Ariete Pizzaofen 917

In Italy, Ariete sells this oven under the name “Pizza in 4 minuti Nero”, model 0917/00, article code 00C091700AR0. The same code appears in the Amazon catalogue as the model number, so the match to the ASIN is unambiguous. The brand belongs to De’Longhi: the instruction manual names De’Longhi Appliances Srl, Divisione Commerciale Ariete, in Campi Bisenzio near Florence, as the supplier.

The 917 is the black version of a range that also comes in red (909) and white (918). All three share a data sheet and instruction manual (Cod. 6275104300, Rev. 0 of 11.09.2024). In our pizza ovens category, it is one of the few electric appliances between the gas and wood-fired ovens for outdoors. It costs approx. €83 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €82.99).

Hinged lid over a round stone: how the 917 is built

The product photo shows no box with a door, as you know it from a mini oven. The 917 is round. At the bottom, the stone sits in a flat base, surrounded by a bare metal ring; above it sits a black, domed hood with the Ariete lettering, hinged at the back and opening upwards. At the back right you can see the control unit with a dial.

Figure 1 of the instructions labels eight parts with letters, which recur in the text:

• A: Heating element
• B: Heat-resistant stone plate
• C: Housing of the appliance
• D: Handles
• E: On button and temperature control
• F: Temperature indicator light
• G: Timer
• H: Spatula

The key data from the manufacturer’s page: 1200 watts, 400 °C at most, 5 cooking levels. The stone is fireclay (Italian pietra refrattaria) with a transparent non-stick treatment which, according to Ariete, is meant to make it resistant to stains and residues and to make cleaning easier. Its diameter is 32 cm, and Ariete explicitly adds that the metal frame is included in the measurement.

On the outside the oven measures 34 x 30 x 19 cm and weighs 3.94 kg, or 4.63 kg in the box. Amazon lists the same values. Because the body is round and the control unit protrudes at the back, these figures describe the space you have to clear on the countertop, not the baking surface.

On accessories, the sources contradict each other. Ariete writes of two stainless steel spatulas, with which you put the pizza on the hot stone and take it off again. The Amazon title speaks of a wooden board in the scope of delivery, which does not appear anywhere at Ariete. Nor is there, at Ariete, a second “fireproof plate for reheating” as the Amazon title suggests: the manufacturer’s page and the instructions know exactly one stone plate, part B.

Quite a lot is missing from the documents, and we collect it here in one place. There is no figure for the mains voltage as a number (the instructions only require that it matches the appliance voltage), for the cable length, for the material of the housing and hood, for the temperature of the individual cooking levels, for the longest timer duration, for the interior height and for the exact heat-up time to 400 °C. Whether a second heating element lies under the stone cannot be determined from the figure or the text; the instructions speak only of heating element A and, elsewhere, of the “upper heating element”. No source mentions a turntable. We found a replacement stone and replacement spatula as individual parts in no source, and country of manufacture, year of market launch and power consumption per baking run also remain open.

In detail: heat from the lid, warmth from the stone

A pizza oven bakes the base by contact and the topping by radiation. Fireclay is fired, refractory ceramic with high heat storage. When cold dough lies on it, it draws the stored heat straight into the base, whereas a thin tray under the dough cools quickly. From above, the heat comes as radiation from the heating element in the hood. The smaller the distance between the heating element and the topping, the faster the cheese browns.

This very short distance explains the rules of use. Ariete requires that the appliance is fully closed during the cooking phase and that food does not touch the upper heating element. You are meant to keep the lid closed while cooking, because otherwise heat escapes and the cooking time grows. Heavily topped pizzas, risen calzone or a roll with a lot of volume are more likely to hit the hood in such a flat dome than in an oven. How much air remains between the stone and the heating element, we do not know.

At 400 °C, the 917 lies below what Ooni states for its Koda 16 gas oven: up to 500 °C after 20 minutes of heating. How hot the stone in the Ariete actually gets, nobody has measured for us, and 400 °C is a maximum figure from the manufacturer, not a stone temperature.

