When individuals first acquire a pizza oven, one of the immediate impulses is to host a pizza gathering. However, this often results in serving pies that are either charred on the outside or inadequately cooked within, and there may even be a few casualties from mishandling while turning them in the oven. At CES 2025, Current Backyard unveiled a promising solution to these common pizza-making pitfalls.

The Current Model P Smart Pizza Oven is a state-of-the-art electric appliance featuring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Equipped with a dedicated app, it aspires to guarantee a flawless pizza every time.

Bake Your Pizza at Temperatures Up to 850ºF

At first glance, the idea is enticing: an oven designed to alleviate the typical challenges of pizza preparation through the aid of smart technology. The Model P employs a sophisticated algorithm to manage its heating cycles, eliminating the need to rotate the pizza while it’s cooking—a task that often requires considerable skill. There’s no requirement to even open the oven door during the cooking process.

The integrated app features a “Pizza Build Calculator,” allowing users to input their preferred pizza style—whether it be Neapolitan, New York, or Thin Crust—and receive precise calculations for the amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings necessary for a 12-inch pie. Additionally, the app communicates with the oven to determine the optimal cooking time and temperature—up to a fiery 850ºF.

Simply place your pizza on the cordierite stone, then let the app and oven work their magic. Current claims that the oven maintains its heat, thus allowing for the continuous baking of pizzas without needing to reheat between batches, mimicking the operation of traditional wood-fired pizza ovens. Moreover, given that this is essentially an oven, it can also cater to various other culinary tasks using its broil functions.

Pricing for the Current Smart Pizza Oven

Matured in a sturdy design, the oven is crafted from stainless steel and comes with a 10-year limited warranty. At a price of $599, it’s competitively situated within the market compared to other electric ovens with similar temperature capabilities. Although dedicated pizza ovens can be pricey—like the Breville model starting at approximately $800—this product is positioned reasonably.

With a background in using various smart kitchen devices such as the Brisk It Origin grill and the Brava Oven, which focus on allowing the app to dictate cooking times and temperatures, the potential of this innovation is appealing. While culinary skills are vital, there’s undeniable comfort in letting technology take on some responsibilities. Although quality control still rests with the user regarding ingredients, the app alleviates the stress of manual timing.

Evaluating Current’s Track Record

However, a previous experience with the Current smart grill left some reservations. While it performed as promised, the overall experience wasn’t entirely satisfactory. Electric grills are beneficial when other fuel sources are not an option, but they often lack the depth of flavor and char that comes from traditional grilling methods. Cleanup also presented challenges. Without firsthand experience, it remains to be seen whether the pizza oven will face similar hurdles.

In terms of performance, reaching 850ºF may not seem incredibly high, especially when comparing to wood-fired pizza ovens that can exceed 1000ºF; such temperatures are crucial for achieving the perfect crust. Nevertheless, a wood-fired oven isn’t feasible for indoor use, and the popularity of electric pizza ovens suggests that integrating smart technology could offer significant benefits. The Model P is anticipated to launch in the market by the second quarter of 2025—an exciting development for pizza enthusiasts.