After dropping a few hints on social media this past week, Ooni unleashed a Kickstarter campaign for the new Ooni Karu Pizza Oven. Being a savant of the Ooni ovens and with recent release of the Ooni Koda, I was very surprised to a new design already. However, don’t mistake my surprise for disappointment. I love cooking homemade pizzas and Ooni has become my go-to pizza oven. As you can see from our previous reviews, Ooni has been the best at delivering performance and affordability.
The new Ooni Karu seems to represent a change from previous models where the Karu will be wood and charcoal fired. Previous models of Ooni have ranged from wood, pellets, and gas so adding in the charcoal is yet another endeavor from the always innovative folks at Ooni. The oven will also be compatible with their existing Ooni Gas Burner accessory if you choose to go that route. The Karu is built to deliver a powerful blast of searing flames that should reach 932 degrees within 15 minutes. The oven is built with stainless steel (430 grade – perfect for weather and heat resistance), cool-to-touch glass-reinforced nylon handles and the stone baking board is made from cordierite – a durable stone that is the gold-standard for cooking perfect, evenly baked pizza bases.
Based on their Kickstarter page, it seems as though Ooni has listened to the Ooni community and the people have a burning desire to cook with fire. This new oven features a return to their roots and ‘karu’ means ‘rugged’ in Finnish. The folks at Ooni state that Karu creates an honest, no-nonsense, primal cooking experience. If you have followed Ooni, you know this is an organization guided by its values: passion, innovation, friendliness, precision and ambition – and the general belief that everyone deserves world-class pizza.
Launched just a few days ago, their Kickstarter aimed to raise $50,000 in 30 days. Amazingly, they have raised over $215,000 already. Ooni expects to begin shipping in February 2020. They will sell at a retail price of $349 . We will keep you posted on any new developments and hopefully in depth review to see on the Karu performs!
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