Have you ever cooked in a fireplace?

[blufford]

An excerpt fom the book, Hung, Strung and Potted, A History of Eating habits in Colonial America, by Sally Smith Booth, cpyrt 1971.

"The fireplace or clavelpiece, was constructed specifically to provide the best possible arrangement for cooking. On each side of the fireplace, just below mantel level, were two small ledges on which rested a round rod. From this sturdy lug pole, pots were hung for cooking. In poorer homes lug poles, also called backbars were made from green wood which was wetted periodically or completely replaced to retard burning."

"A lug pole that burned at an inopportune time meant that the dinner pot dropped directly in the fire, not only spoiling the meat but possibably burning any bystanders. As famlies became more affluent, iron poles were substituted for the wood, thus eliminating the danger from scalding."

"Pots that hung from the lug pole were raised and lowered above the fire by means of s shaped hooks, adjustable ratchets, trammels, hakes or chains. By adjusting the height of the pot from the fire, cooking could be regulated must like the burners of present day ranges; the shortest hook was the highest from the fire produced a slow simmering, the low-hung pot on a longer rachet was needed for a fast or rolling boil."

"Baking was done is a small enclosed compartment built into the chimney next to the open hearth. The door to this recess opened into the room or directly into the fireplace. Ovens facing into the fire made it difficult to bake and cook on the hearth at the same time. Burned clothing was not unusual, particularly since early American women cooked while wearing long skirts, which easily picked up scattered sparks. As a result ovens that opened into the fireplace were gradually eliminated in favor of those that face into the room."

[donsgal]

How awesome! I always swore that if I ever built a house I would certainly include a "stand up" hearth for cooking complete with baking oven, etc. This sounds like just the thing for me.

Thanks for sharing.

Donsgal

[omnicat]

Ovens facing into the fire made it difficult to bake and cook on the hearth at the same time. Burned clothing was not unusual, particularly since early American women cooked while wearing long skirts, which easily picked up scattered sparks. As a result ovens that opened into the fireplace were gradually eliminated in favor of those that face into the room."


Lordy...cooking sure was more hazardous then!

We done lots of cooking on open fires - but all were OUTside...

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by omnicat

Ovens facing into the fire made it difficult to bake and cook on the hearth at the same time. Burned clothing was not unusual, particularly since early American women cooked while wearing long skirts, which easily picked up scattered sparks. As a result ovens that opened into the fireplace were gradually eliminated in favor of those that face into the room."


Lordy...cooking sure was more hazardous then!

We done lots of cooking on open fires - but all were OUTside...

One of the leading causes of death for women in "developing nations" (PC term for third world countries) is, of all things, skirt fires.

donsgal

[MELOC]

one of my goals is to buy a dutch oven with a recessed lid/top. i can't wait to get one of those and cook with hot coals.

[comfortablynumb]

every now and then I bake cornbread in my woodstove. when the coals are all flamed out and just hot glowing, i scraape them all to the sides and leave the brick floor in the center bare, and set a tin breadpan with batter there in the center.

doesnt take long and bada bingo... hot corn bread.

the first loaf i did I think is still here somewhere as a doorstop.

lol

[Spinner]

I've seen it done, but haven't gotten to do it myself yet. I don't have a fireplace. Have cooked on an outside fire, and on a old wood kitchen stove, and would love to try cooking in a fireplace.

[Jen H]

I've done baking potatoes and sweet potatoes in the coals. Just wrap them up in foil, bury them in the coals, and don't let the fire get too hot while they're roasting. You can do chicken the same way, but the timing gets tricky.

[jennigrey]

I cooked a couple of squirrels in our fireplace back when we lived in the burbs. They'd been digging up my bulbs all year and I'd finally had enough. The neighbors had been feeding them for a few months so they were nice and plump. Cleaned them, wrapped them in foil with some veggies and herbs and into the coals they went. Revenge is tasty!

[SmartAZ]

I tried cooking over camp fires when I was a boy scout. I hope I don't ever have to do that again.

[Terri]

If you boil noodles in the fireplace, put a lid on it so no ashes drift in. Though it DID do the job!

[Explorer]

Originally Posted by SmartAZ

I tried cooking over camp fires when I was a boy scout. I hope I don't ever have to do that again.

That probably is the biggest problems with camp cooking - cooking over the fire. You get a lot better results if your scrape coals into an area next to the fire and then cook over the coals. You can add more coals from the fire as needed.

