what is the good kind of wood

[Jsuhr]

Re: what is the good kind of wood

I make guitars. I have plenty of alder, maple scrap.
Since the Alder is purchased as lumber do you think it is treated in a way that could harm the cook? If I could used this alder I would be home free!

[jayjay]

Ash wood wet and ash wood dry

Jim, James and all:
I have to tell you that we used walnut in caskets and the caskets
rivaled the expense of the mahagany.
We have some mahagany here and I may use some scraps of it.
I once red a poes about wood,
I only remember the last line or so, but it talked about different
types of wood. It ended up with:
Ash wood wet or ash wood dry,
a king can warm his slippers by.

I understand that besides making great baseball bats,
as wood burns about as good as any other.

JJ

[CanuckJim]

Birch

Richard,

White birch qualifies as a semi-hardwood if it's of the ornamental variety. It's straight grained and easy to split for the larger pieces (wedges & sledge). However, the bark is quite resinous. I'd certainly use it, but be sure to season it well and strip off the outer bark once it's dry and before using for fuel to prevent black oily smoke and creosote (though this will probably burn off). The oily smoke from the bark won't do you pizzas any good. To remove the bark, score it deeply around the circumference about every foot, then peel it off. If you go camping, tightly roll up the bark: makes great fire starters. Or maybe build a canoe?

Jim

[Richard]

Is White Birch Tree a good choice of wood

Taking down a few trees in yard and would season iof this is a good wood choice.

[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

[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?

[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

[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

[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.

[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.

[dalucca2003]

Has anyone heard if almond wood is good for cooking?

[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

[mrpbjnance]

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

[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

[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