Every Vonken heats up very quickly thanks to our patented AirFlow system. In good weather and with the correct method of lighting the fire, you can quickly reach temperatures of up to 500°C in 5-10 minutes. The stone floor is made of authentic chamotte, which means it takes a little longer to heat up. Once chamotte is warm, it retains heat for a very long time. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that the Vonken Urban needs 10-15 minutes, the Vonken Home 15-20 minutes, and the Vonken Original 20-25 minutes to reach full temperature.

For the most part, Vonken is self-cleaning thanks to its pyrolysis function: the oven cleans itself thanks to the high temperatures. Is it very dirty? Make an extra fire, on the stone floor if necessary, to clean it. If there is any ash left over, remove it with a brush and a tin.

In Vonken Original, you can bake 2-3 pizzas, 4-6 regular loaves of bread, two large oven dishes, or a large grill tool (accessory) or spit (accessory for 2 chickens). Some of our customers cook seamlessly for 12 to 100 people with just one Vonken Original. Since pizzas only take 90 seconds, you can also get started with the Vonken Home (2 pizzas, 4 loaves of bread, 2 oven dishes, grill tool, and spit), which is great for large families or parties of up to 30 people. The Vonken Urban (1 pizza, 2-3 loaves of bread, 1 large and 1 small oven dish, and a grill tool) is perfect for a small family or a cozy garden party for up to 10-12 people. You can find a comparative overview here.

Wood will become wet if left uncovered outdoors. Store in a dry place.

Barbecuing in a Vonken is delicious and very easy with the Vonken grill tool. Preheat the oven and simply slide whatever you would put on the BBQ onto the grill tool under the flames in the oven: quick, crispy, tasty, and fun. The meat, vegetables, or fish are cooked on both sides: the top by the flames and the bottom by the hot cast-iron grill plate.

These accessories are compatible:

• The winter coat for Vonken
• The grill tool, rotisserie, Leuvense Stoof, bread door, and raclette set are specially designed for Vonken.
• The smoker tool is designed for any outdoor kitchen.

Stainless steel expands at high temperatures because it is a flexible material. This is not a problem; it always returns to its original shape and stabilizes after a while. It is normal to see slight deformations on the inside of the Vonken. This does not affect the functioning of the Vonken.

Slide the skewer into the oven and rest it on the extendable handle.

The oven is made of stainless steel and is therefore water and weather resistant. However, we recommend using our winter coat to protect it during long periods of rain and cold weather (e.g., winter) to prevent moisture from seeping in. Moisture seepage can impair the effectiveness of the insulation and the stone floor. Of course, you can also place the Vonken under a canopy in winter.

Every Vonken easily and quickly reaches temperatures of 500°C. Although high temperatures are ideal for pizza and other dishes, Vonken's strength lies in its constant heat capacity thanks to chamotte bricks and insulation, which allows you to maintain a stable temperature for a long time even at lower temperatures. This is ideal for sourdough bread (250°C), pastries (180°C),chicken, fish, and many oven dishes. You can also slow cook for hours by filling the ash pan with briquettes or charcoal, allowing you to cook pulled pork endlessly at 110°C to 130°C. Cold smoking or cooking at 50°C is also possible, of course. Reignite the flame if you want to use the Vonken as a cozy outdoor stove at table height.

The oven is made of stainless steel and is therefore water and weather resistant. However, we recommend using our winter coat to protect it during long periods of rain and cold weather (e.g., winter) to prevent moisture from seeping in. Moisture seepage can impair the effectiveness of the insulation and the stone floor. You can, of course, also place the Vonken under a canopy in winter.

Is it cold outside? Is it windy? Are the stones damp? All these factors affect the heat of the oven. Always use dry wood. Less is more: don't use too much wood at once, otherwise it will smother the fire. Never overdo the Sparks: if necessary, wait a little longer for the fire to develop fully.

In principle, you can bake pizzas in a properly heated Vonken after 15 minutes. If you are with large groups or plan to bake for a long time, we recommend heating the Vonken for longer so that the mass becomes saturated and will retain and release heat for a long time.

Vonken is very economical thanks to its strong insulation and materials with high heat capacity. An 8-9 cm insulation blanket has been installed around the interior, even at the bottom. Our insulation is the most innovative ceramic insulation on the market. In addition, every Vonken has a double stone floor with a total thickness of 5 cm. This allows the Vonken to heat up very quickly, stay warm for a long time (the stone floor acts as a battery, retaining heat for a long time and releasing it slowly), and does not cool down between different pizzas or dishes.

Burn wood or gas for a cleaning cycle of approximately 45 minutes.

Beech or hornbeam is the best wood: it burns well and produces a lot of heat. You can also use ash and birch for a beautiful flame, but they produce less heat. Oak produces a lot of heat but few flames and has a strong aroma. Never use pallet wood, pine, or waste wood.

For a cooking session with Vonken, you can expect to use 1 to 5 kilograms of wood for Vonken Urban, 2 to 7 kilograms of wood for Vonken Home, and 2 to 9 kilograms of wood for Vonken Original, depending on how hot you want to heat it and for how long. That is very little.

You can easily fix this by applying a coat of black paint to the surface using a spray can, which you can find at a DIY store. Since the oven is made of stainless steel, you don't have to worry about rusting from the inside: this cannot happen.

The wooden handles are secured with a sleeve and a cross screw with an eye for optimal replacement and upcycling. After a few years, you can easily tighten this with a regular screwdriver or hand drill, or you can also apply an adhesive such as Loctite.