Oven Notes

Jim Budros on insulation and how long it takes a Renato Oven to heat up

From: Jim Buckley [mailto:buckley@rumford.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 12:09 PM
To: Budros, Jim
Subject: Ovens

Jim,

So, how do you like your Renato oven? We have redesigned our ovens which you can see (still working on the Instructions) at http://www.rumford.com/oven/index.htm I'd be happy to have your evaluation of the Renato and your advice about what we should improve and how we should market our ovens. Have you written an oven cookbook yet?

We made a short trip to Columbus to attend the wedding of a friend's daughter. Your rib joint catered the wedding party and we made it up to have a second go at the ribs the next day we liked them so much.

Best,
Jim Buckley

Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2001
Thread-Topic: Ovens
From: "Budros, Jim"
To: "Jim Buckley"

Jim, Thx for the email. I love the Renato, but there are some unexpected issues. I got the smallest oven and the cooking area is relatively small (less than 2 sq. ft.) when I have a fire inside. I would probably have gotten the next biggest. The oven and all of the surrounding refractory material is such a heat sink that it takes a full 8 to 10 hours to "fill" the material with heat and to develop enuf sustainable heat (600 degrees) to do pizzas the way I want to do them. Some kind of passive heat device such as an electric burner would be helpful to get the oven "going" such as in the night before the day I want to cook. Anyway, I'm really happy to be cookin' with real wood, not only in the oven, but in my Rumford with the clock jack and the pot crane. Let's keep talking. thx jim

August 22, 2001

Thanks for the reply, Jim. I've gotten several email questions about your Rumford and oven. If they contact you too, and it gets to be too much, let me know and I'll make you more anonymous.

I appreciate the feedback on the oven. Do you recall how much - if any - insulation separated the oven walls from the fireplace? In our oven we're thinking the oven walls should be about 4" thick and then insulated with several inches of lightweight insulating refractory. I should think an oven should get to full temperature in less than two hours.

How about that oven cookbook? Are you interested in writing one?

Best,
Jim Buckley

August 23, 2001

Jim. I'm happy to give anyone, even your friends, my 2cents worth about my Rumford and oven. The Renato insulation walls are atleast 4" and probably more. the "igloo" itself is encased in the refractory material and all is in a steel box that surrounds bottom and sides, but not the top. The insulation looks like porous lava rocks. Are the "lava rocks" what you refer to as lightweight insulating refractory?. My entire oven unit weighs 3000 pounds!! It DOES take 8 hours of substantial fire to get to full temp. I don't think I have a cookbook in me, but I'll think about it. thx jim

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