The Blog
Notes from the deck
Slow recipes, fast pies, pellet-and-gas opinions, and the occasional ingredient pilgrimage. Pull up a chair.
- dough
Shaping by Hand vs. Rolling Pin: What You Actually Lose When You Roll
Hand stretching pizza dough preserves air bubbles and texture that a rolling pin crushes out. Here's what actually happens and why it matters.
Read more - ninja woodfire
The Best Pizza & Outdoor Cooking Accessories Under $50
The gear that actually improves your backyard pizza nights and outdoor cooks — all under $50, all tested on our Ninja Woodfire patio setup.
Read more - dough
How to Tell When Your Dough Is Actually Ready to Open
The signs that tell you pizza dough is ready to stretch — and the mistakes most beginners make by rushing it.
Read more - cold weather cooking
Preheating Your Outdoor Pizza Oven in Cold Weather: What Actually Changes
Cold temps affect how your outdoor pizza oven preheats. Here's what to expect and how to adjust before your first cook of the season.
Read more - peels
Two Peels vs. One — Is a Turning Peel Worth Owning?
Whether you need a second peel for pizza rotation depends on your oven and how often you cook. Here's how we think about it.
Read more - ninja woodfire
Ninja Woodfire Accessories Worth Buying (And What's a Waste)
After months of cooking everything from Neapolitan-style pizzas to pulled pork on our Ninja Woodfire, here's the honest breakdown of what's actually worth your money.
Read more - recipes
9 Pizza Night Recipes That Aren't Just Margherita
Margherita is a classic for a reason — but here are nine creative pizza topping combinations worth rotating into your backyard pizza nights, from hot honey pepperoni to Korean BBQ short rib.
Read more - hosting
Backyard Pizza Night Setup — Everything You Need
The complete guide to hosting a backyard pizza night: four stations, the gear worth buying, and the details that make the difference between a chaotic evening and a smooth one.
Read more - gear
The Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens Under $500: An Honest Comparison
Five outdoor pizza ovens under $500 compared honestly — Ooni Koda 12, Ooni Fyra, Solo Stove Pi, Ninja Woodfire, and Cuisinart 3-in-1 — and the single spec that matters more than any other.
Read more - fuel
Storing pellets through a humid New England summer
Hardwood pellets are picky about moisture. Here's how we keep them pizza-ready from May through the first hard frost.
Read more - recipe
Our 72-hour cold-ferment dough
The Friday-night dough we've been refining for two summers — sourdough-friendly, weather-tolerant, and built for both a Ninja Woodfire and an Ooni.
Read more - intro
Welcome to New England Crust
Why we're starting a backyard pizza site, and what you can expect from it — Ninja Woodfire, Ooni, and the small art of running both.
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