I’ve always loved the idea of a backyard pizza oven. They create instant ambiance with their orange glow and combine two of my favorite things: the outdoors and pizza (with the toasty smells of browning crust and bubbling cheese). Does anyone not love this idea?
Recently I was surprised to see a photo of the 30-inch Napoli Pizza Oven by Lynx — and a sheet of warm chocolate-chip cookies. Another image tempted with oven-roasted garlic heads. It never occurred to me that alfresco hot spots could handle more than thin crust and deep dish. This one quickly heats to 700 degrees, has a front door to trap the heat, and a sliding cooking surface for last-minute additions and retrievals. Pizza oven: a non-negotiable for my patio goals.
My neighbors (who must love the taste of charred rib-eye) might like Lynx’s new SmartGrill. Touted as “the world’s first technologically advanced grill,” it makes dinner based on voice commands. The app tracks ingredients for 400 recipes; entrées on separate burners are timed to finish cooking at the same moment. A simple command to “grill four filets mignons, medium rare” yields a text when it’s time to pull them off the flame.
“This is a quality-of-life product,” says Scott Grugel, president of Middleby Residential, which owns and oversees Lynx, Viking, La Cornue, and other brands. “When hosting a party, the person cooking cannot participate until the cooking is complete. The SmartGrill gives you that time back and allows you to enjoy family, the game, or your glass of wine while it prepares the perfect meal.” A manual option lets you seize control.
Burnt steak is a culinary crime. (Its secondhand scent is at least a misdemeanor.) The SmartGrill ensures that no one ruins a great cut of meat again.