Essentials Guide

Troubleshooting
Ooni Karu 16 has been carefully designed to provide exceptional
food experiences and we know that you will love using it to
cook. The Ooni team has thousands of hours of experience
cooking with fire and enjoying delicious pizza. You can reach us
at support.ooni.com or check out our online FAQs and video
guides - we’ll be happy to help.
I am seeing smoke and soot
It is perfectly normal for solid fuels to produce some smoke
during the initial lighting period. Once Ooni Karu 16 is up
to temperature, it will burn cleanly with minimal smoke.
Continued smoke is a sign of incomplete combustion and can
be caused by reduced airflow or the use of unsuitable fuel.
Remember to follow the lighting steps on page 22 and to top
up little and often. An over-full grate can suocate the flame
and cause smoke.
Always store your fuel in a warm, dry environment and use
within 6 months. Charcoal and wood that are old may have
absorbed moisture and will not burn cleanly or eciently.
Soot is natural when burning solid fuels. Excess soot can be
wiped down using a dry paper towel or the Ooni Pizza Oven
Brush when Ooni Karu 16 has completely cooled. You can
reduce the amount of soot through ecient fuel management
as described on page 19.
My Ooni Karu 16 glass door has soot on it
The ViewFlame™ technology is designed to minimise the
amount of soot build up on the glass door. It will not keep the
glass door fully clear. Therefore during the cook, wearing Ooni
Oven Gloves, you can wipe the glass using a dry paper towel.
Stubborn marks can be removed using warm soapy water,
only once Ooni Karu 16 is full cooled.
My Ooni Karu 16 has changed colour
Ooni Karu 16 is made from high-quality stainless steel and
powder-coated carbon steel. You may notice some colour
changes after repeated heat cycles but this won’t aect
performance. This change is known as patina.
You can polish Ooni Karu 16’s stainless steel with a stainless
steel cleaner and a sponge.
My Ooni Karu 16 is running too hot - my pizza is burning
Fuel management is the easiest way to reduce the temperature
of Ooni Karu 16. If your Ooni Karu 16 exceeds 950°F /
500°C, stop adding fuel and remove the hatch until regular
temperatures are reached. You can also reduce the flames by
closing over the chimney bae (see page 20).
My Ooni Karu 16 is not hot enough -
my pizza is taking too long
Ooni Karu 16 will preheat from 20 minutes but will take longer
if you are aiming for maximum temperatures. Add an additional
10-15 minutes to this preheat time if your Ooni Karu 16 is not
running hot enough and to account for ambient temperature.
If cooking with charcoal or wood, check that your chimney
bae and ceiling vent are both open and the chimney cap is
removed for optimum airflow. Before each cook, free the grate
of any leftover ash by brushing it down with a hard-wire brush.
Only use fuel that is high quality and dry.
Keep your door on throughout your cook. This helps to keep
heat in and allows the chimney to work its magic drawing heat
through the oven.
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