Wood burner kettle

[powler]

Hi,

Toying with the idea of getting a kettle and a trivet for the wood burner, I'm thinking it would be handy for a cuppa and if I needed hot water for say pasta or rice etc etc cheaper than using the gas hob to boil, I could heat the water then transfer to the hob for the actual cooking of food, I guess some cast iron kettles could rust if not oiled but not sure on that one.

Any thoughts to look out for or recommendations of kettles or trivets?

Thanks Mick

[Walker570]

Can't help on either I'm afraid but we regularly cook on the top of our Clearview and I had a 1/4 plate top section made which sits about 7 inches above the surface of the woodburner which keeps plates and food warm. In fact get too hot to touch and radiates heat around the kitchen.   Can't you make a trivet yourself?    Thinking....old Mini brake drum or similar size and cut away the sides to leave legs. A good wire brushing and a couple of coats of stove paint and good to go.  Will also store the heat well.

[Stonepark]

Le cruiser traditional kettle is what we have, unfortunately no longer inexpensive.

 

The E Bay is often a good source for a 2nd hand one.

[mel b3]

We used an old copper kettle on the log burner for years , right up until we realised that you can get copper poisoning ( I don't think we did) . We still use the hot water from the copper kettle for washing up etc. 

The copper kettle , and copper and brass trivet , both came from ebay.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

This is designed to stand atop a stove in a tent as a constant supply of hot water, I would imagine it could stand against the chimney on your wood stove.

 

https://www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk/camping/cooking/robens-bering-water-heater.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_aec5oP19gIVluvtCh1_ZAY1EAQYAyABEgIX7fD_BwE

[johnphilip]

Just a simple wee kettle  and we use the stove to help the bread rise 

[redial]

Wouldn't a Kelly kettle do all you need.

[JohnfromUK]

If your stove has a ground flat top plate (designed to be cooked on) anything compatible with AgA would be fine (that is how AgAs transfer heat). 

[miki]

Any stove top/AGA kettle is fine.

The problem is that they are eye wateerringly expensive. Approacking £100 for a good one although there are some reasonable ones for the £40 to £70 mark too.
Get one with a whistle otherwise it boils dry ... (don't ask)

[powler]

Looked at the AGA makes and like Miki said they are expensive, will keep looking around, the wife likes the Le Crueset but I don't like the price, never know what can turn up with a few visits to charity shops/junk shops.

Our stove is the smaller Clearview stove similar to Johnphilips I believe, but the chimney comes out the top and not the back so space on top is reduced. Thinking place kettle on one side to boil, and use the trivet to keep warm and do steady cooking on.

Thanks

Mick

[harrycatcat1]

Would this work?

 

https://www.halfords.com/camping/cooking-equipment/halfords-stainless-steel-whistling-kettle-290640.html?istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istFeedId=367c5610-f937-4c81-8609-f84582324cd6&istItemId=xmlxxtrla&istBid=t&_$ja=tsid:|cid:14295777511|agid:127621216244|tid:pla-330100210931|crid:539308224237|nw:u|rnd:8563642652691511012|dvc:m|adp:|mt:|loc:1006627&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsmj2sT39gIVROrtCh3rbQlkEAQYAiABEgK-b_D_BwE

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Would this work?

This is what is involved.  For heat to get from your stove to the kettle, it passes by 3 'processes';

• Radiant heat
• Heat passed by hot air
• Heat passed by direct contact

For a stove like an AgA, there is a ground flat cast iron 'hob' that is very hot.  Place a kettle with a similarly ground flat base, and there is lots of metal to metal contact, so lots of direct heat transfer and the kettle boils very quickly.  Where there isn't a ground flat surface, heat transfer will depend on how much contact surface there is.  Kettles are usually heavy (often thick aluminium) to give the true ground flat base - which accounts for the high cost.

For a kettle like the Halfords one (or at least, how I think it is), it is made from thin aluminium with a rim around the base, so only the rim will contact your stove and heat transfer will be slow by this method.  These rimmed kettles are meant for use on a gas flame where the flame plays on the base and contact is not needed.  It will still warm up, but it will be slow and may never get to the boil.

I think the key questions are;

1. Does your stove have a decent flat surface that would make good contact to a ground flat base?  If YES, you would definitely be better with a suitably ground flat based kettle; If NO, then even a ground flat one will only work as well as contact can be made.
2. Are you looking to boil a kettle reasonably quickly, or just have a supply of warmed/hot water ready to hand?  IF the kettle only stands on a thin rim, it will probably be very slow to heat (I have never tried, but you can see the reasoning ......)  However - it will get hot (if not boil) given time and a hot stove as heat will still pass both by hot air and radiation.

[powler]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

This is what is involved.  For heat to get from your stove to the kettle, it passes by 3 'processes';

• Radiant heat
• Heat passed by hot air
• Heat passed by direct contact

For a stove like an AgA, there is a ground flat cast iron 'hob' that is very hot.  Place a kettle with a similarly ground flat base, and there is lots of metal to metal contact, so lots of direct heat transfer and the kettle boils very quickly.  Where there isn't a ground flat surface, heat transfer will depend on how much contact surface there is.  Kettles are usually heavy (often thick aluminium) to give the true ground flat base - which accounts for the high cost.

