Need Tips With Cooking With Fireplace

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum : One Thread

A young woman stopped by last night that has a fireplace with no insert. She's wondering how to utilize it for cooking something other that weenies on the stick. Any tips?

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), October 26, 1999

Answers

Tell her to get a Dutch oven with one of those long pot hooks to lift it in and out of the fireplace. She can let the fire burn down to coals and then cook with the Dutch oven just like you would cook outside with it in campfire coals.

-- Steve A (albrecht@ndak.net), October 26, 1999.

beej:

You can also buy [or make] little grills with legs that will let you cook over the fire. Great taste, but if you do it too much you will get a flammable [inflammable] chimney.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 26, 1999.


Good question. A dutch oven is indeed the first item. Get them at your sporting goods store, in cheap. but adequate cast iron [made in China: could you stomach that? not me]; or find one at an antique store -- for about the same price if your lucky -- in real cast iron. You can also get them in aluminum. Make sure they have the little feet, usllay three or four. And make sure there's a wire handle for carrying it with. If you have the time and wherwiuthal to do more. go to an illustrated dictionary and look up "trammel hook": it is a perforated strip of wrought iron with a hook on one end, coupled with an iron rod hooke don either end, which was used in the good old days for adjusting the height of your dutch oven over the coals. This would have to be suspended from a cross-bar -- in these days a piece of 1/2" or 3/4"pipe would work -- and hung over the fire/coals. Not looking forward to finding one of those, are you? There's a tinsmith in eastern Oregon who still makes them -- I'll see if I can get an address: I know he doesn't have a website. It maybe that someone can suggest an easy improvisational alternative: a gerry- rigged standin.

-- Roch Steinbach (roc hsteinbach@excite.com), October 26, 1999.

beej:

One last approach [not trendy but does work]. Our fireplace is large enough to do this. We move the main fire to one side and accumulate coals on the other. We then wrap food in Al foil and put it in the coals. Works just like camping. Just think camping and all of it works the same in a fireplace.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 26, 1999.


A Dutch Oven is probably the best answer to her problem. I'd go with either a Lodge or a Wagner for new iron or an older used one if she can find one that still has a tight fitting lid (this is a must). It's not enough, though, to just have the DO, there's a learning curve to using one. Tell her to check out the two following sites that have more info on the subject than she'll probably want to read.

http://www.macscouter.com A Scouting site, click on the food areas.

http://www.idos.com The Internation Dutch Oven Society.

There's more ways to cook using a fireplace than just a DO and if she'll do a bit of net searching she'll find them. The two sites above are good places to start.

...........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.0

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@sprintmail.com), October 27, 1999.



ROCH-- Thanks...I think that's the sort of thing I was picturing. I'd appreciate an address if you run across it although she's a single young mom with 3 kids...sigh...guess she hasn't figured it out yet. But, she's a real sweetheart and on a limited income. I can give her all the great info. you all have offered. Now if I can only get my printer to work properly. She's getting ready to blow Cap'n.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), October 27, 1999.


This my help www.lodgemfg.com If you have an Amish hardware store near by that would be a good place to check.

-- && (&&@&&.&), October 27, 1999.

beej-- I've e-mailed you with the tinsmith's name and address.

-- Roch Steinbach (rochsteinbach@excite.com), October 28, 1999.

Hey Beej! Did you still need that Dutchoven cookbook name and ISBN #? If so, I've still got it. Let me know and I'll post it for ya.

:-)

Deb M.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), October 28, 1999.


DEB M.-- Sure...I'll pass the info. along to the young mom..thanks

ROCK-- Thanks a bunch. I just realized that I have a friend who's a Master Tinsmith in town. But if he's unwilling or unable to help I'll email your fellow.

&& I do indeed have a store that caters to the Amish and boy are they geered up for y2k. I'll ask them there.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), October 28, 1999.



Since you've got your own Amish sources stocked for Y2K, others may too have access. SO I'll mention this other item that appears in the catalogue of the Oregon tinsmith, in case the Amish or others have something similar: its a tin"apple baking oven" or reflective oven. These things were evidently set on the hearth close to the fire: it's a concave -- not parabolic -- curl of tin wiht a spit or skewer through the middle: set before the fire, it would collect and reflect the radiant heat onto the apples or other spitted food, and cook it that way. It kep meat off the fire, thus avoiding dripping greasem, flare-ups, and the risk of chimney or flue fires. Seems to me if you're limited to fireplace cooking this might really come in handy -- especially if used with the Cranberg "Slot Fire" or Physicist's Fire .. once again, SEE @ www. texasfireframe.com.

-- Roch Steinbach (rochsteinbach@excite.com), October 28, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