OONI KARU 16 vs KARU 12G - Pizza Oven Comparison

[@robintaberner]

I’ve had an Ooni 3 for 5 years, just upgraded to a Karu 12G. Absolutely fantastic. So easy to use and the glass door is a game changer.

[@TomVoyageuk]

I agree, although I've never had the pleasure of using an original Ooni 3! It would be quite a cool video for the future to do a comparison of the first ooni, to show how far pizza oven technology has come in 10 years!

[@medads1]

I bought the 16 last year after viewing your videos. Absolutely love it. I do pizzas for my local school family days. And I’ve done fund raiser events for various clubs. Each time doing 30 to 40 pizzas. I have used various bought pizzas and bases with my own sauce and ooni sauce. I’ve tried pre blended pizza flour where you add water but you can’t beat making fresh dough. I’m tempted to buy the 12g for camping or for home when not cooking for more than 4 pizzas. Great review thanks.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks for the comment, great to hear how you use the oven to cook for fund raisers! a second Karu 12G would be a great addition for camping and travelling etc, it would also come in handy as a back up oven or side oven for your fund raising events!

[@medads1]

@@TomVoyageuk Hi Tom, I guess I could buy myself the 12g, as a reward for my efforts.

[@TomVoyageuk]

@@medads1 Sounds to me like you've already made up your mind 😉

[@Dittoo89]

Just wanted to say a massive thanks for your videos. I’ve just started looking into them and you’ve done comparisons for pretty much every combination of model! Really helpful, cheers

[@TomVoyageuk]

You’re very welcome! It’s great to hear when people find the videos I make useful!

[@DriverReg455864]

I was set on the 12G but now after watching this, I want to get the larger one just for the options of cooking not only bigger pizzas but also cooking more variety within the oven itself.

[@TomVoyageuk]

To be honest, if you don't plan on taking it many places and using it only at home, i would go with the 16, i love having the extra room in it and feel its a really nice quality bit of kit!

[@DriverReg455864]

@@TomVoyageuk originally having the option to take it places was a nice idea but for me it's not the be all an end all. What changed my mind to go for the bigger oven was the space inside the oven makes me feel it would be easier for a novice to launch and turn as well as having the option for smaller and larger pizzas, the oven looks a bit sturdier too so it could last in the garden a bit longer and cope better with the British winters if covered up. In your option how does the Karu 12G and Karu 16 stack up for dealing with parties or group events? Can you cook multiple pizzas fairly quickly and easily or does it take time between each pizza to allow the oven back up to temp before cooking the next, as this is my next thought for which I go for as the idea would be to use it for parties and family gatherings of anywhere between 6-12 people.

[@TomVoyageuk]

@@DriverReg455864 both ovens are good for parties, obv the k16 can cope with it more as it’s got the larger fuel basket, and can do 3/4 pizzas without having time to re heat the stone. In an ideal world, and what I usually do if we’re catering for 20+ people is have the k16 and k12G together both on gas, super easy and can cope with constant pizza making!

[@DriverReg455864]

@@TomVoyageuk thanks very much for the insight, I think it confirms that the K16 is the way forward. I remember you saying in one of your other videos that for larger groups you use the oven on gas but it's good to know that you should be able to cook 3 or 4 pizzas before needing to leave it to warm up again, but obviously it will use that as a guide rather than an exact measurement. Thanks for the help in deciding!

[@I_like_pears]

I love my Karu 16 that I bought about 2 months ago. Makes AWESOME pizza!!

[@TomVoyageuk]

Yeah it’s my usual go too out of all my Ooni ovens!

[@jimtincher7357]

What is the recovery time for each oven between pizza's? Can you immediately load another pizza or do you need the stone to come back up to temp?

[@CyndiPriceLynn]

Thanks for the review! I was gifted a 12G and I wanted a 16, but after the video... I'm gonna keep the 12G so I can take it on vacation or to friends houses! I'm excited to give it a try! Unpacking today!

[@TomVoyageuk]

The 12g is a great oven, you'll love using it! I hope your first cook goes well 🍕👍

[@philt77]

Great review. Its not very easy to choose.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks! if in doubt, get both! 😎

[@lola.art.ua1]

Which oven will you recommend for professional catering use, 50-100 pizzas in 3-5 hours? How much time you need to wait for oven ready for next pizza? I mean how many minutes between 2 pizzas you need to wait before oven is ready to cook again? Thanks a lot!

