Cooking on a log burner

Over the past few days, things have really started to feel Christmassy, with snow falling throughout the UK.

On a cold winter’s evening, there is nothing nicer than sitting in front of a roaring fire, admiring your beautiful oak fireplace beam…OK, so maybe that last bit is just us! But seriously, for many of us, our wood burning stoves become the centre of our homes during winter. So why not cook some delicious meals on them, too? After all, you’re already using your wood burner to heat your home, so why not save on gas and electric when it comes to cooking meals.

Forget about turning on the oven. Stove-top suppers are the future.

Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to cooking on a log burner.

Although many of us won’t have wood burners that are specifically designed for cooking, it doesn’t mean that we can’t use them to help us rustle up some delicious dinners once in a while. Plus, if there’s a power cut, you’ll still be able to have a nice, warming meal. No electricity or gas required.

However, it is worth remembering that cooking something on a log burner can take much, much longer than putting your dinner into a conventional oven. A wood-burning stove can be more like a slow cooker, in terms of how long food may take to cook.

This means that you’ll have to be patient.

Slow cooked stews.

Meals, like stews, which need to be cooked slowly, are perfect on top of a wood burning stove.

Make your stew following the recipe, then bring it up to the boil on the hob, before placing it on top of your stove to ‘stew’ for a few hours before dinner.

How quickly your food will cook depends on how hot your fire is.

It’s worth checking your food once in a while to make sure that it is not cooking too quickly or slowly. If it’s cooking too fast, you could place your pot on top of a metal trivet.

Breakfast time.

In order to help the food cook, it is a good idea to pre-warm your pan. Just place it on the stove, with its lid on, while you get your ingredients from the kitchen.

When the pan is warmed, add some bacon and put the lid back on.

Once the bacon is cooked through, wrap it in some foil to keep warm. Crack some eggs into your pan and stir to scramble (or you could try fried instead).

Just be careful not to drop any foodstuff on your stove, or it could stain.

Grab a bun, pile with your bacon and eggs, then add a sauce of your choice. A delicious breakfast with no need to use your gas or electricity.

As always, safety first – check your food is cooked through before you eat it, especially if it’s chicken.

Before you head off to cook your stove-top supper, why not take a look at our comprehensive range of oak fireplace beams? You can even customise your own oak beam to suit your home.