FAQ

Pizza Grill Ovens ( Frequent Ask Questions ) FAQ:

1) What type of oven is the Mission Oven from Artistic Ovens?

•  Their  ovens are your Pizza, Grill, Rotisserie and Fireplace all in one for an affordable price.
• This gorgeous Ovens are 100% Artisan Handmade timeless in nature.
• It comes in different colors with size and weight base foundation 44” / 1400 LB+/-, 36” / 900 LB +/-
• Enjoy authentic homemade tasty food such as pizza, bread, grills, lasagna, rotisseries, casseroles and smoke your ribs.
• Oven comes with an Inner refractory clay cooking area with a European certification for safety cooking.
• Ovens originally handmade with an inner refractory clay coated with ceramic fiber blanket and internal refractory walls with a light concrete base, finished in projected stucco cork, equipped with a chimney system, thermometer and a solid hinge cast Iron or stainless steel door an affordable price. Outdoors wood burning oven available with the option to work with gas.

  2) What is the difference between our ovens and other factories?

• The cooking area including floor and wall area is made of Refractory Clay with a European certification for safety cooking.
• The clay core allows food to taste incredible.
• Ovens come built already with a stainless-steel chimney pipe, hat and internal grill.
• Ovens are fully insulated. Allows Heat retention for hours.
• Ovens come with solid robust hinge doors in Cast Iron or Stainless steel with three door compartments which allows you to perform different types of cooking and allow you to control the fire better and saver.
• The doors are wide and tall, allowing performing double stacking levels of cooking or place big tray dishes such as turkeys or a big pot for casseroles.
• This is the only cooking device you will ever need in your patio.
• You can bake, grill, do your rotisserie and use it as an outdoor fireplace all in one. This is the last surviving cooking tool if gas and electricity is out. Our ovens look great on your patio.
• Ovens are 100% Artisan products. HAND MADE. NO MACHINE MADE.

3) How do I order the oven?

You can order the ovens here online or call us if you do not see the model available at (925)812-0202 / California PST.

4) Do you have to Cure the Mission ovens?

Ovens require a Curing Time of 3 – 4 days. Heat up oven gradually. See Curing Time and Heating process  pages 6-9 from Artistic Ovens user manual. Even though the Mission Ovens are ready to work and are apparently dried, it is necessary to carry out a “cure” to remove and evaporate the moisture accumulated and trapped in the wall layers during the manufacturing of the oven. These consist of running small fires progressively for at least 3 to 4 consecutive days before cooking in it, which will minimize or avoid cracks inside and outside the oven. Note: This process should also be completed if your oven has not been used for a long time and water or moisture has been trapped within oven walls and base floors.

5) What type of wood can you use?

The type of hardwood logs are as follows: Use Kiln dried hardwood, or seasoned hardwood such as Oak, Mesquite, Ash, Almond, Cherry, Apple, Pear, Hawthorn, Hickory, Pecan Tree, Plum, Alder, Maple, Natural Mesquite Lump Wood natural charcoal. Do not use pine or woods that may have resin, briquettes or enhance charcoal, plywood or petroleum – chemicals, no painted or treated wood. Use small logs as much as possible to start fire. See Artistic Ovens user manual.

6) How do you start the fire?

Please see section CURING TIME and EVERYDAY FIRE UP GUIDANCE in User Manual. Artistic Ovens user manual.

7) When the oven is ready to cook?

• The elapsed time should be at least 45 Minutes to 1-1/2 hour depending on weather and how cool the walls of the oven are and depends of what type of cooking you are doing.
• The temperature should be at least > 250 °C / 480 °F Good temperature to cook almost anything.
• A good indication that oven walls are heated is by looking the color of the walls, once the soot of the fire start to disappear from the interior walls when these occur, the oven is ready to cook pretty much anything for hours. This is also a good way of cleaning the oven from grease, left over food, and get rid of any soot on the walls.
• Note: Exception: If you are using the oven for Grilling only there is no need to perform the steps described before once the live coal or ember are ready start grilling.

Enjoy authentic homemade tasty food such as pizza, bread, grills, lasagna, rotisseries, casseroles and smoke your ribs.

9) How To Cook?

Your oven allows three different cooking methods: live fire, coal, and heat retention. All of them are easy to achieve, but practice is essential to obtain a perfect result. In this method the cast iron door and damper must be fully open; the fire must remain leaning against one side of the oven.

