drolet atlas

[peakbagger]

There was a device called an Ultralight Oven that was made for backpackers that could work on a woodstove with cook plates like the VC Defiant. I used to make some serious muffins, gingerbread and pizza on backpacking trips in remote places. There is also a device called a Bakepacker that does steam baking which uses boiling water to "bake" (IMHO with mixed results, think dumplings). The Coleman box ovens also work pretty well but the stove needs to be cranked up and if there are internal baffles, they have a tough time getting up to temp. If its a large stove , and the space is warm, a dutch oven can be used but the stove needs to be near completely out.

I think Space Bus's observation is right on, if you are home "chef" and willing and able to spend the time and effort, a wood cook stove can make some very nice food, but to the average person up for a weekend to a cabin, they are usually focused on other activities to spend a lot of time on cooking.

I think in most cases if you really want a wood cook stove for cooking, you had best have a backup wood stove for heating as a compromise will not work well for either task.

 

[SpaceBus]

There was a device called an Ultralight Oven that was made for backpackers that could work on a woodstove with cook plates like the VC Defiant. I used to make some serious muffins, gingerbread and pizza on backpacking trips in remote places. There is also a device called a Bakepacker that does steam baking which uses boiling water to "bake" (IMHO with mixed results, think dumplings). The Coleman box ovens also work pretty well but the stove needs to be cranked up and if there are internal baffles, they have a tough time getting up to temp. If its a large stove , and the space is warm, a dutch oven can be used but the stove needs to be near completely out.

I think Space Bus's observation is right on, if you are home "chef" and willing and able to spend the time and effort, a wood cook stove can make some very nice food, but to the average person up for a weekend to a cabin, they are usually focused on other activities to spend a lot of time on cooking.

I think in most cases if you really want a wood cook stove for cooking, you had best have a backup wood stove for heating as a compromise will not work well for either task.

I think in such a small space a cookstove would work, but it will take a few years to figure out how it wants to work. I'm just now getting pretty competent at not turning my downstairs into a sauna and I installed the cookstove in fall 2019. The problems will come when it gets really cold and the cookstove will have to be loaded every six hours or so.

 

[SpaceBus]

Whoa, hold up, I thought the OP was looking at the Drolet OUTBACK which is a more traditional looking wood burning cookstove. Not a plate stove with an oven on top/bad Vermont Bun Baker copy. If you want a vertical cook stove, there are better options that put the oven below the firebox. It's an odd design, but it works very well for places with limited floor space and will give you a cook top that can actually boil water. That oven top won't crest 500 df with the hottest fire, but any good wood burning range oven will have a cooktop that will go to at least 800 df, which is what you need to really cook.

That being said, unless you really like to bake and cook, a wood burning cookstove is an expensive heater. I personally bake a lot of stuff from scratch; pies, bread, quick breads, cakes, meats, etc. and use the cooktop regularly. We also make coffee with a French press, so it's nice to have a place to keep our coffee warm.

This is the Drolet I had in mind.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The VT bun baker has spots to cook on the top.

Vermont Bun Baker

The Vermont Bun Baker combines the essential functions of a classic wood stove and cookstove in one compact, attractive package. Its extremely versatile design enables you to effectively heat a large area (up to 700 sq ft) and cook your family's meals with one unique stove. Cooktop is...

www.lehmans.com

 

[bholler]

Whoa, hold up, I thought the OP was looking at the Drolet OUTBACK which is a more traditional looking wood burning cookstove. Not a plate stove with an oven on top/bad Vermont Bun Baker copy. If you want a vertical cook stove, there are better options that put the oven below the firebox. It's an odd design, but it works very well for places with limited floor space and will give you a cook top that can actually boil water. That oven top won't crest 500 df with the hottest fire, but any good wood burning range oven will have a cooktop that will go to at least 800 df, which is what you need to really cook.

That being said, unless you really like to bake and cook, a wood burning cookstove is an expensive heater. I personally bake a lot of stuff from scratch; pies, bread, quick breads, cakes, meats, etc. and use the cooktop regularly. We also make coffee with a French press, so it's nice to have a place to keep our coffee warm.

This is the Drolet I had in mind.

You also have a stove to heat with as well.

 

[SpaceBus]

You also have a stove to heat with as well.

Of course, but our house is also nearly four times the size as the OP. 350 SQFT is pretty small, a wood burning cookstove is more than capable, with insulation anyway.

 

[bholler]

Of course, but our house is also nearly four times the size as the OP. 350 SQFT is pretty small, a wood burning cookstove is more than capable, with insulation anyway.

Allot will also depend on useage of the cabin. If it is used full time and kept warm it would probably do fine. If it needs to be brought up from cold that's questionable

 

[Max W]

If my math still works the Drolet Atlas has a 2.3 ft3 firebox twice the 1.2 ft of our Waterford Stanley. I would think that would keep that space warm depending on tightness and insulation. Bundle up until it heats the place. That said I don’t see how it the top would cook better than many heating stoves. A good cook stove top has enough size and zones with different amounts of heat to move pot and pans to just the right spot, over the firebox for a pan to get max heat to the opposite side to keep a pot just simmering. Then they can be moved around as the heat of the fire changes. Got into baking bread and pizza in the quiet of last winter, nothing like it.