Fontana Forni Margherita Wood-Fired Pizza Oven Review

The Fontana Forni Margherita is an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven specifically designed to cook an authentic Neapolitan-style pizza.

Though I have tried other pizza styles like a New York pizza, Detroit pizzas, and other side dishes too, and let me tell you, they cook like a charm.

Fontana claims that the Margherita can reach the temperature of 750°F within 30 minutes. However, for my personal experience, I found that it reached around 710°F within that time frame, which is not so bad. I would say that it is still very impressive and sufficient to cook an authentic wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza.

In this guide, I will show you the unboxing, heating, and cooking performance of the Margherita. Let’s dive straight to it.

Related: Best wood-fired pizza ovens

Key Specifications

Unboxing and Setup

When I finally received the Forni Margherita, the first thing I noticed was the weight of the box. I was like Wow. It really felt solid, made with some serious craftsmanship inside. But before I opened it up, I made sure that my workplace was ready, like a flat surface with some space to move it and lift the parts safely.

I used a box cutter to open the box. I made sure to do it carefully so that the paint of the oven doesn’t get scratched. When I opened the box, I took everything out like the oven itself with the fire bricks, the heavy corten shield inside, and all the cart pieces.

There was also a bag of screws, washers, and other small accessories like the handles, chimney cap, and the spark guard. I noticed that some of the parts also had a protective film to keep them scratch-free during shipping, which was very thoughtful of them. Then I just peeled it off with my hands, and once everything was out, it was time to assemble.

I started with the legs. I noticed that the back legs had wheels, but the front ones didn’t. So I took the small screws to attach the side support between the legs and tightened them with a screwdriver.

Next thing I did was to connect the front legs to the back legs with another support bar. Now, to add the bottom shelf, I slid it in from the side with the wheels. Then I placed the screws in two opposite corners first to keep it steady.

To lift up the oven, I made sure to remove the fire bricks and the corten steel shield, as they make the oven really very heavy. Next, I made sure the cart with the cutouts faces the right direction. I needed 3 people to lift the oven, so I called my friends over and they helped me assemble it. And once the oven was placed on the cart, I made sure that it was properly lined up and sitting perfectly.

Then, I took the screws and washers from the bag and attached the oven to the cart at each corner and in the center. After tightening all the screws, I made sure that the oven was safe and steady.

As for the handles, I attached the handles from underneath and tightened them up with the help of the small screws. Then I slid the handle locks into their spots and bent the tabs so that they stay in place.

Now, the heavy corten steel shield I took out before from the oven, I placed it back on the left side of the oven, and made sure that the thin strip of vermiculite was in place. Then I placed the fire bricks one by one and ensured that the two bricks with cut corners went on the right side.

The last step was to set up the chimney. So I placed the chimney on the top of the oven and checked if the damper was at the bottom side. Then I positioned the spark guard on top, and I attached the fire poker holder on the side. I almost forgot about the wood holder at last. 

So I added the wood holder on the left side to keep the fire from spreading. And finally, when everything was done, I installed the oven door in place. Now the oven is ready to fire up and ready for cooking.

Heating Performance of the Fontana Forni Margherita Wood-Fired Pizza Oven

Starting the fire was relatively easy with this Italian wood-fired pizza oven. I used a few small kindling pieces with a firestarter. Then I placed some small oak woods on top of it. After that, I kept the door open a bit to let the air in, and in a few minutes the oven was warming up nicely.

By the way, I used dry oak woods instead of cheaper softwoods, as oaks give me a strong and long-lasting fire just the way I want.

Then, I started to add some medium-sized oak logs to build a bigger and steadier fire without smothering it. I kept a very close watch over the fire and made sure that the logs were burning evenly.

By the 30-minute mark, I checked the stone temperature with the infrared thermometer. What I found out was that it was about 287 °C. Now, this was warm but not hot enough to cook a proper, authentic Neapolitan-style pizza.