1. Live Fire The live fire is ideal for making fast dishes which require very high temperatures, such as pizzas. Keep always half door open with live fire especially when temperature > 250 °C / 480 °F
2. Coals This method is like the live fire, but instead of running the fire, you will leave only the hot coals inside. The cast iron door and damper should always remain open. It is suitable for baking, roasting or grilling (using a grid), and fast cooking that does not require high temperatures.
3. Heat retention It is perfect for roasts and breads. After heating the oven, remove the firewood and embers; then, place the food inside and close the cast iron door and the damper. As the initial temperature is very high on some foods, such as fish or meats with skin, apply aluminum paper foil on top of the roasts during the first 15-20 minutes.
4. IMPORTANT: Never use chemicals to heat or rekindle your oven as they may transmit improper flavor to food.

10) Can I use this oven in my place / home?

• Please check your local city and county for restrictions on burning wood before purchasing ovens.
• Our outdoor pizza grill ovens are basically like a wood / charcoal barbeque appliance.  The difference only uses season wood, and / or optional gas burner line. The fire is inside the oven. It is saver and easier to use than a regular open fire pit or barbeque charcoal/wood appliance. Read Pizza Grill Ovens term conditions.
• You can adapt a gas burner by www.vamparossa.com to these ovens. Use model M-0 for the Mission base 36" and M-1 for the Mission 44" base size.

11) Where can I place the oven?

11.1 In general the outdoor fireplace oven to prevent fire hazards it should be placed on a safe zone with adequate distance around the oven from walls, fences, and other combustible objects. Aim for at least 3 feet of clearance sides and 5 feet on the front.

11.2 The "rule of thumb" is at least 15 feet from any buildings or structures or items that can catch fire including overhanging branches.

11.3  Chimney to be at least 2' higher than the highest point of a structure within 10'. So, measure the height of anything within 10' of the center point of the chimney/flue and then go at least 2' higher. Our single chimney/single wall flute can only be used for outdoor exposed areas only do not use it under a cover roof. Check your city local codes for outdoor wood oven installations and chimney/flute fire flashing requirements installation under outdoor roofing.

11.4 All outdoor fires shall be under continuous competent supervision.

11.5 No outdoor fire, including but not limited to, fires in outdoor fireplaces, outdoor pizza ovens, fire pits and similar devices, shall be used in such a manner or location that it causes any building fire alarm to activate or that it otherwise creates a hazardous or objectionable condition.

11.6 All outdoor pizza ovens must be equipped with a chimney with a spark arrestor installed in good working condition.

12) How do you install these ovens?

1. These ovens are heavy; they will require lift equipment such as a forklift, or a pick engine crane system. The oven's weight ranges in size 800 lb to 1400 lb +/-You will need tools such as a pallet jack, and a heavy-duty utility flatbed cart. With a weight capacity of 800 to 1400 lb, check artistic ovens videos and pictures showing how it is done.
2. Metal stands with wheels are available and sold by Artistic Ovens that allow you to easily move the oven very easily around your home. You can use an engine picker to load this into the cart. (See videos online at artisticovens.com/videos)
3. If craning the oven over 4 feet high use extra straps under the oven foundation to crane it. Do not rely only on the 4 hook connectors that come with the oven for extra safety. Use, in addition, extra heavy-duty straps under the oven foundation to crane it.
4. Ovens need to be secured to the base-floating frame after dropping the ovens on top of the frame to prevent the oven from moving out of the frame and moving only on smooth surfaces and short distances only. For example: Secure with a concrete screw anchor or "L" shape bracket on each side of the frame into the foundation of the oven up to 1–3/4" deep using a ¼” concrete anchor with a drill bit 3/16". Finally, lock the wheels and secure the oven so it does not move.
5. Oven Location and Installation. See line item FAQ-11)
6. Read the Artistic Ovens user manual page ( 5 ) Safety Precautions.
7. Check some of the tools that you will need, if not forklift available. Read this document Tools to install

13) Do these ovens crack?

