Plan now for Emergency Heating and Cooking

As we all contend with the Coronavirus worldwide, emergency preparedness is on everyone's mind. I'm sure by now that most people have become painfully aware of how unprepared they have been, and are considering how to get ready for the next emergency. And there will be one, no doubt.

Emergency heating and cooking should be something that everyone plans for. We've all experienced temporary electrical outages, and there may be a time when gas is not available, either. As someone familiar with wood-fired appliances, I recommend that everyone has a backup plan using the appliances of your choice.

There are several options available. The first thing most people think about is getting a wood stove or wood-burning fireplace insert. These are good options for supplemental or primary heating if the appliance is located in the center of the home. Keep in mind that the bedrooms will be much cooler than the common spaces. An open floor plan is best so that heat can reach further.

Cookstove by Hearthstone

For cooking, using the top of a wood-burning freestanding stove is an option, but it can be frustrating to use the small space over a long period of time. A better option would be a wood-burning cookstove with a stovetop and oven. As a bonus, the stove produces heat as well.

Outdoor brick oven by
Gene Padgitt

In Italy and France, it is very common for each household to have an outdoor brick oven and the idea is becoming very popular in the U.S. With an outdoor wood-fired oven it gives a person the option of using a different fuel which may be more available than gas or propane, and it keeps heat out of the kitchen in the summer months. Food tastes better when cooked in a brick oven, too. Wood-fired ovens can be heated to over 700 degrees, which is excellent for cooking pizza.

Masonry heater with bake oven
by Gene Padgitt

The best option, in my opinion, is a masonry heater. Masonry heaters are large site-built or pre-cast kits that are assembled on site. They have a large mass of masonry and interior channels that trap heat. By far, they are the most efficient and clean-burning appliances and use 1/3 the amount of wood that a high-efficiency wood-burning stove or insert uses to produce the same amount of heat. Masonry heaters work differently as they retain and release heat over a longer period of time. A great option to add is a bake oven over the masonry heater firebox on either side. Most people prefer to have the oven on the kitchen side of the heater, and the firebox on the living room side. This option is the most expensive.

Plan now for the installation of an appliance this summer, before the busy fall season.
___________________________________________
Marge Padgitt is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and NFI Certified Woodburning Specialist. She is the author of The Chimney and Hearth Pro's Resource Book, and The Homeowner's Guide to Heating and Cooking with Wood. Reach her at hearthmastersboss@gmail.com

Outdoor Wood-fired Ovens More Popular than Ever

By Sheryl Isenhour

If you have never eaten a pizza that was baked in a wood-fired oven before, you are missing out! Many pizzerias use these types of ovens, and the popularity of these cooking appliances has grown so much that people are installing a wood-fire oven in their outdoor kitchens. Wood-fired ovens are the oldest way of taking the kitchen outside. Many different cultures have used wood fired ovens since ancient times, but the most famous ovens are the ones that were designed by the ancient Romans. Still found in homes across Italy, these wood fired ovens resemble a large round chamber with an opening in the front for venting. These ovens are constructed from stone or terra cotta brick.

You never have to worry about it being too cold to use a wood-fire oven because of its design. These ovens resemble a large round chamber, and the wood is burned inside the chamber. The fire produces very high temperatures with a range between 500 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit. If you and your family love to eat pizza, you can already imagine the benefits of having an outdoor wood-fired oven, but we would like to tell you more about the advantages of these ovens.

Whether you are preparing a pre-made, homemade, or frozen pizza, your oven cannot get any hotter than 500 degrees, so it can take up to 45 minutes (including time to preheat the oven) for the pizza to be ready. Depending on the thickness of the dough, you can cook a pizza in a wood-fired oven in just two to five minutes. You can cook more than just pizza in a wood-fired oven. Good foods to try include breads, roasts of any type of meat and vegetables, and casseroles.

Lots of folks think wood fired ovens are specifically for pizza. That’s partially true — you can make some amazing pizza in your oven, since the best pizza crust really needs to be cooked up crisp quickly and at super high heat, which a wood fired oven does exceptionally well. But your cooking options certainly don’t stop at pizza. Bake bread, roast vegetables and meats, make salmon steaks that’ll wow dinner guests, stews, sandwiches, desserts… Just about anything you might make in your regular oven can be made in your wood fired oven, and we might be biased, but we think everything comes out even better. Plus, when you’re entertaining, you don’t end up running in and out while everyone’s enjoying each other’s company in your outdoor room.

When you cook fruits and vegetables over an open flame in a wood-fired oven, they cook very quickly, which helps them retain certain nutrients and antioxidants. Studies have shown that longer cooking times deplete the nutritional value of food.

Other than giving food an enhanced flavor, wood fired ovens give you versatility, ambiance, and reliability. Your friends and family will enjoy the complete sensory experience of sitting by the stove while your food is cooking.

Whenever we meet a food-loving client who’s interested in creating or updating their outdoor room, our first thought is a wood-fired oven. If you’re really into cooking — or eating — a wood fired oven not only gives you a whole new world of culinary options, it makes your outdoor living space that much more beautiful and functional, too.

You do not need any electricity or gas to use a wood-fired oven, and for the environmentally conscious, this is quite a plus. If you are looking for a way to reduce your energy consumption, cooking in a wood-fired oven is a good choice.

Also — you don’t have to cook in it to enjoy it. You can still circle around and enjoy the warmth and ambience, maybe make some s’mores if you felt moved to. A wood fired oven is kind of like having the best of both worlds — a fireplace when you want it, an oven to cook in when you want that too.

Your wood fired oven can be the centerpiece of a complete outdoor kitchen.

Sheryl Isenhour
IBD Outdoor Rooms
IBD Outdoor Rooms is located in Concord, NC. We manufacture outdoor living comonents which include grill islands, fireplacs, fire pits, wood-fired ovens, Kamodo Kaddies, and other modular units. Units made to your specs and then shipped to you for onside finishes. Our website is www.ibdodr.com and facebook https://www.facebook.com/IBDODR

Why does pizza taste better when it is cooked in a wood-fired oven?

Why does Pizza taste better when it is cooked in a wood-fired oven?

According to most chefs, wood-burning ovens can do things that gas or electric ovens cannot. Wood-burning ovens can achieve very high temperatures of 700—1,000 degrees, reducing cooking time dramatically.  An average 10” pizza will cook in 1 –2 minutes. The pizza will taste fresher and be crisp with a almost burnt edge, like authentic Napolitano pizzas.

The thermal drafts from the wood create a current of air
(convection), which allows the food to cook very evenly on all
sides. So the food cooks faster, yet evenly. 

But the most important factor is that the smoke from the wood infuses the pizza crust with flavor that can’t be beat.

Once you’ve tried wood-fired pizza it is unlikely that you will eat any other type again.

For these reasons, most homeowners are putting brick ovens in their back yards as a part of their outdoor kitchens. The advantages are multi-level since an outdoor oven can be used to cook anything - not just pizza. 
_______________________________

Marge Padgitt is the publisher of Wood-Fired Magazine and is a wood-burning enthusiast. Reach her at editor@woodfiredmag.com