Your outdoor pizza oven is most likely the pride and joy of your backyard cooking area. It’s also really easy to clean and maintain. Thanks to the high cooking temperatures in an outdoor pizza oven, most food debris, tomato sauce, cheese, or an errant mushroom or slice of pepperoni, will burn off rather than sticking to the interior of the oven. Here are a few cleaning tips you can try between uses to make sure your oven will continue to work perfectly for years to come.
Collect the Ash
Wait until your outdoor pizza oven has cooled down completely before you start cleaning, maybe not until the next day. Using an ash rake, collect the ashes and wood remnants, then scoop them out with a small shovel with a flat tip or a cutting edge.
Scrape Off and Baked On Debris
While most food spills will burn off in the oven’s high heat, there may occasionally be some residue left behind. Use an oven brush with copper or brass bristles to scrap away any baked on or burnt food, grease, or other materials from the oven floor. It’s important to only use brushes with copper or brass bristles, as any other material could damage the floor of your oven.
A Final Sweep
Brush out any remaining ash or other materials with your oven brush and you’re all set for your next pizza cooking session!
Cleaning a Gas Oven
To clean a gas pizza oven, start by removing the pizza stone. Wipe the stone with a damp soft cloth and use your copper or brass wire oven brush to scrape away any baked-on debris. Then spray the interior of the oven with white vinegar. Wipe everything down with a soft cloth, reinstall the pizza stone, and you’re all set.
Cleaning the Pizza Oven Chimney
Over time, the chimney will get dirty with soot. The soot must be cleaned often to avoid building up and causing a fire. Use a brush to clean the chimney. DO NOT use any oven cleaning products as they could end up damaging the surface of the chimney.
By following these simple cleaning instructions, you can keep your outdoor pizza oven turning out delicious pizzas for you and your family.
At Tri-County Hearth & Patio we have a large selection of pizza ovens and supplies. We are a family-owned and operated business located on Old Washington Road in Waldorf, Maryland, and have been serving the area for over 30 years. We offer our customers the largest selection of patio furniture, fireplaces, inserts, stoves, BBQ grills, and outdoor accessories in all of Southern Maryland. Our sales and service professionals are proficient in all things patio and hearth. Visit our website for more information, or if you’re ready to optimize the enjoyment of your home, give us a call at 301-843-1771.