How to get that perfect pizza crust (without the guesswork)
Ever wonder why some pizzas have that gorgeous, charred leopard-spotting on the bottom but the dough still feels light and airy? It’s not magic, and it’s definitely not just about “turning up the heat.” To get that balance, you have to stop relying on hot air. That’s why we use shortwave infrared (IR) heating tubes. Instead of heating the air around the pizza, these tubes hit the food directly. The secret is in how the heat moves. Most ovens just blow hot air around. It works, but it’s slow. IR is different. It sends out energy that actually sinks into the dough. Instead of waiting for the heat to slowly crawl from the outside in, the IR energy gets the water molecules deep inside the crust moving fast. You get a quick temperature spike in the middle of the dough, while the surface gets blasted with enough heat to trigger that charred, smoky finish we all love. What’s actually inside the tubes? We don’t use cheap glass here. These tubes are made from high-purity quartz. Why? Because when you’re cycling heat on and off rapidly, regular glass would just crack. Inside, there’s a tungsten filament wrapped in halogen gas. This keeps the element from burning out even when you’re pushing a ton of wattage through it. If you’re setting these up for a commercial kitchen, keep an eye on the power density. Basically, the more wattage you have per inch of tube, the faster the oven bounces back to temperature after you slide a cold pizza in. We stick with R7s or SK15 connectors. They’re simple. When a tube eventually wears out, you just pop it out and drop a new one in. No drama. A few things to watch out for during install Here’s the thing: you can’t just toss these into any old metal box. IR tubes put out an intense amount of localized heat. If your housing doesn’t have the right venting, you’re going to warp your metal or, worse, fry your control board. Also, double-check your wiring gauge. If the wires are too thin, you’ll get voltage drops. That means some parts of your oven bed will be hot and others will be lukewarm, and nobody wants a pizza that’s only half-cooked.