GOLDEN EMBERS WOOD FIRED OVENS

• During the first two days of operation it is important that the fire temperature be raised gradually so that all moisture can disperse from the oven walls without forming super heated steam. We recommend a rise of no more than 50^oC per hour.
•  When lighting the fire at the start of the day use 5 - 7 logs depending on their size. It is safe to use low odour firelighters or a gas poker to start the fire; alternatively you can use the traditional kindling method. If you use newspaper or resinous timbers, such as pine, for kindling then it may be necessary to clean the flue more regularly.
• You can either start the fire in its normal position at the side of the oven or you may prefer to start the fire in the centre of the oven floor and then move the coals and burning logs into position once the oven temperature has been reached. We have been unable to determine any specific advantage to either of these methods and so they remain an issue of personal preference, although the general heat dispersion achieved by lighting the fire in the centre of the oven would seem, in theory, to result in the most rapid heating cycle.
• The oven should reach operating temperature after approximately 30 to 40 minutes. (Except during the first week or so of operation when excess moisture needs to be driven from the cooking chamber and the residual heat levels need to be built up in the sub base heat bank).

• The best fire position during operation is hard to one side of the oven.
• A fire at the back may be more visible to the clientele, but loses much of the convection heat properties as the flames wrap around the chamber roof towards the tunnel and flue. A side fire results in optimum convection as the flames wrap from side to side across the oven chamber roof. In addition, adding wood to a rear fire will inevitable result in debris dropping onto the cooking floor (and food in the oven) as the wood passes across the entire oven from front to back.
• The fire should take up as little floor area as possible. Some operators use a simple metal or brick form to hold the fire in place
• .It is very important to always have a good strong flame so as to ensure the cooking chamber temperature is properly maintained and the top of the pizzas are toasted. This will prevent the bases from burning before the top is cooked through. A single flaming log is usually adequate in the small oven and one or two in the large oven. Never cook with just coals!.
• Whenever the flame starts dying or the temperature starts to drop, put a new log onto the fire. Do not wait until the flames are completely out as this will mean that the new log will smoulder at first, absorbing heat and emitting smoke, rather than bursting into strong flame.
• Should you need to re-ignite your fire during the course of the day, paraffin firelighters may be used. Do NOT COOK ANYTHING in the oven till after the paraffin block is totally burnt out as this will result in the paraffin fumes impregnating the food. Alternatively, induce a flame by casting a handful of semolina flour or other combustible onto the glowing coals.
• At the end of the day spread the coals over the cooking floor. This will burn off any residual food material and cleans and sterilises the floor. (See the section on cleaning the oven).
• At night, seal the oven mouth using the door or aluminium foil to maximise heat retention until the next light up time.

• It is very important to always monitor the temperature of your oven floor in relation to the rest of the oven.
• Should you find the floor is too hot and tends to burn the underside of your pizza base before the top is toasted, or the dough is cooked through, mop the floor with clean water to reduce the floor temperature. Use a standard 'hairy' mop dipped in a bucket and then wrung out so as not to throw excessive amounts of water onto the oven floor.
• Do not put cold water on the tiles as the thermal shock may crack them.
• Also do not dump cold water or a cold wet mop on the granite mantle as this will result in cracking of the mantle

• If the oven temperature becomes to high simply use less wood, conversely add more wood if it drops too low. 
• Applying a damp mop to the floor will result in a rapid fall in the air temperature as the water vaporises and absorbs heat.
• The oven is at the correct temperature when all soot has been burned off the surface of the dome and the entire inside of the dome is white.

• Every Golden Embers pizza oven has been designed to require minimal care and maintenance.
• For optimum performance observe the following basic "rules":
  1. Never throw cold water onto the oven floor or walls whilst hot.
  2. Ensure that your smoke extraction system is kept clean and fully operational.
  3. A small fire with a good flame is better than a large fire with many coals or many coals and a small flame.
  4. Periodically check  flues to ensure  there is no build up of grease, soot or foreign matter that could catch fire.
• Exercise the normal level of care and respect that you would afford any other kitchen appliance.
• Avoid unnecessary impact with the interior oven walls and do not use sharp objects on the floor or walls of the chamber.If roasting or grilling meats or similar items in the oven always do so over a drip tray.
• Because many of these types of foods are cooked at lower temperatures, the fats which they give off will not be vaporised, but will be absorbed into the floor bricks and will ultimately carbonise and turn black.
• Although this is not really dirty, (carbon is harmless and clean) it can look unsightly and patrons may feel the oven floor is dirty
• If you ever notice any cavities between the oven floor and walls, or any cracks in the oven walls, you should contact the supplier immediately. Heat "leaking" through these openings will reduce the efficiency of the oven and will cause further stresses on the structure of the oven.
• The supplier will normally be able to seal most such fissures very easily.
• Always ensure that the bricks which make up the floor of the oven are level and replace any damaged, cracked or warped bricks immediately.

