Wood cook stove book - woodstove cookery

[begreen]

I just stumbled upon this book and thought it would be useful, especially for those lucky enough to have a wood cook stove. It looks like there is a lot of good information in it. The reviews are excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Woodstove-Cookery-At-Home-Range/dp/0882661086

 

[gyrfalcon]

Somewhere in one of many boxes of papers retrieved from my mother's house after she passed away a few years ago is a journal entry or letter of my grandmother's about cooking in a woodstove that I sure I wish I could find. Among other things, she had made a list of which kind of wood to use for baking versus roasting, etc. She was born in the 1880s and grew up on a subsistence farm in the Pennsylvania mountains, where they had nearly zero cash and had to make everything they needed from the land and their animals.

I wonder if this book goes into the issue of wood.

 

[begreen]

According to one of the reviews:
"It is the perfect companion to using the woodstove for heating, cooking, or both. There are detailed descriptions of all the components of the stove, plus how to clean it and what type of wood to use for best results. It also has a bit of amusing history, and lots of tasty recipes. This is the only book you need for learning to use your wood cookstove efficiently. "

 

[VCBurner]

I remember growing up in a southern Brazilian town called Blumenau. It was mostly colonized by Germans so a large part of the population was blomde and blue eyed and the architecture was as if you were in an old German town. Many people there still cooked and heated their homes with woodstoves as the weather there was anything but tropical! I always wanted to have one of those stoves and am lucky to have a wife who also appreciates them. Someday...

 

[SteveKG]

I remember growing up in a southern Brazilian town called Blumenau. It was mostly colonized by Germans so a large part of the population was blomde and blue eyed and the architecture was as if you were in an old German town. Many people there still cooked and heated their homes with woodstoves as the weather there was anything but tropical! I always wanted to have one of those stoves and am lucky to have a wife who also appreciates them. Someday...

Some years ago, I ended up living for quite a while in an old mining cabin which had a wood cookstove in it. I had an electric hotplate with two burners for sauce pans and tea kettles, but no other oven. So I used the wood stove. I grew so comfortable with it and liked it so much, I have used wood cookstoves exclusively ever since and have an Aga in our home now. They are great. I can't imagine baking any other way, though intellectually I know that a hot oven comes from heat and there are a number of ways to get that heat. But I greatly prefer the cookstove.

 

[Huntindog1]

Here is a free old time cook book if you have the Kindle. They cooked on wood in 1825.

Kind of interesting to read how things were done back then.

http://www.amazon.com/Virginia-House-Wife-Mary-Randolph/dp/0872494233

You can down load a kindle app for your pc for free.

 

[charly]

The wife made two batches of brownies, cooking one in our electric oven, the other in our Esse wood cook stove. Esse won hands down. Amazing difference. I noticed any meats cooked in the Esse are always very moist inside. Plus heating our open farm house kitchen is just great. The wife is going to make some garlic cheddar biscuits , can't wait to see how those come out. Still have to do a pizza and bread.

 

[begreen]

I always thought the bread I baked in my old wood cook stove came out great. When a good cook stove is nicely warmed up, it seems to be one of the most even bakers out there.

 

[Obadiah]

I heard someone say two of my favorite words in the same sentence, "fresh bread and wood cookstove", so I come a runnin,.....

 

[TX-L]

Nothing better for baking or canning. Best pancakes you will ever have comes off a cast iron griddle on one of these stoves. This is a Renfrew Acorn (from Renfrew Ontario I think...), in my Tug Hill camp a few years ago. If I had the right house/kitchen layout, I would put a modern one in.

 

[charly]

We're very happy with our Esse... Some canning going on here and warming the house too

 

[Cynnergy]

The Esse website has some great video recipes too: http://www.esse.com/essetv.php

One day...

 

[Cynnergy]

Woody,

Are you still trying to get another Esse cookstove to sell? I thought I read somewhere that you might be getting in the 990 at some point. I would love to have that for the renovation of my great-grandparent's house, oh, maybe 20 years from now .

 

[HollowHill]

The wife made two batches of brownies, cooking one in our electric oven, the other in our Esse wood cook stove. Esse won hands down. Amazing difference. I noticed any meats cooked in the Esse are always very moist inside. Plus heating our open farm house kitchen is just great. The wife is going to make some garlic cheddar biscuits , can't wait to see how those come out. Still have to do a pizza and bread.

And you WILL be inviting me over for a taste testing, right??? On second thought, better not, I'd never leave

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I remember when my mother wanted to get rid of the old wood cook stove. What I remember the most was her baking went downhill after moving the old stove out. I also remember several relatives who continued to use the wood cook stoves for many years. One Aunt of my wife's received a new gas cook stove for her 50th wedding anniversary....and hated it. But, in time she gave in. For sure in the summer months the gas or electric stoves are better. Gets pretty hot in the old kitchens in July.

 

[charly]

And you WILL be inviting me over for a taste testing, right??? On second thought, better not, I'd never leave

Your welcome anytime! We have plenty of room so you could stay until you fatten up enough to survive the trip back home

 

[Obadiah]

Shhh don't tell anyone.....
My understanding is it did pass testing with flying colors, Esse North America has some big surprises in store for High End Cookstove market if your in that tax bracket.

The truth be known....
ESSE North America has informed us they are considering how they want to handle the sales of the 990 as it will be a $10K. cookstove. There is currently some questions on how this is all is going to play out with some of the high end products like the Plus 2. They may only be on display in a showroom near you. How many dealers will line up to play, will remain to be seen. I really hope they do well with it, they have dumped a ton of money into this project and they have an image to portray.

Time to come clean here.
With ESSE there is North America (NA) and Great Britain (GB) We deal with NA as they are the importers, I can not currently afford to purchase containers of Ironheart by myself.
Sometimes where ESSE NA is concerned I feel like the Red Headed Step Child.

Our name never appeared on the new fancy Esse NA website as an authorized dealer in-spite of the large number of Ironheart customers we have. I always wondered why, I have been told many times it was being taken care of when I asked, but.....
My guess I probably am not going be invited to this party either, so I stand here before you guys with egg on my face, I'm not sure if I'll make the cut or not.

Although I am a little hurt, I have peace about it and it is fine with me, those high dollar stoves are not designed for heating but cooking.
They are purchased by folks who don't look the price tag. They drink fine wines and go to the opera and watch Oprah.

I'll hang back here with you all, I prefer your company better. My blood bleeds red white and blue now.
.
My Montana Mountainman style may not cut the mustard, even though I have legitimate British Blue Blood running through my veins. Great Great Great Grandma ran away with the keeper of the hounds son. Great Ole Pa Pa was a Noblemen. No Joke.
She was discovered, disowned and banished to Australia, where she ran into Teddy Roosevelt on one of his Safari's. She became his personal taxidermist and many of her works are on display in the Smithsonian to this day.

I guess that's why I'm such a rebel, live in the woods with the critters, stand around at night and howl at the moon, watching the fire my British Ironheart...........while stuffed with LOVE!...Yippi Kia!

Stay tuned, this old dogs got more than one bone buried.....

 

[Obadiah]

Charlie,

You have been on my mind lately,
Your last e-mail had me concerned, you OK?
Been awhile since I have heard from you and here you are.

Shoot me an e-mail with an update, please.

Sounds like your Ironheart is still serving you well.
Thank you for being there for so many folks answering their questions, "your a good man Charlie Brown"

"Heck of a stove mate, built like a Bloody Blue Blooded British Tank I tell ya! "