do use ur cast iron dutch ovens at home

[Toddy]

Off Topic ......

Santaman your oven must be different from ours the temperature of my oven is as stable as I choose to make it. I use it often and have a seperate oven thermometer to check. I did not like the last one which was a fan oven, that was just too much of a juggle for baking.
The hob rings have six main settings, but they also have the extra heat ring that can be on or off, and my cooker's nothing posh, a basic Indesit hob and oven.
I reckon it's what we get used to.

I believe gas is too much bother for too little return. Gas used to be produced in small local works and was online before electricity. Cooking on gas must have seemed logical after cooking on open ranges and hearths. Most homes don't have open fires anymore, indeed most homes now were never built with open fires as part of the design.

Nowadays the electricity supplies are incredibly stable for most of our population. Armoured cables and national grid see to that.
At times we have too much electricity, recently there was too much coming out of Scotland and the grid couldn't take it. Good winds and heavy rain meant that the windfarms and hydro schemes overproduced. It's not going to run out and we're only going to get better at the technology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13253876

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

In summer we use bottled propane I confess

That's just practical, and having options is never a bad thing

cheers,
M

 

[John Fenna]

Our oil stove does the hot water as well as the cooking ...it can get warm in the house in summer ...but hey - this is west Wales ...summers are short and wet (our laundry dries on a a rope rack over the stove) my wife thinks that 14degrees C is cold enough for thermals and in the summer who is in the house much anyway?

 

[santaman2000]

Off Topic ......

Santaman your oven must be different from ours the temperature of my oven is as stable as I choose to make it. I use it often and have a seperate oven thermometer to check. I did not like the last one which was a fan oven, that was just too much of a juggle for baking.
The hob rings have six main settings, but they also have the extra heat ring that can be on or off, and my cooker's nothing posh, a basic Indesit hob and oven.
I reckon it's what we get used to.

I believe gas is too much bother for too little return. Gas used to be produced in small local works and was online before electricity. Cooking on gas must have seemed logical after cooking on open ranges and hearths. Most homes don't have open fires anymore, indeed most homes now were never built with open fires as part of the design.

Nowadays the electricity supplies are incredibly stable for most of our population. Armoured cables and national grid see to that.
At times we have too much electricity, recently there was too much coming out of Scotland and the grid couldn't take it. Good winds and heavy rain meant that the windfarms and hydro schemes overproduced. It's not going to run out and we're only going to get better at the technology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13253876

cheers,
Toddy

I suspect your right about our ovens being different. You mentioned the electric supply being stable; bear in mind I've had no problems with that issue either. Dangerous storms however will knock it out completely; even a simple lightning strike to a transformer (near your house where it cuts the transmission voltage down to household voltage) can take out a block of houses. If I remember correctly though many (if not most) of your power lines are underground so much of this wouldn't be an issue.

My problem with instability has been with the fluctuations of the actual stoves and as I said this is the reason proffessional chefs and commercial kitchens use gas. I'm not sure what you mean by gas being too much of a bother though? Modern gas stoves and ovens are operated the same way as electric ones; just turn a dial. There aren't even pilot lights anymore; they use self generated piso-electric igniters which operate automaticly. That plus gas stoves last about 30 years vs 15-20 for an electric one.

I need to get off this soap box though. It's starting to sound as though I'm a spokesman for the gas company.

 

[Toddy]

Bother ?....secure pipes, dangerous pockets of unseen toxic gas, production of carbon monoxide.....in a domestic situation it's not needed. I'm a housewife cooking three or four times a day, not a commercial kitchen feeding a huge variety to hundreds of people.
Besides, electricity has over 70% efficiency of the use of the energy, gas has about 40%.

The last oven I got rid of because HWMBLT blew it up ....he had it out to replace an indicator light and rested it on the handle of the glass oven door. The handle flexed and the door shattered. I thought it was a great excuse to get rid of the fan oven that irritated the living daylights out of me The previous cooker I'd had for 25 years and only changed it when I got a new fitted kitchen. I still miss the double ovens I fancy an electric version of the Rayburn tbh I think if my cooker lasts me 15 to 20 years it doesn't owe me anything and I reckon l'd be scunnered sick looking at it by then anyway. There's also the constant improvement issues Unless I bought a classic like BR's I want to be able to have the most economical and flexible use cooker. My son has one of the induction ones.....quite fancy that for the hob

Sorry Drew, we've totally derailed your thread.

Back to cast iron cookware, there's no real reason apart from personal ones for not using it on the house cooker. I just find it to be too much bother for everyday use.
You could maybe suggest that your parents let you use it to try specific recipes before you try them at camp ? Make their dinner at the weekends kind of thing ?

atb,
M

 

[drewdunnrespect]

Don't worry about derailing my thread Mary its been really interesting to read i also love BRs stove would love something like that.
Also BR the gun above the stove what type is it
Drew

 

[British Red]

The "long" is a 10 bore musket from 1807, subsequently converted to percussion fire. The "short" is flintlock 12 bore naval boarding pistol.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

Nice I do like that navel boarding pistal