How Do Wood Stove Double Boilers Work?
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What is a Wood Stove Double Boiler?
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Wood stove double boilers are a form of cooking utensil utilized when a low, gentle heat is a must. Though modern double boilers are more effective on electric stoves thanks to a greater capacity for heat control, traditional wood stove double boilers are still available for sale by select businesses or can even be improvised if you have the right materials.
Design and Use
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A double boiler is designed as two saucepans, one made to fit inside the other. They can be made from bronze, copper, Pyrex and modern steel, but the sudden fluctuations in temperature caused by the fire of a wood-burning stove means that cast iron, with its tendency to absorb heat slowly and capacity to withstand punishment, is the only material for wood stove-specific double boilers. To use them, stoke the fire and place the larger of the two pans on the burner. Half fill with water and bring to a low boil. Then place the smaller saucepan in the boiling water. If you're making a chocolate sauce, hollandaise, béarnaise, cream sauce, soap or even candles, this low conductive heat is essential to avoid curdling or burning.
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Dangers
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Even if you've used a double boiler all your life, there's still a certain amount of danger involved; doubly so on a wood stove. Because one of the saucepans is directly against the burner while the other is not, the larger of the two saucepans will expand in accordance with the laws of thermodynamics at a faster rate than the other. This means that the top saucepan may fall further into the bottom pan. Once both are removed from the heat and cool, the bottom pan will contract and seal itself against the top pan. In extreme cases, the bottom pan may even split open as it does so. Also, when using a wood stove double boiler, the relative sizes of the two pans are extremely important. A bottom pan that is much larger may allow boiling water to spill out onto the burner and drip down into the fire of the stove. This will cause a tremendous amount of smoke. Conversely, a bottom pan that hugs the top pan too tightly will form an air-tight seal. As the water it contains begins to boil, there will be no room for the expanding water vapor it creates. The pressure will build until the top pan is fired out of the bottom pan; this is both a fire hazard and likely to cause serious burns to anyone struck by the contents of either pan.
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