Just wondering, did it occur to you to put in more fuel? And possibly use smaller fuel to begin with? i'm pretty experienced with wood stoves - I cook routinely on a wood range, and I have both an ecozoom Versa and a Plancha. They are both excellent outdoor wood stoves. But there is a secret to building up heat - and that is using the right sized wood for the stage the fire is at. From the look of your fire in the video, you put the bigger pieces in too soon... you needed to develop a bed of coals with smaller wood... Larger pieces such as you were using need a bed of coals to get them really going. I regularly cook with my versa, and have no difficulty at all building up heat with it. I probably wouldnt cook outdoors with a flame stove as you have done because of the risk of the fire spreading - I live in a high fire risk area and even if it seems like things around you won't burn, they often will in high wind. So I don't know how the versa would go in wind, in terms of it taking the heat away, but it's kind of a no no to cook with flame in windy conditions I'd have thought. I know you didnt have a lot of combustible fuel around - just the grass, but in my mind it's just not something you do. That said, I think if you had used the right sized fuel to build the fire up properly, and had enough of the smaller stuff, the wind, with protection so it didnt go out, would have fanned the flames and made the fire burn hotter. I do think it takes a bit of time to learn how to cook well on a wood stove, and how to manage the fire properly so it works. Ecozoom do say that the stove uses less fuel, and they are right, but still how much fuel you need depends on the conditions and the fuel - size, type of wood etc. These are very efficient burning stoves and use a lot less wood to cook than a traditional cooking fire or wood range, and if used correctly with the right sized wood for the stage of burn, they will get up enough heat to burn very cleanly. But you do have to use the right fuel the right way. My basic rules for stoves like the versa and plancha: Very small kindling (leaves and tiny twigs) to start. Half finger size next, then finger sized. Don't hold back with the kindling - you need a good bed of coals. Then use bigger than finger sized, but hold the thicker pieces like you had, until its really going well, and don't use too many at once to begin with or you can smother the fire. Pieces the size you were using are what I call 'gold' - I use them sparingly, after the fire is really going and hot, because they are harder to find or cut, and they don't burn well if used too early anyway. Use them to keep the fire going, once it is actually going and really hot... And most important of all - the fuel must be dry! not just not wet - but really dry throughout. Truly dry wood has a hollow sound when tapped against something hard, and feels light and dry in the hand - takes experience to judge but when you have some you'll know. Not only will wood that isn't truly dry smoke more, it won't burn so hot as it has to burn off the moisture which cools it down. Wood that has been kept under cover can still absorb moisture from the air if the air is moist. Sorry for the essay - but hope the info is useful! Thanks for the lesson in how to cook a steak well and judge if it is right - much appreciated - I am guilty of stewing steaks! lol
The ring is for bigger pots and longer slower cooking. It doesnt work with a fry pan because of the handle, It is meant to keep the heat close to the side of a bigger, deeper pot. You might be able to use it with a deep fry pan with two smaller handles, but you won't be able to handle the pan easily without burning yourself. As i said in my comment above, the way to get heat into a versa or a plancha, or any wood stove really, is to use the right sized fuel for the stage of the fire, to get a good bed of hot coals, and make sure the wood is truly truly dry... :-)
How efficient these stoves are, or any stoves really, depends on how you use them - right size of fuel, dry fuel, understanding how to control how the fire burns etc. I live in a town where almost everyone uses wood for heating - and winter the air is full of smoke because many people don't understand how to use their stoves properly. Almost any fire can be used relatively efficiently and cleanly if you know how to do it, but the rocket stove design helps a lot, because the chimney creates an updraft that draws air through the fire.
Just wondering, did it occur to you to put in more fuel? And possibly use smaller fuel to begin with? i'm pretty experienced with wood stoves - I cook routinely on a wood range, and I have both an ecozoom Versa and a Plancha. They are both excellent outdoor wood stoves. But there is a secret to building up heat - and that is using the right sized wood for the stage the fire is at. From the look of your fire in the video, you put the bigger pieces in too soon... you needed to develop a bed of coals with smaller wood... Larger pieces such as you were using need a bed of coals to get them really going. I regularly cook with my versa, and have no difficulty at all building up heat with it.
