Cook Stove

[Ben]

Are any of you old enough to remember one of these ?

http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p545/Ben35049/786.jpg

[starmac]

What do you mean old enough, I even own an old brand new one that has never had a fire built in it. lol

My grandmother wound up with one out of the brady school house, about twice as big as most homeowner ones and it came close to giving me a hernia every time I helped move it. lol

[marshall623]

when I was a kid my grandmother in southwest Virginia had one a lot of good biscuts come out of that thing. A lot of good everything for that matter

[oneokie]

Yep. Cut and split a lot of wood for one.

[Ed Barrett]

Had to split wood "just right" for my grandmother. She never made a thing that wouldn't melt in your mouth and make you wanting more. Her house always smelled of good food.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I almost bought one...was $100
I declined cuz I didn't have space for it.
and it was rusty and probably needed repair.
I'd bet dollars to donuts it's still in the same barn and still for sale
Jon

[.22-10-45]

Back in late 60's, Dad bought one from neighbor he had back on the farm in 1920's. I taught myself how to cast round ball for my Navy Arms 51' .36 on that thing..Hot work in summer!

[waksupi]

Got one in my kitchen.
55089

[jcwit]

They are still made

https://www.lehmans.com/p-134-the-sweetheart-wood-cookstove.aspx

[runfiverun]

we had one that was fire on the left and had 2 electric burners on the right side it ran on 110
i remember my f.i.l. throwing some tennis shoes and old army boots in it one time just before we went out in the shop.

man my wife was about as mad as i ever seen her get after she went down stairs wondering why it was so hot in the house.
the sides and the up stack were glowing like they were gonna melt,
and it smelled like someone had lit a tire on fire somewhere close.

[Superfly]

yes sir My mom and dad still use it and it is the best damn food you can eat. The turkey dinners the refried mashed taters home made beans, toast on the top throw some green ceder on the top for a air freshner smelt real good. hell i used to sleep under one when i was a kid with my dog LOL. The real baked bread not this store bough ****. Just the way it is supposed to be.

[smoked turkey]

My granny made the best fried apple pies I have ever had on one of those. Hers was not as fancy as the one pictured but it still worked.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Some of the best and most classical cooking in U.S. history was done on those type stoves using cast iron cookware using wood and coal by folks who knew what they were doing. Those stoves also heated the homes that they were in and hot water for the home as well. The "how to" was passed along from generation to generation within families and among neighbors. Keeping one in wood and cleaning out the ashes were part of everyday chores and part of everyday life. Everybody did their share. LLS

[Shepherd2]

My grandmother couldn't quite let go of her old cook stove so she upgraded with one with 2 electric burners on the side. When we stayed overnight in the winter we'd jump up in the morning and head for the kitchen to stay warm by the stove. I've always marveled at her ability to cook fantastic meals on those old stoves.

Grandma also had a kerosene burning stove in the summer kitchen. I never saw her use it but I remember there were 4 inverted glass jugs of kerosene across the top.

[kenyerian]

Yep, very pleasant memories. Very rarely get good food like that anymore. Don't miss hauling ashes and cutting wood though.

[Boondocker]

Grandma had and used one in her kitchen on the farm and had one in her summer kitchen also. It made the best bread and biscuits.
I have pictures of me getting a bath in a galvanized tube next to it when I was just a little tyke, with water heated on it. Yes it brings back good memories.

[bob208]

my grandmother used one till 1954. 20 years ago the old woman that lived across the roas from me used one in the winter to cook on and to heat her house. it made some real good cookies. i would get a bunch everytime i cleaned the snow off her walk to the mailbox for her.

we wouls like to get one to put in the kitchen. if the power goes out we can eat.

[Hairtrigger]

We have a local farm machinery auction every month... never know what will show up in "junk row"
Last month there were 8 or 10 wood stoves a couple in excellent condition... wish I had a place for one

[Chicken Thief]

They are still made

https://www.lehmans.com/p-134-the-sweetheart-wood-cookstove.aspx

Yikes!
That thing is not exactly cheap, is it?

[reloader28]

I just helped a guy put on a shop door and put a wood stove in his house.
In trade I took a wood cookstove in good shape. I've always thought they were very neat. The wife absolutely loves it.

