# Cooking over a small fire



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I was looking for something on Google (a pellet-stove that also cooks) and found a video of a "home-made" mini-stove that uses pellets to cook with. I don't know how many people have their own laser and breaks for doing that kind of metal-work (I do), but, it is a great idea that I will really have to explore over the next little while.






Hope that you all get some great ideas after watching this video. :wave:


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

If you need metal fab work done, check with your local vocational/trade school. The ones around here will do fab work for the cost of materials. If you have the materials already, most will do it for free or for a donation (some decent metal scraps or a box or two of rods or spools of wire). I go to church with the welding instructor at our local trade school and they have built several things for me and for the church.


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

My DH and I were just discussing something like this. We were talking about skills that we had for during a SHTF situation. He has many skills, plumbing, electrical, carpentry and general ingenuity to make something out of nothing. I was concerned about my value to the situation and starting thinking about my skills...canning, dehydrating (soon anyways), cooking and a strong back. I can work as hard as most men..... But I thought would like a specialty that not so many people would know how to do...came up with bread making. This country loves bread. Thought maybe would be a good bartering item.... We plan to be rural so wonderful odors shouldn't be to much of a problem. We were discussing what kind of oven would be good for baking bread by fire. We were thinking maybe like a pizza oven outside fired by wood. I'm sure would take a lot of learning and trials and errors but doable. Would be fairly easy to stock up supplies for this type of barter item. Would be good value to family/group as well as barter ? So back to thread...any ideas on plans for outside type cooking oven? Would love to hear from someone that already does! Great thread!


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

dlharris said:


> So back to thread...any ideas on plans for outside type cooking oven? Would love to hear from someone that already does! Great thread!


We are slowly gathering bricks to build one this year based on a design from Mother Earth News. It is a multi layer brick oven with a sand base. It is heated by wood and you might even be able to use charcoal as you would need a long-ish cooking time. Anyway, check there or if you don't want to build it then maybe you could pick up an old brick pizza oven.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

8thDayStranger said:


> If you need metal fab work done, check with your local vocational/trade school. The ones around here will do fab work for the cost of materials. If you have the materials already, most will do it for free or for a donation (some decent metal scraps or a box or two of rods or spools of wire). I go to church with the welding instructor at our local trade school and they have built several things for me and for the church.


I do metal-fab work every single day at work - so - I am good there! I have three welding machines of my own in my garage, plus most of the cutting, bending, forming, etc tools as well. At work, I have the big-toys including lasers, plasmas and breaks that can form steel-plate from 1/32" to 2" thick.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

I think I could make something like it in my little shop. cans are cheap at home depot.


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

Toffee said:


> We are slowly gathering bricks to build one this year based on a design from Mother Earth News. It is a multi layer brick oven with a sand base. It is heated by wood and you might even be able to use charcoal as you would need a long-ish cooking time. Anyway, check there or if you don't want to build it then maybe you could pick up an old brick pizza oven.


I saw one in MOther Earth News made out of clay that was on the ground with sand. Getting older and need one that sits up higher!  I've seen some that were like a fireplace on the bottom and then an arched opening on top ...usually for pizza. Gotta be a cheap way to make one of those. So that we can use a grate to BBQ and the upper portion for bread? Would also like it big enough to have one of those pot holders that would swing in and out for cooking also.... Probably just dreaming but sure would be awesome!


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

dlharris said:


> I saw one in MOther Earth News made out of clay that was on the ground with sand. Getting older and need one that sits up higher!  I've seen some that were like a fireplace on the bottom and then an arched opening on top ...usually for pizza. Gotta be a cheap way to make one of those. So that we can use a grate to BBQ and the upper portion for bread? Would also like it big enough to have one of those pot holders that would swing in and out for cooking also.... Probably just dreaming but sure would be awesome!


This is the one I was thinking of:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-I...-One-Outdoor-Oven-Stove-Grill-And-Smoker.aspx


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

Toffee said:


> This is the one I was thinking of:
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Build-An-All-In-One-Outdoor-Oven-Stove-Grill-And-Smoker.aspx


That is awesome and beautiful!


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

dlharris said:


> That is awesome and beautiful!


Yeah and if you built it tight most people wouldn't even realise that it is anything more than a bbq, at least from a distance.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I just found a great picture of a BioMass Cook Stove - a commercially-built unit.

http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008/product/envirofit-clean-cookstove



> More than half the world's population cooks over open fires or small charcoal or biomass stoves. These burn fuel incompletely, producing carbon monoxide and smoke that cause 1.5 million deaths a year. Envirofit's Cookstove burns the same easily found wood but does so more completely to cut emissions by more than 80 percent and use half as much fuel. The can-shaped stove has a precisely measured opening that lets in enough air to fan the flames, yet not enough to cool it and slow down combustion. A chimney-like tube inside helps funnel in fresh air, and a ceramic lining insulates the stove to keep the fire hot and burning efficiently.


Looks like they want to charge $15 for that unit through EnviroFit

http://www.envirofit.org/


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Found the latest version at Amazon for about $100.


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## ChemGuy (May 21, 2013)

There are a lot of 'rocket stove' plans on-line. A google search will show quite a few, including some very low tech ones on youtube. Most are very efficient at burning sticks and such. I thought the basket for pellets was a good idea and my try something of the sort with my stove.

A couple commercial ones I have seen that are tough and/or very efficient are the ones by Phoenix Stoves, and the older Stove-tec ones. My brother has the Phoenix stove and uses it a lot camping-he filled the cylinder between the combustion chamber and the cylinder with volcanic ash and it insulates very well for safe handling. Prices have tripled in the past decade on most commercial ones:

Freebies:

http://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/sustainable-system-rocket-stoves/

http://sustainablog.org/2011/09/how-to-build-a-rocket-stove/

https://pinterest.com/cglackin/rocket-stove-plan-ideas-photos/

http://www.off-grid.net/2011/04/21/diy-rocket-stove/

http://rethinksurvival.com/posts/quick-reference-rocket-stove-plans/

Commercial:

http://www.phoenixstoves.com/
http://stovetecstore.net/
http://www.biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/how-it-works/


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