I probably wouldnt cook outdoors with a flame stove as you have done because of the risk of the fire spreading - I live in a high fire risk area and even if it seems like things around you won't burn, they often will in high wind. So I don't know how the versa would go in wind, in terms of it taking the heat away, but it's kind of a no no to cook with flame in windy conditions I'd have thought. I know you didnt have a lot of combustible fuel around - just the grass, but in my mind it's just not something you do. That said, I think if you had used the right sized fuel to build the fire up properly, and had enough of the smaller stuff, the wind, with protection so it didnt go out, would have fanned the flames and made the fire burn hotter.
I do think it takes a bit of time to learn how to cook well on a wood stove, and how to manage the fire properly so it works. Ecozoom do say that the stove uses less fuel, and they are right, but still how much fuel you need depends on the conditions and the fuel - size, type of wood etc. These are very efficient burning stoves and use a lot less wood to cook than a traditional cooking fire or wood range, and if used correctly with the right sized wood for the stage of burn, they will get up enough heat to burn very cleanly. But you do have to use the right fuel the right way.
My basic rules for stoves like the versa and plancha: Very small kindling (leaves and tiny twigs) to start. Half finger size next, then finger sized. Don't hold back with the kindling - you need a good bed of coals. Then use bigger than finger sized, but hold the thicker pieces like you had, until its really going well, and don't use too many at once to begin with or you can smother the fire. Pieces the size you were using are what I call 'gold' - I use them sparingly, after the fire is really going and hot, because they are harder to find or cut, and they don't burn well if used too early anyway. Use them to keep the fire going, once it is actually going and really hot... And most important of all - the fuel must be dry! not just not wet - but really dry throughout. Truly dry wood has a hollow sound when tapped against something hard, and feels light and dry in the hand - takes experience to judge but when you have some you'll know. Not only will wood that isn't truly dry smoke more, it won't burn so hot as it has to burn off the moisture which cools it down. Wood that has been kept under cover can still absorb moisture from the air if the air is moist.
Sorry for the essay - but hope the info is useful!
Thanks for the lesson in how to cook a steak well and judge if it is right - much appreciated - I am guilty of stewing steaks! lol
Great new series, I've been subscribed for years, love what you guys are doing.
Thanks for the good vibes and for the sub legend ... YEW
Excited for this series! I'm interested to see what else you guys will review! :)
:) yew
Salivating at that steak. The stove goes alright.
What about the ring, you didn't put on? Should that hold the heat of the fire? YEW
yeah i gave the ring a try at the end it worked a treat but didn't really fit the pan properly
The ring is for bigger pots and longer slower cooking. It doesnt work with a fry pan because of the handle, It is meant to keep the heat close to the side of a bigger, deeper pot. You might be able to use it with a deep fry pan with two smaller handles, but you won't be able to handle the pan easily without burning yourself. As i said in my comment above, the way to get heat into a versa or a plancha, or any wood stove really, is to use the right sized fuel for the stage of the fire, to get a good bed of hot coals, and make sure the wood is truly truly dry... :-)
But you gotta light the wood...so might as well just make a fire anyway
I think the point is the design of the stove makes it more efficient then a regular campfire.
Bondi Harvest yeah I guess its like a charcoal chimney.
How efficient these stoves are, or any stoves really, depends on how you use them - right size of fuel, dry fuel, understanding how to control how the fire burns etc. I live in a town where almost everyone uses wood for heating - and winter the air is full of smoke because many people don't understand how to use their stoves properly. Almost any fire can be used relatively efficiently and cleanly if you know how to do it, but the rocket stove design helps a lot, because the chimney creates an updraft that draws air through the fire.
All these little Hobo stoves are useless for cooking on. They are toys.
They don’t make it any easier that’s for sure