[turtlehead]

We went on vacation once to Cape Cod, Mass and up there we just happened upon an old colonial house and they were giving tours of it. The tour guide was very knowledgable and the tour was fascinating. The house had one of the huge fireplaces like you describe, but instead of an iron pole across the fireplace there were two poles, one on either side, and they could be rotated out into the room for easier stirring, adding of ingredients, and dipping out of the contents.

There were several dutch ovens and iron pots, along with utensils and S-hooks hanging in and around the fireplace.

The tour guide said the same thing DonsGal did - skirt fires were a leading cause of death in the old homesteading days. The women had to actually stand *in* the fireplace on occasion, so a popping bit of wood and flying sparks were quite dangerous.

[Cindy in NY]

Years ago I worked as a historical interpreter at Booker T. Washington National Monument. We dressed in the long skirts and used the fireplace in the cabin to cook almost everyday.

There was a long swing out iron hook to hang a cast iron pot on over the fire and we had a cast iron skillet with a very long handle. We also had a dutch oven with a rimmed lid. For lunch, we usually had corn-on-the-cob or green beans in the hanging kettle, fried potatoes or squash and onions in the skillet, and either rolls or blackberry cobbler in the dutch oven. It was good eatin' but it sure was hot!!

[Bruce in NE]

I cook meals in a dutch oven placed inside my outdoor wood heater. Does a great job, as long as it's only a bed of coals and not too hot.

[blufford]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

every now and then I bake cornbread in my woodstove. when the coals are all flamed out and just hot glowing, i scraape them all to the sides and leave the brick floor in the center bare, and set a tin breadpan with batter there in the center.

doesnt take long and bada bingo... hot corn bread.

the first loaf i did I think is still here somewhere as a doorstop.

lol

An excerpt fom the book, Hung, Strung and Potted, A History of Eating habits in Colonial America, by Sally Smith Booth, cpyrt 1971.

"Cornmeal in its driest and most finely powered form was known on the frontier as rockahominy. Most travelers carried small bags of maize with them on the trail, and mixed the powder with water in the palm of their hands to get quick energy. A similar indian dish was named nokik. This food of small weight was particulary nourishing, for during the eighteenth century, it was estimated that a frontiersman could exist in the forest half a year with only 6 pounds of rockahominy and 2 to 4 pounds of glue soup."

[beaglady]

I used to work in a colonial restaurant that was in a restored 1776 building. They used to do fireplace cooking demostrations in the walk-in fireplace from time to time. On the occasion of the annual Christmas feast, we would roast a small whole pig on the spit, along with several side dishes. The employees got to eat the pig after the dinner was over.

[Magickhart]

I have cooked potatoes a few times, and once I tried something I had seen on TV....

I had roasted chicken in front of the fire hanging it from a string. I used a large piece of aluminum foil and chicken wire to hold it in place for a heat shield. You have to soak the string in oil then tress the chicken. I buttered it and used spices 'n herbs from the garden on and in it. You also need a drip pan under it, and it needed basting quit a bit. All you do is wind the string up now and then to evenly roast it. I had used a thermometer to know when it was done. It took allot of time but it was worth it! What a good smoked flavor! MAN THAT WAS GOOD EATS!

I’m always looking to try something new!

[blue8ewe]

this is something I want to build into my dream kitchen. I want the option but I still want to be able to have a gas stove.
I just figure it will be a good thing to have if there is a power outage, a blizzard or other event as such. Or if we cant pay the gas bill.

[FolioMark]

When I was in highschool, our history teacher Mr. Glass would sponsor a day at his house, an early 18th c. center chimney colonial. It had a small modern kitchen for everyday but still had the original colonial kitchen and its huge fireplace. We spent the day doing all sorts of colonial skills, spinning, weaving, making sausages by hand, cheese making and candle making and we finished up with a meal cooked in that fireplace. It was really hot hard work.

Ive always wanted a kitchen fire in the English manner. Many english cottages have a narrow but tall fireplace. The fire is placed on a raised platform like a modern brick barbecue and has a grill over it. This is for grilling and boiling. There is generally a swinging rod for hanging pots and kettles and a built in oven on one side. The top of the oven made a shelf for slow cooking or warming food.Sometimes there was a big kettle set into the brick work with a place to build a fire underneath for boiling water for the wash or making large batches of stew or soup. Heres a picture that sort of looks like what I mean.