The Solo Pi Fire comes in three sizes, and the stand-alone oven comes with a carry bag and heat-resistant gloves
Solo also sells a Pi Fire with a tool bundle that includes two "peels" (large paddles used to move the pizza in and out of the oven) The Bamboo Peel is used to move the pizza in and out of the oven, while the Turner 20 Peel is used to rotate the pizza in and out of the oven
Finally, if you do not already own a Solo stove, you can purchase one with the pizza oven and tool bundle
The Solo Pi Fire is an attachment that sits on top of the Solo Stove with three metal legs It is slightly larger in diameter than the Solo Stove, allowing hot air to rise and enter the oven The bottom of the pie fire is a gentle, downward-facing cone with a 12" diameter 1/2" cordierite pizza stone inside
The top of the pie fire is sealed, but has a number of holes in the top to allow air to escape Two handles on the top allow for easy removal of the pie fire from the solo stove
The Pie Fire comes in three sizes to accommodate three different fire pits on the Solo Stove Of course, the larger the Solo Stove, the larger the pizza can be cooked
Solo Stove recommends warming the pizza stone for 30 to 45 minutes before baking the first pie
Unlike stand-alone pizza ovens, including the Solo Pi, the Pi Fire cannot bake a pizza in 90 seconds Rather, it takes 5 to 10 minutes to fully bake a pie As someone who is used to the super-fast times and flames of pizza ovens and fire pits, this took some getting used to
When I first started using the pie fire, I made the mistake of making the fire too big on my solo stove The flames traveled lickety-split across the inside of the kiln, and while it looked pretty, the pizza burned too quickly and was covered in soot Very unsightly
Solo Stove recommends a much lower flame For the last pizza, I lowered the heat to just past the top of the fire pit and then threw in another pie This time there was a little soot at the top (I thought the fire was about to go out, so I threw in another log in the middle), but the pizza was cooked and the bottom was crispy
I also made some calzones with the leftover pizza dough These went well, but as the dough puffed up, it nearly got stuck in the oven, as the oven gap was rather small
The pie fire cooks at a lower temperature than other pizza ovens, so it does not produce the top crust folds that are a trademark of Neapolitan-style pizza My crust (dough with 60% hydration) lifted nicely, but it was more browned than charred
Solo Stove makes a variety of accessories for smokeless fire pits, including cast-iron griddles and woks, but the pie fire is probably the most fun I don't think it's by far the best pizza oven I've tried (the Ooni Fyra 12 is available for about the same price), but it's a fun add-on for those who want to get more out of their Solo Stove Just be prepared to wait a long time for the pizza to be ready
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