nervous novice seeks advice

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Yes. Cooking with wood takes some practice and knowing different woods is one of the things you need to know. Those who have cooked with wood already know that pine can be mighty fine in a cook stove and that is because it gives high heat for a short period of time. We also used to use corn cobs and all the small stuff from cutting up a tree went to the wood cook stove. In the end, using a wood cook stove and putting up the fuel can be a lot of work compared to a heater stove.

I recall a lady in the neighborhood who, on her 50th wedding anniversary was given a new gas cook stove. She had never used anything except her wood cook stove. She almost cried after just a few days because she wanted her old stove back. But in the end, she did learn how to cook on the gas stove which saved much labor. As you might guess, they were not young folks.
 
Hi TK,
I think it is important for you and your partner to figure out what’s exactly that you want. As you have heard, burning wood is not as easy and uncomplicated as it seems and you definitely want to make the most out of it. Just for your information, back on the 80’s, the Environmental Protection Agency first phase of the standard that still is valid today for wood stoves, decided to exempt wood cook stoves from it. This has created a situation where technology, burn times, fuel economy, efficiencies and longevity in actual EPA wood stoves is superior to anything you can find in the wood cook stove. Yes, there are some good looking units in both type of units, but bottom line, the goal and effectiveness of each one of them are completely apart.
One way or the other, there’s noting that compares to the cozy ambiance you can create with a wood fire in your house, also the safety standards in the hearth industry are among the toughest ones you can find. You can trust any product from any manufacturer that has all their safety standards correctly. Important: always follow owner’s manual instructions for installation and use of your hearth product. All the best!
 
It is also possible to cook a little on a wood heating stove. My aunt used to make this venison chili that is to DIE FOR on her wood stove. Plus these really awesome dutch oven brownies. =) So it's definitely something you could learn to do! Basically for things like soups, stocks, chili, etc that you basically just heat up for a long time and won't suffer for fidgeting with the cook times a little, you can do it pretty easy.

~Rose
 
You are right Rose. My wife does lots of cooking on our stove all winter long.
 
If you have practice with cooking over an open fire (besides BBQ and hot dogs and marshmallows, I mean) then it's not that hard to adjust to cooking on a wood stove, IME. See how long it takes for you to boil water in a cast iron kettle and go from there.

~Rose
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
Woodstove upgrade/layout advice for an old house in New England
Replies
11
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
Top Bottom
Back