Cooking with a wood range makes practical use of a natural element: fire.
Cooking on a wood range is more challenging than cooking on a gas or electric stove, but it can be much more rewarding. Unlike on gas or electric stoves, working with the hottest and coolest areas of the stovetop controls temperature, along with dampers and regulators that control the path the smoke takes on its way to the chimney. Cooking on a wood stove can be rewarding if only from the satisfaction you will get from mastering the art. And there's nothing quite like the smell of bread baking on a cold winter day. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
Getting to know your stove
1. Inspect your wood range to determine where all your draft vents are located. Depending upon the type of stove you have, you will have an oven damper, usually located near the back of the stove, a main draft regulator and check draft regulator near the firebox, and a damper set into the side of the stovepipe.
2. Start a fire in the stove with all the vents open, and adjust them until you have a strong steady flame. Add more dry wood to keep the fire burning steadily. Notice which areas of the stove are hottest and which are coolest. The two hottest lids, which some people call "eyes," are located right over the firebox. This varies depending on the type of stove you have.
3. Fill a saucepan with water and place it on one of those lids. If your stove doesn't have a temperature gauge built into the oven door, place an oven thermometer on the oven rack. Check the flame in the firebox to make sure it is still burning steadily. Leave the oven damper open to allow the hot smoke to circulate around the oven.
4. Add more wood to the firebox as needed to keep the stove hot enough to bring the pot of water to a rolling boil. This could take up to 30 minutes depending upon how quickly the stovetop heats up. Keep green wood nearby to add to a fire that is burning too hot and slightly larger dry hardwood logs to keep the fire burning at a steady rate.
5. Slide the saucepan slowly away from the hot stove lid. Use the potholders or oven mitts, and pay attention to what happens to the water as you do this. The boiling will start to slow down depending upon what area of the stove you move the pan to. Move the pan around to get an idea of what effect the heat in different locations has on the boiling water.
6. Open the oven door using the potholders or oven mitts and check the temperature on the thermometer. You will be able to bake once the oven temperature reaches at least 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Practice using your stove with something simple at first, like frying an egg on the stovetop, or baking a cake mix in the oven.
Tags: wood range, your stove, burning steadily, Cooking wood, draft regulator
