Log burner cooking hacks

[Myfavouritemug]

We had a log burner for years, in our lounge, I have a few times cooked casseroles on it but nothing more. DH has arranged logs for us to use it from mid afternoon to bedtime from now until March next year. He’s fixed up fans to circulate the air round our figure of eight downstairs (every rooms got two doors and it’s all interconnecting) and this is all working to his plan and he’s jolly happy with the smart meter results.

I am planning to heat some water using it and transfer to flasks for drinks, probably a casserole, but what else can I do. We are retired and are home a lot. I’m happy to do things that don’t need to much effort but I don’t want to be a slave to it either.

I saw a jacket potato cooker that goes on top of a log burner on Etsy this morning but tbh there were no real reviews and wondering if it’s just a gimmick. Would it be just as easy to cook jacket pots in a cast iron pot or would they end up being steamed? (Done the foil in the ashes and wasn’t impressed with the mess)

that set me wondering what other useful cooking pots etc might work with the log burner,

really looking to start a useful discussion with those that are interested (poster bashers need not apply).

I saw someone boil a pan of potatoes on top once. Guess you could also get a whistling kettle.

Does your log burner have a hot plate thing on top? Ours is a flat top buteven though it gets really hot it took hours to bring even a small amount of water to the boil. I wonder if it makes a difference because it heats our radiators.

We tried those fans in ours last year and found it didn't make a difference.

I make it sound like our log burner is a bit rubbish, but in reality it's not!

I might have another go once we've got our log burner running all day.

I’m also planning on using ours more for cooking. I’m thinking long slow casseroles, soups etc. I have a le Creuset kettle which will sit on there most of the time and even if not boiling can be used to fill the electric kettle. I have a beautiful cast iron bread pan Which I’ve only used outside in a fire pit . I fear that it won’t get hot enough on the wood burner but plan to try maybe small bread rolls. Maybe finish off part baked bread. Looking forward to hearing other ideas and suggestions.

Have a look at camping recipes for using a Dutch Oven. Basically cooking in a cast iron casserole, your Le Creuset will do fine.

Yes, you can do baked potatoes, if it is hot enough. I have done sponge and cookie dough in mine on a campfire, but those kind of recipes need a log or coals on top as well as heat underneath, which isn’t suitable for indoors.

Do you need a trivet underneath the pan?

If you're cooking on top, I tend to get a casserole/soup started on my normal hob and then transfer over.

Have also done flatbreads on top (power cut). I have a massive cast iron griddle.

Storm Arwen and a ten day power cur made me do this initially.

Started with the obvious, beans on toast. Use grill grid for toast.

Scrambled eggs, omelettes.

Then things like pasta, one pan for pasta, one for making the sauce.

Mince, bolognaise, mince and tatties .

Stir fry, anything at all, chicken, pork, beef. Flat breads. Soup.

It's slower and you need to keep a close eye as you are not regulating temperature, so lots of stirring.

Have used it a fair bit this year already.

I don't use a trivet, but do use heavy base pans.

I've been putting an aluminium pan without trivet on mine. I use the hot water to fill my hot water bottle at night. Works a treat. Am sure if I left it long enough, it'd boil hot enough for tea. Wondering if it'd be safer to use a camping kettle?

i’ve done baked potatoes on mine before - you don’t need to spend ££ on the cast iron potato shaped things! I just wrapped mine in foil and put in a Dutch oven/casserole on the top. No trivet needed. They’re not super crispy skinned or anything but fine. You can do exactly the same thing in a slow cooker, if the aim is to save on energy costs.

I’m not brave enough to try cooking one in the embers, though I bet the skin would be crispy then!

Christmas pudding. Or steamed pudding. Bread or flatbread. Initial cooking for jam or marmalade. Boiling or roasting beetroot. Yes to casseroles but a small trivet will help regulate your temperature. Risotto or rice pudding etc.

I have a small Morso and, once hot, a 12 litre stock pot that is bigger than the stovetop will boil in less than 20 minutes. So water for washing up, or even baths in a pinch.

I do jacket spuds in a cast iron shallow pot (aldi version of Le Creuset) and it works brilliantly. They dont steam and the skins are great..crispy and full of flavour. Also do soups, casseroles, make dropped scones ,waffles and welsh cakes. Kettle is always on (Aga kettle) and comes to boil fairly quickly

@Gatekeeper jacket spuds - in your flat cast iron on top? Or in the embers?

On the top

Amazing - going to give it a go...

@Gatekeeper is that without a lid?

Lid on so the temperature builds up inside

Great, thank you. Will give it a go!

I don’t put baked potatoes in foil in my Dutch pot any more than I would do in the oven.

Toasted marshmallows!

Sorry, I have nothing to add but am enjoying reading the suggestions. We are considering getting a wood burner installed but my dc love cooking outside. We might give baked potatoes a go.

After DH lit the log burner at about 3pm yesterday I put the camping kettle on it, throughout the course of the evening I almost boiled four flasks of water, I say almost boiled because it never whistled or bubbled but was very hot. Each kettle full took probably an hour. So that’s in flasks for today, was still hot this morning for 6am tea but I did put it in the mains kettle and bring to the boil , it will be interesting to see how long those flasks stay hot.

We drink a lot of hot drinks in this house so I think this could be an easy saving energy wise for us.

I am going to put jacket potatoes in a cast iron pot this afternoon and see if they cook in time for our evening meal.

We have a sturdy whistling kettle which sits on the top, and boils water quite quickly. When I don’t need boiled water I have a different kettle with no lid -it just sits on the top and the light steam (it doesn’t boil) humidifies the air. I’m another who uses the hot water for hot water bottles!

Yesterday I reheated a casserole and then made sourdough banana pancakes for pudding. The pancakes took longer than they would have on the electric cooker but tasted great. Plus the kettle on constantly and made lots of cups of tea then filled my hot water bottle. Plan to use it as much as possible. If I put a good sized log on before bed then close all the vents it’s still warm in the morning with glowing embers ready to restart.

Last night I did Chinese chicken. So marinated the chicken diced, started it cooking, added mushrooms, straight to wok noodles, cashews.

It was lovely. Took a bit longer but cooked really well.