cooking on top of a woodstove .... or inside one.
i'm having an old friend over saturday nite and would like to put something up on top of the woodstove.... i thought of a stew or something.... but any other suggestions....? i used to do potatoes wrapped in foil inside the stove.... love to hear your experiences or suggestions. because you guys are the bomb!
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9 Comments:
Ive often thought of doing this! I figure anything cast iron would do well, though I haven't tried anything besides boiling water for hot chocolate in a kettle on top. I don't know about foil potatoes though, unless youve let the fire go down to coals.
Beanalicious1 at 10:47AM on 10/14/09
not much more high tech than foil wrapped whole potatoes, but when we're camping we do potato pouches, a rough chop of potatoes, an onion, some thyme, butter, you could even pop a leek in there if you like, and a clove or two of garlic (or a whole separate pouch of garlic). We come from the school of 'you can't overcook a baked potato'. Everything tends to come out really creamy and sweet and delicious.
YMMV--we could be falling under the spell of 'anything you cook over an open fire is awesome'.
BananaMonkey at 11:24AM on 10/14/09
WE just had our wood stove taken out this summer, becasue of a failing chimney. I will miss it.
Soup or stew works well on the wood stove - or ppot roast? anything that takes longer, slower coooking is ideal, even if you have a real stove. Cast iron pans work well. If things burn on the bottom, you can use a cast iron trivet as a sort of buffer.
One thing I always make (sob, made!) on a wood stove was an old-fashioned boiled pudding, like the suet pudding in the old Fannie Farmer, thought there are lots of recipes out there. You have to boil the darn thing for hours, and the wood stove was always on!
2newfies at 2:56PM on 10/14/09
I always think of the cast iron bean pot sitting on top of the woodstove at a friend's house. An old Mennonite cookbook that I have calls for bacon or salt pork, a whole peeled onion in the bottom of the pot, navy beans that have soaked overnight, drained, fresh water to cover, mustard, ginger and molasses and the interesting part to me, is apple slices on top. Sounds comforting and homey. Corn bread is another dish that I think of with a woodstove. And I seem to remember my grandmother talking about upside down fruit cakes started on top of the woodstove and then finished inside the stove. Enjoy catching up with your old friend, whatever you make, it's sure to be good.
dhorst at 4:27PM on 10/14/09
Oh, you're all making me hungry!
Stews, smothered pork chops or chicken, grillades, pot roast all work well on top of the wood stove. Pork ribs with sauerkraut, apples and onion, sauer braten. Bean pots too. Pretty much anything that can be started on the stove top, then transferred to the wood stove to simmer low and slow.
You could make hobo packets and lay them on the coals to cook. (opps, mentioned already) Wrap some winter squash in foil and cook over the coals too.
CJ McD at 6:49PM on 10/14/09
Braised, pulled southern style pork
BBQ beef
Pepper steak (bell peppers, onions, tomatoes)
Italian beef with crusty rolls
Pork shoulder with Mexican seasonings- shred and serve with tortillas and fixings (pork pernil)
Gumbo
Chili
Meatballs with gravy
Lentil or bean soup
Morroccan tangine style stew (use dutch oven)
Chicken or shrimp Creole
Chicken mole or verde
Pozole
Swiss steak
Deviled ham
Ham and baked beans
BBQ country style ribs
Red beans (and rice)
Goulash
Fricasse (I know- lots of "stews")
Bratwurst in beer with sauerkraut and onions (serve with crusty rolls and mustard)
Italian meat sauce.
Italian sausages with bell peppers, onions and sauce. (could add zucchini or other things too)
Jambalaya
Buffalo style shredded chicken with rolls, blue cheese and celery dippers
Soy-ginger braised chicken (Bring to a boil, then cook the rice on top too)
Enchiladas (lay in the bottom of a dutch oven) and pinto beans
Mix up a spinach and artichoke appetizer or a cream cheese based-heat-and-eat appetizer, queso, etc. Heat your appetizer on the wood stove too.
Think- anything you can make in a slow cooker or crock pot can be made on top of a wood stove. You just might need a heat proof trivet to "adjust" the temperature.
CJ McD at 7:17PM on 10/14/09
Forgive me for a stupid question, but what is it like using a wood stove--I've smelled one, but it was for ambiance, not real cooking. Maybe I've seen one used at an old refurbished home at a museum exhibition, never in someone's house!
HeartofGlass at 7:33PM on 10/14/09
Besides the baked beans, corn bread and upside down cake that I mentioned earlier, a nice big stock pot of spiced apple cider on top of the stove would be my go to through out the weekend along with making the house smell wonderful! Hope your post is showing up again!
dhorst at 9:06PM on 10/14/09
@dhorst - thanks for your direction! here i am! and with some nice ideas.... i have to see what i have time for, maybe start something on top of the regular stove and have it simmering on top of the woodstove.... i'm leaning towards a pork stew with tomatillo's .... the cornbread idea is great. i have an old cast iron frying pan that would work really well.... i guess it's not supposed to be that great weather-wise.... even more cozy in my book....
thanks all..... i knew you would inspire me! I used to keep saki in a double boiler on top of the woodstove years ago! sushi?????? and no cooking at all!!!!
pooch at 9:13PM on 10/14/09