Just thinking about adding a wood cookstove to our farm house, in the near future. Wondering what brands people are happy with.
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SteveKG
Minister of Fire
We have one now in the kitchen, have a new one on order, and I used one for 11 yr. in a rental cabin I lived in prior to this place. The rental one was very, very old and I don't recall the brand. It worked ok for baking, but it had the typical old-cookstove minimal firebox and had to be tended very frequently and carefully.
The current one I've been using is a RAIS, and I don't think they make a cookstove of this type any more. They do still make stoves with small baking ovens in them, about large enough to do a loaf of bread. Not practical for regular cooking. However, the stove is very well made, high quality, and I've had no issues at all in the 20 yr. I've used it. I bought it new in the early nineties, so there are some around. However, the oven size will limit you to two loaves of bread or nothing larger than, say, a ten lb. turkey. For our household of two, this has not been a real huge problem. Our model has a very large, brick-lined firebox and will go all night if loaded up.
I have on order one of the Heartland ranges with two full-sized ovens I read about here on the forum. They are currently on sale through one of the sponsors here, ChimneySweep.com. Free trucking, too. I haven't used it yet, obviously, but Heartland is a sub-group of Aga, which has been around in Britain for very long time. Over the years, I've been to Wales a dozen times and have seen them in people's homes and been told they love them. For what it's worth.
I do all my [our] baking in a cookstove and have for many years. 100%. I really like it. There is a learning curve to managing the heat, but after experience you can know how to make them work quite well.
Wood cookstoves are massive and retain heat a long time. This is good if you need heat. Summers I greatly limit my use of ours. They will heat a pretty good area of the home.
The old, classic beauties are great to look at. I also had one of those, again I don't recall the brand. I found it in a second-hand shop for a great price and couldn't resist. I used it for a couple yr. before getting the Rais. The small firebox and less than perfect damper system made it more of a chore to keep the oven the right temp. and the fire going than the actual cooking.
The current one I've been using is a RAIS, and I don't think they make a cookstove of this type any more. They do still make stoves with small baking ovens in them, about large enough to do a loaf of bread. Not practical for regular cooking. However, the stove is very well made, high quality, and I've had no issues at all in the 20 yr. I've used it. I bought it new in the early nineties, so there are some around. However, the oven size will limit you to two loaves of bread or nothing larger than, say, a ten lb. turkey. For our household of two, this has not been a real huge problem. Our model has a very large, brick-lined firebox and will go all night if loaded up.
I have on order one of the Heartland ranges with two full-sized ovens I read about here on the forum. They are currently on sale through one of the sponsors here, ChimneySweep.com. Free trucking, too. I haven't used it yet, obviously, but Heartland is a sub-group of Aga, which has been around in Britain for very long time. Over the years, I've been to Wales a dozen times and have seen them in people's homes and been told they love them. For what it's worth.
I do all my [our] baking in a cookstove and have for many years. 100%. I really like it. There is a learning curve to managing the heat, but after experience you can know how to make them work quite well.
Wood cookstoves are massive and retain heat a long time. This is good if you need heat. Summers I greatly limit my use of ours. They will heat a pretty good area of the home.
The old, classic beauties are great to look at. I also had one of those, again I don't recall the brand. I found it in a second-hand shop for a great price and couldn't resist. I used it for a couple yr. before getting the Rais. The small firebox and less than perfect damper system made it more of a chore to keep the oven the right temp. and the fire going than the actual cooking.
My dad has an older one in his log house that is in nice shape. I forget the name but I hate cutting wood for it because the firebox is small and takes short stuff. The log home is about 1800 sq. ft. with an open floorplan. The stove easily heats that up nice and toasty. Not very efficient on the wood use though.
We have another real nice one sitting in the garage that he has had for 40 years. That was used to heat and cook with at our cabin up north when we went for Thanksgiving or Christmas. He sold the cabin and we pulled it out. It may end up in the log home before to long.
I will have to ask him who the manufacturer is.
We have another real nice one sitting in the garage that he has had for 40 years. That was used to heat and cook with at our cabin up north when we went for Thanksgiving or Christmas. He sold the cabin and we pulled it out. It may end up in the log home before to long.
I will have to ask him who the manufacturer is.
Thanks for all your feedback. I have heard food cooked in a cookstove is the best. Learning curve has got to be rewarded to those with patience, giving you yummy food. Again thanks for your feed back.
SteveKG
Minister of Fire
The learning curve isn't too bad if you want to do it. I can get to within reasonably close temperature for close to the length of time I'll need it. Not as easily as setting the dial on a gas oven, but fairly close. I enjoy the process and it is not a chore or hassle to me. My wife, on the other hand, while she uses the oven [we only have wood range for oven cooking, plus propane counter-top burners] and is ok with it, considers it a bit frustrating sometimes. To her, it is a chore and sometimes she calls me in to take over.
It isn't too much more work and brain energy than learning how to fire and manage a new heat stove. But, it is a bit more. Thing to do is start out cooking stuff that isn't picky about the temp., such as casseroles or whatever.
