Retro Style Kitchen Appliances & Wood Cook Stoves Are Making a Comeback

It’s ironic and counterintuitive to think that retro might be the wave of the future. And yet, in ever more areas of life, this really seems to be the case. The steady advance of technology has allowed us to enjoy many conveniences at home that would make previous generations green with envy. And yet, the smell and homey atmosphere that fills the air whenever meals are cooking, old-fashioned style, in wood cook stoves always exercise an undeniable charm.

Retro has been roaring back with all kinds of kitchen appliances, but especially with that humble classic style, wood cook stoves. Why? What is it that draws people to something so apparently quaint? You might be surprised to learn that this old relic has been made new and that it carries all kinds of unexpected advantages.

The Original Flame, Inc. proudly supplies Elmira Stove Works, a top-level supplier of a wide variety of retro appliances. We offer wood cook stoves for sale that can transport you back to a simpler time and help make anything that you choose to cook taste phenomenal.

If you’re wondering about whether to take the plunge and go back to nature with your very own wooden stove, here’s some important information to help you on your way.

Why are Retro Kitchen Appliances Making a Comeback?

Increasing numbers of people are opting to dive back through history and do their cooking with retro cookstoves. Why? What’s all the fuss about? Here are some reasons why cooking over wood is staging such a comeback.

First, there’s the issue of cost to consider. Modern cooking stoves use either gas or electricity. These cost money. On the other hand, a wood stove just burns wood, and firewood can usually be had very cheaply. Over time, the energy savings that you’ll enjoy because of this will add up.

And not only can you save money on energy when you cook with a wood stove, but the energy that you do consume will be put to better use. Our wood stoves direct all heat generated into a compact space to make maximal use of it.

Of course, food that doesn’t taste good isn’t worth cooking. Compared to the taste of a meal cooked over a natural, wood-burning flame, food cooked in gas or electric stoves can often taste bland and artificial. Electric stoves, in particular, are notorious for sometimes heating food unevenly. It’s for good reason that restaurants often insist on cooking all food over wood: people can taste the difference.

At first blush, using a wood stove might appear to be a cause for worry. When wood burns, it releases smoke, and everyone knows that smoke pollutes the air. Thus, it might be hard to believe that using a wood cooking stove can actually be good for the environment. But once you have a look at some of the models offered by the Original Flame, you’ll see that these aren’t your great-grandmother’s stoves. Our models use advanced ventilation systems that minimize the amount of smoke emitted.

Last, but certainly not least, there is beauty, a thing whose importance cannot be overstated. Modern stoves all have nearly identical rectangular shapes. Older stoves, however, just look pretty. The intricate frills and designs make them pleasant to look at and convey the sense that they were built by people who cared. Having a stove that revives that bygone aesthetic will surely make your kitchen into a special place.

How Do Wood-burning Cookstoves Work?

Now that you have some idea of what the appeal of wood-burning cookstoves is, how do these things actually work?

We offer various models, but all of their functioning follows the same basic pattern.

First, there’s the firebox. This is heart of every wooden cookstove. It’s where you load in your firewood and leave it to burn and fuel your cooking. Depending on the stove, you may have various ways to load up the firebox, such as from the front or the side.

Elmira’s wood-burning stoves also typically come with reburn technology. This enables the stove to catch some of the smoke emitted by burning and reburn it before finally releasing it from its exhaust. This feature is the key to the greater energy efficiency that we mentioned earlier.

There’s also an arm or other kind of movable control unit which can direct smoke generated from the burning to either go up through the chimney or recirculate around the firebox. The more smoke is directed to move around the firebox, the more the oven is made to heat up. Thus, you have at your fingertips the ability to carefully control the oven’s level of heat.

There are other controls that regulate the amount of air flow through the firebox, which will allow you to cultivate either a slow burn or an intense one, as required.

Lastly, wood stoves all come with an ashtray, which collects ash as your wood burns. You will need to periodically slide out the astray, safely remove the ash, and clean the tray.

Our Wood Cook Stoves and Their Extra Features

Each Elmira cookstove has the features mentioned above, but some models carry certain extra, optional features with them, like water jackets to help you immediately put out any fires that might accidentally start. We also offer nickel design, large fireboxes with a great view that lets you keep an eye on your fire, and so on.

Conclusion

The Original Flame supplies customers with wood cook stoves in Ontario — specifically in areas like Kawarthas, Millbrook, Buckhorn, Peterborough and Lakefield.

In addition to such stoves, though, we also supply all kinds of other retro kitchen appliances, like mid-century-style electric stoves and retro refrigerators. Learn more about some of our retro appliances here and let us help you set up the kitchen of your dreams.