Ooni Large Modular Table Review: A $325 Oven Stand

The thing nobody budgets for, and the reason an oven ends up on a folding table it should not be on.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Ooni's published product specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• It puts the propane cylinder on a shelf under the oven rather than on the ground beside your feet, which is where the hose gets trodden on and kinked.
• A stainless work surface takes a hot peel, a hot stone brush and a dropped ball of dough without complaint, which a wooden table does not.
• Two lockable castors means you can move the whole station and then stop it moving, which matters when you are pushing a 32 inch peel into an oven.
• The hooks are more useful than they sound. A turning peel that lives on a hook gets used mid-bake; one that lives in a drawer does not.
• It joins to other tables in the range, so an outdoor kitchen can grow without the first purchase becoming an orphan.

Where it falls short

• It costs $324.95, which is more than the Cuisinart CPO-401, the Ooni Karu 12 and the Ninja Artisan. That is the honest comparison and it is not flattering.
• It does nothing for the pizza. This is a storage and safety purchase, not a cooking one, and it belongs at the end of the list rather than near the top.
• Two castors rather than four, so moving it is a lift at one end rather than a push.
• A 31 by 31 inch surface fills fast once an oven, a launching peel, a turning peel and a dough tray are on it.
• Ooni states that every Ooni oven fits the work surface. Confirm the footprint of any non-Ooni oven yourself before ordering.

What owners report

Owner reports on this table cluster around fit and finish rather than function, which is what you would expect from a piece of outdoor furniture. The recurring positives are that it is stable enough to lean on with a loaded peel and that the propane shelf genuinely tidies up the mess of hose and cylinder that otherwise ends up underfoot. The recurring criticism is the price, and it is fair.

The one point worth adding, because it is a safety point rather than a preference: a working pizza oven holds a 700F to 950F floor and the shell will burn on contact, so whatever it stands on has to be rated for the weight of the oven plus the load of somebody leaning on it. Our oven size calculator covers the working space and the clearances a build actually needs, and the first fire guide covers setting the station up before the first burn.

Who it suits

• Anyone whose oven currently lives on a plastic folding table or a garden bench.
• Propane users who want the cylinder off the ground and the hose out of the traffic path.
• People building an outdoor cooking area in stages, since the range is designed to join up.
• Owners of a heavy oven who need a surface rated to take it plus the force of a launch.

Who should skip it

• Anyone with an existing rated outdoor counter, a masonry surface or a solid workbench.
• People who have not bought the oven yet, because the oven, the peels and a thermometer all come first.
• Anyone who wants four castors and a genuinely rollable station.
• Owners of a very large oven, who should confirm the footprint against the 31 inch surface first.

Alternatives worth considering

Where it fits in the rest of the kit

A stand is a late purchase, and the reason to buy one is usually safety rather than convenience. Work out the footprint and clearances your setup actually needs with the oven size calculator before ordering a 31 inch square table, because the working space around the oven matters as much as the space under it. The first fire guide covers setting the station up before the first burn.

If you own a Gozney Arc or Arc XL, the fitted Gozney stand is the better and slightly cheaper answer. If you are still choosing the oven itself, start with indoor versus outdoor pizza ovens and then the pizza oven roundup, because an indoor oven needs counter space rather than a stand. And before the furniture, buy the things that change the pizza: a turning peel, an infrared thermometer and rated gloves.

Keep reading

• Oven size calculator
• Best pizza ovens, by tier
• Indoor vs outdoor pizza ovens
• Gozney Arc oven stand review
• First fire: breaking in a pizza oven
• The intermediate pizza oven setup

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.