Cuisiniére à bois

[Bayleaf]

We're looking to change the woodburner in our kitchen/dining area to a Cuisiniére à bois. If it can heat the area, provide cooking and serve a radiator into an end room, I figure it'll reduce our gas and electric sufficiently to pay for itself within a couple of years. We'll keep our gas and electric oven for summer use.

Apparently, there appears to be some financial aide and tax credit as it comes under the heading "energies renouvable", so that sounds hopeful.

Does anyone have experience of this type of thing and any advice? We're used to the pros and cons of woodburners, so the only downside I can see is more thorough cleaning in summer, and no extractor fan directly above it - although I'm sure we could sort something out.

[Char]

We have one which over-heats the room it's in and runs 12 radiators (at the moment). It's very old and the only way to regulate the temperature of the oven and hot plate (we only have the top which is one giant hot plate), it through the amount of wood you put on.
I don't use the oven any more because I keep burning things in it. The hotplate is very efficient though it bring water to the boil almost instantly, but once something is boiling I have to move it around the top to find a spot that will allow it to simmer.
It also chucks out a lot of dust, If I dust off all the surfaces in the morning, the following morning everything is covered in a fine layer of dust again.
It also heats our hot water tank - although we can use the electric to heat it as well.

I don't know whether a modern one would be more controllable or not.

[Bayleaf]

It'll be more hit and miss with temperatures - but we sort of regulate the current woodburners to allow some cooking on the flat tops. Dust - we're used to!

This is the sort of thing I have in mind:

rosaxxl_mobile.jpg

Doubt it will stay that clean for long - and Mr Bayleaf would prefer one that doesn't have a glass front for the wood, but can't seem to find one (in our price range!)

[Blaze]

Char's cuisinière sounds exactly like the Godin we had in our old house. We bought it as it was coming off a lorry at a brocante shop - 25 years old and had never been used.
@Bayleaf Do you remember Irene's cuisinière ? Ours was the same as hers.

Makes like AGA, Stoves, Rayburn and others are excellent and more adjustable but they aren't cheap ....
We really miss our Godin, it gave the kitchen such a warm and welcoming feeling. Ideally they need to be in a big room.

Ah yes, the dust .........

Edit : The cuisinière in your photo is similar our Godin - this is what we had :

Capture d’écran 2022-03-25 à 09.04.13.png

[Bayleaf]

Yes, I vaguely remember Irene's - beautiful kitchen all round. I grew up in a house with a Rayburn - and I guess the plus with them is that they have lids you can put down to cover the hot plates when not in use. Like you say - they're probably a lot more expensive!

It will be for a big, open plan kitchen/dining area, with open staircase so that it also warms upstairs. I guess the plus side with glass doors now, is that you can see what's going on (if the glass isn't too dirty!), without opening doors. Although they probably have higher maintenance costs.

Just looked up the price of the one you show, Blaze - about twice the price of the one I've pictured (nice to see TVA is only 5.5% now though!). It is very smart, and if we can get some financial aide ......(she goes off dreaming ...! )

[hughnique]

My neighbour had an ESSE? fitted some years back, has never worked properly and she regrets ever entertaining it, that runs on wood, supposedly rads as well, has never done that properly.

[niemeyjt]

My neighbour had an ESSE? fitted some years back, has never worked properly and she regrets ever entertaining it, that runs on wood, supposedly rads as well, has never done that properly.

Interesting - there was thread somewhere on one of these not working in France - as I recall there are two issues - 1) the chimney size and liner and 2) the right insert for what you are burning. Maybe that will fix your neighbours too?

[Blaze]

ust looked up the price of the one you show, Blaze - about twice the price of the one I've pictured

Yes, Godins are expensive and this particular model isn't a patch on an AGA or Rayburn ! However, we only paid about £600 for it so we were quite happy. It had sat in a (dry) shed for 25 years, unused and fortunately we were just passing the local brocante shop when they were bringing it in !!

[exile]

Our house had one fitted when we bought it - Etel? Back boiler for 4 rads which worked well. Cooking was a nightmare however. Controlling the oven temperature was difficult to say the least and baking was completely out of the question - as Char said cake brulé was a speciality. Even roasting meats was hit and miss to get the meat cooked at the same time that the vegetables were ready. The top was also a bit hitty missy with either nothing cooking properly or everything boiling furiously and disintegrating.

AS you have probably guessed, it is no more.

[hughnique]

My neighbour had an ESSE? fitted some years back, has never worked properly and she regrets ever entertaining it, that runs on wood, supposedly rads as well, has never done that properly.

Interesting - there was thread somewhere on one of these not working in France - as I recall there are two issues - 1) the chimney size and liner and 2) the right insert for what you are burning. Maybe that will fix your neighbours too?

She had it professionally?? fitted by an authorised agent of Esse, after which he refused to return to her premises with no explanation whatsoever, personally I would not have one as a gift, whatever the make.