It’s shocking slow, but the range will cook the spuds eventually. Any other culchies using one to cut costs?

30 comments
  1. We had a solid fuel one of those growing up in the 80’s. The house had no central heating but the range would heat the water. Was great for heating the kitchen/ diner and used the top plates for soups and stews. Was able to do scones in the wee oven bit.

  2. Jesus, this gave me a fair bang of nostalgia. Living in Canada a good few years now and this brings me right back to my Nanny’s living room.

  3. my uncle is a cabinet-maker, last one for about 20miles and probably the youngest for 50miles, he has so many offcuts he still a range man, cosy house too

  4. I havent seen that kettle since 2002 when my parents moved house. We’d the same range too. You needed a science degree to turn the thing between heading the rads and heating the oven. It kept the place savage warm though. We were lucky to have it. You’re lucky OP.

  5. My partner and i are about to buy an old stanley solid fuel range .i used one for years in my old house great bits of kit if youve access to cheap /free fuel and weve inherited 10 acres of forestry that needs thinning so our heating and cooking costs are about to shrink dramatically and the dry heat in the oven makes for better baking and roasting .

    Sure theres an art to cooking on a range but once youve cracked it its no bother and youre doing something wrong or the range is faulty if you cant get the top hot enough to fry food .

  6. Same. Using it for eating, water and rads. Don’t use the cooker and only use oil for 10 minutes to boost the heat in the rads as the stove starts (we find this heats the house faster at the start). We got the stove with the house we bought a few years back. A few months back I cleaned the stove cavities from soot and now it is a ragging heat monster…. Love it!

  7. I have the same range in white with the same kettle too, put in a backboiler so we can heat rads while the fire is lit too because firewood only costs the fuel of the chainsaw and diesel for the van to get it home.

  8. My parents have a Stanley too! Though it’s a little bit different that your one.

    Funnily enough, I’ve never seen anyone else with one before.

  9. If only having a few spuds put a metal round accordian colander/ steamer inside your saucepan, only part-fill the saucepan with water. Because they cook faster in the higher steam temp than they do in the lower boiling temp.

    But might not work for a very large number of spuds that need a very large pot & steamer too expanded near the water line so no path for the steam to rise up the sides, only bottom spuds getting steamed, & too many spuds means some spuds being insulated from the steam by all the other spuds that surround them.

    But give it a go for a small family with only a small number of spuds.

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