Sunday, July 11, 2010

Cabin Cooking: Unusual Utensils

My cabin kitchen has everything I need to cook a great meal, but it's a bit different than a town kitchen. Take a look at some of my unusual cooking utensils.

You might use an oven thermometer, but what about those other items? Can you guess their purpose? Here's a picture of my stove. Maybe that will give you some hints.

I use the lighter most often. Because it's a propane stove, I use it to light both the burners and oven pilot light.

I was afraid of propane to begin with. Now I would say I have more of a healthy respect.

Speaking of the oven pilot light, that's where the pliers come into play. It's not safe to let it stay on when the oven is not in use. Consequently, John installed a control valve on the side. It's tight to prevent leakage, so I find using pliers makes operation easier.

I like gas for stovetop cooking. You have great control. The oven is a whole different story. Propane is much hotter than natural gas. That means the temperature control knob has no relationship to the actual temperature in the oven. That's where the oven thermometer comes in. And without any electricity, a flashlight shining through the glass door becomes my oven light.

Even though my cooking utensils are a bit unusual, they all work together to create lots of tasty dishes. Do you have any interesting utensils that you use in your kitchen? What's their story? -- Margy

4 comments:

  1. Love this piece Margy but I've got to say, that first photo looks like a kit a serial killer would keep in the back of his truck! Hope you're having a great weekend.

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  2. Interesting bit of kit Margy....I also have the flashlight, because the light in my oven no longer works so I need it to see what's going on in there!

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  3. When I lived in Bella Coola, I used a wood stove. Standard equipment included a pair of pliers for picking up the firebox lids, a brick to put on top to reduce the heat to "simmer", and the big canning pot on the back for our hot water supply.

    Before that, elsewhere, using propane, I had one of those little thermometers. By the time I'd arrived in Bella Coola, I had gotten to trust a hand waved in the air of the oven to judge the temperature.

    A fire starter would have been a good idea; I blackened my hands every day reaching into the bottom with a match.

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  4. Elaine - you are so funny (I think)! I guess it does look a bit ominous.

    Sue - I always have a flashlight handy at the cabin for cooking or just getting around.

    Susannah - That sounds like so much fun to me, but I guess it is hard living as well. I've been to Bella Coola once by airplane (our little puddle jumper without floats). It was a beautiful area and I was amazed at the salmon run going on right next to the runway.

    Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy