Cookstove vs Wood Stove

[Survivor_316]

I have another question about wood stoves.

I wanted a wood burning cookstove originally. Husband thinks it's too big. Fireplace guy laughed at me because he said I can cook on a regular wood stove. (He clearly has more faith in my abilities than I do.)

How hard is it really to cook on a regular wood stove? To bake on one? Do you need floor joist reinforcements?

I feel like we're doing pretty good on a lot of stuff, but this heating issue is just not my wheelhouse.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Floor reinforcement: depends. You would have to look at the size and spacing of your floor stringers and the size and weight of the wood stove, find the Pounds Per Square inch (PSI) rated on the stringers using the international residential building code (IRBC), figure out the PSI on the stove selected and that will tell you if you need reinforcement. Also a consideration is how far from a foundation support you will be placing it. The further away from say an exterior basement foundation wall, the more weight the stringers below will have to bear alone.

When I build, i tend to overengineer something if I have doubts....reinforce the crap out of it if you are not sure. It is better than causing permanent structural damage to your floors!

Cooking: Some wood "stoves" are designed not to heat up on the outside so they can be installed closer to walls and all of the heat is thrown through a blower to heat the room. Some do heat up all over and radiate the heat without the need for a blower. The latter you can cook on, the former, not unless it is designed for it. Some are a hybrid of the two.

It is harder to control heat levels with a wood stove over a conventional one. It is not harder to cook, just demands more of your constant attention so as not to burn your meal.

Baking: Unless the wood stove comes with an oven box, you would have to use a cast iron Dutch oven like what you might use to cook on an open fire/coals. In a SHTF no electricity situation, a solar oven might be a good alternative to consider because there will be much to do and your time/attention will be at a premium.

I have one like this and it works well so far

 

[Arcticdude]

Our house was built plenty stout anyway so we didn't need to reinforce the floor under the wood stove. We cook on our wood stove a lot in winter, but have never tried baking on it. Maybe in a Dutch oven? It's important to have a large flat surface on your WS to cook on.
We can adjust the temperature pretty good by closing or opening the draft. Plus we cook on flat bottom pans. If we want to simmer a pot of soup or chili all day we just put this wire thing under the pot. This way the pot isn't sitting directly on the stove surface.

 

[Survivor_316]

Floor reinforcement: depends. You would have to look at the size and spacing of your floor stringers and the size and weight of the wood stove, find the Pounds Per Square inch (PSI) rated on the stringers using the international residential building code (IRBC), figure out the PSI on the stove selected and that will tell you if you need reinforcement. Also a consideration is how far from a foundation support you will be placing it. The further away from say an exterior basement foundation wall, the more weight the stringers below will have to bear alone.

When I build, i tend to overengineer something if I have doubts....reinforce the crap out of it if you are not sure. It is better than causing permanent structural damage to your floors!

Cooking: Some wood "stoves" are designed not to heat up on the outside so they can be installed closer to walls and all of the heat is thrown through a blower to heat the room. Some do heat up all over and radiate the heat without the need for a blower. The latter you can cook on, the former, not unless it is designed for it. Some are a hybrid of the two.

It is harder to control heat levels with a wood stove over a conventional one. It is not harder to cook, just demands more of your constant attention so as not to burn your meal.

Baking: Unless the wood stove comes with an oven box, you would have to use a cast iron Dutch oven like what you might use to cook on an open fire/coals. In a SHTF no electricity situation, a solar oven might be a good alternative to consider because there will be much to do and your time/attention will be at a premium.

I have one like this and it works well so far

View attachment 17521

Oh my gosh, thank you. This is all so helpful.

It sounds stupid, but I didn't even think about the fact that some are going to be designed for radiant heat and some not.

The floor reinforcement info is invaluable for someone like me who is not a carpenter.

 

[Survivor_316]

Our house was built plenty stout anyway so we didn't need to reinforce the floor under the wood stove. We cook on our wood stove a lot in winter, but have never tried baking on it. Maybe in a Dutch oven? It's important to have a large flat surface on your WS to cook on.
We can adjust the temperature pretty good by closing or opening the draft. Plus we cook on flat bottom pans. If we want to simmer a pot of soup or chili all day we just put this wire thing under the pot. This way the pot isn't sitting directly on the stove surface.

