Fire Starter

[vpasquan]

Does anybody have experience with using Duraflame starter sticks to fire up their pizza oven? I'm wondering if this may damage the over or cause some other issues?

http://www.duraflame.com/products/fatwood-firestarters

[RandyJ]

I have used a few from a simular company and I think they seem to work pretty good. I don't think there is much to worry about with them. It is all natural and it is not like you are going to burn just that, so I don't see a problem with them.

Randy

[Gulf]

I agree with Randy. As long as you use it for a starter and don't try and load the oven with it. It can get pretty hot if the fuel load is too high. I haven't used the commercial brands but, I do sometimes use (what we call down here) "lightered". It was the heart of the stump and trunk of ancient pines. It is getting a little scarce to find. I have a pile of it that I have gathered up over the years that will probably last me the rest of my life. What I have, I cut it into about 6" lengths and then split that down with the grain to about 1/4" to 1/2" sticks. For me, it only takes about a half a hand full of those sticks to get the fire going pretty fast. If it takes more than that to start a hardwood fire, there is something wrong.

[SableSprings]

I get a "natural" fire starter called Fatwood in the Pacific Northwest. Basically it's just wood that's been naturally saturated with pitch, so it burns pretty easily and plenty hot enough to start the oven fire. It sounds like exactly what Joe described as "lightered" in post #3 above. It's available through Home Depot in the states in 4 pound bags for about $5 already cut into nice splits ready to use. Check around...I suspect you have either fatwood or lightered available in Toronto

Here's a link to the fatwood at Home Depot here:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fatwood-All-Natural-Firestarter-4-lb-Bag-201274/100335836

I've also saved a few empty toilet paper rolls to make my own starters. If I cook bacon or any other oily/fatty product and have some grease/oil left in the pan, I wipe the pan out with a paper towel and stuff it into one of the tubes. Save it in a plastic bag or just put it in the oven ready for the next firing. If I don't have leftover grease/oil, I simply stuff the toilet paper roll with a paper towel and drizzle it with some olive or canola oil. Either way they work quite well to give you a pretty good fire starter...and at pretty minimal cost...and a really good excuse to have some bacon

[TLK]

+1 for Fatwood