Rayburn wood burning cooker/stove

[Maddie]

After a massive conflagration in the kitchen (5 days after moving to France) the traditional (albeit modern) wood burner and chimney got demolished by the pompiers.  As it's in the kitchen and we already have fabulous central heating we have replaced it with a Rayburn wood burning stove (paid for by the insurance company) which has been supplied and (is waiting to be) fitted by a French company. 

It looks very pretty but having never ever used one before (and never really wanted to) I have no idea about how much wood is needed to run it.  The main idea is that we use it mostly in the winter keeping the electric cooker for summer.  Its a cooker only and not one of the combi water heater/cooker types.

Has anyone any hints on the best way to use it (baking, roasting, boiling), how much and what type of wood is best, best type of pots and pans to use, recipe books etc?

Nic

 

[LaJamerie]

Nic,

Sorry about your fire, but I'm sure you'll come to love your Rayburn. Yes, cooking on a Rayburn is different to an ordinary stove. AgaRayburn have a website which has some information on cooking, and they also sell the Rayburn cookery book - although if you have a new Rayburn you might have got one with it. I use a gas Rayburn, and use a variety of pans depending on what I'm doing - but all of them solid and substantial! My most useful pans are some Le Creuset gratin dishes, a big Le Creuset casserole, a couple of heavy bottomed stainless steel for veggies and things and a small copper pan for sauces, butter, melting things. Where you might have fried things on an ordinary cooker, you'll probably find that the bottom of the oven is the best place or at the top of the oven on the grill rack if you want a grilled finish. It takes a little while to learn to cook on one - but it is worth it and once you do you'll never go back. When we finally go to France full time, we will definitely have a Rayburn fitted. The thing with wood burners is to learn to regulate and ameliorate the temperature - be prepared to protect your dishes with the solid trays, other pans over them etc. if the oven happens to be a bit too hot, and to wait a while if it needs to heat up.

 

Margaret.

[Will]

We have had one of those in a previous house, great for cooking but not really able to generate enough heat on wood alone for heating - if coal was more widely available in France that would have been the best solid fuel. They also get very hot so aren't perhaps the best things to use in summer. I agree with what Margaret says.

The other disadvantage was that it needed short logs - about 25cm maximum if I remember rightly. Most French stoves take much longer logs so you could have difficulty buying logs in shorter lengths, or have to cut them yourself.

[Maddie]

Hi and thanks for the replies. 

Margaret, I have found the cook book wrapped up inside and now fear it shall never get used!  Mind you there was also a useful magazine with all the Aga products you can buy, including elbow length gauntlets! 

Will, I have a huge pile of 50cm logs which all now need cutting up!  Any ideas about chain saws?  Electric or petrol?  Thankfully I won't be needing it for heating as my lovely oil fired central heating works a treat (until I can no longer afford the oil that is)!

Nicola