There’s nothing quite like the taste of pizza shared with loved ones on a tranquil summer evening outdoors. During a recent garden gathering, my friend Monique beckoned us over for some al fresco refreshments and nibbles, giving me the perfect opportunity to put the latest addition to my pizza oven arsenal through its paces. The specialists at Revolve generously provided me with their state-of-the-art Revolve Pizza Oven, which I eagerly brought along to the occasion.
As someone who prides themselves on their pizza expertise, I was ready to showcase my skills. Yet, I faced stiff competition from Monique’s son Ben, a genuine pizza devotee who might just rival me in enthusiasm for that perfect blend of gooey cheese and crunchy crust. The market has recently seen an influx of pizza ovens in the UK, including the Revolve, a formidable opponent to established names like Ooni and Gozney. Embracing the spirit of camaraderie, the team behind Revolve says, “We have nothing but love and admiration for our friends at Ooni and Gozney. The world is a better place when more people are cooking great pizza. Here at Revolve, we have specifically looked at what we can do to encourage more people into the hobby.”
What sets the Revolve apart is its exhilarating feature: a rotating stone that guarantees evenly cooked food and eliminates one of home pizza making’s biggest tribulations—the awkward task of spinning the pizza in constricted spaces. This innovation promotes a hands-off cooking experience, freeing up more time to mingle while your meal effortlessly prepares itself.
We were eager to give it a go, so we set up the pizza oven on a table in the garden. It was well-packaged, which made it slightly difficult to unpack at times, but it was reassuring to know that all the parts had been securely stored during delivery. The device itself has a sleek and stylish appearance while being compact enough for easy relocation. According to the Revolve website, the unit is designed to deliver “perfect pizza anywhere” and comes with its own carry bag/rain cover. The stabilising legs at the bottom of the oven can be folded up for easier transportation, although they don’t seem to lock in place when lifted, making it somewhat tricky to carry.
Once we had it perfectly positioned, the instructions were straightforward, and it didn’t take long to get the oven ready to fire up. While I’m always ready to eat freshly baked pizza, I’m not always the best at cooking it, so I left the cooking to my far more able friend. Monique said: “The gas unit was easy to fit but it took a while for the gas to feed through to the unit and make it ignite. In the end, it took 35 minutes until the oven was hot enough to cook.” The high-power burner heats the oven up to 500C (950F), so it’s not surprising that it can take a while to reach this temperature. “However, once it was ready, the pizza party truly began. With just a few ingredients, we were all able to savour deliciously crisp pizza in no time at all.
Monique shared her secret: “I used a semolina base instead of flour, which meant that it did not stick. My top tip would be to turn the rotating plate off before you put the pizza on or take it off the plate.” The unique 13″ pizza stone, designed for easier cooking, rotates without manual intervention. Crafted from Cordierite, the stone retains and distributes extreme heat, enabling you to cook your pizza at much higher oven temperatures in mere minutes. Cordierite, unlike other materials, won’t crack under intense heat, and the revolving design ensures evenly cooked pizza. This model also includes an extra ceramic plate.
Those mouth-watering pizzas are ready in a flash, literally blink and you’ve burnt it. In just about a minute, each type of topping was ready—stone-baked but not char-grilled.
This specific oven is AVPN certified, making it the first and only rotating pizza oven to receive certification from the Italian authority on Neapolitan pizza-making. After indulging in pizza, it was time to hit the road, satisfied and filled with the finest Italian delicacies. While we only opted for traditional pizza recipes this time, according to the website, the oven can also be used to prepare roast veggies, roast meats, burgers, wings, sides, stews, pies, and even crumbles.
Our verdict: I found the pizza to be delicious and perfectly cooked throughout. However, Monique, our chief pizza chef, felt that while it was an excellent piece of equipment, the three-legged design didn’t seem particularly stable, and the ceramic plate was hard to clean. Monique also suggested that the unit could certainly benefit from an interior light to monitor the cooking process of the pizza.
Aside from these points, this unique little pizza oven earned a solid four out of five, making the simple act of pizza-making a perfect excuse for quality time together. As a devoted fan of all things pizza, I am also the proud owner of a Gozney Arc. Although slightly pricier than the Revolve version and lacking the rotating plate, the Gozney is another fantastic option for fellow pizza enthusiasts. You can read my comprehensive review in The Mirror, here. Alternatively, Amazon offers the basic but brilliant Vintage Gourmet Table Top Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven for just £99, and Ooni currently has a flash sale on its best-selling Karu.
