Submitted by Erin Rasmussen on
Ray Menke
My wife and I made a short video showing how we make Pita Bread using a version of this stove design. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOuoE2KAbQI
Since I built the stove using the brightly colored helium balloon bottle for the outside cylinder it has gotten lots of use, and the colors have faded away. The interior and chimney have been replaced many times using my collection of coffee cans, grapefruit juice cans, and used stove pipe. The stainless steel kitchen pot cover has held up very well, and is still original, as well as the 2" steel pipe providing the primary air. As shown in the video, I have added a bit of forced air when I need more firepower. I mounted a 12 volt cpu fan from a junked computer (I think it was an old 386) in the bottom of an olive can, and used some heavy cardboard and some tape to make a funnel for the other end..which I stick into the primary air pipe.
(The same fan assembly can be used with my other stoves.) For normal water heating or cooking, the fan is not used, but making
32 pita breads requires over 90 minutes of controlled high level heat.
There is no smoke!
Correction: At 37 seconds, I refer to TLUD as top loaded up draft...Should be TOP LIT UP DRAFT. (The fuel is lit on top and burns downward.)
Showing the process of cooking Pita Bread on an Anderson TLUD Woodgas stove using two cast iron skillets. The fuel used was slices of mesquite bark (and wood) plus some larger chunks for maintaining the fire. The fire ran for well over 90 minutes without reloading. Thin strips of cardboard and folded junk mail were sprinkled with a few drops of alcohol to start the stove, and then both pans were pre-heated to the point where the Canola oil began to smoke (about 450 degrees F). During that 90 minute interval, small chunks of wood were used to maintain the fire. If the pans are not hot enough, the Pita Bread with not make a pocket. The steam trapped between the upper and lower surface cause the pocket to form. A burnt spot, or a hole will allow the steam to escape, and then you have a pizza crust!
It took me many attempts to get these pockets to form every time!
I have a two page .pdf document with the recipe and more details about the cooking process that can be downloaded from: http://woodworks-by-donna.com/Pita_Recipe.pdf
Correction: The fan is from a junked 386 computer CPU (I think?) It is not from a laptop computer. It runs on 12 volts. For normal use of the Anderson stove, the fan is not used, but the Pita Breads need a hotter fire.
Correction: At 37 seconds, I refer to TLUD as top loaded up draft...Should be TOP LIT UP DRAFT. (The fuel is lit on top and burns downward.)
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Erin Rasmussen replied on Permalink
TLUD - Top Lit Updraught
Erin Rasmussen replied on Permalink
Thanks for the comments.
Erin Rasmussen replied on Permalink
You have substantial practical experience with TLUD gasifier sto