• One of the benefits of using a Golden Embers wood fired oven is the minimal effort required to keep it clean.
• The best method of keeping the oven floor clean is as follows:
  1. Once you have baked your last pizza of the day, spread the remaining coals evenly over the entire floor area, ensuring that as much of the floor as possible is covered in hot coals
  2. This will "burn" any residual matter from the floor overnight and will leave the floor clean and sterilised.
  3. Prior to lighting the new fire use a hearth broom to sweep the ash out of the oven and dispose of it safely.
  4. Mop the floor with clean water, using a natural type cotton mop that is very well wrung out
  5. .Do not use any detergent/soap when cleaning the inside of the oven as any residue may impregnate the pizzas.
• The interior walls of the oven dome should be kept clean by the natural action of the fire.
• If they do not appear to be clean, and the entire dome does not become white during cooking,  the fire is not hot enough.
• If you normally run your oven at low temperatures it may be necessary to occasionally run a blazing fire to purge the dome.
• During operation:
  1. Use the poker, fire shovel or fire tool to push any coals to the side.
  2. Sweep the ash to the side or back using the bristle broom. 
• You can get bras or steel bristled brooms, however, these are not recommended as they can ‘pull’ the grout from between the floor tiles and any bristles which come loose can be picked up in a pizza and cause injury to your patrons or diners.
• For that reason we recommend bristle, coir or other natural fibre brushes, as any stray bristles will burn away.
• The outside of the oven should be cleaned in accordance to the manufacturers recommendations dependant on which material you have chosen for the outer casing.
• In general periodic dusting or vacuuming will suffice.
• It is equally important to ensure that the pizza making tools are kept clean and sterile. These should be treated no differently to any other kitchen utensil and should be kept hygienically clean at all times.

• Your Golden Embers wood fired oven may be used to cook bake and grill almost anything.
• The unique design of the oven chamber results in a unique combination of grilling, baking infra red and convection type heat being created simultaneously.
• When baking a pizza you may use either pre-baked pizza bases or raw dough.
• Raw dough is always preferable for taste and tradition whereas pre-baked bases are preferred for speed and convenience.
• Depending on the dough recipe and the quality of flour being used it is often desirable to par-bake your pizza bases. This removes the possibility of the base ever having raw dough in its centre, which often happens whey your oven temperature is either too high or too low, or the temperature balance between the floor and the chamber is not correct.
• For purposes of efficient stock control, speedier customer service and quality control may operators have chosen par baked bases (done in house or bought in)
• A par baked pizza base will have a fridge life of 2 - 3 days and a freezer life of several weeks.
• Several pizzas may be baked simultaneously in the Golden Embers pizza oven.
• Although Golden Embers Ovens have amongst the most even heat distribution characteristics available, heat still tends to be concentrated in he vicinity of the fire, so you should use the supplied pizza paddle to rotate the bases and ensure even baking.
• Alternatively you can fit the optional separator (or fire guard) which effectively separates the fire from the cooking area eliminating direct infra red exposure to the pizzas and thus minimising (or even eliminating) the need to rotate the pizzas during the baking process.
• To rotate a pizza simply insert the pizza paddle under the corner of the pizza, twist the paddle so as to lift the pizza onto it’s opposite edge and using a gentle push/turning action rotate the pizza on the oven floor as if it were a wheel. With a little practice you will soon be an expert.
• To avoid waste whilst you practice it is suggested you practice in an unlit oven with several pre-baked pizza bases until you are satisfied with your level of competence. The more competent you become with the pizza paddle the more pizzas you will be able to cook at any one time. For example, in thePZ10 oven a novice will easily manage 3 10 inch pizzas, a partially competent paddle user will manage 4 or 5 10 inch pizzas and someone very competent with the pizza paddle will easily cope with 6 or even 7 10 inch pizzas in the oven at once.

NOTE: This information is an extract from the book "COOKING WITH FIRE AND GOLDEN EMBERS" which is supplied with each Golden Embers oven purchased. All concepts and material are protected by international copyright law and may not be reproduced, transmitted or used in any manner without the written consent and authorisation of the Copyright holder. Publication here is for the purpose of aiding in sales decision making and does not rescind or relinquish any of those rights. Infringements will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law

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