Hello, I am considering buying a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 for my house, to be used for both heating and cooking. During the summer, I plan to cook using solar power, and switch to the wood stove in the winter. However, I am concerned about the cooktop size. Based on the product descriptions, it seems the T5 can only accommodate a pot with a maximum diameter of 20 cm. Is that true? What is the largest pot that can be placed on the T5 for high-temperature cooking (boiling, searing), not just for warming or slow cooking? Also, how much bigger of a pot can I fit on the larger Alderlea T6 model?
PE Alderlea T5, T6 cooking
- Thread starter Milo13
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The trivet wings have a cutout to fit around the flue collar. That is a bit of a restriction. A wing or both could be removed to provide more area. The T6 can accommodate about a 27.5" pot, plus two 15 cm pots.
If I seriously wanted to cook often on my T5 I wouldn’t have purchased a T5. There’s no point to splattering the cast iron with grease.
I would not be planning on searing on it. Get a cook stove. It was made to cook on it. Itll be an easier cleanup. You’ll be happier.
This comes from someone who has used the T5 as an integral part of Thanksgiving dinner and cooked/reheated a number of times on it.
The super/summit would be better for cooking/cleanup.
I would not be planning on searing on it. Get a cook stove. It was made to cook on it. Itll be an easier cleanup. You’ll be happier.
This comes from someone who has used the T5 as an integral part of Thanksgiving dinner and cooked/reheated a number of times on it.
The super/summit would be better for cooking/cleanup.
Due to my house layout, I’m looking for a single appliance that handles both heating and cooking. Up until now, we’ve had a rocket mass heater. However, when I was building it, I didn’t realize that while its overall output is high, it only transfers a maximum of 3kW into the room through the thermal mass, meaning we were quite cold in the winter. On top of that, it was only good enough for heating water or some light cooking, so we ended up relying heavily on electricity. We are now trying to become completely independent of electricity.
We’ve already gone through tons of brands and models, but they are either not meant for cooking at all, or they lack other important features. What we like about the T5 and T6 is that you don’t have to reload them with wood constantly, and they actually work for cooking. Also, the top plate is steel instead of cast iron, so there’s no big risk of it cracking if you accidentally spill something on it.
Take a look at the Pacific Energy Super and Summit stoves (not the classic versions). The Super has the same firebox as the Alderlea T5, but without the cast iron jacket. It has a full, flat, steel top. If a larger stove top is desired, look at the standard Summit stove which has the same firebox as the Alderlea T6.
www.pacificenergy.net
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I reread your post, with trivets on, I can fit a 10.5” deep pot and max of 12” wide. Pull the trivets and you can go just over 20” wide. It’s a little deeper on the sides of the ring around the stovepipe. Figure 15” deep if your pan is bread pan shaped.
Cooking with solid fuel can be uncomfortable when it’s not in the middle of a cold snap. Getting the stove hot enough to boil water means a lot of wood in the firebox. It’s nice to be able to turn the heat off after you’re done heating the water, it’s not as convenient to wait the next 8 hours at full heat until the stove goes cold.
Maybe your base load can be handled by your rocket heater and a small steel stove could be used during cold snaps and times you want to cook?
Can you cook outside? If you can put a good heater inside, and not have to deal with the uncomfortable compromises of cooking with solid fuel when you don’t need the stove hot for long periods of time.
Cooking with solid fuel can be uncomfortable when it’s not in the middle of a cold snap. Getting the stove hot enough to boil water means a lot of wood in the firebox. It’s nice to be able to turn the heat off after you’re done heating the water, it’s not as convenient to wait the next 8 hours at full heat until the stove goes cold.
Maybe your base load can be handled by your rocket heater and a small steel stove could be used during cold snaps and times you want to cook?
Can you cook outside? If you can put a good heater inside, and not have to deal with the uncomfortable compromises of cooking with solid fuel when you don’t need the stove hot for long periods of time.