It isn't too much more work and brain energy than learning how to fire and manage a new heat stove. But, it is a bit more. Thing to do is start out cooking stuff that isn't picky about the temp., such as casseroles or whatever.
WhatIsChazaq
New Member
Just finished install and second firing of a used Heartland Oval 1903.
Picked it up used off Craigslist for $1,100. Fired it two weeks ago and found a few leaky spots, mind you most Wood Cook Stoves are NOT EPA Certified nor "air tight". Got it sealed up pretty well today and didn't get much smoke this time firing it up.
Here she is all fired up and cranking out the BTU's. In this pic the oven is over 500 degrees! It will take a bit of learning to figure out how to get her dialed in to the right temp for whatever we want to cook.
Here is a link to all the pics of the demolition/installation:
Heartland Oval 1903 Installation
If you are patient you might find a similar quality cook stove pop up within reach of where you are. I saw one come up when I first started looking. It was a little cleaner, the same color and year...but they wanted $4,500 firm for it. Set up an RSS feed for your search criteria and let your RSS feeder let YOU know when one pops up!
Picked it up used off Craigslist for $1,100. Fired it two weeks ago and found a few leaky spots, mind you most Wood Cook Stoves are NOT EPA Certified nor "air tight". Got it sealed up pretty well today and didn't get much smoke this time firing it up.
Here she is all fired up and cranking out the BTU's. In this pic the oven is over 500 degrees! It will take a bit of learning to figure out how to get her dialed in to the right temp for whatever we want to cook.
Here is a link to all the pics of the demolition/installation:
Heartland Oval 1903 Installation
If you are patient you might find a similar quality cook stove pop up within reach of where you are. I saw one come up when I first started looking. It was a little cleaner, the same color and year...but they wanted $4,500 firm for it. Set up an RSS feed for your search criteria and let your RSS feeder let YOU know when one pops up!
raybonz
Minister of Fire
WhatIsChazaq said:
Nice looking stove! Just looking at it brings me back to times when life ran at a slower pace.. I think you got a great deal on a timeless cook stove.. If you tire of it you can always get your money back..
Ray
WhatIsChazaq
New Member
I use an Esse WN, and it is very good - keeps the kitchen warm, and does a great job with the cooking, too.
There are photos, if you search for some of my other posts.
There are photos, if you search for some of my other posts.
We have a Kitchen Queen cookstove in our house, we live in northwest Montana and heat our house with it. I love it because even though it is a cookstove it also has a large firebox, so you can heat your house with it and not have to be stoking it all the time. I stoked it last night, went to bed, checked on it 10 hours later and there was still a good bed of coals, and it kept the house at 72 even though it was 0 outside. Power has went out a couple times in the last few days from storms, it has been nice being able to have hot meals even with no power.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
xclimber said:
We do not have a cook stove per se, but we do a lot of cooking on our Fireview. I had a thread about this yesterday. Today? Well, right now the wife is planning on an easy dinner. She has some chili left over and also some biscuits from yesterday's dinner. Those are on the Fireview now and will soon be ready to eat.
When I was a young lad I still remember (fond memories) my mother cooking on the wood cook stove. I usually brought in the wood and kept the ashes cleaned plus keeping the reservoir full so we'd have hot water (no running water in the house then). I also remember we'd always open the oven door and lay our wet gloves on there to dry. If the oven was being used, they would go up into the warming oven. It was always nice to put on a pair of warm gloves!
btw, the pictured stove reminds me a lot of our old stove. A beautiful thing it is.
BucksCoBernie
Feeling the Heat
- Oct 8, 2008
- 450
[quote author="WhatIsChazaq" date="1290364501"]A bigger pic:
For $1,100 I'd say you got one hell of a deal. What a beautiful stove.
For $1,100 I'd say you got one hell of a deal. What a beautiful stove.
Treacherous
Minister of Fire
Lighting Up
Feeling the Heat
WhatIsChazaq said:
Are you ably to boil water on the top with that or just use the oven? Never seen one before. Stove/oven looks great...and the install too.
md
Yes, it gets very hot over the fire. One of the nice benefits of a wood stove is that their tops provide a wide range of temps, from very hot to low. All you need to do to lower the temp is move the pan. If you are in a real hurry, you can remove a plate over the fire so that there is direct flame under the pot.
Because the stove was always "on" I used to keep a kettle warm on simmer on the low side of the stove. Then when I want to bring it up to a boil it was just a matter of a minute or two on the hotter side of the stove.
Because the stove was always "on" I used to keep a kettle warm on simmer on the low side of the stove. Then when I want to bring it up to a boil it was just a matter of a minute or two on the hotter side of the stove.
WhatIsChazaq
New Member
Lighting Up said:
Directly above the firebox...it boils water very quickly, the middle section is for simmering and the far right is for keeping things warm.
Lehmans sells a variety of cook stoves.
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Stoves...urning_Cook_Stoves?Args=&view;_all=&sort;_by=
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Stoves...urning_Cook_Stoves?Args=&view;_all=&sort;_by=
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