I agree that it is a beautiful stove @Frank Sanoica...but to be honest...at this season in my life I would hate having to cook on that stove.
@Babs Hunt Why? Winsome nostalgia takes me back to my Grandma, whose wood cookstove followed her and the family throughout 12 moves from state to state, my Grandpa being torn between his trade of Tailor (in the big city) and farmer, always seeking a little farm somewhere. Hers was a Majestic, likely of WWI vintage. I even used it in her little place after she passed away. Cooking on such a stove requires a bit of experimentation, but results can be amazing. Unlike a single flame or burner, there is an infinite range of temperatures always available, from hottest to just warm. You move the cookpot to just the right heat desired. Frank
I'm not up to experimentation on a stove these days Frank. At my age and after all the meals I have cooked on stoves in my 66 years of life I want a stove that is simple to use and that I can turn on and off with a touch of my finger. In my younger days I would have loved experimenting with that stove though.
I have both heated and cooked with a wood stove, and I am happy not to have to use one for either reason anymore. While it is true that there is an infinite amount of heat temperatures possible, you have to be right there , hovering over the little fire box, and putting in small (kindling size) pieces of wood to maintain the correct temperature when cooking in the oven. I had one of those little thermometers that showed what the heat in the oven was, and then had to either add more wood, or open the oven door for a few seconds if it started getting too hot. One of the things about using wood for heat, is that it is a lot of work, even if you buy the wood from someone already cut into chunks that will fit into the wood stove. It still has to be stacked in the woodpile, then brought in to be burned when needed. Bugs and spiders (and even snakes) hide in the woodpile, and when you bring the wood in for the night, you are also hauling in bugs that will soon be crawling around your house. No matter how careful you are, soot is going to escape when you open the door to put more wood in the stove, and eventually, everything has a coating of soot, including your lungs. It is not a clean heat in this respect. I love seeing a fireplace burning on a cold night, and feeling the heat; but I really do not want to have to go through all of the work of having either a wood stove or a fireplace anymore.
Now, even with the fireplaces you can just flip a switch to see some fake logs burning...that's the kind of fireplace I like in this season of my life.
@Yvonne Smith Understood, but given our circumstances, (no other heat source), we made out the best we could. Surprisingly well, actually. A nice, Nubian milk goat, provided well over a half-gallon daily, which my wife used to make small loaves of bread, every day, and home made cheese as well.....Frank