Cooking pizzas is perhaps one of the most satisfying things to do, especially if you have a great oven. So this comparison of Ooni Koda 16 and Ooni Karu will show you the things you can do.
Pizza ovens are far greater than conventional ovens when it comes to versatility and cooking pizzas. They produce the right amount of heat that will cook the pizza in just seconds.
This is the traditional way of cooking pizzas where it does not take over a minute to get the right finish on the food. This is made possible by the intense heat that the ovens have.
Brick ovens back in the day were able to produce this kind of heat, which is now available in smaller ovens. Many companies produce such pizza ovens with this capability.

However, none does it like Ooni, a company producing portable pizza ovens for almost a decade. They bring ovens with the best features and quality to the public.
Ooni Karu is one of their flagship products that were very popular with pizza addicts. It is a small oven that can cook pizzas in just 60 seconds while also giving that authentic taste.
It uses different fuel types, which means that you can switch the kind of smoke that gets in the pizza. Ooni Koda 16 is a newer model and a larger one that uses gas as its fuel.
So if you are looking for a pizza oven that you can use wherever you want to cook, then search no longer and see this comparison post to know which of the two ovens you want more.
Significant Differences Between Ooni Koda 16 and Ooni Karu
While these two can cook pizzas in just seconds and get features of the same quality, they have their differences that help users decide which oven is more suitable.
Here, we will be talking about the differences first to immediately look at the oven to fit your preferences. Make sure to read on and see the similarities as well later on.
Size
Ooni makes pizza ovens considered portable, so it is hard to say that they have ovens bigger than most models in the market. However, it is one of the most obvious differences.
See, when you look at the ovens from Ooni, you will see a distinct design. You will be able to differentiate them from other brands as they have a unique design.
Ooni Karu is one of the smallest models from Ooni that weighs only 29 pounds or 12 kilograms. This means that you can bring it anywhere you want as it is very easy to carry around.

It is only 13.7 inches across, which means that, including the insulation and shell, you will be able to cook 12-inch pizzas with enough room to turn or move the pizza when you need to.
The Ooni Koda 16 is considered a giant when we talk about portability. The name itself offers enough space for the users to cook 16-inch pizzas with ease and convenience.
It weighs a little over 40 pounds, so although it is heavy, it is still manageable to carry. You can still bring this pizza oven in campings or tailgating trips to cook pizza anywhere you want.
Airflow And Circulation
One of the iconic designs from Ooni is the chimney, which allows the ovens to have great pathways for air. The Ooni Karu has this feature, and it fires up quickly because of it.
Of course, Ooni considered portability while designing this pizza oven. That means that the chimney will not get in the way if you put it in a bag or any small cover to carry it.
The chimney is collapsable, which means that you can remove the protruding feature from the Ooni Karu oven. It also fits right inside the oven, so you can bring it around with the oven itself.
The Ooni Koda 16 is a large pizza oven, and the great thing about its design is that it does not have a protruding feature. This pizza oven uses something else instead of the chimney.
The vents underneath the oven help in creating the needed airflow. The opening of the Ooni Koda 16 is the escape hatch of the air once it goes through the fire and the interior.
==> Get the Best Deals on Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven
Burners
The way these pizza ovens heat up is also different as they use different burners. The Ooni Koda 16 has a single burner attachment meant for propane gas only to bring the heat up.
Ooni Karu uses multiple fuels that are all-natural, and you can find them anywhere. Its burner attachment can be us
ed when you want to switch the fuel that you are using.

The burners of the Ooni Karu are found at the back of the oven itself. It is a single line of burners that heats the oven’s interior from the back, then up to the ceiling, all the way to the front.
This is suitable for its size as it does not need too many burners to heat its small chamber. The Ooni Koda 16, however, needs a lot more to bring the temperature up inside it.
The burners of the Ooni Koda 16 are found both at the back and on the left side. This pizza oven’s L-shaped burners allow it to heat up quickly and evenly in just a few minutes.
The heat from the back meets with the heat from the side and heats the oven’s interior from the ceiling down. This creates convection heat that cooks the pizza at a more even rate.
Performance
They are not necessarily the same when it comes to performance, but they do not differ much. These pizza ovens can produce the right temperature for cooking authentic pizzas.
The Ooni Koda 16, being one of the thickest pizza ovens in insulation, needs more time to preheat to reach its maximum temperature and cook the pizzas.
Preheating the oven usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes. Compared to the Ooni Karu, the Koda 16 is slow as the Karu only takes half of that time to reach maximum temperature.
Another reason for this could be that the Koda 16 is larger and takes a bit more time to heat up and be ready for cooking pizzas.
Aside from that, these two pizza ovens are quite the same as they both have a maximum temperature of 932 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a very hot oven for cooking pizzas.
It means that within 60 seconds, your pizza gets cooked. They also have the same feature to even out the heat inside on their cordierite pizza stones.
This same feature allows the pizza ovens to cook pizzas with crispy crusts and evenly cooked toppings. So when it comes to cooking, speed and fuel type are the only differences between them.
The Ooni Karu gives your pizzas a nice authentic wood-fired pizza flavor, while that is not possible with a gas-fueled pizza oven like the Ooni Koda 16.
The Ooni Koda 16 cooks 16 inches of pizza, and it cooks them fast, while the Karu is going to cook pizzas up to 12 inches and not more than that.
So, if you love cooking larger pizzas for your family, then the Ooni Koda 16 is something you should consider as it would make your cooking experience instantly easy.
The Ooni Karu is something I would pick up if I want a portable multi-fueled pizza oven and if I’m good with 12-inch pizzas.
Portability
Perhaps the most popular feature of Ooni pizza ovens is their portability. They can be carried or stored in small spaces because of this feature, and you can find them in different forms.
As I have already mentioned, the Ooni Karu has a collapsible chimney that fits in the chamber. Both of these ovens have foldable legs, so you can put them in a bag and carry them.
Because these pizza ovens do not have doors, you do not have to worry about protruding handles when you store them in small spaces or bringing them in the car.
Cleaning Method
These pizza ovens do not have much space that allows you to get inside and clean them. However, they do have the same cleaning method that involves less work on your part.
When you fire them up, the food residuals get burned inside. From there, you can just brush the burned residuals out of the oven, and it will be ready for cooking again.
See, so do not clean it using water or any chemicals. Pyrolyzing them is enough and will be better for the pizza stones and the other parts of the ovens.
Conclusion
Ooni has been at the top of cooking pizzas as they have produced the best portable pizza ovens. They are great for other recipes as well.
So if you want something that will help you make the best authentic Neapolitan pizzas, you can be assured that the pizza ovens from Ooni will go higher than your expectations.
==> Get the Best Deals on Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven
Ooni Karu is a multi-fueled pizza oven that you can bring and use anywhere. It is perfect for small meals during weekends if you suddenly crave pizza.
If you are looking for something portable that you can easily carry around on your camping trips, then the Ooni Karu is something that you should go for without any second thoughts.
It is multi-fueled and compact, making it easier to carry around.
Ooni Koda 16 is a much larger pizza oven that you can use to cook pizzas when your friends visit. It is big, and you can make 16-inch pizzas within a minute, which is pretty amazing.
Both the ovens make amazing Neapolitan pizzas that taste amazing, and you are going to love every single thing about both these pizza ovens.
So choose the one that fits your lifestyle better.
Go ahead and get cooking!
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