RARITYSEpic
Wood-Burning Cook Stove
One fire heats the room, bakes the bread, and boils the pot, the same wood doing three jobs at once.
The Old Heart
Value Ratio
8.0/10
Versatility
8.0/10
Impact
9.5/10
Durability
9.5/10
Difficulty
7.0/10
Recommended FormCast-iron range, 8–12kW, oven + hotplate
Best UsedSized to the room, professionally installed
ImportanceVery High
DifficultyAdvanced
The oven costs nothing extraThe oven sits in the path of the hot gases on their way from the firebox to the flue, so the same fire that warms the room bakes it. Nothing extra is burned for it.
The hotplate is a heat mapDirectly over the firebox is hottest, for a hard boil or a sear; the edges are gentle, for a simmer. You cook by moving the pan across the zones, not by turning a dial.
Hot water tooWith a back boiler fitted, the same fire fills the hot tap. Heat, cooking, and hot water off one load of wood.
Radiates for hours after the fire
Runs in any power cut
Lasts generations
- Solar Generator KitPower & Energy
- Pressure CannerPreservation
- Insulation System
The install is a regulated pro job; in Germany the Schornsteinfeger must sign it off.
Fit a carbon monoxide alarm, every time.
It needs a dedicated air vent, or an airtight house starves the fire.
Burn only seasoned hardwood under 20% moisture, or the flue cokes up and can catch fire.
Not for a flat: it needs a flue, a hearth, and a floor that holds 150kg or more.