So again, I continued by adding more medium-sized logs to keep the fire going. The cooking stone was definitely heating up gradually, but it needed more time.

By around 45 to 50 minutes, the temperature of the stone reached its maximum heat. I got around 438–460°C (820–860°F), which is perfect to cook an authentic Neapolitan pizza in 90 to 120 seconds. Now, to get this temperature, I had to constantly feed the wood and make sure that the wood was burning evenly.

I also kept the damper open so that I could get that strong and steady flame. To check that I missed any hot spots on the stone, I used my IR thermometer to check the temperature.

Lastly, before cooking, I made sure to brush off all the ashes from the stone by using my BakerStone Pizza Oven Brush so that my pizza cooks on a clean surface.

Cooking Performance

I tested the Fontana Forni Margherita wood-fired pizza oven by cooking not only Neapolitan pizza but also several New York pizzas, as well as other dishes such as baked croissants, roasted chickens, and veggies, too.

Neapolitan Pizza Test

I started with cooking an authentic Neapolitan pizza. So, as for the dough, I used Tipo 00 flour with about 65% hydration. I made two 10-inch Neapolitan pizzas, and I topped them with crushed San Marzano tomatoes with a sprinkle of sea salt for the sauce. 

I avoided heavy sauce for this. For the cheese, I used Fior di Latte and cut it into small pieces. 
The cooking stone was searing hot, like it was around 851 °F, and I checked the temperature with my infrared thermometer. It took me less than 90 seconds to cook an authentic wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza. 

What amazed me the most was that when I placed the pizza into the stone, it cooked almost instantly. I realized that the timing of the rotation must be accurate or else the crust might burn. So I used my pizza peel to rotate the pizza every 25 to 30 seconds and made sure all the sides were cooked evenly.

After the cooking was done, I got those great-looking leopard spots, crispy base with light char, and the cheese melted perfectly.

Then, after baking, I added fresh basil leaves to it with a bit of virgin olive oil. I kept the toppings simple as it helped me to get the crust airy and crispy, just like the way I want it to be.

New York Pizza Test

After Neapolitan pizza, I decided to try to cook a few New York-style pizzas with this oven. For the New York pizza dough, I went with King Arthur flour, but this time with a slightly lower hydration.

When it came to toppings, I went a bit heavier this time. So I added a balanced layer of tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, and classic toppings like pepperoni and mushrooms.

As we all know, New York-style pizzas need to be cooked at a bit lower temperature than Neapolitan pizzas, so I didn’t place the pizza too near the stone. I kept the pizza in the center so that it cooks properly, so that the edges of the pizza don’t get burned.

I cooked two New York pizzas at a time, and it took me 4 to 5 minutes to do so. The final result was excellent. The crust looked thin, with chewy edges; the cheese melted nicely, and the toppings cooked evenly.

Testing Other Foods With The Margherita

The other dishes, such as croissants, Roasted chickens, and Vegetables, also performed really well with this outdoor pizza oven. The croissants were soft and fluffy with a golden crust, and the roasted chicken was cooked really well with crispy skin and juicy meat. 

As for the veggies, I overcooked some of them at first as I wasn’t really paying attention to them. As a result, the vegetables got a bit too soft. So I tried another set of veggies, and this time I monitored and cooked them with perfection. The outcome was excellent, like I got them roasted nicely and kept the color, great flavor, and nice texture.

Final Thoughts

Overall, from my experience, I found the Fontana Forni Margherita a very impressive wood-fired outdoor kitchen oven. It is really a premium handmade Italian oven made for fantastic performance. Though I had a tough time with the portability, I mean, moving this thing is not all a joke. Even three of us lifted the oven, but moving it was definitely not easy.

However, it is absolutely worth it once it is in place and set up correctly. Though you might find it an expensive one, if you are looking for a permanent, versatile outdoor wood-fired oven, I would highly recommend the Fontana Forni Margherita pizza oven.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)