Thank you! That is really helpful, too!

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Oh my gosh, thank you. This is all so helpful.

It sounds stupid, but I didn't even think about the fact that some are going to be designed for radiant heat and some not.

The floor reinforcement info is invaluable for someone like me who is not a carpenter.

You have mentioned that you have children. I had five but, they are grown, my worry now is for the grand children. The old cast iron stoves can get very hot on the outside it is why there are recommended set backs from walls and even heat shielding such as brick to keep the house from bursting into flames.

If you have children it is also something to consider because accidents can and do happen.

 

[Survivor_316]

You have mentioned that you have children. I had five but, they are grown, my worry now is for the grand children. The old cast iron stoves can get very hot on the outside it is why there are recommended set backs from walls and even heat shielding such as brick to keep the house from bursting into flames.

If you have children it is also something to consider because accidents can and do happen.

Good point. I have one in particular that is clumsy.

That gives me something to think about. Thank you.

 

[Schattentarn]

Vogelzang used to make a wood stove which had lift off round vents which were perfect to put a stir fry pan in. The stopped making that model. I had one and lost it in a fire. My late mother in law grew up with a wood cooking stove. She said it was rather messy.

It may be possible to heat up leftovers in aluminium foil by placing them on a wood stove or make coffee, tea, etc., but precision cooking is going to be difficult.

 

[poltiregist]

One of the first things I did when I built my alamo . I went to a private appliance dealer and told him I was looking for a propane stove that had not any electronics . I was wanting such a stove so as it would continue to function when the electrical grid was not operational . That is the best stove I have ever owned . --- I bought a wood cook stove with 4 eyes and a oven , put it in my pickup and hauled it 500 miles to my alamo . For a home for my wood stove I built an outside cook house , For the base the cook house has rocks as a floor and a partial wall on 3 sides . The rocks I got by cruising the dirt roads in my area and picked up as heavy a rocks as I could lift and put in the back of my pickup truck . The county road grader was always exposing those rocks as he graded the roads and I simply removed rocks automobiles would have their tires bump over . Then I went to the creek and got some sand and mixed it up with portland cement and made a rock floor and a rock wall a foot or two high on three sides . Then I enlisted about half a dozen stout teenage boys that liked hanging around the survival retreat to lift those heavy cross ties up and build a log cabin style wall , crossed at the corners . I put a heavy duty roof 3 layers of shingles " because they were free " on top . Finally my wood cook stove was placed in its permanent home . Unless someone destroys it on purpose that crosstie cook house and cast iron stove will still be there a couple hundred years from now . -- The reason I wanted the wood stove outside my house is , I didn't want my newly constructed home smoked up . Where my wood stove is now , I even sometimes remove the eye I am cooking on to put more heat " a direct flame " on the bottom of my cooking pot or pan . It can smoke all it wants as it won't hurt a thing in my outside cook house . ---My assessment is the propane stove is a lot quicker and easier than the wood stove . That's probably the reason wood stoves are not that common anymore .

 

[Arcticdude]

Vogelzang used to make a wood stove which had lift off round vents which were perfect to put a stir fry pan in. The stopped making that model. I had one and lost it in a fire. My late mother in law grew up with a wood cooking stove. She said it was rather messy.

It may be possible to heat up leftovers in aluminium foil by placing them on a wood stove or make coffee, tea, etc., but precision cooking is going to be difficult.

They don't make them with the lift off lids any more. I had an old one many years ago with the lift off lids. Now the Vogelzgangs are made in China and are a piece of junk, other than for just a novelty.

 

[GaRp58]

When I built the living room "heating corner", I bought a wood burning heater which I can also use to cook on the top of or just make hot tea and coffee or soups. It also has a small oven in the middle so I could also bake. Ashes in the bottom, fire in the middle, oven over the fire and a cast iron stovetop on top of it all. Great for an all-around stove and then I bricked up the masonry wall to get some heat stored and moved into the wall towards the bedroom on the other side of the wall. This is the final result:

 

[Survivor_316]

When I built the living room "heating corner", I bought a wood burning heater which I can also use to cook on the top of or just make hot tea and coffee or soups. It also has a small oven in the middle so I could also bake. Ashes in the bottom, fire in the middle, oven over the fire and a cast iron stovetop on top of it all. Great for an all-around stove and then I bricked up the masonry wall to get some heat stored and moved into the wall towards the bedroom on the other side of the wall. This is the final result:

I really like this one. How much of an area does it heat? The ones I looked at were all monstrosities... like the cookstoves the Amish use.

