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Can pizza ovens take over the kitchen like they did the backyard? More companies a betting there’s space for it with the list of electric pizza ovens steadily increasing.
The latest is from electronics giant Panasonic. They had some success with their FlashXpress Toaster Oven, so they’ve released the FlashXpress Indoor Pizza Oven Plus.
Our FlashXpress line-up has long been known for bringing speed, precision and everyday convenience to the countertop, and the FlashXpress Indoor Pizza Oven Plus builds on that legacy in an exciting new way. By combining powerful dual heating technology with dedicated pizza presets and versatile cooking modes, we’re giving families a smarter way to make restaurant-style pizza, weeknight dinners and everyday favorites all from one thoughtfully designed appliance.
Hana Umemoto, Product Manager Small Appliance, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
The new pizza oven retails for $449.99, and can be found on Panasonic’s website and Amazon. It’s a sleek looking oven that has a temperature range of 280 to 755 degrees F for cooking a nice crust in the kitchen. The interior of the oven will fit a 12″ pizza and it has the height to be able to fit a variety of food.
The heating on this oven is a little different than other electric ovens on the market. Rather than relying solely on a heating element on the bottom of the oven, this oven heats from the top and bottom.
Included Accessories
Many of the specs and features, like different cooking modes, of this oven are comparable to others on the market. What sets this one apart is that it includes an array of accessories to take advantage of different food the oven can cook.
I think that’s more important for indoor cooking than outdoor cooking. It’s more likely that a consumer has garage or patio space than they have kitchen counter an cupboard space because it’s so limited.
To successfully get them to want to buy another kitchen appliance, they need convincing that the space sacrifice, in addition to cost, is worth it. Leading with pizza makes sense because it’s fun and fashionable right now, but I think you need to say “oh, by the way, it also does all this other stuff”.
The Panasonic oven comes with all the accessories in the image below. Most notably, it can take place of the air fryer, and to my excitement, it comes with a cast iron grilling pan. Air fryers are still popular and steaks cooked at high heat are just delicious.
Future For Smart Ovens
With the indoor electric pizza oven category growing and doing more stuff, I can’t help but think back to brands like June and Brava. Dedicated smart ovens that may have been too expensive, with some tech bugs, and not a big enough market.
Indoor pizza ovens are evolving their functionality, including AI tech, while still managing to keep their cost down. They also have a higher temperature range to be able to cook a good pizza and get a good sear on a steak.
If the market for them continues to grow and the products continue to evolve, I’d imagine they’ll eventually get back to product like a June oven. It’s possible that smart ovens were just too early for the market and the tech hadn’t matured enough for the production costs to be at a reasonable level to service the market.