I'll be honest with you — I had this thing for a while before I ever touched the pizza oven function. I'd been using it as a regular grill and griddle, and it was handling that job just fine. But the pizza oven part? I kept putting it off. Setting up the stone, sliding pies in through that little front door... it just seemed like more steps than I wanted to deal with on a weeknight.
But I finally did it. I shot the whole thing on video so y'all could watch along, and I want to give you my full thoughts here too — because a 30-second clip doesn't cover everything you'd actually want to know before buying or using this thing.
What Exactly Is the Cuisinart 3-in-1?
If you haven't seen this unit before, the Cuisinart CGG-403 is a tabletop propane appliance that pulls triple duty as a grill, a griddle, and a pizza oven — all in one compact package. You swap out the cooking surface depending on what you want to do. Cast iron grill grate for burgers and steaks, cast iron griddle plate for breakfast or smash burgers, and the cordierite pizza stone (seated in the grill grate flipped upside down) for baking pies.
The whole thing runs on a standard 20-lb. propane tank and can push temps over 700°F. That last part is what makes it interesting as a pizza oven — most home ovens top out around 500°F, and that extra heat is exactly what gives you that crispy, slightly charred crust that tastes like it came from a real pizzeria.
Pizza stone: 13" cordierite (holds a standard small/medium pie)
Max temp: 700°F+
Cook time: 6–8 minutes at full heat
Propane: Connects to a 20-lb. tank via included hose
Footprint: Tabletop/portable — fits in a car trunk
Setting It Up for Pizza Mode
It's actually not complicated. You take the grill grate and flip it upside down — the cast iron pegs that normally face down are now facing up, and that's what the pizza stone rests in. Those pegs keep the stone centered and slightly elevated, which lets heat circulate underneath for even cooking. Then you fire it up, wait for it to preheat (give it a solid 10–15 minutes), and slide your pizza in through the front door.
The dual-hinged lid design means the front door flips down for pizza access while the top lid stays closed. That's smart engineering — you're not losing your heat every time you peek at the pie.
The Trial: How Did the Pizza Actually Turn Out?
For my first run, I kept it simple. Store-bought dough, homemade sauce, mozzarella, and a few toppings I had on hand. I wasn't trying to be fancy — I just wanted to see what this thing could do under real conditions before I started experimenting with scratch dough.
The bottom crust was genuinely crispy — not cracker-dry, but that good kind of crispy with a little chew in the middle. The cordierite stone holds heat so well that it's doing a lot of the work for you. Toppings cooked through evenly and the cheese bubbled and browned the way it should.
One thing I learned the hard way: don't rush the preheat. I was a little impatient the first time and the stone wasn't fully up to temp. The crust cooked, but it didn't have that snap. Give it the full time. You'll know it's ready when the stone feels like it radiates heat just standing near it.
Also worth noting — thicker crusts need a slightly lower heat setting on the dial, or the bottom burns before the middle cooks through. Thin crust? Crank it up. The dial gives you a pizza zone to work within, but you'll dial in the sweet spot after a cook or two.
Pros and Cons After Using It
✅ What I Liked
- Pizza crust quality is genuinely good — but NOT better than my kitchen oven with a pizza steel
- Fast cook time once it's up to temp (6–8 minutes)
- The cordierite stone distributes heat evenly — no hot spots on my pies
- Switching between grill/griddle/pizza mode is easier than it sounds
- Compact — doesn't take up the whole patio
- All cooking surfaces store on the bottom shelf — no hunting for parts
⚠️ What to Know Going In
- The 13" stone limits you to personal/small pizzas — not a full family-size pie
- Patience required on preheat — don't skip this step
- Cast iron surfaces need to be seasoned before first use
- A pizza peel/spatula is essentially required — it doesn't come with one
- Takes some trial and error to dial in heat for your crust thickness
- I don't care for circle stones, square or rectangle work better and allow for more errors when putting in or taking out pizza
Who Is This Thing Actually For?
If you're cooking for a family of four or more and you want to knock out multiple large pizzas, this probably isn't your primary setup. The 13-inch stone means you're making personal pies and doing a few rounds. That said, it's actually kind of fun as a pizza party approach — everybody makes their own.
If you're someone who loves outdoor cooking, wants the flexibility of a grill and a griddle and occasionally wants to impress people with homemade pizza without building a wood-fired oven in your backyard — this thing is hard to beat for the price. It handles all three jobs without taking up the space of three separate appliances.
For me personally, this thing earns its spot on the patio. I already used the grill and griddle regularly. But I probably won't be using it for my main pizza night.
The price point for what you get is genuinely hard to argue with. Three tools in one, all cast iron where it counts, and pizza quality is genuinely good even if the pie is small.
Watch the Full Trial
I took y'all through the whole first pizza attempt on my YouTube channel. You can see exactly how I set it up, how the cook went, and what came out the other side. Check it out above or head over to @tyronebcookin on YouTube for more.
— Tyrone
Drop a comment below and let me know what you've cooked on it. And if you're looking for more kitchen gear worth your money, check out my Kitchen Best Buys page.
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