How long does a fire in a cookstove last?
That depends on the stove you buy. The bigger cookstoves that we sell, IE Kitchen Queen or Pioneer Maid, will hold a fire over night and much longer. It depends on how much wood you put in it, and how far you shut the damper down. Average burning times are probably going to be about 4-8 hours depending on your home, and how toasty you like it. If your doing alot of cooking and baking and you need really hot temperatures, you will probably need to stoke your fire every 2-4 hours depending on the type of wood used. At any rate, all of the cookstoves that we sell will hold a fire overnight.

How hard is it to cook on a cookstove?
Very easy. It only takes a few times of using a cookstove to get the hang of it. Right over the firebox is always the hottest spot on the stove. Fireboxes are generally located on the left side of the stove. So the farther to the right you slide a pan, the cooler the temperature will be.

How hard is it to bake in a cookstove?
You will probably burn the first thing you cook in it if you have never used one before. However, they are very easy to use once you figure out how they work. Because the firebox is on the left side of the oven, naturally that side will be a little bit hotter. If your baking cookies or something, just rotate the pan half way through baking. Most things just need to be turned in the oven every so often. Please be careful when you open the oven door, its not a vented oven so any steam the builds up while cooking will escape.

Do people actually use these things to cook on???
Believe it or not yes. Cookstoves are becoming increasingly popular.

Do they have to be vented a certain way?
Yes, as with any wood burning appliance cookstoves need to be vented using approved chimney pipe. They can be vented into a masonry fireplace as long as you have a liner system in the required diameter.

Can I put this right next to my wall?
No. Cookstoves generate alot of heat, and as a result need adequate spacing. With the proper heat shields you can reduce clearances. Please check the specific stove for information on clearances.