[Sca-cooks] Fwd: Oven temperature question

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> Interesting.  From your experience, how long do these ovens maintain their
operational temperature
> once the coals are removed?  And, do these ovens use wood coals, or actual
coal??  I have heard of
> a few ovens which are still coal-fired, in use in the eastern U.S., but I
know that these ovens do
> maintain a coal fire during operation (under the cooking surface, if I am
not mistaken).

Trust me, you wouldn't want coal in direct contact with your food- you need
to keep a seperation from it if you use it as a heating source for a stove.
It imparts a very unpleasant flavor, rather like what coal smells like when
burning.

Europe just didn't have access to coal during most of our period- what they
had was the wrong kind for efficient fuel, for forges or for stoves. That's
why I use charcoal on my forge.

The Chinese did have, and used, the right sort of coal. Not sure if they
used it for cooking, but a wok would have provided a decent barrier between
the coal and the food.

Saint Phlip,
CoD

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....