Test Kitchen tips: Convert your oven into a brick oven

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Have you ever lusted after those great brick ovens you see in pizzerias and bakeries? Well, for about $40, you too can bake like the pros. I did a story a couple of years ago on homemade pizza, and did a bit of research (actually, I got a little obsessed) on converting a normal home oven into a brick oven.

As you can see from the photo above, a brick oven conversion is not complicated at all. You’ll need to get the right bricks (you need firebricks, as regular bricks aren’t made to withstand the heat), but the whole thing comes together quickly and easily. Give those bricks a little time to heat up, and you’ll be baking like your favorite pizzeria or bakery in no time. And it makes a fun -- and totally entertaining -- weekend project.

Check out these links for how-to tips on converting your oven, as well as some homemade pizza recipes:

• Convert your range into a pizza oven
• A pizza parlor in your kitchen
• Recipe: Basic pizza dough
• Recipe: Pizza Margherita
• Recipe: Potato pizza
• Photos: Making a brick-oven pizza in your own home

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

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-- Noelle Carter
twitter/noellecarter