Smarter's portable gas oven: Enhancing culinary experiences anywhere

As the picnics season approaches, we delved into Smarter's portable gas oven.

Cooking and baking with live fire at an intense heat of 500 degrees Celsius provide a powerful culinary experience. Whether it's slow-cooking a winter stew, quickly searing a steak, or baking in an ethnic style, the taboon (oven) has become every home chef's dream. We examined Smarter's portable gas oven while preparing a family pizza evening.

The taboon is a type of oven that has been used since ancient times for bread-making. While originally made of clay (ceramic) and handcrafted, today it is constructed from refractory stone or metallic materials and is usually stationary and stable in partially enclosed spaces.

Usually designed as a dome with an opening on the side or front, it facilitates feeding the live fire. Sometimes, a smoke outlet (chimney) is incorporated, but some settle for an entry opening for smoke exit to minimize uncontrolled heat escape. Closing the openings is common to preserve internal heat, akin to using an electric oven.

The taboon has been adopted by various cultures and ethnic communities as an efficient means of baking, for preparing various types of pastries. Today, it is also common in restaurants and bakeries worldwide, with some modern taboons utilizing gas for cooking.

Over the years, the taboon has become a favorite of amateur chefs, who experiment with their creations on family members, enhancing them with additional accessories to elevate their dining experience. We examined one such product: Smarter's portable gas oven.

Suitable for all terrain conditions?

Smarter's portable gas oven is a modern, innovative pizza oven designed for use in all terrain conditions and even for home kitchens, apartment balconies, or backyard gatherings.

With electronic ignition, this portable oven operates by connecting to a gas cylinder, achieving maximum heating within about 15 minutes. Smarter's gas oven reaches a maximum heat of up to 500 degrees, ensuring pizza is ready within 2 minutes on its supplied refractory stone.

The product we tested is compact, lightweight, and easy to carry and store, with folding legs and external dimensions of 300/445/670, allowing placement in any location and terrain.

The Test

Smarter's oven requires no assembly, it's lightweight and easy to carry, simple to operate once connected to a gas source (we ordered a gas cylinder separately), and ignites quickly.

It was difficult for us to precisely check the heat intensity, but it seems the manufacturer knows what they're talking about when they mention the maximum heat (up to 500 degrees).

We prepared a superb Italian pizza dough recipe, took the oven to the backyard connected to the gas cylinder, operated it, and waited about 15 minutes for maximum heating.

We placed the flattened dough on the refractory stone, which quickly heated up and intensified the heat effect, providing direct heat to the bottom of the dough placed on it. Those knowledgeable will say that the stone helps dry the moisture around the dough, creating the crispy crust, as it turns out.

We waited about 2 minutes as promised for a good pizza, it took a bit longer to reach the level of doneness we prefer, but after about 4-5 minutes, we took out the pizza and indulged.

In conclusion of the test:

The experience of baking around the oven with the red/blue light emitted by the live fire on a chilly day (we chose such a day) with children around, created a festive atmosphere that will be remembered among family members as a pleasant and fun time.

More than the taste of the pizza, we enjoyed the company, the shared preparations, the variety of toppings each chose, the flicker of the fire in the dark hour, wrapped in thin blankets to enhance the atmosphere.

We promised to try grilling fish and vegetables, roasting chestnuts, and baking garlic bread for a lighter evening meal soon, it seems it's going to be delicious, but primarily enjoyable.

In summary of the matter, due to the relatively limited use of such a type of oven in a home kitchen, its price is not cheap. However, similar to special pots based on air without the need for frying, for plenchas and grills, it transforms cooking/baking into a different and varied experience. For some of us, it may meet the requirements and be worth its price.

We found that apartment owners with a large balcony or a private yard would enjoy a significant advantage, as outdoor use provides a different atmosphere and non-significant heat loss, a sense of security. However, using it in a home kitchen seemed less safe to us, despite the manufacturer marketing the product as suitable for indoor use.

The judgment of whether it's worth it or not, I leave to you, to summarize, to the expected frequency of use, creativity, readiness for investment, and your home's layout.

The price of Smarter's portable gas oven is: 1390 Shekels. It can be purchased on the company's website: https://www.xistore.co.il/