How To Measure Ooni Temperature? (Beginners Guide)
Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 02:10 pm
The efficiency of an oven relies heavily on the ability of the oven to generate and sustain heat. The heat generated is used for cooking the food in the oven chambers.
Likewise, there is a need to measure the amount of heat generated by an Ooni pizza oven and the amount of heat sustained by the oven at every point.
To do so, the right measuring equipment must be employed so that you can measure the temperature within the Ooni chamber with accuracy and precision.
The best way of measuring Ooni temperature is by using an infrared thermometer. The thermometer is pointed directly at the chamber and held for some seconds. You can also use the infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the walls to know the amount of reflected heat. It is done by pointing the infrared thermometer at the chamber’s wall.
Do you need a thermometer for Ooni?
For a fact, there is always a need for a thermometer when using the Ooni pizza oven.
Therefore, a pizza oven thermometer is a piece of essential equipment that you must use to achieve optimal results in making a pizza.
The thermometer is used to tell how hot the oven chamber has become and if this temperature is optimal for making pizza.
Pizzas cook best at an optimal temperature. You can measure this right temperature at all times accurately with the aid of a thermometer.
A Pizza oven combines different mechanisms of heat transmission to bake pizza.
These mechanisms include heat radiation from the chamber walls, heat conduction, and convectional heat transmission from the fireplace.
These mechanisms combine to produce a surface temperature and an air temperature.
Therefore, for pizzas to cook evenly, there must be a balance between the surface and air temperature; both temperatures are important in cooking the pizza.
The surface temperature is needed to cook the bottom, which comes in contact with the oven’s floor, while the air temperature cooks the topping, which is not in contact with the oven’s surface.
When the temperature is not accurately balanced, the surface may get hotter than the air.
This situation may result in the bottom burning while the toppings are not yet done, resulting in a lousy pizza. Also, different types of pizza cook properly at different temperatures.
Therefore, it is important to achieve great flexibility with the temperature of the enclosing chamber to suit a specific type of pizza.
To achieve this type of flexibility, you should use a thermometer, always gauging the oven’s temperature.
For example, some pizzas cook best in a blazing hot oven, while others cook best at lower temperatures for extended periods.
Knowing the types of pizza being made is important in monitoring the temperature required by the pizza.
For example, a Neapolitan-style pizza requires blazing heat from start to finish. Other types of pizza, like the New York-style pizza, require low heat but cook for longer in the oven.
Is It Possible to Measure Temperature Without a Thermometer?
You can also measure the temperature of an oven without using a thermometer or any other sophisticated equipment.
You can heat an oven to the desired temperature by placing a material whose melting point is known in the chamber and leaving it there for a particular time.
You can use this method to assess the temperature range that an oven operates with.
When the heat within the chamber surpasses the material’s melting point, the material will melt within the set time.
The material may remain unchanged when the oven’s heat is below the material’s melting point.
A common material used in this system of temperature check without a thermometer is table sugar.
Table sugar is commonly used because of its high melting point, widespread availability, and shorter melting time.
First, add about four tablespoons of granulated sugar into an ovenproof dish to use this method.
Next, place the sugar in a preheated oven with an unknown temperature, either in an oven-proof dish or on the floor.
Leave the granulated sugar for up to 15 minutes in the pre-heated chamber.
After 15 minutes, if the sugar melts, the heat in the chamber may be above 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
After 15 minutes, if the sugar in the chamber does not melt, the temperature enclosed in the oven chamber is less than 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
This method gives a fair idea of the temperature range in an oven and can be used in a non-calibrated oven or in conditions where a thermometer is unavailable.
By following the steps above, it can be known if the temperature within the oven is well suited for a particular type of pizza or not.
Since most pizzas usually cook optimally at a high or low temperature, this becomes a simple way to measure the temperature without a thermometer.
How to Use an Infrared Thermometer to Measure Temperature?
To measure the temperature of a pizza oven using an infrared thermometer, the thermometer is pointed at the oven chamber, and a button on the surface of the thermometer is pressed.
The thermometer has a small display screen showing the measured temperature.
Once the thermometer is pointed at the oven chamber and the button is pressed, some figure instantly appears on the display screen.
This figure to the nearest degree tells of the surface’s temperature depending on the thermometer’s calibration; the readings are recorded in either degree Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit.
The infrared thermometer, also called the laser thermometer or temperature gun, measures temperature from a distance.
The infrared thermometer measures temperature by a lens that radiates the infrared thermal reflections to a micro detector.
This radiation is then displayed after converting it to an electric signal read as the temperature.
The laser thermometer is easy to use and convenient for measuring the temperature of an oven.
The reason is that you can safely measure the oven’s temperature without coming directly in contact with the flames.
Where Can You Measure the Temperature In an Oven?
You can take the oven temperature from the back, the middle, or the front.
However, the chamber that encloses an oven can present you with varying temperatures. The reason is that the oven sometimes gives hot and cold spots.
Most ovens are not built as precision appliances; they work best with various temperatures.
Therefore, the oven enclosure’s circulating heat may rise or drop based on some factors.
These factors warrant that the temperature is measured regularly before placing a pizza in the oven.
Cold spots usually arise from an unbalance between atmospheric air and circulating air.
The arrangement of the oven chamber can also affect the circulating temperature.
For example, some oven chambers can have their fireplace at the back and the pizzas in front.
Whatever the arrangement, it is important to observe these spots and measure them accurately with the thermometer.
The laser thermometer is frequently used to measure the temperature of an Ooni pizza oven.
The infrared thermometer is pointed at the middle where the fire was placed.
Then the infrared is pointed at the back to ensure the heat is well circulated.
The temperature at the front is also measured since it is closer to the opening and may admit cool air.
When all oven areas are adequately covered, the average of these temperatures is usually taken and noted as a range.
When specific temperature points are needed, the pizza is placed on the spot where the required temperature corresponds.
Conclusion
You can measure Ooni’s temperature by using an infrared thermometer.
This thermometer offers a safe and convenient way to take the temperature in the oven without being hurt by the heat.
It is important to measure the temperature of an oven to aid you in making these perfectly cooked pizzas.
However, without a thermometer, the temperature of an oven can also be estimated using non-conventional means such as the melting point of substances like granulated sugars.
