Additional uses for a log burner?

weeze210

Hi everyone, as some people already know I have moved from a council estate in the Midlands to rural Wales. I am in a small village, there are 42 houses and a tiny shop and thats it! We only have electricity and power cuts are quite common. We have installed a log burner and its lovely, I'm thrilled with it.
Now I have a question, does anyone cook on theirs? Any top tips? I may need to use it to cook dinner in the near future.
Thanks
Weeze x

Lagopus

Theres nothing specific on the clearview website, just that the stoves have a flat top for kettles/pans. I've got the 'Practical Self Sufficiency' book by the Strawbridges from the library and there are a few pics of a Visiion 500 stove with kettle and pans on. I put a cold pan with 1 pint of cold water in it onto the stove (Clearview 650) which is up and running - it took less than 20mins to boil, a flat bottomed kettle would boil faster. I'd happily cook a casserole on ours, and am toying with the idea of doing some porridge ready for tomorrow morning.

I'm going to hit the search engines for recipes - its certainly cheaper using free firewood than an electric cooker!

the only thing I'd done before was jacket spuds in the ash pan and toasting with a fork.

Fozz

Yes, I have so far cooked bacon, noodles, burgers on my woodburner! Tried boiling an egg this morning but I think there was too much water in the pan and it didn't really boil. We have bought a whistling kettle for it, and am thinking of getting a griddle pan too. It's fun to experiment!

SUESMITH_2

pleased you asked this, we are just getting our woodburner fitted and we were hoping to use it to boil water and casserole things. i will have a look for that book too

lostinrates

My clearview has a tiny top and while it keeps things warm I've not cooked on it, oh...dh did some chestnuts last year and they took AGES.

we have a new to us old woodburner with a hot plate and little griddle on the top, that we're hoping might be a bit quicker for having tea/coffee in the study.

thenanny2die4

I'm lucky in that my Clearview is meant for cooking (picture here), but I've also left a casserole on the very top if I'm going to be out for a few hours and closed the stove right down, so that's the same as just popping it on top of a regular stove. I haven't used it for boiling pans or a kettle but that's by choice as it's in the living room and I don't really want to fill the room with steam. I'd certainly do so in an emergency although I have a gas hob and cooker so power cuts don't matter.

I adore the stove. The thought of using this single source to heat the whole house (we didn't use the central heating once last winter and I guarantee a lot of you would say the house was too warm if you popped in for tea and cake ) and cook a meal, is almost like cheating the system. :rotfl: I've also enjoyed learning to judge the heat by sticking my hand in the oven instead of using a thermostat. I'd be lost without my li'l Clearview.

Jolaaled

I use my Charwood to boil kettles ..I have 2 flat-bottomed ones and I use the hot water for washing up..much cheaper than running the gas combi-boiler.

I've also used the stove to re-heat up soup and to make Dhal-type gloop.

weeze210

Thanks for the reply's.
We have a Hunter Hawk 4, double sided, double depth. Hubby bought a 14 pint kettle off Ebay and we've managed to get that to boil on the top so it gets pretty hot on there! It just got me thinking what else we could heat up on the top.

Weeze x

Lagopus

A lot of the stuff on tinternet recokons to start off cooking (browning meat etc) on the hob and then putting onto the stove for the 'slow' cooking. Looks like its important to have fairly substantial pans which distribute the heat better, or use a trivet.

I put a shovel full of coal on at bedtime last night, it was great to come down to a warm kitchen - a quick riddle with the poker this morning and a couple of logs and its back up and running. I'm going to keep an eye out for cheap cast iron pans and a kettle.

born_blonde

You will need a trivet.
I have one of these http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/barrel-cast-iron-stove really cheap stoves in my kitchen.
It burns wood and coal, keeps the house warm and I can get 3 pans on top.
If the fires lit I cook on that and it certainly gets hot enough to fry and need a trivet to keep pans at a simmer.
If anything we get to hot, it was 32c in the kitchen last night we had to open the back door!

sandraroffey

my daughter has just moved into a house with a wood burner, she hasnt had a wood burner before and even with some interferring from me, (i have had a solid fuel fire that heated the water and the radiators), this wood burner is a pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it fills the room with smoke. i wonder if the chimney is blocked or has a birdsnest in it????

if the front doors are closed, it all just goes out!!!!