Eating outside is one of the delights you can enjoy at home if you have a patio, decking, or some other form of outdoor area in your garden. However, there’s always the problem of getting the dishes from indoors, where they have been cooked, to outdoors, where they will be eaten. A chiminea or a firepit will solve many of these problems, as both the cooking and the eating can take place outside, reducing the chance of spillages, or of hot food going cold.
Here Lumberjacks, who supply high-quality firepits and chimineas from their base in Ipswich, explain how both types of devices work, the different methods of cooking with each, and how we can meet all your needs if you decide to invest in one or the other.
Chimineas
Chimineas are almost like an outdoor oven, typically with a round body and a vertical smoke vent or chimney (the word comes from the French word for chimney, cheminee). You can use it in one of two ways:
- Cooking Inside. Some foods, such as fish and sweet potatoes, may need to be wrapped in tin foil first, which makes it more difficult to know when it’s done. However, provided you have some tools to get the food out, this isn’t an insurmountable problem. Pizzas are a chiminea favourite, although you will need a grill and a pizza stone. Alternatively, you can skewer meat or marshmallows, making sure you turn them regularly.
- Cooking On Top. You can also cook items in a pot on top of your chimenea such as stews and casseroles – but remember don’t put it directly on top. This is because you still need the smoke to escape, so use some sort of grill or trivet.
Firepits
The most basic early examples of firepits were just holes in the ground, but these days they are more likely to be rather more elaborate, free-standing structures made from stone, brick or metal.
Because firepits are entirely open, if you want to cook anything with them you are generally looking at items which can be grilled, skewered or spit roasted such as sausages, small cuts of meat and marshmallows.
However, if you have a hanging grill you can increase your repertoire of recipes. Stews and curries can both be made in this way; you can also reheat pre-made dishes. Using a hanging grill is also a much safer and more reliable method than putting a grill directly on top of the pit.
Safety First
Both types of devices should be perfectly safe to use, as long as you follow a few safety precautions.
- Make sure children don’t get too close and are aware of the dangers
- Place both devices on a flat, level surface; heat pads are also a good idea
- Don’t set them up in spots near or on anything wooden or flammable such as decking, garden sheds or overhanging tree branches
- Don’t ever use petrol to start the fire; use kindling to start it off, then build it up gradually with coal or wood
- Make sure you have a way of putting it out (such as water or sand) in case of emergencies or before you go to bed.
Chimineas and Firepits from Ipswich-based Lumberjacks
At Lumberjacks, we have now extended our ranges of firepits and chimineas for customers in Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Stowmarket and across Suffolk. We now stock the Chiminea Truro, which has a modern design and is very easy to use. It should fit into any garden design and help you cook some delicious outdoor meals – as well as take the chill off any autumn evenings.
Our Glasto fire pits are popular choices as they give off heat from all sides of the bowl, which mean they make a great centrepiece for your garden or patio, as well as cooking all your food evenly. The Glasto 75 has an overall width of 75cm, and its larger counterpart, the Glasto 100, is 100cm wide.
If you would prefer to cook using something smaller, we are also now stocking the Tintagel firepit, which has a small, free-standing bowl (30cm high by 60 cm wide) which will still provide plenty of warmth for people sitting around it during the evening.
We are also now stocking a tripod with a hanging grill which will make cooking outdoors much safer, and expand your recipe range. This model, which is particularly suitable for La Hacienda firepits, features a large 65cm grill which can be height-adjusted. It’s also an ideal centrepiece for patios and larger gardens.
We also stock a range of fuels which are ideal for helping you get your fire started, whether you have a chimenea or a firepit. These include hardwood logs and sundries, heat logs and firelighters (for more details follow this link) and smokeless coal.
For more information about our local delivery area, follow this link. Any delivery costs shown are estimates and will be confirmed when your payment is taken.