[@TomVoyageuk]

For those kinds of numbers you’re probably best off with a proper brick oven as they stay hot for hours once they’re up to temperature

[@jomboto]

Great video Tom, i'm gonna go with the 12g after watching this, smaller family, small garden. I'm guess the recovery time is similar between both ovens? Thanks again

[@TomVoyageuk]

The 12g is a great oven - you wont regret it! 🍕👍

[@AceHBK972]

Great video. I’m learning to the 16 due to versatility. Would love to see hope to cook other things besides pizza

[@TomVoyageuk]

I do have a few videos on the channel doing other things rather than just pizza, but i get this type of comment a lot, so will take the advice on board and make more recipe videos in the future

[@christinet6402]

Hi Tom… love your videos… one question.. other than pizza.. what can you use the Ooni for ?! Can you bake artisan sourdough bread in it ?

[@TomVoyageuk]

Hello ☺️ i'm pleased you like my video, thank you for watching. Yes, absolutely you can cook/bake all sorts of things in it, i've only done a few things so far if you search back through my videos but i'm planning to try a lot more things this year!

[@russellmumford]

Any advise on the way you clean these ovens up once thay have cooled down? Especially using with charcoal and wood. Gas is obviously pretty clean. Always struggle cleaning the glass up. Thanks

[@TomVoyageuk]

Usually I just use a dry paper towel or soft bristle brush to clean ash out the oven and remove black from the glass. Just make sure it’s fully cooked down or the bristles melt to the glass….. I speak from experience 🙈

[@nicholasdavis7701]

Hi Tom, can you use a grizzler pan and cook fajitas on the Karu 12G?

[@LordHog]

I purchased the 16 just the other day. Very pricey so had to use Amazon’s pay over 12 months. Looking forward to re-watching many of your video much more carefully to learn as much as I can. I am sure I will botch a good number of pizzas at first though very much looking forwards to making my own pizza. Thank you very much for all your excellent videos

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks so much for watching! And don’t worry we all ruin a few pizzas along the way, it’s part of the learning process, off camera whilst filming this video I slipped on the stone whilst carrying a raw pizza and chucked it all over myself, should have made a blooper video! 😂

[@jardarsundeolsen3123]

Hi, do you have any thoughts on how these are for bread making?

[@TomVoyageuk]

I haven't actually baked bread in these but it's on my list of things to try! 👍🍕

[@JortBoonk]

Just bought a karu 12g, amazing device. Btw do you put some oil on top of your basil? With some oil the leaves won’t burn.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Most of the time I drizzle oil over the top so some will go on the basil, but the sauce I use has basil in too, so the flavour comes from that, I think the basil on the top is more just decorative

[@macmorse-n2q]

Hi Tom, great and informative videos. Thank you. I put my min mind on a Karu but very much in doubt of the size. What do you recomend for everyday 3-4 people and the option for hosting more eg smaller parties/guests? Thanks.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks for watching, i'm glad you like my videos! I started with the karu12 for my family, and it really did a great job 😊 you dont need the bigger one unless you really want to make bigger pizzas 🍕

[@Nclght]

​@TomVoyageuk I have both, and it's just me and my wife. I would advise the 16 because it's easier to use due to your ability to move the pizza around to use hot spots or cooler areas. This is especially important when making NY Style or thin crust pizzas.

[@waynebelloir7343]

Hi Tom I think the are both great I still am enjoying the arc but did you put your order in for the max2 delivery in May in the us

[@TomVoyageuk]

Hi, yes i will be getting the new Ooni Koda 2 Max as soon as its available, hopefully won't be too long wait

[@alansmith8512]

If you use bigger pieces of wood will cut down on glass blackening loving the vides cheers

[@TomVoyageuk]

I got some wood from the guys over at Love logs and this has stopped this happening 👍🍕

[@seattleflyboard3807]

If you are Only going to make one or two 12 inch pizzas per session, is there any advantage to the 16 vs the 12g with regard to quality of crust and evenness of browning? Seems like the 12g would save a lot of propane?

