Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Instant pizza
I’ve often imagined being the hero of the party – you know, you turn up fashionably late and everyone looks delighted to see you because finally, now you’re here, things can really get going. Until now this has been a pipe dream. But today it’s a real possibility, because I’m on my way and I’ve got a pizza oven in a bag.
The idea behind Tread is portability; in comparison to the rest of Gozney’s range, it’s more compact (12in pizzas max), substantially lighter, has a thinner stone, heats up and cools down more quickly and fits in a zip-up bag. That bag is part of a bundle of accessories that complement the basic £500 oven, along with a working surface that sits on top, two peels (one for launching, one for turning), a mantel that attaches to the front to give you a bigger launching area and a quadpod stand with adjustable legs. All of those (except the stand) fit in the bag, and I promise that’s the last time I’ll mention the bag.
It hooks up to an LPG cylinder; the manual recommends 9kg minimum, but I had it running nicely with a 5kg Flogas Gaslight. First time around it needs half an hour of curing at a low heat, but on subsequent outings it’ll be up to 400ºF and beyond in around 20 minutes, with a circular gauge on the exterior showing its progress. The lateral flame arcs across from the left side of the oven to the right, reducing the chances of launching the pizza directly into it – and the oven absolutely takes a pan, so steak, fish or roasted veg can be added to the menu.
Some may say that I cheated, because I bought several packs of doughballs in anticipation of multiple failures on my part, but things went swimmingly from the get go. Pizza after pizza in less than 90 seconds, not merely edible but well into the realms of delicious. After half an hour’s cooldown it was neatly packed away. Heroic.
Burning bright
A downside of sitting around an open fire is that the warmest spot is also the smokiest spot. Dutch firm RB73 solved this problem with its Quaruba range, which consists of a firebox to radiate warmth and a 2m flue to take the smoke away over people’s heads. The corten-steel version (which became popular during the pandemic) now has a black stainless-steel sibling, the result of four years of R&D. This particular version comes with four glass windows and a wheeled platform at the base (so it can be moved to wherever it’s needed) that doubles as a wood store. The heat radiates out a good 2m, and an internal air-wash system keeps it looking bright and beautiful.
Where there’s smoke
Think of it as a two-in-one: an outdoor oven plus smoker. While you’ll most often use them in combination, they’re separately controllable, giving you the option of cold smoking (cheese, fish), as well as the more traditional slow cooking of ribs or brisket. The smoke comes from bisquettes of various flavours (including oak, apple and hickory), which you load into a feeder tube; before they turn to ash, they are automatically pushed out into a water-filled drip tray, keeping the smoke untainted. Two meat probes display their gently ascending temperatures on the outside of the oven, or in the accompanying app via smartphone/Bluetooth. It’s not a speedy dining option, but the wait is certainly worth it.
Top table
Cornilleau’s primary concern is, of course, table tennis. But the same high-pressure laminate it uses for outdoor ping-pong tables turns out to be the perfect surface for pool too (when covered in fabric, of course – in this case, water-repellent Sunbrella). It’s a couple of centimetres higher than Cornilleau’s Play-Style ping-pong tables, but converts just as quickly to a dining table, thanks to three waterproof tops (storable underneath) that fit neatly together and stay firmly in place. Accessories include two composite cues and a set of American spots ’n’ stripes balls; the roll is consistent (adjustable legs help to achieve a perfectly level surface), and once potted, the balls can live in the gutters at the sides.
Stay chill
Standard domestic fridges don’t cope well with extremes of temperature – they don’t even like direct sunlight, which makes them eminently unsuitable for outdoor use. But this integrated under-counter fridge cools consistently even when the thermometer hits 43ºC (residents of Palm Jumeirah, take note) and you can leave it out all winter in chillier climes, thanks to enhanced insulation and clever airflow design. The marine-grade stainless-steel exterior can handle salty coastal air (Mustique’s legendary Basil’s Bar is among Blastcool’s customers), there’s a mirrored, food-grade interior and it sits happily in a range of units. Simply power it up, and it does precisely what it’s designed to do.
@rhodri
Read the full article here