Driving heat across the cooking floor

[gjbingham]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Agreed. Cool fire pic! That looks like a scary fire. Did your wife come out and berate you?

[Dutchoven]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

You should usually just hear "Is that safe???"..."Whoa, cool!!" from the kids.
Dutch

[MoonshineBaker]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

re:keeping oven heat going-
After the coals have been removed and I've baked 8 loaves of bread, the floor and dome temperatures of my Casa 100 will have fallen off below 400*F. If I want to bake something else at 550*F, rather than start another fire I have recharged my oven with my Red Dragon 400,000 BTU torch. After about 5 to 10 minutes of moving the torch flame over all the interior of my oven, the internal oven temperatures are 550*F. Over an hour or so of more cooking, temps drop back down below 400*F. I also use the torch to get a quick start on the oak and madrone wood I use which still has a slightly high moisture content. I get the wood up to a higher temperature more quickly which drives out the moisture and creates a base of hot coals. With the base of hot coals, more less than dry wood quickly takes off without slowing down the fire or smoking much. I guess this could be considered cheating using LP gas rather than wood for heat??

[gjbingham]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Moonshine,
You've installed a pizza oven that will cook quite a bit of bread and do some great lower temp oven work as well. Using gas is not cheating. Another load of firewood would do the same thing. Without more mass in the oven though, you'll need to keep reheating it occasionally to accomplish all your cooking requirements.

[Acoma]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Since I am getting ready for curing and cooking of the pizza, I decided to re-read the entire thread. I don't know if anyone else does this, but at each stage of my build process, I tabbed key threads that I would find absolutely beneficial to me. Now I am at this juncture and am pleased with the next stage "Plasma"! Of course plasma will not be day one This was one of my earlier stages of comments and input that I wish I could revise some things. Silly when one goes to the early days of input. I hoped I still helped back then.

[gjbingham]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Not to worry Robert. I give bad advice all the time!

That's the incredible resource of this forum. You would never just take one person's word for an answer. You search the forum and read all that you can find on the topic. Most opinions agree, some don't. We base our decisions on what seems logical for our individual situations.

Having completed your build, I'd take your word as almost gospel for building issues. Conversely, I'd totally ignore you about curing issues until you've suffered the first crack, then second guessed everything you've done to this point. Reality sets in, huh? Look forward to your cure bud! Enjoy the process. Ignore the minor setbacks.
George

[Acoma]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Hey! I have cured sick children, doesn't that count?

[jwnorris]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

<snip> I also think the fire is much better on one side (the left of me), rather than the back (over even on two sides). James

Is this because with the fire in the back the natural tendency is for the heat to drive to the opposite side of the done and that is where the vent is? Therefore when the fire is at the side the heat will drive completely across the dome before seeking the vent.

Is this the correct logic?

J W

[dmun]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Let's have an argument about fire left and fire right. I'm a fire right kind of guy.

[Dutchoven]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Is this because with the fire in the back the natural tendency is for the heat to drive to the opposite side of the done and that is where the vent is? Therefore when the fire is at the side the heat will drive completely across the dome before seeking the vent.

Is this the correct logic?

J W

That would be the logic...I think...but an added reason to fire on the side as opposed to back is that you will see the color on the crust and thus know when to turn...
All the best!
Dutch

[gjbingham]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Dutch's got it. When the fire's in back, you can't see the back of the pizza as well as when the fire's on the sides.

I was a right side fire guy until Bruce, the Broken Cookie and Fruit Preserves King saw me hit the wall a couple of times with my peel while I was turning pizzas (the wall is on the left). He says offhandedly, "Hmmm - maybe you should build your fire on the other side, then you wouldn't hit your handle on the wall". Simple solution to a very minor problem that I didn't even recognize. Now I'm a left-hand guy. I ignored the fact that I'd let habit completely overshadow reason and/or thinking. Thanks again Bruce!

[Frances]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

How do you push the fire to the side and what tools do you use?

I've tried, but when faced with a raging fire nearly taking my eyebrows off, trusty garden rake in hand, and a hungry rabble behind me, I usually take the easiest path, which is shove the stuff to the back and get on with it.

As for knowing when the pizza is ready for turning... thats exactly the time it takes to put the big peel down after inserting the pizza and geting into position with the small round turning peel.

[brokencookie]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

For a minitue there I thought old George was agona whack me with his rake and peel. Glad to be of service.

The fruit preserves must have been OK if I am the "King". Did you share with the crumb grabbers or hoard it for yourself ?

I think I might change my name to stalled in Olympia ( no building progress yet, just materials )

Back on topic
Heat moves from hottest to coldest. It's like air moving into a low pressure area. The heat will always flow to the coolest spot until temperatures are equalized. Having said that, I am a right side guy ( I think)

Bruce

[SpringJim]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

How do you push the fire to the side and what tools do you use?

I've tried, but when faced with a raging fire nearly taking my eyebrows off, trusty garden rake in hand, and a hungry rabble behind me, I usually take the easiest path, which is shove the stuff to the back and get on with it.

Frances, I just use a piece of old squared wood (actually a home made oar) to push the coals from one side to the other.....a poker for the logs (if any)...then some dry wood to refire. But if you're in the raging stage I'm not sure it's as easy to move....

[Frances]

Re: Driving heat across the cooking floor

Thanks Jim... that's just the kind of advice I think I can follow. I will add one piece of old squared wood to my Pizza baking equipment.