Now that it has become clear that the southern Italian oven manufacturer Macte Ovens is not very good at packaging, we now come to the most important part - the actual pizza baking test. Does the Voyager really reach 500°C as promised? Even though the oven only works with 230 volts? Find out here.
Burning in
Before you use the Macte Ovens Voyager to bake pizza, you first have to burn it in - like all pizza ovens. In the instructions for use, Macte recommends burning in the oven and the Biscotto Saputo for a total of one hour. First at 150° Celsius for 30 minutes, then at 350° Celsius for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes, you take a 10-second ventilation break to allow moisture from the Biscotto to escape through the door.
Of course, I also test the maximum temperature and this should make one or two infrared thermometers look old. While most infrared thermometers can no longer deliver results at 350° Celsius, the good models can measure up to 500° Celsius. Only very few devices manage to reliably measure temperatures above 500°, but of course pizzaschaufel.ch only sells high-quality products and the thermometer worked perfectly.
The concerns regarding the 230 volt connection could therefore easily be put aside.
Pizza baking test
To test the Macte Ovens Voyager, I made a classic pizza dough as usual and left it to rise for a total of 24 hours, including about 2.5 hours in the final proofing phase as finished dough pieces. A somewhat short proofing phase, but unfortunately I couldn't arrange it any other way. Of course, I'll be testing a Margherita.
The light in the oven is super bright and allows a good view into the oven. The heat distribution is surprisingly even for someone who is not used to an oven door and a single turn is enough.
The result is astonishingly good for the first attempt with a new oven.
Conclusion
The Macte Ovens Voyager can bake pizza like a big one. The test result is convincing across the board and operating the oven couldn't be easier. In the future, anyone looking for simplicity and authenticity at a reasonable price will probably opt for a Macte Ovens Voyager, while Effeuno has moved into the realm of wealthy touchscreen and gimmick lovers.
UPDATE 2023
After 8 months of continuous use, the Voyager is still as impressive as ever and has replaced the Ooni Koda as my favorite oven. Since there have been repeated inquiries about how to easily get the oven in Switzerland, you now have the exclusive opportunity to buy the oven directly from pizzaschaufel.ch - free pallet shipping included.
PS Of course, I made an Ooni Koda reference pizza this time too, but even after hundreds of pieces in the oven, you can still miscalculate the length of time it takes to rise and bake. For the sake of completeness, here's the beautiful picture.
Like all tests by pizzaschaufel.ch, this test was also carried out on our own account, so it is impossible for the manufacturer to exert any influence. This is the free opinion of the author.