Presto 03430 Pizzazz Plus Rotating Oven, Black

i have made home-dough pizza in my oven at 500 degrees (nearly the highest most home ovens will go, and higher is best for achieving that amazing crust) on a professional quality stone (fibrament), or on the grill. i make my own breads and doughs, and consider myself somewhat of a gourmet (in what i like to eat- not necessarily the result of what i cook!). So, having tried to perfect a pizza, mainly thinner crust- smattering of olive oil, coarse sea salts, one or two other perfect toppings (light)- you get the idea... i was thinking i was going to have to build a backyard pizza oven, and buy a pre-built stone insert (which i still may do).However, i read all these reviews. i figured, how can 300-plus people be way off? also, who can beat the $42 price to try? but, i was still skeptical, to say the least.well. i am very satisfied with my purchase. i have all sortsa appliances, including a very good convection toaster oven. But, i think i will probably use this funny-looking device for all my pizzas in the future, for general everyday personal/family use (baring me building the backyard oven, and getting the energy to stoke a fire --heh he). The Pizzaz must be getting my home-made pizzas near the preferred higher (they say 800 is optimal) temperatures, right at the surfaces (top and bottom being so close to the heating elements), because the result i'm getting is better than my oven, by far, and equivalent to my grill (a bit of a hassle). funny! i would not have expected it. Also, having the ability to control the top and bottom cook times really makes a difference as well. This device is fairly fast if you add in the heat prep time, for an oven or grill--if you're doing multiple pizzas, though, it's not efficient, and it will take you forever for a party- in which case,fire up your grill (fresh dough only, i'm talking here).for a single pizza, it takes me about 25-35 min from plug-in to done(bottom only 10-15 min., both remainder time, bottom some more if need be, depending on crust thickness- you need to experiment) to get my homemade dough to the right consistency, which i could replicate (and beat- both in time and texture) with other methods, but, the texture (slightly chewy, slightly crispy- keep your dough cold-rising in fridge for at least overnight) is really very good for the simplicity! also, i love the way my crust bubbles on the edges, like it should if the temperature is high enough.i know people like this device for all sorts of reasons, including the convenience and ease that i love, but if you really like a "perfect" textured pizza crust/dough, which i'm obviously willing to do quite a lot for, this is definitely worth a try. i am quite pleased with the purchase, and intend to give my other "foodie" friends gifts of these. also, frozen pre-made pizza- works great, as advertised!one more thing. i have young kids, and they had a blast watching the thing spin around. they were entertained the whole time. who knew?

I initially ordered one of these for a relative who entertains a lot, and thought it would come in handy for them. I then later thought about it, and realized this *might* be handy for me/my family too. So...of course, I had to order one.I really had minimal expectations for this product. I knew it obviously cooked pizzas and possibly other little frozen items. I had no idea that I would literally use it all the time. Every day.I have 2 kids who love pizza and enjoy snacks like mozzarella sticks, fish sticks, and other frozen food items that you might typically throw in an oven when you are crunched for time. These are obvious items that can be used easily on this product, and it certainly delivers. It is incredibly simple to use. You plug it in, throw whatever you want to cook on it, and set the timer. You don't waste time preheating. There is no heat adjustment, but it cooks it perfectly. It rotates while cooking, and my kids get a kick out of watching it cook right in front of them. It cooks pizza (even the cheapie junk ones) into perfection. I have made countless homemade pizzas and it makes them perfect every time. Reheating your pizza on it refreshes it to its former glory. Once the timer is done, it stops heating the product (but simply keeps rotating), so you don't burn your food if you get distracted for a minute or 2.What I was not counting on is all the other items we would end up cooking on it. I enjoy making homemade cookies and cinnamon rolls from scratch with my kids, and (so long as they are not large or rise too tall) we are able to cook those with ease, too. I am a vegetarian (mostly vegan), and I can cook my veggie patties and other veggie products on it, and they don't come out soggy like they do sometimes in a microwave. You can add things to your food while it is cooking, and you can see for yourself whether it is done or not (or burnt). Leftovers from a restaurant reheat perfectly on it, too. No more nuking food with a microwave.The cons to this product: You have to watch to make sure you aren't cooking something too tall or close to the heating element (think dough that rises up too high, etc). When I make cookies, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or anything doughy on it, I make them small or squash them down a little so they don't rise too high.Another con is that if you have a super large pizza, this won't accommodate it. The circular pan thingy it cooks on will cook a standard large pizza (like standard frozen pizza size), but no larger. That said, the product would probably take up too much space if it were any bigger, which leads me to my next con...yes, it is a little bulky if you do not have space for it.While you can certainly burn yourself on it, as with anything, you have to use a little common sense and keep it out of reach from little hands. That said, it is not as drastic of heat and the risk of harming yourself should you touch it is MUCH less than if you were messing with an oven. I have used this product every day (unless we are out of town) for about 15 months straight, and with minimal care, I can't recall a time that I burned myself, and I rarely have to wear oven mitts since I can just grab a spatula and get it off easily onto a plate straight from the pan. My kids have never burned themselves on it either. I always supervise them if they want to add something on whatever we are cooking (which they love to participate in), and they know to be careful. I always worry with an oven, but with a little caution, I really don't worry much with this item. I can touch my finger quickly on the pan while it is rotating and not hurt myself (as long as I pull my finger off right away). Could I do that with an oven and not hurt myself? Uh, no.Cleaning it is a breeze, too. Overall, we love it so much that our microwave hardly ever gets used and our oven is reserved for larger items, like casseroles and other larger home-cooked items.I would recommend this for anyone and everyone, and not just for the pizza lover. It is not expensive, and I would imagine this would be a great gift for the average college student.

I use this more often than I thought I would. Very convenient and easy to clean. It heats/bakes food very well. Had it for a couples months now easy to use

Love this. Used it at home and in the office. We did a make your own pizza potluck. We have made cookies, grilled cheeses, quesadillas and s'mores on it.Pizzas cook in 14 minutes.Love the dual heat and top or bottom heat option to get the perfect crisp or customize what you are cooking.Most crunchy grilled cheese.It is a little bulky to store but over all worth it.

When I was a kid in high school I used to love eating frozen pizza. To be honest, it wasn't very good in comparison to something like Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, or the Pizza Ranch. The crust was like eating card board. The toppings never seemed cooked right either.I seen this thing and thought I would give it try. Wasn't expecting much. Very easy setup with some reading the instructions. Bought a Tombstone and gave it a whirl. It came out pretty good. Still not as good as the Hut. However, it a close second. The crust was cooked well. Tombstone doesn't have a great crust to begin with. This thing got it just right. It even offers advice on how to cook the crust to preference. The toppings also cooked well. Seems like an oven makes everything flaky instead of cheesy. This gadget did a good of cooking the toppings.Got to admit, it really made a plain old Tombstone taste well. Couldn't recommend more if you like eating frozen pizza. I would never use it for anything else.