Wood cooking stove lessons learned.....so far

Wood cooking stove lessons learned.....so far

1) There are a zillion combinations for heating and cooking with this stove. So the lessons learned today are more like recommendations that balance heat, cooking, time, and my still learning how to use this cooking stove.  How to use the “turbo charger” still has me confused, for example.

2) For baking in the oven, plan on using temperature 275 F ( 135 C ), which should be easy to maintain and keep the room from getting too hot.  I still remember how hot the wood cooking stove in the kitchen was when I was a little boy (and during the summer time). Now in my earlier experiments, using a lower temperature than called for when baking a store bought blackberry pie ( 400 F/200 C) usually meant just a longer baking time and using ones eyeballs and experience. At least that is the way the Coleman fold out ovens worked when used on top of a wood stove when I did earlier experiments.  And against most adult instinct, and certainly most adult male instinct, I am actually following my own advice, which is difficult to do at best.  For example, I am baking a blackberry pie at 275 F right now, but have set the timer for 2 hours. The directions call for 50-60 minutes at 400 F.

3) I was able to easily get the griddle on top of the wood cooking stove up to 380 F ( 193 C ) and maintain it, again without the room getting too hot for the cook (me). I actually was using an industrial infrared temperature sensor (like they even use for Ebola temperature sensing on the forehead while at the airport), and often the temperature on the griddle got up to like 450 F. Either temperature should be good for skillet type cooking with all the cast iron cook wear we have around here (some old and some new).  My intent is to use cook wear to make cleanup a lot easier on me. And remember that “seasoned” cast iron cook wear is what our ancestors often used for non-stick cooking. One should practice with all that, too.  Even my local doctor started out at the cast iron Lodge foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee (near Chattanooga). After working there, he decided to go to med school and so on.

4) I am saving my solar oven for further experiments during the warm season. A good while back I did bake some cookies in it that were pretty tasty. Now one does need the sun for it to really work well, and it has been used for baking on Mount Everest, too. So we should be able to use it on a sunny day at the Hemlocks (east Tennessee), also, and all year long to boot.

PS When visiting the Mennonite house after the recent Muddy Pond funeral I attended, I noticed their wood cooking stove. I also noticed how many pots were keeping broth and coffee and other such things warm on top of the griddle.  And the kids were running around in their stocking feet so it was warm enough for them, too.  And the oven door was open, with a pie exposed and cooling down I’m guessing. And outside it was a very cold, snowy, and windy day, at least to me.  And there was a lot of cut and split wood (outside but under cover) for the stove by the door closest to the wood cooking stove.

All the preceding was in an earlier email to some Family and Friends.