Alaskan Cookies (Kotzebue, Metlakatla, Point Hope: food, oil, kitchen)

[roadfamily6now]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

hahaha...there are two slots running on each side of the bottom pan, in my oven that open flames can be seen through these an if grease or things run over it will flame up and yes it is suppose to be this way! again I will photograph next time I use it...an I don't need a repair man! hahahaha I purposely bought this style oven by the way as it is also a convection gas!

I tried to rep ya but I'm all out for the day.
I have a Gas over too. Just 1 year old. It's perfectly fine and I agree with you.

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by roadfamily6now

I tried to rep ya but I'm all out for the day.
I have a Gas over too. Just 1 year old. It's perfectly fine and I agree with you.

love it! don't know how anyone cooks on those dang electric contraptions!

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by smokeyta

SD that oven would have to have an open flame (ovens do not have open flames in the actual cooking area of the stove) and even then would need to reach a temp around 550*F to 600*F in order to ignite the fat.

National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED) | Welcome

SD has a point. Whale oil has a slightly different chemical makeup than the oils used in the tests here. A little more benzine, I believe. That's why it worked so well in lamps in the stone age.

Whale oil can have a flash point lower than the temps needed to bake cookies.

I've heard that things cooked in seal fat are pretty tasty though.

[roadfamily6now]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

love it! don't know how anyone cooks on those dang electric contraptions!

And after living in Delta with frequent power outages and at times living in cabins with no power at all, we have learned that gas is much better then electric.

[smokeyta]

I cannot find any info on the subject of flash point for whale fat, so I have to take your word for it. But as for the oven there are slots in it, but you should never see the flames comming into the cooking area. If there is the flame is adjusted to high. I know I have had to adjust this on gas ovens before.

[bethmarywhite]

Originally Posted by roadfamily6now

And after living in Delta with frequent power outages and at times living in cabins with no power at all, we have learned that gas is much better then electric.

Same here in RI. We've never had an electric stove here for the exact same reason (and the fact that it doesn't regulate heat well)

[bethmarywhite]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I've made pie crust with black bear grease instead of lard...Cliff Hudson let me look through some old journals one of his ancestors wrote when they moved to the upper Susitna back in the 1800's some time and the recipe was in there.

Wow. Cliff Hudson was also mentioned in Peter Jenkins' book (hate to keep bringing that up again, but I've been recognizing the names). He just died last year, I heard, when I googled it to make sure I remembered the name right.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by bethmarywhite

Wow. Cliff Hudson was also mentioned in Peter Jenkins' book (hate to keep bringing that up again, but I've been recognizing the names). He just died last year, I heard, when I googled it to make sure I remembered the name right.

He did. Last spring if I recall. His son Jay was a neighbor/friend of mine (Jay died over a year ago of cancer).

[Metlakatla]

And..I don't know how whale fat would perform in cookie dough etc., but it wouldn't stir fry worth a damn I'm sure.

[SityData]

One time, many years ago. We ran out of fuel for our small house in Point Hope but we did have a wood stove.

All I could find for wood was soaking wet - saturated wet.

We loaded up the woodstove with that wet wood. (we had no other choice.)

We put in one piece of sicpan (seal blubber). We lit the paper and the flames began to melt the blubber and it coated the wood and began to burn.

every half hour or so - we would put in another small piece of sicpan. About he size of a milky way bar.

It is very easy to tell if you have added too much. The stove pipes (exhaust) will turn cherry red. TOO HOT!!

Aside from the stink of that stuff. that house was toasty warm. It was 3 days before that wood actually dried out and caught fire and was gone .

By then, we had rounded up a good stash of wood with help from friends as I had no honda or showmachine (1982).

The fumes from blubber (whale or seal) are just like fumes from gasoline but not quite as via tole I know I didn't spell that word right.

Anyway - thanks for your input !! (Met)!! I sure appreciate your positive comment!!