Filter
Top Products
22
Using the Oven and Cooking Surface
The temperatures established on both the cooking surface
and in the oven are determined by three primary things:
1. The amount of draft the chimney has. As the bell dampers
are opened more air gets in the rebox and is drawn
through the stove and chimney, resulting in a faster,
hotter re.
2. The position of the oven damper. With the oven damper
closed, the heat is channelled under the entire cooking
surface (heating it up) and around the oven (heating it
up). When the oven damper is open, the heat will be
routed directly up the chimney.
3. How much wood/coal is in the rebox and what stage of
the combustion process it is at.
Figure 10
Stove top cooking
The cast iron top provides an excellent large cooking area
for griddling, frying, basting and simmering.
Some users report griddling directly on the cooking surface,
although this is not recommended, as it usually creates
quite a mess. A cast iron cooking vessel with a at bottom is
recommended. As you inspect your new oval, you may nd
the edges of your keyplate sitting slightly above the cooking
surface. This is caused by the stiff new gasket under the
keyplate. As the gasket compresses over time, the keyplate
will drop to a position even with the rest of the cooktop.
To allow for normal settling, we have purposely created a
slight upward warp at the middle of
your oval keyplate. As the keyplate
heats and cools it will eventually settle
to a at position. The time period for
settling will be different for each stove
depending on usage. Please allow a full
season of use as a minimum.
When getting used to cooking on the
stove top remember that the surface is
cast iron and like cast iron cookware,
once heated retains the heat for a long
time.
Successful stove top and oven cooking
will not result from trying to re the stove
up immediately but by having a heated
stove and ‘banking’ the re to retain the
temperature required.
The left hand side of the cookstove
top will be the hottest as the re burns
directly beneath it. The surface will get
cooler the further you go to the right.
The oven damper can be used to help
control the heat on the cooking surface.
To have the entire cooking surface
warm, the damper will need to be in
the closed position. This funnels the heat under the entire
cooking surface, therefore heating it (see gure 10).
Under Oven E
xhaust
Damper Closed