19
Using the Oven and Cooking Surface
The temperatures established on both the cooking surface and
in the oven are determined by three primary things:
1. The amount of draft the chimney has. As the bell dampers
are opened more air gets in the firebox and is drawn
through the stove and chimney, resulting in a faster, hotter
fire.
2. The position of the oven damper. With the oven damper
closed, the heat is channeled under the entire cooking
surface (heating it up) and around the oven (heating it up).
When the oven damper is open, the heat will be routed
directly up the chimney.
3. How much wood/coal is in the firebox and what stage of
the combustion process it is at.
Figure 10
Stove top cooking
The cast iron top provides an excellent large cooking area for
griddling, frying, basting and simmering.
Some users report griddling directly on the cooking surface,
although this is not recommended, as it usually creates quite
a mess. A cast iron cooking vessel with a flat bottom is
recommended. As you inspect your new oval, you may find the
edges of your keyplate sitting slightly above the cooking
surface. This is caused by the stiff new gasket under the
keyplate. As the gasket compresses over time, the keyplate
will drop to a position even with the rest of the cooktop.
To allow for normal settling, we have purposely created a slight
upward warp at the middle of your oval
keyplate. As the keyplate heats and
cools it will eventually settle to a flat
position. The time period for settling
will be different for each stove
depending on usage. Please allow a
full season of use as a minimum.
When getting used to cooking on the
stove top remember that the surface is
cast iron and like cast iron cookware,
once heated retains the heat for a long
time.
Successful stove top and oven cooking
will not result from trying to fire the
stove up immediately but by having a
heated stove and ‘banking’ the fire to
retain the temperature required.
The left hand side of the cookstove top
will be the hottest as the fire burns
directly beneath it. The surface will get
cooler the further you go to the right.
The oven damper can be used to help
control the heat on the cooking surface.
To have the entire cooking surface
warm, the damper will need to be in the closed position. This
funnels the heat under the entire cooking surface, therefore
heating it (see figure 10).
Under Oven E
xhaust
Damper Closed
