Advice needed for Woodstove cooking

Hi guys, I'm trying to get into utilizing my Woodstove for cooking. I would like to make breakfast foods, saute vegetables, as well as some breads, muffins, etc..

I am using a hybrid stove so my main question is have others had the most success cooking during a cat burn or with secondaries?

I would also be interested in seeing what all pots, pans, and skillets you use.

How can I get the most out of cooking on the Woodstove? Thanks.

 

We cook a lot on our Drolet, we use cast iron mainly. An infared thermometer and a trivet are both really helpful-- if the top is too hot, put it on the trivet!

 

I have cooked meats inside the stove with great success. I'm looking for more information on stove top cooking. Thanks.

 

To get the most out of cooking with the woodstove simply cook only with the woodstove. Works for us!

 

As Grizzly already stated, use trivets. I started out not using them and then as soon as the vessel (dutch over, fry pan, pot, etc.) got too hot, I tried to balance it half on and half off the stove. Don't waste your time trying this! Use a trivet!
Allow a bit longer for cooking until you are over the learning curve.
Typically, it seems like you can't go wrong with cast iron (CI).
As we speak, I'm trying to perc some coffee on my stove top with a glass percolator.

 

Coffee is done and man is it ever hot!

 

Please share some pictures of what you end up cooking. I love the idea of doing this, but I don't trust myself!

 

I made some turkey bbq, cornbread, and cinnamon bread. All turned out decent. I burned the cinnamon bread a bit, but I warmed the stove up too quick on that one.

 

i see you have the IS stove. the factory says the center front burner is hottest, followed by the left and right front positions, followed by the left and right on the rear deck. that's 5 positions of varying heat output to play with. i believe the info is on the site.

 

Those of you who cook on your stoves: have you ever had a pot boil over or spilled something you were cooking onto the hot cook top?

 

Thanks for the ideas Dennis! I definitely have the itch now. I really like how my first round turned out. Everything cooked pretty even. Better then I expected.

 

Yep, wipe it up the best your can and it will evaporate in a hurry. Be extra careful with frying oils, but if you do spill them try to wipe up as much as you can and it will make the top of your stove nice and black like a cast iron pan. The smoke is no fun, though.

 

Unless your stove has "dedicated" spots for pots and pans; the best way to control the heat on our wood stoves is to use a "trivet".

 

If I'm worried about boil over I either use a cookie sheet or some aluminum foil under the pot. Also, use a deep pot if possible. Boiling is forgiving- the temperature of boiling water is constant at any particular altitude.

I use my regular all-clad pans or enameled cast iron. I use a rack out of my oven as a trivet if I need to run at lower heat. Braising is also forgiving- not quite as forgiving as boiling, but easy enough.

If you are trying to brown something, fry it, etc., it is not as forgiving as above, but you need to attend to that kind of cooking anyway. The nice thing about a wood stove is the high temperatures and high mass tend to produce excellent searing results. If things get too hot, lift the pan off the stove for a bit and coast on the the retained heat in the pan.

I'm using a Pacific Energy Fusion. (non-cat type stove) More than anything, you just need to start cooking on your stove. You will figure it out soon enough. Don't be afraid to experiment and do remember that mistakes are a necessary part of learning.

 

I recommend NOT using a cookie sheet!!! I did that ONCE and when I removed it stove top under the sheet was glowing red. This is in one of my videos, some members may remember it.

 

That is an important safety tip. Don't use the cookie sheet if it does that to your stove!!!

Griz, what were you making at the time? I can see a shiny sheet reflecting heat back to the stove top and causing it to overheat under some circumstances.

 

I was making a pizza.