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The short answer
The three pizza oven accessories that make the biggest difference are a launching peel, a small turning peel and an infrared thermometer. Those three solve the problems most new owners run into: pizzas that stick on launch, crusts that burn on one side, and pies that go in before the stone is hot enough. Add a fitted cover if the oven lives outdoors, and a digital scale if you make your own dough.
Our picks at a glance
| Pick | Accessory | Why it matters | Best for | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Must-have | Perforated launching peel | Sheds excess flour so it doesn’t scorch on the stone | Every oven owner | Amazon |
| Must-have | Turning peel | Rotates the pie every 15–20 seconds near the flame | Gas and wood ovens with a rear or side flame | Amazon |
| Must-have | Infrared thermometer | Reads the stone surface, not the air | Anyone who has burned a base or pulled a pale one | Amazon |
| Strongly recommended | Fitted oven cover | Keeps rain and debris off the stone and body | Ovens stored outside | Amazon |
| Recommended | Stone brush | Clears char and flour between pies | Long pizza nights | Amazon |
| Recommended | Cast iron skillet | Steaks, vegetables, pan pizza | Getting more out of the oven | Amazon |
| Recommended | Digital kitchen scale | Weighs flour, water and salt for consistent dough | Homemade dough | Amazon |
| Nice to have | Heat-resistant gloves | Handling hot pans and moving the oven door | Cast iron cooking | Amazon |
| Nice to have | Rocker cutter | One clean press through a blistered crust | Big 16-inch pies | Amazon |
How we picked
We compared manufacturer guidance from Ooni and Gozney, owner reviews, and published reviews of popular ovens like the Ooni Koda 16 and Gozney Roccbox. Reviewers kept pointing to the same handful of tools as the difference between a frustrating first night and a good one, so those come first. Everything below works with most portable ovens; just check sizes against your oven’s opening and stone.
1. Perforated launching peel
A launching peel is the flat paddle you use to slide the raw pizza onto the stone. Perforated versions have slots or holes that let loose flour and semolina fall away before the pie hits the stone. That matters in a 900°F oven, where loose flour burns almost instantly and gives the base a bitter, sooty taste. Reviewers of the Ooni Koda 16 specifically recommend a perforated peel for that reason.
Size it right: pick a peel at least as wide as the largest pizza you make (a 14-inch peel for 12-inch pies; a 16-inch peel for 16-inch ovens), but check it fits through your oven’s mouth.
Good to know: aluminum peels are thin and slide under a pizza easily. Wooden peels are less sticky for building the pizza on, but thicker. Many owners build on a lightly floured wooden board and launch with metal.
Check perforated pizza peels on Amazon →
2. Turning peel
A turning peel is a small, round metal paddle on a long handle. Ovens like the Ooni Koda 16 put out most of their heat from a burner along the back and one side, so the edge closest to the flame cooks much faster than the rest. Reviewers turn the pizza roughly every 20 seconds. Doing that with a full-size launching peel is clumsy; a turning peel lets you lift and spin the pie without pulling it out.
Good to know: this is the accessory people skip and then wish they hadn’t. If your oven has a single rear flame, treat it as essential.
Check pizza turning peels on Amazon →
3. Infrared thermometer
The thermometer built into many ovens reads air temperature, and the air in a pizza oven gets much hotter than the stone. What decides whether your base is crisp or raw is the stone surface temperature, and the only easy way to read it is with an infrared (laser) thermometer. Reviewers call it the one accessory you really can’t skip, and Ooni suggests a stone temperature of around 750°F before launching a Neapolitan-style pie.
What to look for: a range that reaches at least 1,000°F. Many budget household models stop around 750°F, which is right where you need to read.
Check the Etekcity Lasergrip 1080 on Amazon →
4. Fitted oven cover
Cordierite stones are porous. A stone that sits wet and then gets heated fast can crack, and rain inside the body encourages rust on carbon steel ovens. A fitted, waterproof cover is cheap insurance. Brand covers are cut for each model, so search by your exact oven (Koda 12, Koda 16, Karu 16, Roccbox, Dome and so on).
Good to know: never cover a hot oven. Let it cool completely, which can take a couple of hours after a long session.
Check pizza oven covers on Amazon →
5. Stone brush
Between pizzas you’ll get stray flour, cheese and the odd burnt topping on the stone. A long-handled brush with a scraper lets you clear it while the oven is hot. After a session, let the stone burn clean at high heat, then brush once it’s cool. Don’t use soap or water on cordierite.
Check pizza oven brushes on Amazon →
6. Cast iron skillet
A pizza oven is basically a very hot open-front oven, which makes it great for searing steaks, blistering vegetables, roasting fish and baking pan pizza. A cast iron skillet sized for your oven’s mouth turns it into more than a pizza machine. Ooni sells cast iron sized for its ovens; any good skillet works if it fits.
Good to know: the handle gets dangerously hot. Use proper heat-resistant gloves, not a kitchen towel.
Check pizza oven cast iron on Amazon →
7. Digital kitchen scale
Good pizza dough is a ratio: flour, water (hydration), salt and yeast by weight. Measuring by cup is too inconsistent to repeat a good batch. A scale that reads in 1-gram steps is enough for flour and water; a separate pocket scale with 0.1-gram precision helps with yeast in small batches.
Check digital kitchen scales on Amazon →
8. Heat-resistant gloves and a rocker cutter
Gloves rated for direct contact with hot cookware make it safer to move cast iron, adjust doors and wood baffles, and handle the oven if you need to reposition it. A rocker cutter (a long curved blade) slices a 16-inch pizza in one press without dragging toppings off the crust.
Check heat-resistant grill gloves on Amazon →
Check pizza rocker cutters on Amazon →
Accessories by oven type
| Oven type | Essentials | Extras worth adding |
|---|---|---|
| Gas (Ooni Koda, Gozney Roccbox) | Launching peel, turning peel, IR thermometer | Cover, cast iron, spare propane tank |
| Wood or pellet (Ooni Karu, Fyra) | Peels, IR thermometer, gloves | Kiln-dried hardwood or food-grade pellets, a metal ash bucket |
| Large dome ovens (Gozney Dome) | Long-handled peels, IR thermometer | Fitted cover, stand or table, wood-fire kit |
Buying checklist
- Peel width vs. oven mouth: measure the opening before buying a large peel.
- Handle length: longer handles keep your hands away from the flame, but are harder to store.
- Thermometer range: at least 1,000°F for an infrared model.
- Model-specific covers: buy the cover made for your exact oven.
- Fuel: for wood ovens use dry hardwood, not softwood or treated lumber; for pellet ovens, food-grade hardwood pellets only.
- Safety: keep pizza ovens outdoors, on a non-flammable surface, away from overhangs and siding.
FAQ
What accessories do I need for a pizza oven?
Start with a launching peel, a turning peel and an infrared thermometer. Add a fitted cover if the oven is stored outside and a digital scale if you make your own dough.
Why do I need an infrared thermometer for a pizza oven?
The built-in gauge usually reads air temperature, which runs much hotter than the stone. An infrared thermometer reads the stone surface, which decides whether the base cooks properly. Ooni suggests about 750°F on the stone before launching.
Is a perforated pizza peel better?
For launching, usually yes. The holes let excess flour fall away so it doesn’t burn on the stone and make the base taste bitter.
Can I leave my pizza oven outside?
Many owners do, but use a fitted waterproof cover once the oven has fully cooled. A wet cordierite stone heated quickly can crack.
How do you clean a pizza stone?
Let it burn clean at high heat, then brush it once cool. Don’t use soap or water on cordierite stones.