[WILCO]

They are still made

https://www.lehmans.com/p-134-the-sweetheart-wood-cookstove.aspx

Says they're out of stock.

[woody1]

Got one in my kitchen.
55089

YUP, right next to the microwave! :kidding:
Regards, Woody

[Wayne Smith]

I remember when Dad bought the gas stove for my mom. I was five years old. They took out the old wood range and put it up over the shed. This was in Maine. I can't remember any of the cooking, but I do remember coming in from playing cold and wet in the winter. Mom would put kitchen chairs in front of the oven, we would sit down and she would open the oven door and we would put our stocking clad feet on it. That hot dry air flowing over me is still in my memory.

Ours had a 15gal hot water tank. I remember taking baths in the kitchen with that hot water.

[woody1]

Yes, we have 'em and use 'em too. Photo from about 10 years ago. Looks about the same today.

55116

Better view of stove

55117

Regards, Woody

[Finster101]

My Gandma lived in an old three room house. When you walked in the door to your left was the wood cook stove (not as pretty and more basic than the first one pictured) The fireplace had a rod across it that always seemed to have a pot of pintos on it. Lots of good cornbread and bisquits and gravy. To this day I have never had blackberry cobler as good as she made in that stove. She used till 1964.

[jcwit]

Says they're out of stock.

Yes Lehmans are out of stock, they are not the manufacturer. They are still in production in Ireland.

http://www.waterfordstanley.com/contact-us/contact-us.aspx

[JeffinNZ]

Grew up with a coal range. Dad loved them.

[Hickory]

My wife and I cooked on one for 31 years.
When I remodeled the kitchen, the cook stove had to go.

[starmac]

The new one I have was made in norway by jotul, It was made in the 70's and they still make wood stoves, but not cook stoves anymore.

There is still a couple of brands made. The ones I have seen are quite a bit fancier than the old ones.

[blackthorn]

Our stove on the farm was used in winterr to melt snow in big wash tubs so that mother could wash cloths the next day. I spent hours and hours standing on a kitchen chair, playing in the snow-filled tubs with my toy soldiers and other assorted stuff. Our stove had a full width warming shelf/closet (closable) across the top and a resivoir for warming water on one end. There were some really fancy, large cast iron or steel stoves in our area. Sure wish I had some of them to sell now.

[firefly1957]

I have one in the farm house i have fired it up few times but still have not cooked on it. It is a Kalamazoo stove i am guessing it is set up more for coal because of the small wood box.

[Catshooter]

Man, Waksupi, I just bet it smells mighty good in the room! Sure looks it.


Cat

[10x]

I had a Mcclary out at the farmhouse until some one decided they needed to sell it. I got there about 1/2 hour after they left.
The stove turned up in an antique store a few years later for $1500.00. I knew it was the stove because my dad had repaired the frame the legs were attached to by hot riveting a new angle iron.
The rest of the rivets in the frame were chromed and my dad had made these rivets in the forge but he had no way to chrome them. My dad had replaced both front legs on the frame as well and they did not match the back legs he had to shorten them and drill holes to fit the side plates. That made the legs unique.
It took 3 years to find out that it was my tenant farmers hired hand that stole it. He had the money drank up in less than a week....

[Alstep]

Sure brings back fond memories in the old farmhouse I grew up in. Ours had a hot water jacket on the left side of the firebox, and a big hot water tank along side. Mom had the kitchen remodeled in the mid '50s, and the stove got broken up to get it out of the house. What a shame, wish I had it back now.

[MtGun44]

Sure. My Mom found and old one and had it fixed up and put in her kitchen for cooking in winter. We
used to do the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners on it when the family was home back in the 80s and 90s.

Sadly she and Dad are gone now, but good memories of a wood cookstove.

Bill

[10x]

A wood stove gives a soft heat that seems to soak in. I miss that but I don't miss cutting, splitting, and packing wood at -35F.

[starmac]

A wood stove gives a soft heat that seems to soak in. I miss that but I don't miss cutting, splitting, and packing wood at -35F.

