when we built our new house we were determined to refine our wood heating and cooking with more efficient equipment. we went old school, we went new school. after getting a whooping $26,000 estimate for the Tulikivi masonry heater we wanted, we started looking for alternatives. a friend turned us on to the Tigchelkachel, a extremely efficient assemble-yourself masonry heater with optional cook oven (or hot water bladder that connects to the homes hot water plumbing or in-floor radiant heat). then in a stroke of amazing luck we found the Tulikivi of our dreams for sale, used, salvaged from a Keenebunkport Maine remodel. sold!
the cooking methods for each heater are quite different. the Tigchelkachel's oven is a fully enclosed cast iron box with a door mounted inside the heater. it is separate from the wood burn chamber. shortly after the firing cycle the oven is @500-600'F and then slowly cools off as the hours pass. surprisingly i'll put a whole chicken in there shortly after firing. i can't explain why but cooking a chicken at wicked high temperature works great! the pot winds up with less broth than when you oven roast, so the meat stays very moist and the bird basically falls apart. amazing. same with roasts, etc

fresh sausages drying with the Tulikivi cooktop in the background.

my beloved LaCanche vs wood heat?