Two rules concern the stone itself. Fresh dough must be dusted with flour, otherwise it sticks to the stone plate. And topping should not fall onto the plate; the instructions list oil, cheese, tomatoes and mozzarella, because the porous stone soaks it up and smoke and odour can then arise.

Does a 30 cm pizza fit on the 32 cm stone?

That cannot be said for certain from the manufacturer’s data. The 32 cm include the metal frame, so the stone inside it is smaller, and Ariete does not publish a maximum pizza size. Plan for a pizza under 30 cm if it should not run over the edge of the stone onto the metal.

In the photo, the pizza sits with its rim almost flush against the metal ring. Ariete does not give a figure for how wide this ring is, and no centimetre value can be read from an advertising image. We would weigh out the dough balls so that, once stretched, they stay clearly smaller than a normal pizza plate.

A pizza evening according to the instructions

Before the first switch-on, the instructions require two checks. The stone plate must be clean and free of dust; otherwise you clean it with a damp cloth. Ariete also advises freeing the heating element and base from small dust residues that may have formed while cooling and standing, before heating up.

Then it goes like this: plug in, switch on with button E and choose the temperature. Indicator light F is on while the oven preheats and, according to the instructions, goes out after a few minutes. Ariete still recommends preheating for about 10 minutes at the highest level for pizza. We would stick to the 10 minutes, because a thick stone needs longer to heat through than the air above it, and the instructions do not explain what the light responds to.

To add the pizza, you lift the hood with both hands on handles D and put the pizza on the stone using suitable oven gloves, then close the lid. You set the baking time with timer G.

For a homemade pizza, the manufacturer’s page gives 4 minutes. A boxed pizza where you mix the dough yourself needs 4 to 5 minutes according to the instructions, with the packaging information taking priority. If you bake from your own recipe, follow its times.

For frozen pizza, the Italian product page gives the round figure of 2 minutes, while the instructions say 2 to 3. They also advise taking the pizza out of the freezer 20 to 30 minutes before baking.

When the time is up, the timer gives a warning tone. Then you turn dial E to “0” and pull the plug. Ariete prints in capital letters: “THE TIMER IS NEITHER FOR SWITCHING THE OVEN ON NOR OFF!” So after the signal, the oven keeps heating. From this the instructions conclude that the appliance must be kept under supervision after the preset time has elapsed.

Setting up and supervising

The German instructions have 38 notes before the actual usage section. For the spot in the kitchen, these count, verbatim:

“When using the appliance, place it on a level and solid surface.” (Note 4)

“Place the oven on a worktop that can withstand a temperature of at least 90°C. Make sure that ventilation is not obstructed by objects.” (Note 26)

“Do not place the appliance on or near heat sources or electrical elements. Do not place it on top of other appliances.” (Note 18)

“The oven must not be built in or inserted into a piece of furniture.” (Note 22)

“Do not use the appliance near walls or curtains” (Note 23)

Ariete gives no distance in centimetres for any of these points. For a typical kitchen run, that means in our reading: not in the niche under the wall cabinet, not next to the hob, not on the microwave. Whether your worktop withstands 90 °C is stated in its manufacturer’s documents.

During operation, note 14 applies, “The appliance must not be moved while in use.” Note 25 warns that the outer surfaces can get very hot, and note 27 puts it more sharply: “Risk of burns. Never touch the hot surfaces of the appliance during use.” According to note 16, the stone stays very hot for a long time even after switching off. Neither kitchen towels nor plates belong on the hood (note 21), and the cable must not hang over the edge of the table or touch hot surfaces (note 15).

The oven goes on an earthed socket. The supervision principle is worded in note 36: “This appliance must be supervised during operation. If the appliance does not work properly, switch it off and unplug it.”

