Archive for the ‘Cooking Tips’ Category

A Close Look at Wood Fired Pizza Ovens

Monday, February 15th, 2010
Jane May asked:


Wood fired pizza ovens are commonly known as Forno, in Italian, or simply just wood ovens. These ovens are usually built as outdoor pizza ovens and make use of wood fuel when it comes to cooking. When looking at pizza ovens, there are actually two types. These are white ovens and black ovens. The difference between these two ovens is that the one uses wood and the other uses a bi-product fuel, gas. In order to heat up a black oven you need to insert wood in the chamber. Food is then cooked in the same chamber next to where the fire is simmering. It can be done this way or when the oven is nice and hot, the embers can be removed or scraped aside and the food can be inserted to cook.

In order to heat up a white oven, heat is transferred using a separate combustion chamber and also a fuel gas path. This way the oven remains white or clean. When looking at traditional wood fired pizza ovens, these can also be made of cast iron, cob, adobe or masonry. Wood fired ovens are distinct from wood cook stoves. Wood cook stoves have flat cooking surfaces for pans and pots. These get extra hot when wood is burnt. This type of stove can easily be compared to electric stoves. The thing about wood cook stoves is that it has the oven and hot plates but all these are separate from the wood chamber or fire chamber.

When it comes to modular commercial pizza ovens, these are mainly designed for bakeries, restaurants and pizzerias. These aren’t really recommended for home use as they are made for a high turnover. If you have the money to spend and are willing to do so, you could have this pizza oven in your home because then at least you know that what you have is extremely reliable and offers you performance like no other oven can. Some of these ovens have been going for over ten years and are still running like they are brand new.

With a simple wood fired pizza oven you would also be able to produce fifty pizzas a day if that is what you want to do. This is because they are designed to handle extreme temperatures as well as continuous use. These ovens can bake non-stop if they need to but of course in a normal home you won’t use it all day everyday, but rather on the odd occasion when the family feels like having pizza for dinner and more so for parties.

Another reason why anyone would want a wood fired pizza oven is because they look great. There is nothing more stylish than having your own pizza oven. Whether you have a large kitchen and can have it feature in there, or you would rather have an outdoor pizza oven, it doesn’t matter. As long as you have one you will be very happy with it.

Pizza ovens offer amazing cooking results and you are sure to love your new acquisition.  But take a moment to  remember, it may be tempting to use wood fired pizza ovens every day, but too much pizza is not good for you!

How to Keep Wood Burning Cook Stoves at Their Best

Friday, February 5th, 2010
Mikael R asked:


Today’s wood burning stoves come in a lot of variations. They differ in sizes, styles, prices and materials that are made of. They even come in types for either indoor or outdoor used. Despite the differences though, they all need proper care and maintenance to be working at their best.

Wood burning cook stoves are basically of two uses. The first one is for cooking or warming food both inside and outside the house as what they are called gives away. The second use is for heating a room during the cold season.

There are a lot of benefits that can be gained with the installation of contemporary wood burning stoves. They can be used as cost efficient heating system. They can also work independently as they are unaffected by sudden power interruptions. Apart from that, they also add a touch of old Victorian elegance in a kitchen.

However, as been said, to make them work at their best, wood burning cook stoves made of cast iron or any other material need to be properly cared and maintained. And here are some of the tips that you can implement.

Clean it regularly – No matter how small or big your wood burning stove is, dirt can accumulate on it, and so it must be regularly cleaned. The stove pipe must be cleared at least once a year to get rid of creosote. For the outside part of the stove, it must be cleaned every day and kept dry to prevent rust building. Remove the ash – Empty the ash bin once every month. This prevents ash build up that could hinder the proper flow of air while stove is in use. Thus, to remove ash makes the stove work efficiently. Check the parts – Make sure that every part of the stove is working properly. This enables the device to work effectively and to operate safely. For example, the stove’s door must be made sure to close properly and securely as it Clean the chimney – You should hire a professional chimney sweeper for this. Chimney can be clogged by continuous use of stove making it disperse smoke inside your house instead of outside.

These steps should work as well on antique wood burning stoves from UK, US or anywhere else in the world. They should always be remembered as they are valuable information to make wood stoves be at their peak. To implement these steps is to basically get the most out of the money you have spent for the stove you purchased.

Wood Pellet Production Guide