 

[Survivor_316]

One of the first things I did when I built my alamo . I went to a private appliance dealer and told him I was looking for a propane stove that had not any electronics . I was wanting such a stove so as it would continue to function when the electrical grid was not operational . That is the best stove I have ever owned . --- I bought a wood cook stove with 4 eyes and a oven , put it in my pickup and hauled it 500 miles to my alamo . For a home for my wood stove I built an outside cook house , For the base the cook house has rocks as a floor and a partial wall on 3 sides . The rocks I got by cruising the dirt roads in my area and picked up as heavy a rocks as I could lift and put in the back of my pickup truck . The county road grader was always exposing those rocks as he graded the roads and I simply removed rocks automobiles would have their tires bump over . Then I went to the creek and got some sand and mixed it up with portland cement and made a rock floor and a rock wall a foot or two high on three sides . Then I enlisted about half a dozen stout teenage boys that liked hanging around the survival retreat to lift those heavy cross ties up and build a log cabin style wall , crossed at the corners . I put a heavy duty roof 3 layers of shingles " because they were free " on top . Finally my wood cook stove was placed in its permanent home . Unless someone destroys it on purpose that crosstie cook house and cast iron stove will still be there a couple hundred years from now . -- The reason I wanted the wood stove outside my house is , I didn't want my newly constructed home smoked up . Where my wood stove is now , I even sometimes remove the eye I am cooking on to put more heat " a direct flame " on the bottom of my cooking pot or pan . It can smoke all it wants as it won't hurt a thing in my outside cook house . ---My assessment is the propane stove is a lot quicker and easier than the wood stove . That's probably the reason wood stoves are not that common anymore .

I have been told by others to get propane, too, but I'm concerned about not having access to it. We have plenty of trees and they'd be free after they'd dried. But it certainly would be easier and cleaner.

 

[GaRp58]

I only use it to heat the living room but if I open the door to the hallway, it would be heating a 70 foot long and 4 foot wide hallway and the living room is 20 square meters or 180 square feet approximately.
Here is some good reading for the upcoming winter for all you folks. Hope they open up for you.

 

[Survivor_316]

I only use it to heat the living room but if I open the door to the hallway, it would be heating a 70 foot long and 4 foot wide hallway and the living room is 20 square meters or 180 square feet approximately.

Thanks. I will have to see if they have anything smaller like this available.

 

[JimCosta]

After I got my two free standing fireplaces installed in the house, I came across an old wood burning cook stove.
We installed it on our screened in back porch as a summer kitchen, just in case.

Being an avid reader, I purchased a book on how to use one as it looked complicated.
The best advice I got from it was how to cook biscuits.
According to the book, one should "cook two batches, then you will know how to do it correctly on the third batch!"

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

When I built the living room "heating corner", I bought a wood burning heater which I can also use to cook on the top of or just make hot tea and coffee or soups. It also has a small oven in the middle so I could also bake. Ashes in the bottom, fire in the middle, oven over the fire and a cast iron stovetop on top of it all. Great for an all-around stove and then I bricked up the masonry wall to get some heat stored and moved into the wall towards the bedroom on the other side of the wall. This is the final result:
View attachment 17526
View attachment 17527

Wow! Beautiful and so useful! Love the fact you have an oven!

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

I found this useful video re: 7 household uses for your wood ash! Who knew!

 

[Survivor_316]

I found this useful video re: 7 household uses for your wood ash! Who knew!

# 7 is surprising. Thanks for sharing that. The stain remover makes sense since they used the wood to make soap in the past though i never would have thought of it. I think I need to add that to the list of skills to learn.

So, now I have:
- scald eyebrows off on three pans of biscuits
- scald skin off making homemade lye soap.

I better buy some kevlar...