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Syzygies

Solo Stove

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The 'contraption' is a Plancha Griddle Plate by OUTDOORCHEF. There's one left on Amazon.com. They have many other nice-looking grill accessories.

Nice!

The plancha's stated dimensions in cm are W 34.8 x D 41.0 x H 10.0, which don't make that much sense. Tekobo has a Solo Stove Bonfire, with an outer diameter of 19.5", and an inner diameter of 17.5". The cast iron grate pictured earlier has a stated diameter of 17.5" and doesn't fall through. Why? Solo Stove only gives approximate dimensions, and their top ring narrows the top opening, probably here to 15.5" or so (roughly 40 cm). That suggests that the plancha diameter is 41cm, and just fits. Its depth is then 34.8cm.

My Solo Stove Ranger has an outer diameter of 15". I also have their two-piece spark shield. I could set this plancha on the outer piece, and my fire would have room to breath...

We like cooking burgers outside, on a baking steel in the KK. Keeps the food smells out of the house. This would be an alternative. However, California is in the grips of wildfire smoke right now, and any fire like this is temporarily banned.

Edited by Syzygies
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Thanks all.  Yes @Bruce Pearson, the duck was indeed yummy.  Did a re-run this evening.  Happily I managed to get the duck breasts mostly cooked before it started to pour with rain.  It was a bit tricky rushing to get the meat in out of the rain and then moving the hot plancha, with fat spluttering as the rain fell into it, under shelter.  More of the fat was rendered off this time because I started the duck breasts off on the cold plancha.  That sounds illogical but I think the gradual increase in temp meant the skin didn't burn before more of the fat was rendered.  

I was tempted to try duck fat potatoes after @tony b's suggestion but the fat was dark from the soy and mirin marinade.  Instead I ended up steaming the potatoes and they were a nice foil for the rich duck. 

Yes @Syzygies, the OUTDOORCHEF company have some cool stuff.  I had to stop myself buying anything more but I was sorely tempted.  It is dark and late here so I won't try to check measurements now but will do so and get back to you re your comments above.  Yes, I agree that one great application will be grilling things like burgers.  I actually bought the plancha for doing bacon and sausages and I think it will work really well for that application.

 

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Some pics to answer @Syzygies' questions about dimensions.

The dimensions of the plancha match the ones that S quoted above.

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The cast iron grid is actually a little wider than the dims that S found.  That slight additional width and the fact that I had it sitting on the inverted rim of the Bonfire (incorrectly hence all the smoke that I got when I first tried out the cast iron grid) meant that it didn't fall into the Bonfire. In the picture below I have the rim the right way up and the grid oversails it a little all around. 

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And finally I am going to steal S's idea of sitting the plancha on top of the spark shield.  It will give the option to move the plancha further away from the fire when I need to.  

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14 hours ago, tony b said:

@tekobo  I'd have experimented with that soy/mirin start, tossed in some chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, purple crack and went to town on those potatoes. Next time.

I'll save that for the depths of winter when I need a flavour hit.  For now, freshly dug potatoes steamed with a little salt were surprisingly good.

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I keep starting fires in the Bonfire with a plan to transfer the hot coals to my Argentinian or konro grill.  Haven't done so yet.  So much easier to just keep on cooking over the Bonfire.  I used up the pomegranate dressing on some quail yesterday.  They were good but a KK would have done the job better, helping to cook the breast close to the bone.  No bother, just popped the quail back on, half eaten, when we got to the redder bits.

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1 hour ago, woody said:

are you using charcoal or wood ?

Hi @woody.  I use a mix of wood and charcoal in the Solo most of the time.  A couple of days ago I used wood on its own for a quick cook with skewers across the top of the stove to cook Portobello mushrooms and some pomfret fish.  Good fun.  

Edited by tekobo
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2 hours ago, woody said:

I keep, looking at these and the Breeo but hesitate as they say woodburning only. 

I wrote Solo Stove to ask what they knew about CO and complete combustion; they gave a lawyer's answer "wood only".

I remember from high school chem lab that an alcohol fire doesn't even hurt. On the other hand, the dawn of the Bronze Age involved people figuring out how to get fires hot enough to melt metals.

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(There's a famous cave drawing of someone who looks just like Dennis advising caution here. Ever notice how Dennis doesn't age?)

Their concern is that charcoal would get hot enough to damage the Solo Stove. On the other hand, we're cooking here. One compensates for the Solo Stove efficiency by using less fuel, which is a bonus when one's fuel is expensive. A gentle fire from mixed fuels or just charcoal is not going to damage the Solo Stove. I have plenty of experience with this.

I find that a small quantity of wood burns down to nearly nothing too fast. If I step away, I miss the sweet spot for best cooking. Even then, with patience one can cook anything.

Wood is easiest to light. Adding charcoal gives your fire staying power. Err on the side of caution, get less dramatic searing but tasty food till you dial this in, and you'll be fine.

Edited by Syzygies
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I see the Solo Stove between clips running on YouTube often. Looks really impressive...kinda like a portable campfire you can take anywhere. I have fallen prey to infomercials recently buying the Misen chef knife and the Saker contour gauge and not to mention the Bell and Howell Led Super spotlight. You know, all these are things you need and are a must , well... almost.  At the moment the Santa Maria fills my fire appetite quite well, but I believe the constant exposure and repetition of these lawless infomercials can wear you down and weaken your resolve. If I purchased this Solo Stove I believe I'd have to detox and maybe attend meetings on Friday nites somewhere. Yah, but on the up side I'd probably run into Ckreef there so it's a possibility.  Nah, think I'll stay pat with the cards I got and watch the other fire burn but, please do enjoy and have a good time....I really like that Solo Stove.

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15 hours ago, Syzygies said:

I find that a small quantity of wood burns down to nearly nothing too fast. If I step away, I miss the sweet spot for best cooking. Even then, with patience one can cook anything.

Agreed, the mushrooms cooked well but I eventually lost the sweet spot and patience and ended up finishing the fish in the oven when I cooked over fire with no coals.  Just a very small amount of briquette/coal goes a long way and there is certainly not as much heat generated as when a wood fire is in full flow in the stove.

12 hours ago, Tyrus said:

At the moment the Santa Maria fills my fire appetite quite well

The solo stove is just great for sitting around and chatting late into the night.  You know you want, need one!

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