You Don't Need a Pizza Oven To Make Great Pizza at Home—Just Follow This Tip

It’s not what you have but how you use it.

I’ve worked in kitchens my whole life. I’d like to think that gives me some street cred when it comes to my recommendations for working quickly and efficiently with food. It’s thanks to that experience that I’ve had the opportunity to write a few cookbooks, with my most recent endeavor devoted to pizza.

I wrote the book, "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" for pizza lovers. For the everyday cook who loves pizza, but needs some advice when it comes to making it. Of course there are tips for elevating frozen pizza when you're in a pinch and tricks for delicious sauce, dough, and toppings when you have time to make one homemade. But one of the most common misconceptions I heard while writing the book is that a pizza oven is the only way to go when it comes to making a pie at home.

I’m here to tell you, that’s just not true. In fact, I have one simple tip to turn your home oven into the perfect spot for cooking pizza. After all, it’s not about what you have, it’s about how you use it.

Set Up Your Home Oven for The Best Pizza Ever

Have you ever considered that beyond the actual pizza, your oven is one of the most important factors that goes into making pizza? I’m guessing you have an oven, but I’m going to assume that you’re not sure of the best way to use it for making pizza. My one tip for great pizza at home is to set up your oven for success. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Pick Your Pizza Baking Spot

In all of my testing, I have found that placing a pizza stone or steel in the upper-middle to top racks results in the best pies. For that reason, I recommend that’s what you do. If you have the option for two racks and you have two stones or two steels or a combination of both, then set one rack in the middle and one towards the top. Place the stone on the middle rack and the steel on the top. You can use the stone for setting the dough, then you can move it to the top rack for a broiling finish. If you don’t have either*, use an inverted baking sheet.

Step 2: Preheat Your Oven

You already know that you need to preheat your oven, but did you know that how long you preheat it matters too? That’s right, you’ll want to pump up the heat for at least 1 hour before baking to ensure there’s enough to cook your pizza dough so that it puffs up and crisps up perfectly. Your stone and steel need to be in there too, which is why you need to set the racks up and add your equipment before you preheat to at least 475°F, but 500°F is even better.

Step 3: Don’t Open the Door

We all get a little anxious and excited about things, even when it comes to cooking. You may be tempted to open the door of your oven and see how things are going as it's preheating, but don’t. Doing so will release all of the heat and energy you’ve built up inside, defeating the purpose of the preheat. Keep the door closed until you’re ready to fire the pizza.

That’s it! Turning your home oven into a pizza oven is just that easy! Start with setting up the racks inside, then crank up the heat and keep the door closed. Wait an hour and then you’re ready to create the most delicious, Insta-worthy pizza without breaking the bank!

Psssst: Remember that *asterisk* up there? That was my indication to you to not skip this additional tip. If I had to recommend buying one thing to make the best pizza at home, it would be to buy a pizza steel. It heats up efficiently and holds that heat, which means you’ll get a beautifully cooked pizza every single time. My favorite is the OG, Baking Steel.

Read the original article on All Recipes.