How To Recycle- And Bake In- A Wood-Burning Cookstove

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So you've finally moved to your homestead and have acquired that indispensable item which was Great-Grandmother's pride and joy: a wood cookstove. Unless you grew up in a very rural area and have used such a device before, you'll probably approach cooking on it—and especially baking—with trepidation.

Well, relax. There's no mystery involved, only common sense. True, you won't find any magic dial that brings the oven to exactly 375° F and keeps it there until you shut it off . . . but a little experimentation will get the temperature within 25° of the desired figure, and for a start that's all you need.

If you buy a used cookstove (and you probably will, since new ones cost anywhere from $400 up) you should keep a few points in mind when you hunt.

In particular, beware of stoves with warped top surfaces. The distorted metal will leak smoke, and is often a sign that coal has been burned to produce a very hot fire. Usually this also means that the walls and grates in the firebox are damaged. (These are among the first things to go on any old stove.)

Fire walls, if not too badly damaged, can be repaired with special fire-wall cement (obtainable at your local general store). Grates are a harder problem. If you have a model made by a company, that's still in business, you can get replacements. If the manufacturer has folded, however, you may have to search until you find another old stove you can cannibalize.

Don't worry too much about rust, unless the surface of your stove is badly pitted. A superficial coating will burn off in use, and blacking will restore that shiny finish you envisioned.

When you get your purchase home (and you're on your own as far as that goes), take off all easily removable parts—eyes (lids), firebox cover, hot water reservoir, etc.—and give the stove a thorough cleaning. Tighten up all loose bolts at the same time. Disassembling your "new" kitchen range will also give you an opportunity to examine its drafts. Models differ in this respect, but the basic idea remains the same.

My own stove, for example, is a big "Home Comfort". . . a fine piece of equipment from a firm that closed up shop not too long ago. It has three main drafts, with controls located a the center of the warming closets directly below the stovepipe.

The middle knob operates the main damper: a flat, round piece of metal—pierced with holes—that fits into the stovepipe When open, it permits smoke and heat to flow freely up the chimney. Closed, it helps retain heat but still allows smoke to, escape. Actually, this part is missing on my stove and I haven't really felt its lack.

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