…and not gas or electric?

Here at Maine Wood Heat Co., we were recently asked “What’s the difference between using a Le Panyol wood fired oven and a gas or electric oven?” It’s a valid question, we’d like to share our thoughts and welcome yours.

The Art of Artisan Baking…

For us, having and using a wood fired oven can be a way of life. The intimate relationship between the cook and the oven is vital. This is clearly recognized once one has tasted succulent food from a hearth heated with wood.

The alluring aroma, the flavor wood imparts to the food, the incandescent fire, and the warmth, are all elements that truly distinguish wood fired cooking as an art. Much like a painter’s brush, a wood fired oven provides a cook with the tool to develop unique qualities, ideas, and imagination, in every meal prepared.

Peace of Mind…

The Le Panyol wood fired oven core, made from 100% organic Terra Blanche (white earth), has unique characteristics unlike all other wood fired oven core kits available. As opposed to other commonly used oven materials – concrete, dense firebrick, terra cotta – Terra Blanche comes straight from the earth, completely unrefined.

Cooking directly on the 100% organic hearth tiles offers complete peace of mind. Feel confident knowing that what goes into your oven, is as pure when it comes out.

Reduce, Recycle & Renew…

The unique insulating properties of the fired clay tiles used in Le Panyol ovens radiate heat quickly, and hold heat for longer periods of time. Terra Blanche is perfectly proportioned for balancing the stored and radiant energy of a fire.

Since less fuel is needed to reach higher temperatures, Le Panyol ovens dramatically reduce wood consumption, resulting in a heat source that is clean-burning, renewable, and conducive to greener living.

Our Answer…

Terra Blanche ovens come online in 45 minutes, 4 times faster than a firebrick oven. Pizzas cook in a wood fired oven in 2-3 minutes. Unlike the drying atmosphere of a low mass gas or electric oven, the moisture and succulent juices inside of any food are sealed in and preserved in a Le Panyol oven.

Wood fired cooking is a lifestyle that we’ve chosen and enjoy sharing with our friends, family and community.