Why you should be cooking wood-fired food

With the growing popularity of wood-fired kitchens throughout the country, we wanted to look at why there has been a resurgence in this primitive cooking method and why you should be utilising wood-fired cooking at home.

Not something for the inpatient chef, wood-fired cooking requires love and attention but can result in some fantastic food and a rewarding cooking experience.

A person cooks assorted meats and vegetables over a wood-fired grill — Perfect for summer, wood-fired BBQ’s are sure to be a hit with guests

One of the first advantages, and the reason why it has become common to see more kitchens cooking over wood, is the enhanced flavour it can provide. As the wood burns, the smoke produced adds undeniable flavour into your dishes. The impact the smoke will have on your food will vary based on the variety of wood and can elevate any dish without the need for additional seasoning or preparation.

One benefit to cooking over wood is the slow-paced, deliberate style of cooking required. Not something that can be done on a complete whim, wood-fired cooking requires some planning, time spent nurturing your fire and food preparation. This slower-paced style can lead to more love for your cooking, and imparts a greater sense of connection with your food.

Be careful not to cook your food over the roaring flames produced when your first light your fire. This will lead to the cremation of your lunch and will not make for a tasty meal. This style of cooking requires patience.

On the contrary to the above, once you have invested the time into building your embers, the actual cooking of food over wood can be extremely fast and easy. This means you can serve up large amounts of food, fast. Perfect for a summer afternoon when you have to provide for a whole party of guests. Your food will retain more nutrients too, making wood-fired cooking a great healthy option.

Finally, the point we most enjoy about cooking over wood, is that it’s fun. There’s something great about using a natural fuel and nurturing your fire to cook your dinner on. Maybe it’s a primal instinct but being the fire master at a BBQ and serving up delicious food for your guests is a fun and rewarding experience.

Wildwood stacked kiln-dried logs ready to be used for a fire or BBQ. — Wilwood provides high-quality, kiln-dried logs, perfect for cooking with

At Wildwood we provide all of the logs you would need for your wood-fired cooking adventures. A selection of kiln-dried hardwood is available from our store. For more information on our products contact us or call 0300 303 4963.