Knowing that a pizza oven is important, and being able to choose the right pizza oven for your property, doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand.

Knowing that a pizza oven is important, and being able to choose the right pizza oven for your property, doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. First, you’ll need to consider how much pizza you plan to produce. Then, examine how much space you’ll have to house the oven. Finally, you’ll need to consider what kinds of pizza you’d like to make, as well as how big your budget is for the oven.

Four main types of ovens are used to cook pizzas:

• conveyor ovens
• deck ovens
• brick ovens
• convection ovens

Brick ovens are generally believed to offer the best-quality pizza, followed by deck ovens, and finally conveyor and convection ovens. However, convection, conveyor and deck ovens are also available in countertop models that are generally more affordable.

Here are some of the main characteristics you should consider when shopping for the perfect pizza oven for your operation:

If your property plans to produce a great deal of pizza, a conveyor oven, which features a continuous cooking platform, can churn out a lot of pies very quickly. While it typically takes four to five minutes to cook pizzas in these high-production units, they also tend to take up a lot of square feet and can cost between $5,000 and $30,000. Conveyor ovens are best for New York- and Neapolitan-style pizzas with light to medium toppings.

Deck ovens generally put out less pizza than conveyor ovens, but are still among the workhorses in the pizza-making world. They can generally hold between four and six pizzas, which cook in roughly six to eight minutes. The catch with deck ovens is that pizzas must be monitored and rotated frequently.

Deck ovens can generally be stacked on top of each other—sometimes as many as five or six high—which can help to overcome any cooking-space shortages if you plan to produce a lot of pizza. These ovens also have a wide range in price, but typically have a very long lifespan. They are best for New York-, Neapolitan-, Chicago- and Sicilian-style pizzas with light to heavy toppings.

Brick ovens are typically the most popular pizza oven for clubs, as they are often used as the centerpiece of open-kitchen concepts. They feature one large cooking platform that can usually accommodate between ten and twelve pizzas. And when the fire is properly maintained, these ovens can cook a pizza in less than five minutes.

Brick ovens vary in size and shape, as they are generally built to fit a specific space. They are also generally more expensive than other pizza ovens, but they can produce all types of pizzas, including gourmet, New York, Neapolitan, Chicago and Sicilian styles, with light to heavy toppings.

Convection ovens can usually hold one or two pizzas per rack (most have anywhere from two to four racks). These ovens take between five and six minutes to cook a pizza; that time can vary, however, depending on the number of pizzas being cooked at once. They are perfect for clubs that may want to add pizza to their menus, but not have it be the main focus. Convection ovens also take up the least amount of space and are generally the most affordable. They’re best for New York- and Neapolitan-style pizzas with light and medium toppings.