Cleaning the stone and housing

Only once the plug is pulled and the appliance has cooled down completely may you clean. Baked-on residue comes off with a scraper, and you should avoid abrasives and cleaning agents. You wipe the outside with a damp cloth, and stone plate B may also be cleaned with a damp cloth. Housing, plug and cable, by contrast, belong “UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IN WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS” according to note 9.

For stains that do not come off this way, Ariete describes a procedure with baking soda. The stone is cold, the appliance disconnected from the socket. You open the upper cover, remove food residues with a spatula, moisten the stone with a sponge soaked in water and put 1 or 2 large spoons of baking soda in the middle. With the sponge you spread it, especially over the black stains, until a paste of water and baking soda forms. The mixture works for about 5 minutes. Then you scrub the stone with the sponge, remove residues and baking soda and let it dry. Some stains may remain, which the instructions call normal.

Ariete says twice that the stone darkens over time and develops stains and small cracks, adding that neither function nor baking quality suffer. In the section on food contact, however, there is also the instruction to check the product regularly for material deterioration that could make it unsuitable for contact with food: “microcracks, blistering, delamination, shrinkage, stickiness, loss of transparency, corrosion or any other change in the structure or consistency of the material”. Where the harmless small crack ends, Ariete does not specify. How to assess cracks in a pizza stone is explained in our guide cracked pizza stone.

Three alternatives from our catalogue

The prices come from our price boxes and change constantly at the retailers. The rating is our editorial assessment of the manufacturer’s data, not a measurement result.

The most interesting comparison is the one with the G3 Ferrari. G3 Ferrari also states 1200 watts and a thermostat up to 400 °C for the G10006 (code G10006 02, called Delizia Red in its own shop), but explicitly writes of double heating made of armoured steel, above and below the fireclay stone. In addition there is a 5-minute timer with a signal tone, aluminium pizza peels with a 28 cm diameter according to the product page, and a recipe booklet. Whether the stone’s 31 cm include a frame, G3 Ferrari does not say, so the two stone dimensions cannot be directly compared.

When the 917 fits and when another oven does

The 917 fits if you bake in a rented flat without a garden and have a free, heat-resistant spot on the countertop, with air to the wall, curtain and hob. At 3.94 kg, you can also carry it back into the cupboard after it has cooled down if the countertop is needed otherwise.

It fits poorly if four or more people want to eat at the same time. One pizza at a time goes on the stone. By our calculation from the manufacturer’s figures, the fourth homemade pizza is ready at the earliest 26 minutes after switching on (10 minutes of preheating, then four times 4 minutes), without topping and moving it. The Ooni Koda 16 is built for such gatherings, taking 16-inch pizzas according to Ooni, so a good 40 cm. It costs approx. €449 with us, the 917 approx. €83. The Ooni weighs 18.2 kg unpacked and runs on gas outdoors.

Between the 917 and 909, colour alone decides. The 909 stands at approx. €84 in our price box, the 917 at approx. €83; in our assessment you take whichever is cheaper on the day you buy. The G3 Ferrari costs approx. €78. It is the better choice if the heating element under the stone matters more to you than the 5 cooking levels of the Ariete, because with the Ariete this cannot be clarified from the documents.

If you do not yet know whether it should be an electric appliance or an oven for outdoors, the Grill Finder asks about location and fuel.

Who is it suitable for?

For households that occasionally bake small pizzas and have no space outside for it. The instructions designate the appliance “EXCLUSIVELY FOR HOUSEHOLD USE”, not for commercial or industrial purposes. Anyone running a snack bar or catering service is at the wrong address here.

The 917 does not belong outdoors. Note 5 reads: “Do not expose the appliance to the weather (rain, sun, etc.).” Ariete says nothing about a covered balcony; we would leave it in the kitchen, where the earthed socket is usually within reach without an extension.

With small children in the household, note 8 counts: “Keep the product and its supply cable out of the reach of children under 8 years.” Note 7 adds, among other things: “Children must not play with the appliance. Cleaning and maintenance must only be carried out by children over 8 years and under supervision.”