 COOKING TIPS:
To grill steaks in the oven: put some water in an oven tray and place it in the middle of the oven, away from the fire. Let the water heat before placing the grill with the steaks on the tray. This allows to cook the steaks without blackening the meat as happens when coal is used under the grill (bbq). You will see the flames go over the meat without touching it. The water makes that the steak is tender and jucy instead of dried out. It has a similar effect to the “ sous-vide” method used in the better restaurants. At the first use of your Piccolo, as the oven gets hot, you may notice some difficulty opening the backdoor as the handle is tight. This is caused by heat expansion. The door handle on the backdoor however is adjustable:
See the short video below The trick is to dry the glass in the first couple of minutes after lighting the fire. When lighting the fire:
About a minute after you close the front door, condensation can form on the glass which is caused by the difference in temperature of the hot fire and the cold door. What you can do:
This will help prevent soot from sticking to the glass However if the glass continues to fog during cooking (depending on humidity in food), you can just wipe it with paper towel. Assembling instructions for the Piccolo trolley 1. Turn the top shelf upside down and put it on the floor on a soft flat surface (such as the carton from the packaging). Then insert the 4 legs in the corners, and fix them with 2 hex socket screws and 2 washers for each leg. Don’t tighten them yet, leave them a little loose so the legs can still move for now.  2. Now turn the trolley on its side, and attach the middle shelf to the assembled stand as in the image, using 2 hex socket screws and 2 washers for each corner. Use the 8 larger washers for this shelf. If you can't manage to fit the shelf, just unscrew the bolts of the legs a little bit further so they can move.  3. At last attach the bottom shelf to the assembled stand as in the image, using 2 hex socket screws and 2 washers for each corner.  4. Now turn the trolley upside down again, and attach the 4 castor wheels to the legs. Make sure they are tightened well. Tighten all bolts on the top, middle and bottom shelf.   5. Turn the trolley around on its wheels, it is now ready to put your Piccolo oven on it.   Important Remove any packaging before use. Ensure foam-packing squares are removed from between the oven and laser panel. Packing List This list of items should all be included in your box, please check all items before assembling. A: 3 x M5 Screws 1. Chimney Cap 2. Chimney Flue (in 1 longer or 2 shorter pieces) 3. Piccolo Oven with Door 4. Pizza Stone 5. Motor Axle 6. Motor (2 x D size batteries required, not included) 7. Bakerlite Handle for air vents on fuel box 8. Handle for Fuel box 9. Fuel box 10. Feeding door with handle  Assembly Instructions1. Fold out the four legs. 2. Attach the Chimney cap (1) to the Chimney (2) with the 3 x M5 screws (A). 3. Slide the complete chimney into the oven body (3) 4. Remove the plastic covering from the Pizza Stone (4) and place it on the rotating wheel inside the oven. 5. Insert 2 DD batteries into the motor. Insert the Motor Axle (5) in the Motor (6), use the on/off switch on the motor to ensure the axle is aligned with the insert on the bottom of the oven. Then slide the motor in place so that axle fits into the shaft. See also the video below. 6. Attach the Feeding Door (10) to the Oven Body (3) by sliding the left-hand end of the hinge rod in first and then the right-hand end. (Back view) 7. Attach the Bakelite Handle (7) and Stainless-steel Handle (8) to the Fuel Box (9). SETTING UP YOUR PICCOLO PIZZA OVEN Every fire will create some smoke when lighting the fire, since smoke will start at lower temperatures than flames. However, if the fire continues to smoke:
Please note: The quality of your fire will come down to the quality of your wood. If you burn good wood, you’ll have a good fire.  The following tips should help you out:
 Common causes:
Please also check About the rotating oven stone
Pizza: The ideal temperature for cooking pizzas is around 350°C. Start the fire, see how to start the fire and also handy is instructions for use and handy tips. Keep the fire alive while cooking the pizzas. The temperature should be around 350°C. To cook pizza, it can take from 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your dough. Keep the door closed to keep the oven at the right temperature. You can check the status of your pizza through the viewing window in the door. Only open the door to take out the pizza. Then close the door again and add a small piece of wood until you have your next pizza ready to bring in the oven. Remember to turn the motor off and on when putting the pizza in and taking out the oven. Bread: The ideal temperature for baking bread is around 240 - 260°C For bread no flames are required, just embers. The oven door and the chimney valve need to be closed while baking bread. You can check the cooking process every now and then through the viewing glass. It takes about 30 minutes to bake an average sized bread of around 500g. Bread baked in a wood fired oven has a crisp and friable crust, and the inside is soft and delicate. It requires some discipline with the right temperature, and you do need to carefully oversee the entire process. But then, the moment you take the bread from the oven with the shovel is incomparable: the delicate aroma fills the area and “speaks” of healthy, wholesome and appetising preparation of your daily bread...  |