Hello everybody, I apologize if this has been asked before. On average will a steel or cast iron stove last longer? Or is there not much difference? The stoves I am thinking about getting one day are the Waterford Stanley cook stove and the Kitchen Queen 380. Thank you.
Will steel or cast iron last longer?
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Not sure about cook stoves. Steel stoves are usually all welded, and if not abused should last for a really looonng time. Cast iron stoves usually have gaskets and/or cement between the cast pieces, and will eventually need to be regasketed. May or may not be an issue, depending on your age and if you'll be alive to worry about it.
Welcome to the forums.
Welcome to the forums.
SteveKG
Minister of Fire
I've been using both for forty years and have both right now, using them in our house. If well-made, I don't find that one outlasts the other. The operative description is "well-made." I have used cast iron stoves that were close to junk, I have used others that are great still after 75 years or more. I have one now that is the best stove I've ever had.
Same deal with steel stoves. The thinner ones aren't so great...some are even just bolted together. They work, but they are not a long-term investment. I have one that is thicker steel, welded, and I bought it new in '91. It is in pretty near perfect shape and is used all the time.
I do like cast in my cookstove, though I had a steel one that I used for some years and it was quite well-made. The cast, I find, holds heat longer and I am able to get more even and constant oven temp's with it. My cast kitchen range will still be warm the next morning if I let the fire die out about supper time the previous day. Not hot enough to cook some biscuits, but warm enough to keep the kitchen feeling nice when I get up.
The cast stoves can take a bit longer to begin putting significant heat out into the room than do steel stoves. But then the cast stoves continue to put out heat longer once the fire dies down. It will depend on what exactly you prefer or need in your heating requirements which would be best for your situation.
Same deal with steel stoves. The thinner ones aren't so great...some are even just bolted together. They work, but they are not a long-term investment. I have one that is thicker steel, welded, and I bought it new in '91. It is in pretty near perfect shape and is used all the time.
I do like cast in my cookstove, though I had a steel one that I used for some years and it was quite well-made. The cast, I find, holds heat longer and I am able to get more even and constant oven temp's with it. My cast kitchen range will still be warm the next morning if I let the fire die out about supper time the previous day. Not hot enough to cook some biscuits, but warm enough to keep the kitchen feeling nice when I get up.
The cast stoves can take a bit longer to begin putting significant heat out into the room than do steel stoves. But then the cast stoves continue to put out heat longer once the fire dies down. It will depend on what exactly you prefer or need in your heating requirements which would be best for your situation.
Thanks for the responses everybody. I've been underestimating steel stoves. I'll try not to do that anymore.
tcassavaugh
Minister of Fire
i prefer a cast iorn although i use both currently. cast seems to take longer to heat up but (imho) retains the heat longer after burning down. i just like the looks of them too. my steel stove is good, they both do the job.
cass
cass
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
tcassavaugh said:
Seems like that would be an advantage of steel for a cook stove? If it's not cooking, you probably don't want to be pumping heat into the kitchen any longer than you have to.
SteveKG
Minister of Fire
SolarAndWood said:
Well, yes, in hot weather one does prefer the stove to cool down after using. However, I have both a steel kitchen range and a cast iron range. The cast iron stays hot for hours after burning down. But that is an advantage for baking. If I neglect the fire for a little while [phone call, brain fart, anything], the oven remains at an even temperature for a long time and the food is fine. In my steel range, I have to keep up with the fire much more carefully. I like both stoves, and in the heat of summer I will tend to use the steel one more for baking, since it both heats up and cools down faster. But I am always happy to see cooler weather arrive so I can have the luxury of the cast iron range for my bread.
Dune
Minister of Fire
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