what is the good kind of wood

[aziz]

what is the good kind of wood i shoud use in my oven.

thanks

[CanuckJim]

Wood Types

Aziz,

Depends on what you're doing. For pizza, you want fruit wood because of the taste it imparts to the finished dough. Here, I'm able to get apple and cherry from local orchards. The drawback is that it takes a long time to season it if it's cut green. I also use the sawdust for smoking meats and fish. In my bread oven, I tend to burn just about anything because the fire is raked out at the end. Still, my preference is maple limb wood. It has lots of BTUs per pound and really gets my oven roaring hot.

Jim

[Fio]

Any hardwood except walnut

While Fruitwood is the BEST wood for cooking pizza, if you can't find it, oak and maple are good substitutes. I burn oak in my pizza oven, and it works well.

I've also burned maple and cherry (woodworking cutoffs).

I've been told to stay away from walnut, as it imparts some nasty flavors and/or chemicals.

Just make sure your wood is as DRY as possible.

Cheers,

- Fio

[CanuckJim]

Walnut

Fio,

Black walnut is a super woodworking wood, straight grained and very distinctive when a finish is applied. However, it will stain your hands purple, and some people, including me, get an instant headache from the dust. I do burn it in my fireplace occasionally, and it has a pleasant perfume-like aroma. Normally, though, it's hard to get and has too many drawbacks.

Jim

[james]

We have a shotgun stock company in Santa Rosa that uses Walnut (I think it's Black) and they have a scrap mountain. You can load a pick up truck for a small fee. I tried it once, and had good success. I think the other fruit and nut woods are better, but as it's there and cheap, it's a good local choice. I wouldn't pay more, or specifically go looking for it.
James

[CanuckJim]

Walnut

James,

If they're making stocks, they're probably using the curly grained pieces near the base of the tree or, sometimes, the large roots. This wood is very dense and hard and would be loaded with BTUs. Walnut is oily; that's what stains your hands. It's nice to know that it works for pizza. I've been stockpiling fruit wood for a while, in anticipation of branching out into pizza next year, so I'll add it to the pile if I can get it.

Jim

[mrpbjnance]

My neighbor has LOTS of ASH and some citrus to get rid of.
Is ASH any good?

[vincent]

ash is very similar to oak in hardness and graining..in fact a lot of people mistake ash for oak..but it is lighter in color...as far as cooking i've never tried it but it burns very similar to oak in my kalamazoo stove..not sure if that helps but i believe it would work fine in your oven...and if your neighbor has it...try it..worst case scenario is a ruined pizza

[dalucca2003]

Has anyone heard if almond wood is good for cooking?

[maver]

Unsure about almond wood, but I'll put in a word for alder. It was a little slow to reach ideal cooking temperatures, although it did get me there (750 hearth). It was not well seasoned, so it may be faster when it has dried a bit more. Almost no sparks and a fine flavor. For me, this is a readily available and cheap wood.

[maver]

I googled almond

Looking up almond wood for cooking with google suggests it is an excellent wood for this - described as clean burning, long lasting and high BTUs, if you have a source try it and give us your feedback.

[james]

Almond is excellent

I'm from the central valley of California, where there is a lot of almond. Hey, the Modesto minor league baseball team is called the "Nuts". Sadly, they are no long a part of the Oakland As minor league system -- but they do throw bags of almonds into the stands between innings. We have a number of owners from Nor Cal that can get almond wood, and it is excellent. If you can find it, give it a try.
James

[CanuckJim]

Ash

Ash is very common here in Southern Ontario and is highly prized as a furniture (for steam bent chair backs, canoe ribs, and such) and stove wood, because of its high BTU content. It has virtually no aroma when burning, and it burns hot, so it should be fine for pizza. Citrus likely fine, as well, but be sure to season it well.

Jim

[jwnorris]

How about citrus?

A neighbor here is Orange County California tells of a place on Portola in Irvine that has a stockpile of citrus [and maybe avocado] wood that it is looking to get rid of. How does citrus [or avacado] work for pizza or other cooking in an oven?

[james]

Excellent

Make sure that it's dry (or age it yourself), and you're in great shape. The pefect wood size is about 3" diameter and 12"-16" long.

I've been burning a plum tree I cut down, and it's very good.
James