"Stovetop " material ( cast / steel ?) needed to cook/fry within a pot/fry pan/bread baker cloche

[CMG]

Does cast iron always stay under 300 degrees? Saw this posted in an old thread(2014) when describing the comfort of being able to sit closer to a cast iron jacketed stove. Was looking at wood stove for mainly to heat but like the option to cook on the top, within a vessel, fry pan, pot . From reading it looks like soapstone does not get hot enough for most types of cooking- high boil, frying, bread baker on top. I assumed from reading previously that a cast iron stove top did. But after reading the post saying cast iron always stays under 300 degrees maybe I misunderstood. Does a cast iron material made "stovetop" prevent that type of cooking? Ex, steel stove but fully jacketed with cast iron, if its stovetop is completely covered by cast iron ? Do you need to have a steel top or area to do that the above type of cooking? I am thinking the part about always under 300 degrees may have been an error?

Thank you CG

 

[begreen]

No, definitely not. Cast iron will heat up to red hot if allowed to. Some cast iron jacketed stoves have a fixed top with a gap between the actual stove body and top. If that is the case, the top acts like a trivet that will be significantly cooler than the inner steel stove top. This is the case with the PE Alderlea T4. The Alderlea T5 and T6 however, have swing out trivet tops that expose the steel stove top for direct cooking. That will get a pot up to boiling in about 15-20 minutes. Other stoves take a different approach. The heavy top is removable on the BK Ashfords. The Jotul F35, F45, and F55 only shield the sides and back with the cast iron jacket. The cast iron top is directly exposed to the flame as it rounds the baffle.

 

[Todd]

My cast iron top gets well over 300 degrees and usually cruises at 400-600. I cook on it all the time as well as boil water.

 

[CMG]

Thank you gentlemen, that was a two-fer!

 

[bholler]

Thank you gentlemen, that was a two-fer!

The difference is cast iron jacketed vs cast iron construction. A jacketed stove willalways be cooler on the surface because there is a space between the stove body and the outer panels. Some stoves make it easy to move that outer top giving you access to cook on the higher heat body of the stove. Some dont.

 

[CMG]

So on the Alderlea T5-6 you have the option to swing away ( trivet like) jacketed top, so are you then in the exposed part still using cast but direct to flame like the Jotul (top only )?
I am trying to see if any difference on the center portion of each ( Alderlea when swung out* vs Jotul top only. Would they be the same in the center as far as cooking? Except for the space allowed . Saw a member Prof who went for the standard Summit steel top with intent to cook on. Mine would be to heat, cooking a bonus. Wondered how long it took, ex. boil water fry between cast top vs steel. Thank you begreen, bholler & Todd for pointing out the distinctions.

 

[begreen]

So on the Alderlea T5-6 you have the option to swing away ( trivet like) jacketed top, so are you then in the exposed part still using cast but direct to flame like the Jotul (top only )?

By swinging away the trivets, the steel stove top is exposed. This is different from the Jotul, but the effect is the same. Here is a T6 install with the trivets opened wide. The nice thing about this design is that one has a very wide range of temperature control. We use the outboard position to raise bread dough.

 

[CMG]

So when the top is exposed* -Alderlea T5/T6 this is a steel* top with the flame under, and with the Jotul it would be cast iron* top ( no jacket this section ) with flame under. Any difference easier/harder between those two materials in cooking? From reading I am surmising the steel top gets hotter faster , do not know if that makes much of a difference timewise though. An could be that the cast stove top holds the heat longer. I understand the heat control using those trivets T5-6, makes sense.
I assume possibly the Jotul top not being caste jacketed, as far as room heat may sooner give off "feel wise" warmth to a room, vs when the trivets were not swung out on the T5-6 at the start at least. They both give alcove installation clearances. I have not checked the top to ceiling clearance recently but wondering if the top of the T5-6 has a higher ceiling clearance for safety because of that hotter steel top when exposed ( trivets swung out ) .
Thank you for the photo. I wanted to see what I think may be wall protection -metal shields? with air gap ? Are many installers familiar with that type of installation ? Some seem aware , but not getting the idea that they all do it very often.
TY

 

[begreen]

The Jotul's top will be hotter but a trivet could be used on it. The T5/T6 gives more user control over the amount of heat desired.

Yes, that is a shielded enclosure with the 1" air gap. It wasn't really needed in this case, but they wanted to be extra safe. They used sheet steel.