Dome and tunnel ovens- you decide.
The long raging battle in Wood fired ovens is should I go for a square shaped oven or a round shaped oven. Well let me shed some light onto subject and you make up your own mind.
Please by no means am I a master chef though my experience is gauged by the product we manufacture and sell aswell as the thousands of happy customers and feedback all over the world over the last 15 years. I have had the luxury of cooking in many types of ovens though I always have a soft spot for a tunnel oven. Is my personal Pick!
Everybody is in love with the round back design in a dome oven and the traditional feel and look though would you believe it most of the high performing commercial ovens are actually square. So lets put the debate to bed here.
A dome oven does have its advantages. It does heat up quicker and cook pizza due to its smaller internal round shape . Most PIZZA OVENS in commercial shops are round. Though are you only cooking pizza ??
A tunnel oven has more space inside in the same footprint as a round oven. This means more cooking space. A tunnel oven is easier to build with tighter joins in the oven so they are less prone to failure over time.
I get told that tunnel ovens have cold spots. No thats not true. It all depends on how you stoke/place the fire in the oven. If the fire is located along the entire left or right side of the oven you will achieve the same result as a dome oven.
Remember, most baking dishes are SQUARE so putting a square baking dish is in a round oven can create hot spots on the sides where the edge of the square pan is closest to the chamber wall. In a tunnel oven well square pan and square chamber it creates a more even heat to bake your roast.
Also remember when cooking bread its VITAL to have an even consistent temperature to cook it evenly. Most if not all bread ovens are square.
In woodfired ovens the crucial part to its performance are two things. The door arch height and the internal chamber height. The door arch height must NOT be any higher than 60% of the total internal height of the oven itself. For example if you have an oven that has a one metre internal height and a 300 miliimetre internal door arch height the height the heat generated will pool in the top of the oven and NEVER reach the other side of the oven deeming it useless. The fire must have a short travel in which will it will sufficiently heat the oven. Our dome and tunnel ovens are perfectly designed to suit your needs.
In conclusion – If your a traditionalist and want a round oven and feel uncomfortable with the square oven shape then sure go for the look! Tunnel ovens will achieve the same cook time and quality as a dome oven when cooking a pizza and the end product you serve yourself or your family and friends will be of the perfect wither way. Tunnel ovens are very mis interpreted and the research and design we have placed in our range will surely please the hardest critic.
Greg Lennie – Owner Sydney fire bricks & The wood fired co