•  If cracks shows up do not panic, this is completely normal and expected in all hand craft made refractory terra-cotta, cement, brick mortar wood fire pizza oven. These do not affect the normal functioning of the oven and are easy to patch if you wish. All our Ovens are required to follow curing and firing process to minimize potential cracks that may appear. Ovens come with an easy repair kit and instructions on how to patch it if it is needed.
• Users must learn and understand the exciting nature of using a wood or gas fire oven and the thermodynamics of heat. This includes that when heating the oven, it may create natural cracks due to the mix of factors such as heat application, moisture inside walls which will expand and retracts the ovens’ structure walls and joins that may create cracks on the exterior, interior walls, including dome, chimney structure and front exterior brick joints. These cracks are inherent in the nature of the product and are not to be considered latent defects. These natural cracks and dilatations are natural in anything made of cement, clay, and brick seen in many structures such as buildings, bridges, or chimneys. This is one of the main reasons we recommend curing the oven slowly and progressively controlling the heat of the interior so all the compartments and joins of the oven settles better and allow the vapor and moisture to escape slowly from the walls minimizing cracks. The thermometer is used for reference purposes only. The temperature inside the oven varies according to where the fire is located. For accuracy use a temperature laser gun. See oven care document, Curing Time and Everyday Fire up guidance process by Artistic Ovens user manual.

14) What quality control do you provide on this Hand Made ovens?

• All ovens are thoroughly inspected before releasing it to vendors and customers. As a handmade/artisan product, all the ovens have their own rustic character look. This is the natural characteristic of the product including the interior and exterior features. The doors, including the stainless-steel front panels, bricks come in rustic artisan look design and finish. It is sold as is and these are not considered defective.
• Ovens are sold as rustic and artisan handmade in character. Artistic Ovens Stainless steel front panels and doors are rustic in character, look and design, therefore are not considered as defective material or workmanship. It is sold as is.

15) What is the logistic / transportation to get the oven in my location?

 TRANSPORTATION AND SHIPPING:

15.1. Shipping is done by third party logistic companies of our choice. Product is full insure during transportation until the moment it arrives the destination only. Processing orders take 48 hours plus shipping time for inside the USA allows between 3 to 10 +/- business day to arrive product depending the location in the USA.  Products are shipped from California, PST. Consumer will get notification once product is shipped out.

15.2. Handle the shipping: The buyer must inspect the Items upon Logistic / trucking companies’ delivery. Compare received material order with your order when the carrier is delivering the material. Please take pictures, notify the driver, and choose to reject any materials that are damaged during transportation. You can ask the driver for a copy of the damaged paperwork with his signature.  You can choose to receive materials subject to further inspection if it is minor damage or something is missing from the delivery providing that the minor damage or if something is missing on the delivery is documented by the drop off driver. Our logistic companies are insured. Claims not reported to the driver at the moment of delivery are not covered by us.  We will not be liable and responsible for any cost of damage or missing parts without documentation. We will do everything possible to help our customers, but receiving materials and documenting the drop-off by the buyer or party receiving merchandise is fundamental to resolve claims for damage or missing parts.  Please contact us or the Retail store immediately. File a claim with the transportation delivery company, contractor, or delivery agent.

TIPS: 

15.2.1 Inspect products " TAKE YOUR TIME TO INSPECT" when receiving, especially from freight cargo companies, and prior to installation. Installation is acceptance of the product. No returns are allowed once unpack or used among other conditions. See "Return and Refund Policy"

15.2.2 Please take photos  and Videos when truck arrives and deliver the product(s). Inspect the oven for visible damages on the crates and ovens. Remove plastic cover to see the oven  and see for damages. You can inspect the exterior and the interior of the oven by removing the front with a screwdriver. Note: Crumble corners or edges, brick hair line grout joins, uneven brick corners, stucco paint minor scratched or rust on the cast iron doors are natural of the product. Read "Sales Term Conditions" document.

15.2.3 Look for serious damages like dents to the Oven walls and foundation or damage door or chimney cracks. If the crate are intact that is a good sign that oven is ok.

15.2.4 Check for missing parts inside the ovens.

15.2.5 Do not accept products if they show visible damage to the product.

• Write a note on the delivery paper work and get driver to acknowledge.
• Take pictures or video , email it to us at sales@pizzagrillovens.com
• Get acknowledgement from delivery driver regarding damage.
• Reject delivery if it is damage. Please contact the Pizza Grill Ovens immediately so we can replace the unit, or refund the money.
• 15.3 Pizza Grill Ovens will handle shipping cost replacement and returns if material was deliver damage by the carrier providing that the person receiving detects and reports the visible damage or missing components of the product to the driver drooping off the Ovens or products. Once delivery truck leaves without any complaint report, any other concern or issue the customer will need to contact Pizza Grill Ovens so they can provide the best solution to any issue regarding their products.

