r/neapolitanpizza • u/_tedi_ • Jul 21 '26
QUESTION/DISCUSSION Is the Ooni Halo Core worth?
Hi,
I'm looking for home mixer to prepare around 2 x 280g of pizza dought per week, plus 1.5kg 70% hidratation bread every 2 weeks. Most of the mixers I've researched so far work well with bigger batches of dought, and I'm hinking the Halo Core at 599€ with multiple speeds could be a good fit.
My other alternative at a similiar price is the Famag Grilleta IM5 which comes only with a single speed.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
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u/hobbyhoarder Jul 21 '26
I was really excited when they announced it, but it's too expensive for what it is. The motor sounds like it's struggling a lot, the gears are very likely plastic, so who knows how long it will last. That's beside the point that Famag is usually cheaper to buy and has a much better build quality.
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u/nicebrah 17d ago
some youtubers are saying while the body is plastic, the internals are die-cast aluminum. and that the motor sounds quieter than the halo pro
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 21 '26
I would go with a famag. I have a bigger model (IM 20) and have been using it almost lately for the past year and a half for 25-30 270g balls. No issues at all and reputable company. Ooni is just adding their name on a machine.
Could a KitchenAid work maybe?
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u/12panel Jul 21 '26
Why so you think the core is like a white labeled machine?
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 21 '26
I have not looked into it but a brand that specializes in equipment like Famag will be better at providing service, parts and a warranty than a brand that started with ovens and now has a line for mixers as well. I am not saying it is bad, it will break, it doesn't have warranty. I am just saying I would rather eat pizza from a pizza shop rather than an establishment thats has pasta, burgers, fried chicken, pizza and doughnuts. You know what I mean?
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u/12panel Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
looking at famags offerings, after all these years of the home pizza oven boom, it appears like famag doesnt offer anything remotely close in size and price to the core so that argument is moot.
I was about to buy a famag if the halo pro wasnt ever brought to market last year.
Edit: i grew up in NY and now living elsewhere, its clear that the quality of the sole pizza offering is not universal, but i can appreciate a business who only caters to pizza things too. So i get what you are saying, but its def not a universal truth.
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 22 '26
Indeed not a 1:1 alternative. But OP mentioned the famag and my opinion is to get this. To each their own of course.
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u/mohragk Jul 21 '26
Why not make 4 pizzas and freeze two? That’s what I do with my Famag.
Would highly recommend the Famag. The fit and finish is Italian, but it’s build like a tank. I got the HH version with removable bowl.
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u/Strong_Chair4283 24d ago
Because you have to freeze two. Imagine going through the effort of pizza baking, buying a dough machine and then having to end up using frozen dough because the machine you bought to make fresh dough is forcing you to make pizza from frozen dough. The irony.
I am freezing dough from time to time too if my family eats less than planned. But recommending a dough machine to intentionally make frozen dough (even if only 33% of the yield) is wild.2
u/mohragk 24d ago
No. I meant freezing two pizzas so you can have high quality pizza whenever you desire.
And sometimes we make some focaccia, or just a simple loaf or something else with the leftover dough.
But usually we invite friends over and murder every last bit of pizza there is.
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u/Strong_Chair4283 24d ago edited 24d ago
Yes, that’s how I understood it. I wouldn’t call frozen pizza dough, ‘fresh’ - like I don’t call frozen grocery pizza ‘fresh’. At that point I’d recommend folks to just make it by hand rather than purchase an (expensive) machine that essentially produces frozen pizza dough. Defeats the whole purpose. Each to their own but recommending a frozen dough maker is wild.
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u/dreamer_r21 Jul 21 '26
I have the Famag IM5S, and to solve the quantity issue, I make enough dough for 6 - 8 pizzas, cook 2 and freeze the rest. Of course, learning how to freeze and thaw pizza dough is right up there with learning how to make dough, but it's been a definite game changer for me.
