Calling All Fanatics!

Welcome to all of you wood fired fanatics. I am so excited to launch this blog in order to share my wood fired cooking experience with you.

This is a place where those who enjoy wood fired brick oven cooking can learn about all aspects in one place. Everything from oven types, equipment, accessories, recipes (of course!) and interviews with professionals cooking with wood fire will be discussed. The sky is the limit. Wood Fired Fanatics is not meant to sell a particular product or brand. We offer an environment to share what we have learned through our own experience and much research.

So a little background…Mr. Fanatic and I never really fancied a wood fired oven. Our friends started purchasing them and I’ll be honest…I wondered WHY?? Sure, they are interesting in a restaurant. Yes, wood fired pizza is delicious, but we never really considered installing an oven. Why would anyone do this?! My mind was racing, “How much pizza can one family eat?” (Turns out a LOT!) “This is crazy. Can’t we get decent wood fired pizza in our neighborhood?” “It costs how much??”

That ALL changed quickly. Listening to stories of delicious pizza (and Thanksgiving turkeys) made owning an oven sound intriguing. However, it was the experience of coming together with friends creating wood fired pizzas that changed everything. We were, and still are, hooked!

Anyone close to us, will tell you that we spend a ridiculous amount of time researching products before making a purchase. Mr. Fanatic quickly learned that there is a TON to know about ovens. We also quickly discovered how difficult it is to find information to make an informed choice. Once we decided which oven fit our needs, we spent time picking people’s brains, searching the internet, and contacting the manufacturer to figure out the best way to build a fire, what type of wood works the best, what else can the oven be used for? It took months for us to start figuring these things out and many areas are constantly evolving. Some tidbits we discovered on various websites or forums, others we learned trial by fire (get it? Haha), and yet others we have learned by reading books published by chefs and oven manufacturers. Woodfired cooking is truly an art and less of a science. Sure some aspects are scientific, for example the best way to build a fire to heat the oven quickly or what type of fire to use for various types of cooking. For us, most of this learning process has been art. Does the ability to judge the consistency of dough to achieve the perfect chewy yet crunchy texture come from exact measurement or a feeling? How can you use the oven door to draw air into the chamber to grow or extinguish a fire? What creative toppings combine to make a delicious pizza?

Learning to cook in a wood fired brick oven has definitely been a labor of love. We have had more fun learning and exposing our friends and family to the social aspect of wood fired cooking. The creativity involved in making your own pizza completely from scratch isn’t something that resonates with everyone. However, for those of us who have connected with wood fired cooking, sharing it with others is a point of pride. One friend recently told us that he liked our wood fired pizza better than the famous name in town!! We do MORE entertaining (and I already LOVED to host parties, dinners and fun).

Although I don’t consider myself an expert, I have learned so much since our oven was installed. I continue to learn with each firing and every dish we attempt. I really look forward to sharing our journey with all of you and anticipate hearing fascinating things in return!