I tried a pizza oven with a rotating base to see if it could help me go from novice to pizzaiolo

If someone asked me to imagine my perfect day, a stone-baked pizza would certainly feature in it - bonus points if a glass of wine or two accompanies it!

However, over the summer, I presided over two pizza faux pas, where our homemade pizza night ended with us ordering takeaway and attempting to pick the sticky mess back out of my built-in oven.

So when the Revolve Pizza Oven arrived on my doorstep, I was excited but admittedly sceptical that I would finally find an oven that could cook pizza that would measure up to the local pizza place.

At £549, it’s more reasonably priced than some of its competitors, but still a substantial investment. So, the question is, is it worth it and can it join the ranks of the best pizza ovens? Here's what I thought when I tried it out.

Product specs

• Fuel: Gas
• Weight: 19kg
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Dimensions: 22.2” x 16.3” x 16.1

Getting started

First things first, this is a beautiful pizza oven. Slick. It looks like it knows what it’s doing, even if I don’t. Its curved and luxe design makes it a welcome modern addition to any outdoor setting, and I think, as far as aesthetics go, it's one of the best designs out there.

In the box, you get the pizza oven, gas connector, pizza stone, pizza peel, infrared thermometer, and carry case. All I needed to do was take it out of the box, place the stone, add batteries to the motor, and attach that back to the base.

Attaching the gas is a little trickier, the manual covered each step with illustrations but this was the first time I’ve ever connected a gas bottle to anything and I found myself checking over and over again to be sure.

It would have been nice to have a QR code linking to a setup video to boost beginners' confidence. I dug around on the Revolve YouTube channel but could only find recipe videos.

A standout feature for me is that, fully assembled, the Revolve weighs 19kg, which is reasonably easy to maneuver and is only two-thirds the weight of other ‘portable’ competitors. I found I was able to lift it into place quite easily.

I’ve tried this model a few times to thoroughly test it and have also found it isn't too bulky or heavy to take on the road. You do also need to remember to save enough space in your car boot for the gas bottle too.

Making pizza

Once I placed the oven on my patio table, I was ready (and raring) to go. Igniting the oven is a simple process, similar to lighting a regular gas hob, and the flame can be easily controlled. There’s no thermometer built into the pizza oven, but the infrared thermometer that comes in the box is easy to use—simply point and shoot at the stone—voila!

Revolve recommends allowing the oven to heat while prepping your toppings for 25 minutes. I’ve used the pizza oven 3 times in various weather conditions and after around 20-25 minutes of prep, the stone temperature was always above the recommended 450°C.

Prepping the pizza itself was so much fun, but transferring the base onto the pizza peel had me breaking out in a sweat. I had a few tries, and there is definitely a knack for it, one confident shove worked better than a shimmy. I would really recommend to any beginners (like me) to have a few practice goes first with just the plain base, as there was a lot of cheese and toppings on my kitchen floor—but at least my dog was happy.

Transferring the pizza into the oven was another hurdle, and I made a real meal of my first few attempts trying to transfer the pizza while the stone was already turning. It’s definitely best to get the pizza in place on the stone and then flick the switch for the stone to turn. It does actually say in the manual to load without the stone revolving but I obviously got ahead of myself.

Once I got the hang of it, though, I loved how easy it was to use. There was no need to manually turn the pizza for an even bake—just flick the switch and watch it turn for 60 seconds until it's crisp—this is oddly satisfying. Another feature I loved is that even if my pizza wasn’t a perfect circle, the revolving base ensured it still cooked evenly.

I was so impressed with how evenly the pizza cooked—it was crisp with no soggy center and a perfect crust. I know the rest of the family was impressed too because I didn’t manage to take a photo of the results. By the time I picked up my phone, all that remained were the crumbs.

Was it a fluke? I experimented with a variety of toppings and found that you need to keep your toppings relatively flat. Any slices of pepperoni that were precariously placed got singed, and anything that protruded too much from the base tended to burn before the rest of the pizza was ready.

This is easily remedied, though, with a quick QC check before placing the pizza into the oven. There’s also about 15 seconds between crisp and burnt, so you need to keep an eye on your pizza and keep that pizza peel in your hand at all times - be ready to act fast.

Cleaning

Revolve recommends leaving the oven on “HIGH” and cooking off any debris for a good 10-15 minutes with the revolving function on to clean. This worked well to clear the stray toppings, and I was able to just wipe the ash away with a dry cloth once the oven had fully cooled.

However, I found the stone was still stained with black burn marks. Revolve recommends using their wire brush to remove the stains from the stone; however, this doesn’t come with the oven itself and costs an additional £39.99 from their website, which is a shame as I think if this is part of the cleaning process (even if it’s only cosmetic), it should be included with the product.

Should you buy the Revolve Pizza Oven?

While cooking pizza in a wood-fired oven certainly has charm, I’m happy to leave that to the professionals. The ease of having this oven ready to go in 15 minutes means that delicious pizza can still be a welcome treat after a long workday and isn't limited to those occasions where you have enough time to get a good fire going. I can also confidently say that the revolving base isn’t a gimmick—it’s actually my favourite thing about the Revolve.

While it’s still a significant investment if your daydreams also contain a home-cooked slice of stone-baked goodness, the Revolve pizza oven can certainly make those dreams come true.