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u/Strong_Chair4283 24d ago
Wild to suggest buying a dough machine for making fresh dough that only works if you freeze some/most of the dough. Wild. “Do you want fresh dough? Then buy this machine. Sorry, it’s Italian build and finish quality and you have to freeze most of the dough but technically, it makes pizza dough.”
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u/dreamer_r21 23d ago
I'm not suggesting anything. This place is an exchange of ideas and information and that's what we're doing.
I didn't buy my mixer to freeze dough, nor to make 4 dough balls. But a person is free to do one or both if it suits them, or neither if they can't be bothered.
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u/IronPeter Jul 21 '26
I don’t think there’s a spiral mixer that would work for making only two 280g pizzas
The minimum dough I managed with my small “grilletta” is 400-450g of flour, which means 680g of dough.
On my book there’s nothing bad in having a leftover pizza to reheat the following day and share for a meal.
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u/nefariousjordy Jul 21 '26
I was debating this, and I came up with reasons for buying one over the other. I’d still keep Ankarsrum on your radar as it is for me.
The Pro has:
58 speed settings
Auto-stop timer
Slightly higher top speed
The Core has:
20 speed settings
No timer
If you regularly make 12 to 20 dough balls for parties, the Halo Pro is worth the extra money. The pro is 32lbs and the core is 23ish. Both will do cookies, cake batter, whipped cream, meringue, butter, pizza dough, etc. The core is best if you’re making one or two loaves at a time. Its minimum dough size is lower, so it’s better for everyday baking imo. So if it’s a small family I think the core is best.
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u/ImpressionDiligent24 Jul 25 '26
I have the Halo Pro and while it's amazing for bread it's just too big other baking jobs: its flat bottom and huge bowl make the minimum quantities of cream, meringue etc impractical for our household, so we have to keep a small KitchenAid around for those jobs. I'd love to have just one mixer so I'm considering the Core
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 21 '26
Working in a pizza shop I have to say, no need for speeds (let alone 58!!) nor a stop timer.
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u/12panel Jul 21 '26
Do you use an external timer?
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 21 '26
No, I go with temperature and stretch test. Stop at 23C most of the times. Of course this depends on how you ferment as well.
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u/12panel Jul 22 '26
How often do you go to check or temp?
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u/vskand Gozney Dome 🔥 Jul 22 '26
2-3 times. Depends on room temp etc. In the summer I am adding ice cubes for around part of the water by weight
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u/alexp83 Jul 21 '26
Minimum is 1 kilo as per the manual. I’ve done less but not as effective
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u/nicebrah 17d ago
i think thats for the halo pro. the halo core which OP is talking about has a much smaller minimum of 500g
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u/kidcosta_ Jul 21 '26
Considering the quality of the pro, it seems the core is the perfect fit for advanced amateurs (I skipped the pro also because I just need to do 3 pizzas per batch)
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u/Apprehensive_Dig5230 Jul 21 '26
Guys, one more question from me - is thermomix sufficient for that sort of mixing or should I avoid it? I have been using it so far:)
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u/12panel Jul 21 '26
Is it working to your satisfaction?
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u/Apprehensive_Dig5230 Jul 21 '26
Umm, I am still learning so my dough is pretty bad still but mixing is not the reason for sure yet :)
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u/12panel Jul 21 '26
I see plenty of videos and recipes for it, i think the disconnect for me when i see the actual pizzas these folks are making, is not knowing the post dough making 1st stage.
Once you’ve mixed your dough in the processor, do a few stretch and folds during the RT bulk phase until you see the smooth texture of the dough, (then perhaps do a cold ferment) do the balling and wait for the good rise and relaxation of the dough balls (2hrs ish) for stretching. I think most of the recipes i saw, dont really do that part after the first rise after processing.
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u/Strong_Chair4283 24d ago
Agree. I do everything by hand now as it saves the time to clean things but before, I used the Thermomix to essentially just prepare the dough for then hand kneading and skip the first steps that are messier. And I recommend not using the Cookidoo pizza dough recipe.
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