I’m a pizza-making addict, and the Gozney Arc is the outdoor oven of my dreams

I have a problem. I can’t stop making pizza. It began a few years ago, when I found myself in the fortunate situation of reviewing a few pizza ovens. It was already my favourite food, but having the power to create it myself opened up a portal I have yet to discover how to close.

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I began, of course, with pre-made dough to test the waters. But it wasn’t long before my hyperfixation developed into a full-blown obsession. I soon found myself awake at 3 am, translating obscure YouTube videos of an Italian master pizzaiolo, desperately trying to recreate his complex recipe. 

Next thing I know, different variants of exotic flour would be ordered, before arriving every few days. I learned about hydration levels. Types of yeast. The importance of flour protein content and room temperature. Gluten formation and degradation. I bought precision scales. At some point, a calculator was involved. And while I’m never content with my efforts, I can say that I’ve reached a point where, if the stars align, I can produce pizza that bests any restaurant offering I’ve tried so far.

The point of all this rambling, is to add weight to the following statement — Gozney has unveiled its new Arc and Arc XL pizza ovens, and from what I’ve seen, I believe that they could take the crown for the best outdoor consumer pizza ovens released to date.

Inspired by the same design DNA as the Gozney Dome (which is currently my favourite outdoor pizza oven), the Arc and Arc XL have had the fat trimmed in all the right areas, leaving behind an object that’s just as beautifully covetable, but more compact and manageable.

Weighing in at 21.5kg and 26.5kg, respectively, the Arc and larger Arc XL are considerably less back-breaking than the 58kg Dome and 48kg Dome S1. Not only that, but the chimney flues have been replaced with a sleek, flush soot-reducing vent, for a more streamlined look.

Despite this, they still offer the same impressive performance, reaching temperatures up to 500ºC courtesy of their new gas-powered lateral side burners, thick insulation, and replaceable stone floor, making them the perfect tool to cook a traditional Neapolitan pizza in just 90 seconds.

Key features like a built-in digital thermometer for the stone base temperature and gas flow control knob make a welcome return, while the side-rolling flame also makes for a wider front opening, despite the more compact frame. This is a big deal for a couple of reasons — you can not only make larger pizzas, but they’re also easier to turn and manoeuvre as a result.

The Gozney Arc, despite its smaller size, can still cook 14in pizzas, which is a step up from the more traditional 12in size offered by many other ovens. The Arc XL steps things up to 16in pizzas, which is the same as the existing Gozney Dome — again, despite its smaller size.

The fact that Gozney has managed to squeeze the same incredible design and performance of the Dome into a smaller package is impressive, and it’s for this reason that I’ve preemptively placed it at the top of my 2024 pizza oven wishlist. If you’re in the same boat, then you’ll be pleased to hear that the Gozney Arc and Arc XL will be released in the UK and US on 6 March for $699/£599 and $799/£699, respectively, directly from Gozney. And while those price tags are far from cheap, they’re a damn site more palatable than the $1,999/£1,799 of the original Dome.

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