For a kettle like the Halfords one (or at least, how I think it is), it is made from thin aluminium with a rim around the base, so only the rim will contact your stove and heat transfer will be slow by this method.  These rimmed kettles are meant for use on a gas flame where the flame plays on the base and contact is not needed.  It will still warm up, but it will be slow and may never get to the boil.

I think the key questions are;

1. Does your stove have a decent flat surface that would make good contact to a ground flat base?  If YES, you would definitely be better with a suitably ground flat based kettle; If NO, then even a ground flat one will only work as well as contact can be made.
2. Are you looking to boil a kettle reasonably quickly, or just have a supply of warmed/hot water ready to hand?  IF the kettle only stands on a thin rim, it will probably be very slow to heat (I have never tried, but you can see the reasoning ......)  However - it will get hot (if not boil) given time and a hot stove as heat will still pass both by hot air and radiation.

Thanks for the input, stove has a flat surface so would be looking at a ground flat base as would want a decent boil time. Its makes sense what you say about more surface contact the quicker and easier heat is transferred to the kettle. May have to bite the bullet and spend some money unless we find a second hand one, had a look on ebay but some are ropey for the money.

Thanks for the idea Harrycat1 but looks like it will be a more flat bottom on, but I do need a new stove for the truck as I ran over the last one.

Mick

 

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, powler said:

Thanks for the input, stove has a flat surface so would be looking at a ground flat base as would want a decent boil time.

Do you know anyone with an AgA or Rayburn to borrow one to try?

[Dougy]

cant you try using a bog standard saucepan ?

[johnphilip]

7 minutes ago, Dougy said:

cant you try using a bog standard saucepan ?

With a lid on it 

[powler]

15 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

Do you know anyone with an AgA or Rayburn to borrow one to try?

No don't know anyone with one John.

5 minutes ago, johnphilip said:

With a lid on it 

Put a saucepan on it last night with no lid on just to see, about 1.7 ltr water and took about approx 14 mins to boil, so with a lid would of been lots quicker. The pans are decent flat based and it didn't take long for the water to start heating. The burner definitely gets hot enough the temp gauge was showing about 250c.

Oh and didn't waste the water used it to cook spaghetti 😁

Mick

[harrycatcat1]

24 minutes ago, Dougy said:

cant you try using a bog standard saucepan ?

Now why didn't i think of that, sometimes the simplest solution is the best, well done 👏 

Edited April 3, 2022 by harrycatcat1

[Dougy]

Its like being at work, engineering department being asked a simple question and always start by trying to reinvent the wheel before even looking at solutions to the problems raised. 

 

I have a log burner but it also heats the water and radiators so have lost over 50% of the heat to the room (not a problem in our house) so the best ours can do is nock the chill off the water unless its on top of the fire all day. 

[39TDS]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144372097640?hash=item219d3f6268:g:TLQAAOSwMkVgDSHa

Thin stainless but has a flat bottom. A very good make and I have quite a few things made by them, billy cans, tiffins etc.

Very well known in camping/outdoor cooking world

Edited April 3, 2022 by 39TDS

[harrycatcat1]

2 hours ago, Dougy said:

 

 

I have a log burner but it also heats the water and radiators so have lost over 50% of the heat to the room (not a problem in our house) so the best ours can do is nock the chill off the water unless its on top of the fire all day. 

May I ask what burner that you have that heats water and radiators please as I think this is my next move when the gas boiler packs up.

[Dougy]

Its a Hunter Herald 8, if i had the chance i would have had something deeper, its difficult to keep it going over night with wood due to the limited space.

Its the only central heating we have, and thankfully manage to keep the heating bill to what was £16 a month that does include coal for the extra cold nights, wood is mostly freebee stuff.

[oowee]

Anything that looks like it belongs in a gypsy camp is a no no for me. I even have to draw the lines at chickens. I have sheep behind the house and my wife thinks even they are untidy 🤣. Saved only by the cute little lambs. Otherwise they would be gone. 

31 minutes ago, Dougy said:

Its a Hunter Herald 8, if i had the chance i would have had something deeper, its difficult to keep it going over night with wood due to the limited space.

Its the only central heating we have, and thankfully manage to keep the heating bill to what was £16 a month that does include coal for the extra cold nights, wood is mostly freebee stuff.

That's a pretty impressive fuel bill I am close to the end of my last ash tree and think i may be buying my next log supply. I have plenty of trees but don't want to drop them and other stuff on offer is hard work to get back home. 

[harrycatcat1]

10 hours ago, Dougy said:

Its a Hunter Herald 8, if i had the chance i would have had something deeper, its difficult to keep it going over night with wood due to the limited space.

Its the only central heating we have, and thankfully manage to keep the heating bill to what was £16 a month that does include coal for the extra cold nights, wood is mostly freebee stuff.

Sounds very good 👍 

[harrycatcat1]

Experimenting with a pan of water 🤔