Woodstove Cooking

Our major source of heat is from our woodstove. It sits in the living room on the second floor and provides enough heat to warm the whole house. I never thought of using it to cook food on until my regular electric range oven broke for the third time in three years. (Kenmore)

Today, I'm cooking as much as possible on the woodstove in a cast iron dutch oven or on a flat cast iron grill or griddle. I can't believe how easy and delicious the food turns out. Now, when our power goes out, or even to save some money on electricity I just pull out my cast iron and cook up a winning meal.

Ever tried cooking on your woodstove? What about in it? The other day, I moved coals to the back of the box and put wrapped russet potatoes at the front of the box. I left them in there for about 45 minutes and voila....baked potatoes extraordinaire!

Here are pictures of some of the items I've been cooking on or in the stove.

This lamb roast I cooked in the woodstove. I put the lamb roast in the dutch oven and filled it with about 4 cups of water. Pushing the coals to the back and sides, I placed the dutch oven in the woodstove with the handle facing the door for easy access. I kept the coals damped down adding only small pieces of wood beside the dutch oven.

When the roast was almost done, about 1.5 hours I removed it, added potatoes, carrots and 1 cup of water (the original water had evaporated)and placed the dutch oven on the top of the woodstove, keeping it at a slow simmer.

It had so much flavour everyone wanted more!

The one challenge I had was the speed at which it cooked in the woodstove. I was hoping it would slow cook all afternoon but it was finished in only about 3 hours. I would time it better next time, knowing that it doesn't take that long to cook in a cast iron and hot woodstove!

Our temperatures this winter, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, have been very mild so the woodstove doesn't stay on for too long. It kicks out so much heat if we leave it on too long we end up opening windows!

When I made this grilled herb chicken I had to get the woodstove fairly hot with an open damper. The temperature outside was a balmy 12 degrees Celsius so inside it felt like we were in a sauna while cooking our dinner. Next time I'll bake it in the dutch oven!

The mushrooms on the other hand cooked much faster. They tasted fabulous and with a bit of salt and pepper and olive oil sprinkled on they were perfectly seasoned. In future I will roast my veggies on the cast iron griddle.