Solo Stove Pi Prime Pizza Oven Review – A Great Pizza Oven Under $400

Pi Prime Versus Original Pi

The original Solo Stove Pi is no longer in current production, although you may find it available online or through retailers. The older model can use wood pellets or wood chunks, and propane, and it’s also slightly heavier.

Why did they sunset the Pi?

• Using wood in the original Pi created a challenge for this size oven, and most users used propane.
• They were able to engineer the same quality and drop the retail price for the Pi Prime.

Pros and Cons of Solo Stove Pi Prime

Packaging

The propane-fueled Pi Prime comes almost ready to use straight from the packaging. And the packaging is very durable. All you need is to place the Pi Prime on your desired surface, insert the stone, and then connect the propane tank. It’s ready to use after you do an initial burn-off.

First Use

Be sure to remove any dust from the packaging and do your initial burn. After connecting the propane tank, turn the knob to ignite the starter and run on medium for 30 minutes. This will burn off any leftover packaging or oils from the manufacturing.

You may need to turn the starter a few times to allow the propane to work through the lines. What we noticed right out of the gate, is the compact space of the cooking area and the efficient flame warms up the oven and the stone within 15 minutes.

You can cool and reheat for your first pizza or get started after the first burn.

Recommended Additional Tools

We strongly recommend you purchase an IR thermometer to measure the temperature of the pizza stone. This is especially important since there is no dome thermometer. It’s one of the most important pizza tools you should own.

And the number one tip for great pizzas is making sure your pizza stone is at the right temperature before baking the pizza.

You will also want a good perforated pizza peel that fits the opening of the Pi Prime and a turning peel that will rotate the pizza easily for even baking. Some of our wider pizza peels did not fit inside the opening of the oven.

Solo Stove Pi Prime Testing Notes

We made over 50 pizzas when testing the Pi Prime in many different conditions, including bright sunny days, windy cool evenings, and classic Oregon rainy days.

The most consistent observations:

• The more compact design of the internal cooking chamber meant that the pizza stone was a consistent versus having hot spots.
• The perforated holes on the flame shield make even cooking closer to the flame, meaning you get more even cooking of the crust as you rotate the pizza.
• The compact design makes the convection efficient, meaning that even in windy or cold weather, the stone maintains the heat between pizzas as the heat bounces off the ceiling and heats the stone.

How To Make Pizza in Pi Prime

• Turn on the ignition and light the flame. Turn the knob to medium-high to warm up the pizza stone. For Neapolitan style pizzas, the stone should be 700 degrees after 15 minutes. For a NY-style pizza, the stone should be at 500 degrees within 10 minutes.
• Prepare your pizza dough, make your pizza round, and add toppings. Using your larger perforated pizza peel, slide the pizza into the Pi oven in the center of the stone.
• Use your pizza turning peel to rotate the pizza as you see the crust develop toward the flame. Don’t leave the pizza unattended or you will likely burn the edge. Rotate in quarter turns every 15 seconds until the edges are crisped, the base is cooked and the cheese melted through.
• Remove the pizza using the larger peel. Allow 2 minutes for the stone to warm back up again.

Pizza Quality

You can only make one pizza at a time on this oven, versus multiple pizzas like the Alfa Forni Moderno series. The even heat on the stone and the circular design make a very evenly cooked pizza. You can see in the image below, our Kale Pizza came out with a browned crust and evenly cooked.

Unlike other ovens with no heat shield, you don’t have unevenly cooked edges with raw toppings. The base is cooked evenly, as well as the crust, the toppings, and cheese are melted.

You can also adjust the flame as needed to lower the temperature of the oven.

Cooking Beyond Pizza

We have made Garlic Knots and baked steaks in the Solo Pi Prime. While the cooking area is much smaller than the Gozney Dome or the Alfa Forni Moderno, you can still bake in it.

If you do plan to bake, we recommend buying a griddle cast iron pan with no (or very short) sides for easy in and out of the oven. For bread, you can bake directly on the stone, but for bread we do recommend an aftermarket door. If bread baking is your goal, this oven is not ideal.

Cleaning Tips

Body: The body is made from stainless steel and easy to clean with soapy water or a cleaning agent. You can also purchase the cover to keep it clean and protected from weather.

Pizza Stone: The stone will get dirty from use. This is typical. It is easy to clean. We recommend putting the flame to high and burning off any moisture, cheese, or residue for up to 5 minutes. Then when the steam has stopped, remove the more stubborn spots with a good wire brush or scraper. We don’t recommend using any chemicals to clean.

For ongoing maintenance, I recommend using high heat to purge the stone of any items before longer-term storage and prevent mold development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Safety Information and Warranty

We recommend placing the Solo Pi Prime on a heat-safe tabletop or consider purchasing the stand for it.

There is a lifetime warranty free of manufacturing defects and the unit will be replaced with proof of purchase if purchased through an authorized dealer. Be sure to register your Pi Prime with proof of purchase.

Why Choose The Pi Prime?

In a crowded market of portable pizza ovens, the Solo Stove Pi Prime stands out for several compelling reasons, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned pizza aficionados. Here’s why we think it deserves a place on your patio:

• The Price – At $349 it’s a great value pizza oven for making great pizza.
• Easy of Use – Turn it on, warm it up, make pizza. No hassle.
• Reliable Performance – We’ve not had any issues with start up and cooking.
• Portability – It’s light and easy to move on your patio or deck or to take on your next camping trip.
• Durable – It’s durable in the weather.
• Quick Warm Up and Cooking Time – In 15 minutes you can be making pizza.