizza, without needing to re-fill with wood, and then it's not possible to cook for a while as you need to get stuff back up to temp again. I found this a challenge, until I discovered briquettes, which work much better. As for rust I have always used the cover, and my oven is now two years old, and there is a tiny rust spot, but nothing a bit of anti rust treatment wouldn't solve. It looks pretty much brand new. Anyway - sorry to hear you didn't have such a great experience!
Gus Wolter - 27 February 2018 16:19
I'm looking to purchase a Morso Forso outdoor oven. My biggest concern is "Rust" as this is a cast iron unit. Should I be concerned about this?
Jeff - 27 February 2018 16:27
Hi Gus! Thanks for posting. Well yes you are right to worry about rust - this is an iron oven of course. So first I would definitely recommend a cover. That's just essential and common sense I think. Just pop it on after the oven cools down after use. If you use the chimney (which really helps) then you are probably going to get a little rust - in the area where the chimney fits the top of the oven. The best way to deal with this is to get the Morso 'repair kit' and to go over any exposed / rust patches. My Forno is two years old and still looks (and works) great!
Maggie - 30 March 2018 09:27
Hello Jeff, great blog! Any thoughts on the smaller Forno grill in terms of versatility? I don’t cater for the masses and live in London (ie tiny garden!) and am looking for a quality outdoor cooker eg Morsø, Big Green Egg. Thanks
Emre d - 28 April 2018 08:02
Great review, glad I found a real person's first hand experience, I'm in Copenhagen and we have a large shared back yard for our building so after spotting a classic style pizza oven in another shared backyard from my gym window I got the itch to Introduce something similar to ours but yes the thought of going the traditional way and getting involved with concrete and bricks honestly puts me off as it is a purchase everyone has to sign off on so I wouldn't want to get something slightly flawed and give everyone concrete croutons too! Only issue for this is the window to make pizzas. If we were to have a pizza party - if the pizza bases were thin enough you can cook quite a few before the fire lost its strength? Surely there would be so much residual heat in the stone plates and cast iron walls that you can knock out everyone's pizzas before you had to recreate a fresh pile of wood and new fire?
Jeff - 28 April 2018 09:41
Hi Maggie - sorry for the delay in replying! As much as I think the Big Green Egg is an extremely versatile bit of kit - ideal for BBQs, personally for me, I'm not so sure I would be happy to make pizza on it. Looking at people do this online, it seems the accepted technique is to place the pizza on a pizza stone, and then close the lid. But then you can't see what's going on! True because heat is uniform you are not having to turn the pizza so perhaps there is no so much of a need to 'get access' but I think if it were me, I would be tempted to keep opening the egg to see what's going on. On a few online vids people are actually taking rather black edged pizzas out. The other consideration, is that you wouldn't want to be huddled round an egg for warmth at night after your meal would you? I like to think of the Forno as primarily an outdoor oven, but second, an out door heater & social focal point. And you see FIRE and lots of it. it's really quite impressive. But the egg 'beats' it I'm sure on the versatility front, and I'm sure on how much fuel you have to chuck into it - the Forno is a hungry beast! So I guess it really depends on what you want!
Hi Emre - 28 April 2018 10:04
You ask a very good question and I think if I had a complaint about the Forno - it would exactly be the 'pizza' window you are talking about. The Forno is not fantastic at keeping heat in (as mentioned on the blog - it's actually 'giving it out' which is not a bad thing if it's also keeping you and your friends warm) so this means that a) you need to put more fuel in to get it up to temp - and b) once it's up to temp. - it's not going to stay there too long (10 mins?) without you constantly having to put more wood in. When you are ready to start making pizzas you have to push the wood to the sides, so it's at this point that your heat (in the centre) is going to drop rapidly. So you have basically 10mins. Then you need to 'recharge' it so slap some more wood in there, drag it over the centre, and wait perhaps another 10 mins before you are good to go again. That sounds like a pain , but actually, once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad. I can make a lot of Pizzas in 10 mins, if I have someone else preparing them - a thin pizza at 350C will take only perhaps 1.5 min max. with a turn half way through. But yes you have to be ORGANISED and QUICK! So last weekend I took a bowl of dough to my mothers, as she had just bought a giant brick based oven. She had got builders in to make the base which was a big project. The oven is not going anywhere ever again. After the first couple of fires to condition it - a giant crack appeared and I just rolled my eyes. But cracks and brick ovens are not a total disaster and I have to admit that at her pizza party - yes it was a lot less stressy for me. The brick oven had three chunks of wood in it and stayed up at 350c for 2 hours. Had I brought my Forno along (which if I really wanted to - I could have!) I would have got through a whole bag of wood in just an hour I am sure. But I am still very happy with my purchase, because the Forno sort of fits my personal situation. We have already moved the Forno three times since we bought it because the garden layout has changed (it's now on a granite topped table on our desk right outside our dining room) and I could not have done that with a brick oven. I like the fact that I can 'get at' and see what's cooking easier. And I also like the fact that I can take the fire bricks out and give them a good clean (and replace them if they were to break, which they have not) On a final note I have found that using Briquettes with the Forno (make sure to use a sort without any chemicals) does help make firing it and keeping heat better. Briquettes are more dense, and burn slower and hotter than wood. It's also easier to add them 'mid party' - you can start cooking with them before they have properly got going as they don't spit ash on your pizzas.... I'm experimenting with a number of different types of Briquettes at the moment, and I am sure there is a 'magic' combination that will keep the Forno hotter quicker, then for longer to give us a bigger window!
Andrew - 8 June 2018 11:24
Any views on what briquettes to buy. With my wood I know where it comes from and what it contains. I want to get hardwood briquettes. Any idea where form and a best buy?
Jeff - 8 June 2018 11:28
Hi Andrew! Absolutely. I would recommend https://www.woodfuel.coop/ make sure you tell them you need them for pizza ovens to ensure they are OK for cooking with - but I don't think they do any 'treated' sorts. I have been experimenting with briquette combos over the last few weeks and will be publishing a couple of blogs on them soon! It's trickier as being more dense they are harder to get going, but better in that once you get them going, much easier to keep going - you just need to be thinking 30mins ahead all the time. Watch this space.