[@TomVoyageuk]

12G is more efficient due to the smaller size, and not having to heat up a larger area, but really if your using the oven 10 times or less year you're unlikely to see much difference.

[@larrycariglio909]

I own the 16 and the first 12. Wish they made a replacement door with window for the older 12

[@TomVoyageuk]

Yeah it would be good, i still like the stainless steel look of the original karu 12!

[@mobula5604]

Could these ovens withstand rain showers even when uncovered or would they take damage or too much wear?

[@mattymw9082]

They probably could but of course rain will damage them over the time just as any kind of a metal. Once folded they don’t take up that much space, you really are better off putting them away and they will last you a long time 😊

[@TomVoyageuk]

Good answer Matty thanks, looking after a product is always the best way to prolong their life, most likely left out all the time uncovered would mean the appearance would suffer with rust etc, but would still cook pizzas ok. I’m a bit of a stickler for keeping things nice, so I store all my pizza ovens in the cover on a shelf in the garage just to be sure 👌

[@AccountingwithChris]

Do these work with pellets?

[@TomVoyageuk]

No, they're designed to work with wood, charcoal or gas with the attachment. If you want to use pellets, go for the ooni Fyra

[@larrycariglio909]

How did you keep your glass clean on the 16

[@TomVoyageuk]

Good question, and one I could probably do an instructional video on. The trick is to heat it up slowly, use less wood and keep it in the centre of the fuel basket. Too much wood creates a lot of smoke and blackens the glass. It’s to do with the fuel basket being larger than the air gap on the Karu 16, but the less is more approach works for me. Another way to overcome it is to use charcoal and wood mixture, this also prevents too much smoke in the oven

[@larrycariglio909]

Tom I have been placing foil over the inside of the door when lighting the 16. Then removing it when the fire is burning clean. It works well and is easy to set up.

[@wimbletone1]

Can u put a Dutch oven in the 12g ?.or is it to.short in height?

[@TomVoyageuk]

Depends on how big your Dutch oven is but the height of the Karu 12G door is 98mm, so you can use that as a measurement

[@wimbletone1]

Thank you but for anyone entertaining sour dough bread thats not a possibility with 12G too small opening

[@GB-uq7ri]

This one was the one that did it for me, Tom. I ended up pulling trigger and getting me a Karu 12g. My Mrs isn't best pleased with me as I convinced her that me spending over £2k on a Big Green Egg last year was justified for it's multi purposes. However it just didn't do it for me with Neapolitan pizzas, hopefully my results on the Ooni will show her that. 😂 Would you consider doing a pizza review for the Big Green Egg to validate my verdict?

[@TomVoyageuk]

The 12g is a great oven, i'm sure once you've cooked her a couple of pizzas she'll change her mind! I've got a Kamado Joe and have cooked pizzas on it but it's nothing compared to an Ooni, i've got a couple of pizza videos cooking pizza on my Joe 👍🍕

[@johnnyg3606]

Look the same.. both will be delicious

[@TomVoyageuk]

I agree! Both came out very similar which is a good indicator that one is not better than the other for just pizza cooking

[@brianlamb8919]

I think the 12G would be the best choice for me, since it's just my wife and I. Now I have to convince her about buying the 12G. LOL!

[@TomVoyageuk]

Yes for smaller families it’s great! I just cooked 6 pizzas tonight on the 12G for our family of 4 and it worked a charm!

[@didanz100]

Goodre review. Thx

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks for watching!

[@josysteinbach4097]

Brillant review thank you .

[@TomVoyageuk]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@G4CEFITNESS]

SECOND! Lol, great comparison video.

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks!

[@jedidiahtjc]

Thanks for the video, I would just point out that your efficiency comparison doesnt take into account that a 16 inch pizza is 1.8 x the size of a 12 inch pizza, so if the Karu 16 uses twice as much gas to make 10 pizzas, you are getting almost twice as much pizza for your gas, so no real efficiency difference.

[@patiacat1]

Wow😂

[@perplekks]

"Those are not 98cm, my friend"

[@TomVoyageuk]

Haha just noticed that!! Yes 98mm not cm! 😮

[@zachariasstarlid5365]

[@TomVoyageuk]

Thanks for watching