Retained Heat Oven- Food is cooked directly from the heat stored in the thermal mass of the oven materials. The advantage of a retained heat oven is its classic shape and the 'convection'-like heat radiation that cooks the food from all directions, including the brick oven floor. There really is nothing like the taste of food cooked in a retained heat oven.
Horno de Tambor/Drum Oven- An oven that uses a metal drum for the baking chamber with metal brackets inside to support the oven racks. A door is cut into the end of the drum for access to the inside. The firebox is directly underneath the drum and is fed from the outside, providing a continuous heat source for cooking. The advantage of a drum style oven is that it is not dependent on absorbing the heat into its mass through a firing process and can be run continuously for as long as is needed. Therefore it is good for large groups and gatherings where larger quantities of food are necessary.
An easy way of incorporating a natural look into your home is by cobbing or earthen plastering over an existing fireplace facade. Adding a new mantle in the process tops off the design and adds another element from the outside. For new construction, the addition of a Rumford fireplace may be the ideal choice.
Rumford fireplaces add a romantic and timeless heat source to indoor and outdoor environments, creating a beautiful focal point to any space. The Rumford design is unique in that the firebox is tall and shallow, which radiates heat into the room. Above the firebox, the smoke shelf and combustion chamber keep hot gasses combusting, creating a cleaner, less polluting exhaust.
The outdoor use of a Rumford fireplace creates another 'living space' as an extension of home into nature and also provides opportunities for being outside longer in the Fall, and earlier in the Spring. A patio with a Rumford, cob benches, an earthen oven, and courtyard walls creates the ultimate 'outdoor living room'!
