What’s a Conveyor Oven?

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A conveyor belt oven is a type of oven traditionally associated with baking pizzas, hot sandwiches and similar dishes. This type of oven is quite similar to a traditional oven, except that it usually produces a lot of constant heat and is intended for relatively quick cooking. The name comes from the typical design: a closed rectangular box with two opposite sides open and a conveyor belt running through it. The belt carries raw food from one end, into the oven, and from the other end automatically on a timed system.

Sometimes called a pizza oven, a conveyor oven is often seen in restaurants that specialize in quick-cooking pizzas and hot sandwiches. While other types of ovens may serve to create a more authentic or old-fashioned product, such as a brick or wood-fired oven, a conveyor oven is often more practical for quick and easy production. The nature of a pizza is quite ideal for this type of cooking, and many restaurants that allow for quick ordering and delivery of pizzas will use this type of oven to ensure that they cook evenly and quickly.

In many ways the basic structure of a belt kiln is similar to a traditional kiln, with a few notable exceptions. The construction of this type of kiln is generally a rectangular box, with the longer sides running horizontally and the shorter sides at each end. These ends are usually left open and the conveyor belt runs through the oven and extends across each open end. The heating units within a conveyor belt furnace are often located at both the top and bottom, allowing for even heating and creating an internal environment of extraordinary temperatures. Most conveyor belt ovens are designed with internal ventilation that recycles hot air into the system, keeping the kitchen and outside of the box from getting too hot.

A pizza, sandwich, or other appropriate item is placed on one end of the belt as it passes through the conveyor oven; this is often a metal belt and usually runs left to right. This belt slowly pulls the food into the box, through the oven, and eventually pulls the food out the other end where it can be grabbed and plated or packaged for delivery. Many conveyor belt ovens have controls that allow the user to change how fast the food is dragged through the oven, and may also have individual controls for the top and bottom temperatures. A carriage oven is usually quite large and is installed by mounting sturdy legs directly into the floor, although smaller benchtop models are also available for home use.

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