NOTE: For Returns. Please read "Return and Refund Policy" document.

 16) How do I stop and control the fire?

• Never use water to lower the temperature of the oven or to extinguish fire. This may cause damage to the oven structure.
• If you find that temperature rose too much, sparse the wood fire inside the oven to control fire, remove it safely into a metal bucket. Worst case just closes the doors and the chimney vent; it will stop the fire (NO OXYGEN - NO FIRE) after a few seconds remove some firewood into a safe place such as a metal bucket. Closing the doors while the fire is way too high may increase pressure in the oven for a short period and may create cracks in the oven. Use it as the last option.
• Remember: You can always add wood to increase temperature gradually. Use doors to control temperature and air flow.
• When live heavy fire always keeps the vent and doors open. Use less wood and add it as needed to increase temperature.

 17) What is the return policy?

Pizza Grill Ovens reserves the right to accept returns, only in compliance with specific terms. Read detail return policy document.

18) What are Pizza Grill Ovens Term Conditions?

19) How to protect the oven?

• Do not leave these ovens exposed to extreme weather such as snow or in wet and damp weather conditions. Protect ovens for longevity. Use the oven cover sold by Artistic Ovens or apply any other waterproof cover to protect the oven from weather conditions such as rain, snow, ocean front. Do not expose the oven to icing or wet mopping the oven while it is still heated, this can cause damage/cracking to the oven floor.
• Build a cover porch for the oven if you can. You may, if you wish to touch up the exterior walls of the oven yearly to preserve its original look with the stucco paint kit and some other caulking cement products described in the (how to patch oven).

20) How to clean the oven?

The oven gets clean with fire. Once you heat up the oven to around 250 –275 (°C) Celsius . The soot will start to disappear from the walls. Brush and scoop the ashes of the floor area when oven cools off. Use a metal bucket if wood coals are hot to remove it from the oven. Apply olive oil to the cast iron door to prevent rust. For the wood nubs, apply water base sealers to protect the wood from UV light.

21) Can I change the look of the exterior oven?

• Exterior Color change: Yes, you can change the color of your oven by applying exterior water base stucco colored paint. We suggest applying an exterior masonry paint that works with masonry walls with properties that allow for expansion and contraction. The original stucco that comes with the oven has cork particles. Get something with similar properties. NOTE: Before changing the exterior of the walls, please complete the Curing Time process. This will allow you to patch up any cracks before proceeding in changing the outside color.
• Cover oven with another color paint, stone or structure around oven. You can use exterior paint, but we do not recommend applying heavy structure stones or bricks on top of these ovens. Thin light tiles and light stone veneers will be okay, but you will need to test and figure out the type of preparation and glue to prevent transfer of cracks to the final surface material. We do not have recommendations currently regarding this direct resurface. For the best results build a metal case around the oven without touching the oven walls and cover up with cement boards around and finish it up with decorative rocks, tiles. See artisticovens.com picture gallery. NOTE: Before covering the oven with another exterior walls, or resurface please complete the Curing Time process, Use the oven for a while then proceed to patch up any cracks, if necessary, before covering the entire oven if you wish.

 23) Does Mission ovens by Artistic Ovens come with a Gas burner?

• No. These ovens do not come by default with the Gas burner.
• Nevertheless ,You can install a gas burner by Vamparossa that works with our ovens. https://www.vamparossa.com/ so you can do gas or/and wood at the same time.
• Most people do not need the gas burner. You can start the wood fire inside the ovens with a plumbing torch that you can get in your local hardware supply near you. This will start the fire very fast without generating to much smoke. Also, it will help you restart the fire when need it. Get the one with the blue tank and self-ignition trigger. Always read torch instructions for how to use it and safety guidance.

24) Why should you buy our ovens?

• Food will never taste the same again.
• This is a survival cooking device that you must have at home especially when no gas, electricity is available.
• Use it as a fireplace even if you do not cook on it or after finish cooking.
• Feel relax looking the fire and feeling the heat while drinking your favor drink by yourself or with family and friends. Great relax therapy device.
• The ovens are gorgeous.
• 100% Artisan handmade timeless in nature.