Below is a list of the tools and equipment that I have when using the oven. They are not essential (apart from the long arm gloves!) but they can make life easier.
Very useful for raking out the ash from inside the oven.
Good for cleaning the hearth.
A metal bucket is a must for scraping the hot embers and ash into.
Used for brushing the ash and embers when cleaning out a COLD oven. If used on a hot oven the bristles will stick to the hearth!
The tool to make you look like you know what you are doing! Great for moving pizzas in and out of the oven.
In my opinion these are essential! The temperature inside the oven can get extremely hot, and when you are fiddling about with food or moving the embers it can burn your arms very quickly.
A tray with high sides is perfect if you want to roast vegetables or cook meat as it holds in all of the juices.
Use this fantastic device to roast your chicken in an upright position. You can place a can of beer inside the stand for 'Beer Can Chicken' or use it without the can of beer. I place this inside the baking tray which has vegetables in, and the juices from the chicken drip into the tray and make the veg taste fantastic.
I'm not too sure what this is called but it is ideal for holding burgers,sausages, fish etc..
Having somewhere to put hot food whilst it cools down can be a good idea.
Perfect for cooking your pizzas, although you don't have to use one if you wish. You can place the pizza directly onto the hearth (once you have swept off the ash and embers!)
We all love a gadget, and this is very cool. Once you have stopped measuring the temperature of everything in your house! you will find this perfect for checking the temperature inside your oven. Make sure you get one that goes past 450ºc. I had to send the first one back because it only went up to 300ºc.
Useful to give you an idea of the temperature inside the oven.
Great for knowing when your meat has been cooked to the correct temperature.
If you need to get the embers burning hotter then you can puff out your cheeks and blow until you feel faint (I did), or you can get one of these air blowers. You turn the handle and it directs a very strong stream of air exactly where you want it.
I got fed up walking back to the kitchen to get utensils, sauces, plates etc.. so this tray has been a good purchase.
One hidden benefit of a wood burning oven is that it can be used as extra storage. If you get a tray that fits inside the arch then everything can easily be stored away when not using the oven.
You will need something to chop up your fire wood.
When using the oven it is a good idea to soak the door in water before you use it. This stops the door from catching on fire (this can happen, trust me I know!) and it also adds steam/moisture into the oven which can help with the cooking process.
This is a great device that I have stuck on the flue. The reason I have it is because the sealant is rated up to 300 degrees C and I want to make sure the flue temperature does not go above this otherwise the sealant may fail and rain water would destroy the oven!
Wood that you intend to burn in the oven should have a moisture content of less than 15%.