Wood Fired Ovens for ‘Real Neapolitan Pizza’ Accreditation

Serving Real Neapolitan Pizza has become one way to differentiate a pizzeria, mobile pizza catering operation or pizza takeaway business, in what has become a more congested pizza market.  As pizza eaters have become more savvy, they have acquired a preference for the lighter, less ‘bready’ composition of Neapolitan pizza and seek it out, where possible. To publicise offering this style of pizza, you need accreditation, as it is a protected part of food heritage in Italy. The question is, do you have to use a wood-fired commercial pizza oven in order to gain the required certification?

The right to claim you serve Real Neapolitan Pizza is one that has to be earned.  The people who need to be convinced that you have the credentials to keep Neapolitan pizza tradition alive, are those involved with the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, in Naples.

The AVPN, at one point in time, would only allow those with wood-fired pizza ovens to gain the necessary paperwork and certification to boast of serving Neapolitan pizza – part of the patrimony of Naples.  That changed, however, when Valoriani – the masters of wood-fired pizza ovens – developed the very first gas-fired pizza oven to be approved by the AVPN as being able to serve Neapolitan pizza.  

The oven in question was the Verace gas-fired oven by Valoriani and the approval was hard won, involving many years of development and a series of blind taste tests, to ensure no distinguishable difference between the quality of Neapolitan pizza served in a wood-fired oven and that created in the gas-fired Verace pizza oven.

Where Valoriani has led, some others then followed, looking at the blueprint of the Valoriani Verace gas oven and developing versions that could also gain approval.

Since then, there has been a further development.  The Valoriani Maximo electric oven is now also approved by the AVPN as a suitable oven in which to cook Neapolitan pizza, as is the Valoriani baby oven – the Fornino – much-loved by mobile caterers across the UK.

This now leaves pizzerias, restaurants, mobile caterers and takeaways with four Valoriani routes to go down, if they wish to serve authenticated Neapolitan pizza and have AVPN approval behind them, to make that claim valid and to stand out from the crowd.

This is a huge advantage for those clued-up caterers who recognise that a Valoriani oven offers them the best possible means to create consistent, high-quality food and also purchase an oven with a remarkable longevity.  

The impressive lifetime of a Valoriani oven comes from the superior materials used in its construction, the artisan approach to manufacture that still takes place to this day and the design of the oven, by a family that has generations of experience in creating the very best pizza ovens in the market.  Having an oven that will not only cook the best quality food, but also stay the course for decades, also means a better return on investment.  Valoriani is the frequent choice for caterers with a good head for business.

The ‘Neapolitan pizza’ oven choices that a caterer now has can be summed up as follows:

Wood-fired Valoriani ‘Igloo’ commercial pizza oven

The Igloo is the most classic and historic model in the Valoriani wood-fired oven range that Orchard Ovens supplies in the UK and is available in nine different sizes.  The oven comes, in its most basic form, as the iconic white dome oven that you may have seen in eateries. This can, however, be customised, to achieve whatever ‘look’ you want, whether you choose to make it a different colour or have a mosaic or tiled effect instead.  

As with all Valoriani ovens, the entire model is crafted within the Valoriani factory in Reggello, Tuscany.  Producing the floor in house is a unique facet of Valoriani production, with this renowned cooking floor, formed from ‘cotto clay’ and baked at 1300°C in the specialist kilns at Valoriani.  Similarly, the dome is also produced there, formed from grinded refractory bricks, water and binder, to give caterers the very best-performing oven in the market.  Putting the whole oven together, with lots of artisan TLC, also adds stability and longevity to the wood-fired commercial oven.

Gas-fired Valoriani ‘Verace’ commercial pizza oven

This oven is the one that Valoriani developed over a long period of time, in order to gain the first AVPN accreditation for a gas-fired oven.  It features a unique patented RHS (Recycling Heating System) that assists heat recovery within the oven and recirculates heat under the baking surface.  This baking surface achieves a uniformity of heat that is hard-to-match in a gas oven, free from cold spots away from the gas burner.  The combustion is adjustable and gas consumption surprisingly low.  Air pollutant emissions can also be lowered by using this gas-fired pizza oven.

Electric Valoriani ‘Maximo’ commercial pizza oven

Valoriani last year evolved its classic dome, to take into an electric-powered environment.  The Maximo electric ovenhas since achieved AVPN approval, thanks to the careful work that went into replicating all the necessary elements delivered by a wood-fired oven and translating the process for the world of electricity.  This oven features upper radial heating elements covered in opalescent quartz, which work in harmony with lower ones, and also delivers all that is required during the different phases of cooking pizza.

There is a patented RHS Evolution air recovery system behind this oven, which ensures that a flow of steam makes cooking uniform.  This also assists with both the fragrancy of the food and the consistency of the dough.  The oven’s design factored in the need to achieve a maximum yield when cooking Neapolitan pizza at an extremely high temperature, but the oven can also be tailored to suit the needs of those cooking classic pizza.

Valoriani ‘Fornino’ mobile catering pizza ovens

The great news for mobile caterers – and homeowners - is that Valoriani also has an affordable and much-desired mobile option that is approved by the AVPN. The Fornino 75 woodfired oven has become a workhorse mobile catering pizza oven for many astute caterers in the UK, who recognise that mobile catering success requires dependability, speed of serving a queue and an oven that can cook a great-tasting and looking pizza.  The oven is highly affordable for caterers and can quickly get orders out, with consistency and quality every time. Should they really want it, caterers can also opt for a gas-fired version, instead of wood-burning. 

As the Fornino 60 – a popular woodfired starter oven choice for homeowners – also has the AVPN’s seal of approval, it means that gourmet Neapolitan pizza could also potentially be served in your back garden!

Of course, gaining the AVPN’s accreditation requires more than just the right oven for the job.  If you are serious about working to the AVPN’s regulations and mastering its Decalogue – the 10 requirements that must be fulfilled in order to serve Neapolitan pizza – having a Valoriani oven behind you is, however, the best starting point and a way to get a head start.  

Talk to the Orchard Ovens team today about our AVPN-approved Valoriani ovens and how we have helped other restaurant and pizzeria owners, as well as mobile caterers, become AVPN-approved and distinguish themselves by serving Real Neapolitan Pizza, as good as that served in Naples.

Call us on 07743 847647, for more information.

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Editors notes

Orchard Ovens is the domestic and commercial pizza oven supplier in the UK of Valoriani, based in Reggello, Tuscany - the manufacturer of Italy's hugely respected Valoriani pizza ovens, known as the Maserati of pizza ovens and the kings of clay. These ovens are made from superb refractory clay - cotto clay - found in the family's quarry and unique, thanks to having just the right alumina. This allows Valoriani ovens to heat up quickly and retain heat superbly, bring huge advantages to homeowners, as well as restaurant owners, hotels, pubs, mobile caterers, pizzerias, takeaways and more.

Orchard Ovens supplies some of Britain's best-known restaurants and chefs, whilst it is also a specialist creator of outdoor kitchens and wood-fired oven builds for the rich and famous, as well as everyday homeowners wishing to add value to their home and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle to the full.