LOL You could have cut and split that wood in the spring, you know. lol

[starmac]

It looks like there is a better selection of wood cookstoves today than there ever was in the days we had to have them. Everything from the old style to very modern looking, and even wood fired canners. Quite a few made in the US and Canada.

http://www.antiquestoves.com/general%20store/generalstore.index.htm

[waksupi]

I have one in the farm house i have fired it up few times but still have not cooked on it. It is a Kalamazoo stove i am guessing it is set up more for coal because of the small wood box.

They all have a small box. The difference between coal and wood, is the shaker grates.

[starmac]

They all have a small box. The difference between coal and wood, is the shaker grates.

Yep even the giant schoolhouse one my grandmother had used short wood.

[nanuk]

My Wife and I looked at buying a house that had a huge one, all fancy black with stainless and brass accents.

It heated the whole house.

If we wanted it left in the house, it would cost us another $5k. We never did buy the house.

But the house we did buy, had a small one in the basement. We have never hooked it up, but kept it for if/when we build a cabin in an area with no power. It is not in the best shape, but all there, and in usable condition.
I may just have to move it into the Garage/Shop and use it for Canning and stuff.

[Blacksmith]

Grandmother had one and I remember cutting a lot of "stove wood", special length shorter than "fireplace wood". Cut with a buck saw on the saw buck. Good food and a warm place in the kitchen.

[1Shirt]

This is old time reality!
1Shirt!

[10x]

LOL You could have cut and split that wood in the spring, you know. lol

There is a difference in splitting wood that is frozen at -35F and wood split in the spring when it has had a chance to warm up.
Frozen wood splits easy. We did all of our wood splitting at 0F or colder.
We cut aspen, pine, and spruce in the winter, cut blocks, and split them when it was cold so that by spring they would have freeze dried.
Wood cut and split at -35F does not seem to smoke or leave as much soot as wood split at 0F or warmer. Just an observation of my dads after 50 years of using wood to heat and cook....

I think the ease of splitting had to do with the crystal structure of the moisture left in the wood when it was frozen hard.

[starmac]

Ilike splitting it when it is frozen, but like to cut it before it freezes, and usually use a splitter anymore so it doesn't matter as much.

[Ed Barrett]

Try this site:
http://www.woodstoves.net/cookstoves.htm

[rush1886]

Grandma had one of those in her kitchen up til I was around 7 or 8 yrs old. Hers burned coal. Grandpa worked for the railroad and he had one of his coworkers fashion up a little pail for me, complete with my name, and I would help Grandpa gather up coal in the morning, for to cook up Grandma's egg custard. Then I'd get to help again later in the day, to take out the clinkers, and get more coal, for to cook supper.
Jimminy Cricket, I can taste those custards still.............!

[garbear]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=21182854&cat=50&lpid=8&search=

These aren't bad for the price. We are thinking about getting one next year.
Garbear

[Jim]

.....Jimminy Cricket, I can taste those custards still.............!


Man, that's just wrong. You're killin' me with that tale of Granma's egg custard!

[BD]

Wood cookstoves are still pretty common in this neck of the woods. I've had two over the years, a "King Kineo" and a "Modern Clarion". Wish I still had the King Kineo, it had a really good oven. In "Uncle Henry's", (the Maine swap and shop rag), this week there are about a dozen for sale used. They go for anywhere from 300 to 2,500, depending on condition and when they were re-built last. Since I built our current house in '86 we're cooking on gas these days. A 1960's era six burner Garland. A wood cook stove would run us out of here in the winter, and we'd need to put it out in the yard in the summer. I miss them though. They really make the kitchen the focal point of the house and give everyone a reason to be there, and something to fiddle with while there. There's something about a wood cook stove and an Alladin oil lamp that just makes me happy to be around them.
BD

[xs hedspace]

Damn Bldg. Inspector in our town when I built my house told me I'd have to get a UL rating for Grandma's stove, cost $2000 for testing. Nana had her oven calibrated for 3 levels of heat---half brick in the door for low heat, bent fork for med heat, fully closed for high. They heated the house with the cookstove, and a kerosene burner in the end of the hall for the bedrooms and bath. God bless them.

[shooterg]

My Nana used one until she left here for better scenery. Miss that fatback gravy and biscuits !
Hers also had the water tank. The spring was 300' away DOWNHILL, dangit.