Chamber stove

[Franci]

That's what I found in my new apartment.

I was told it was going to be restored but I guess it was too expensive and the landlady doesn't want to do it. I'll ask. It is a bit rusted and the handle for the well looks broken.

My last stove was induction and it feels like a challenge to me to go back to a gas oven after so many years I have not used one.

Any suggestions on how to polish this stove and tips on how to use it at its best are really welcome.

[annabelle]

You'll get used to a gas stove again in no time, Franci. I found them to be very helpful when my children were small since I could turn the flame off and not worry about moving the pan so it wouldn't scorch from the residual heat. You should be able to clean it with a mild abrasive like Bon Ami cleanser.

Have you moved to an English speaking country or is that just a British or American stove?

Where's Andie? She is always a great help with these things. Best of luck!

[patrickamory]

That is a work of art. Gorgeous!

Like annabelle I prefer a gas stove. I like being able to judge the heat by looking.

It does look like it needs a bit of work.

[Plantes Vertes]

You can clean it with a 3:1 paste of baking soda and water. Put it on and leave it for 15mins, then clean it off with a damp cloth and some elbow grease.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[annabelle]

This stove appears to be enameled. (You are very lucky to have all the handles!) A product called "Glass Wax" used to be sold in America that was specifically made for polishing these kinds of appliances and, as the name implies, glass. It is no longer sold but there may be a similar product. It was a liquid that you spread over the surface and allowed to air dry and then buffed away with a clean towel. It was fantastic for cleaning up splatters and fingerprints from "little helpers".

The interior of the oven can be clean by leaving a shallow glass pan of rubbing alcohol inside it over night. You don't need much, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Close the door and forget about it until morning. This work on drip pans, too. A few balls of cotton wool soaked in rubbing alcohol and sealed in a zip-lock bag with a drip pan overnight and they will clean right up.

[sigma]

http://www.chamberstoves.net/Features.html

Apparently there is a fan site.

[annabelle]

Whoa, sigma. I want one of these now.

[Franci]

Thanks!

Annabelle, I was too busy today and didn't come to check my messages until now...I cleaned the oven with an heavy duty oven product. It was so, so dirty that I cannot imagine cleaning it with just vinegar, maybe it hasn't been washed in years.

I'll look for the product to clean enameled, although part of the rings are rusted a bit.

Sigma, thanks for the link, I think I should check that out also to see if I can get the well to work. For what I understood it works almost like a slow cooker...you turn it on for short and the residual heat cooks at low temperature.

I think I also need a diffuser, the three burners are exactly of the same size, I was hoping for a bigger flame and a tiny one. I need to buy an emergency pan to try it out until all my kitchen stuff coms from Europe.

[gfweb]

Where do you live now?

[Franci]

Brooklyn

[gfweb]

Hey,how you doin?

[Mottmott]

If it's like the old Chambers I had in the 70's - and it looks pretty much like it, it's super insulated. You will be able to do some of your roasting with the gas off at the end of the process. Experiment with a thermometer to become acquainted with its capabilities. Prime rib is too expensive to play with anymore.

[Franci]

Mottmott, I've not used the oven yet but so far I LOVE this stove. It gets really hot, much more then my last induction cook top. Maybe I'll have to get a tamer if I want to braise at low temperature. Love the broiler as well. Hopefully I can get the well working.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Franci (log)

[annabelle]

I'm glad it's working out for you Franci. It really sounds like a great find.

Can you get any old owners manuals for it? I'll bet you can get them from someone here or that fan site that sigma linked.

[Smithy]

That does look like a great stove/oven, the type that can trigger serious Appliance Envy. I hope you find the oven to be as wonderful as the stove, once you make friends with it.

[Porthos]

A product called "Glass Wax" used to be sold in America that was specifically made for polishing these kinds of appliances and, as the name implies, glass.

Jubilee?

[Franci]

Smithy, believe it or not, I only got to try the oven a couple days ago...it took me a long time to roast some potatoes and eventually resorted to the broiler for some browning. But I've been so busy with buying, assembling furniture, and other issues related to moving that I've not had the time to go to that the Chambers forum for tips.

[HungryC]

Chambers stoves are beloved for their ability to retain heat....but this translates to a long preheat. You might need to adjust your ideas about preheating times.

[annabelle]

Franci, I was at Lowe's home improvement store today and found a product that is similar to the Glass Wax I mentioned upthread. It is called Cerama Bryte and is made for cleaning and polishing ceramic appliances. I haven't used it yet, but it looks promising.

[Franci]

Thank you, Annabelle. I'll definitely get that next time at Lowe's.

HungryC, I guess you are 100% right. I still have not received my stuff and didn't even take a thermometer with me. I'll start checking temperatures as soon as my kitchen tools arrive.

[dcarch]

What a beauty!

Based on the look of the gas jets' design, I can tell the heating will be very even. I suppose it has pilot lights?

Turn on each burner and see if you get all blue fire from each burner. If the flame is yellow, the gas jet/air intake will need to be adjusted.

dcarch

BTW, Welcome to Brooklyn. I was visiting friends in Brooklyn yesterday.

Edited September 24, 2013 by dcarch (log)

[Franci]

Thanks for the welcome, dcarch!

I just checked, all blue fire, also from broiler and oven!

Yes, the stove has a pilot light, you can see in the first picture there is a small ring in between burners and well. Funny, how on this time of technology, I'm really liking this stove.

[rotuts]

the more I think about this stove the more interesting it seems to me. shame these did not catch on more.

re Preheat: if it just has insulation to retain heat, it should not need more time to preheat, would need less. if it retains heat by some sort of thermal mass heating up, then that would be true.

looking forward to your evaluation.

hope you have those three triangular 'pots' for the three veg!

[annabelle]

I'm having serious stove envy, Franci.

When I was first married, we lived in a house that had a gas stove that is still one of my favorites, although I don't recall the brand. I had to light the gas in the oven with a match and it was the most even heating oven I have ever had. They built things to last back in the old days.