About two years ago I got on my hands Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven (Was £349.99, now £299.99 at Ninja) To review for Ideal homeJ You can read my review here.
As a home economist who specializes in appliance reviews, I find a lot of appliances passing through my home. I don’t catch many, but this one is still a big player in my garden kitchen lineup.
Most people have never used an outdoor oven like this one, which also doubles as one Pizza ovenSo it’s hard to decide whether you need it. In all honesty, there are some functions on the dial that I never use. But the pizza settings were fantastic for me when I originally reviewed it, so I fired off my wood Pizza oven Rather in favor of this.
There are many reasons why I think it’s a great addition to my garden, so if you want some extra insight two years later, I’ve outlined the main reasons why I still love it below. Additionally, if you scroll to the bottom, I also detail some of the downsides.
Ninja
Woodfired outdoor oven
Helen gave this oven 5 stars in her original review Ideal home approved.
Things I love over two years
1. It can actually be used year-round
When I decided to get hold of the Ninja Woodfire I immediately invested in a weather-resistant cover, which I think is great value. £25.99 (via Amazon). I knew I didn’t want to move the woodfire into the shed in the winter and this was the perfect solution.
Helen’s outdoor kitchen oven has been running for two years.
(Image credit: Future)
I can confirm that I’ve left the Ninja Woodfire Oven outside for the two years I’ve had it, whatever the weather, and the cover has protected it very well. The result of leaving it outside ready for use is that we actually use it in all seasons.
Oven under its cover.
(Image credit: Future)
Whether it’s smoked meats or pizza nights, ninja woodfires are still used in the winter. It can be used in the rain if you want, but I prefer to avoid really miserable days. That said, it’s always worth popping in and out of the garden to cook the perfect pizza on a cold, dark night.
2. It is a great complement to traditional BBQ
I often use it with traditional BBQ. It allows everything to be cooked or heated, cooked outside, so there is less running between kitchen and garden. For example if we are barbecuing meat skewers, we will often use the Ninja Woodfire Pizza setting to cook homemade flatbread to serve with the meat and salad.
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Similarly, if we want crispy roasted potatoes or wedges with our BBQ meat, these can be easily cooked in the Ninja while barbecuing. It expands the scope of what can be cooked outside, and if you’re thinking of creating an outdoor kitchen area, I believe it’s a must-have.
3. It is ideal for entertaining
When it comes to cooking up a whole chicken or a rack of ribs to impress guests, my traditional BBQ doesn’t get overlooked. The smoker setting on the Ninja Woodfire allows you to put these big cuts of meat in the oven and forget about it.
Helen’s outdoor kitchen oven.
(Image credit: Future)
That means you can get drinks for guests or prepare sides without focusing on the meat. And best of all is the occasional gentle waft of wood smoke that, to me, adds to the ambiance of any outdoor gathering.
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Then, when it’s time to dish up, guests are always impressed when you reveal a rich smoky creation gently cooking in the background. It’s easy and delicious, which is a win-win in my book.
4. I will never go back to a wood fired pizza oven
During my original review I made no secret of how much I loved cooking pizza in this oven. So much so that after a review, it replaced my wood fired pizza oven and I’ve never looked back.
The main reason is that it is simple and consistent. Wood pellet pizza ovens are a lot more maintenance when you’re cooking, requiring constant pellets, as well as checking the temperature of the stone to make sure it’s hot enough to cook the pizza. Whereas, with Ninja, I don’t have to do any of that.
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It gets very hot, but not easy to use, which is especially helpful when I want to have pizza night on a dark, cold fall evening. And if I’m experimenting with a different style of dough, I like knowing that I can write down the settings I used and easily duplicate the results next time.
The downsides?
There really aren’t many downsides. Like I said, I don’t use all the functions, for example the dehydrate setting is not something I ever use. But with so many settings on offer, I think it’s only natural to have your favorites.
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The main downside for me is that when I make pizzas I use a lot of semolina on the crust to prevent sticking. This can cause clumping under the lower heating element in the base of the oven and is really hard to clean.
I’ve been known to use a combination of a cleaning cloth and a handheld vacuum to get all the soot out of the oven base. Let’s just say, it works diligently around the heating element.
