That being said - you don't NEED a bona fide grill......... You DO need some place safe to build a fire however. I do have a very large cast iron skillet (a chicken fryer!) - and can build a charcoal fire in that. Cast iron is nice that way! Just think of it as a strangely shaped Hibachi! HOWEVER I can NOT build that inside the house. Why? Because any fire gives off smoke, various gases - and I would rather not asphyxiate myself with the smoke and all - especially when it is so simple to cook out of doors!
Granted - if it is the dead of winter - I will NOT be thrilled to cook - or really do ANYTHING out of doors - especially if the weather is really bad! However... in terms of necessity......
I had previously investigated solar ovens - and while very intrigued with them - I truly am unprepared to invest a lot of money in that direction. That being said - I CAN make one for very little outgo - and that I am more than enough willing to do - and probably should do before much longer!
then too, if need be - I CAN make a coffeecan stove - but truly do need something beneath it that is relatively fireproof - and I'm back to the cast iron chicken skillet again!
Well - that's great for cooking. My biggest concern has more to do with HEATING during a major power outage. No problem in summer. Not TOO much of a problem in late spring or early fall! But there is NO WAY that I enjoy a cold winter! I had at one time thought of a fireplace - which I do have - but it is non-operational - and since this is an apartment building - it is going to stay that way!
I know of folks who use pellet stoves and swear by them. I would love one. MOST of the ones I know of however are still electrically operated at least in terms of timing and releasing each pellet. Not all though. Regardless - they still take chimneys - and therein lies my problem!
Other than wood heat, there would be solar power for heat - which is something that would not be terribly successful here - mostly because of the number of overcast days, etc. However there are folks who do use solar power as a backup to their current heating. I need to do a lot more investigating on this.
That's my thoughts on the subject and that's it for now!
1 comment:
Good thought processes. Enjoyed reading and thinking about some of the plans you gave. I too would build some kind of fire and use cast iron to cook in, but never thought of using the skillet for the fire bed.
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