We get a lot of customers asking us questions about cooking accessories for chimineas so we thought we’d write a blog post which lets you know the most popular ones currently available.
First of all, before we look at adding accessories it’s important to understand what you have already. Most cast iron chimineas already come with a swing out BBQ grill but if you have a clay chiminea you’ll probably need to buy a removable BBQ grill.
The next consideration is fuel. The best fuel to use for cooking is charcoal. You can buy Wyre forest charcoal which is locally made in the Wyre Forest, where charcoal making has a history spanning 5000 years. The Wyre Forest supplied the charcoal used at the beginning of the industrial revolution in the Black Country. This lump wood charcoal is made in the old traditional methods from wood in the forest. Needless to say it’s top quality and great for barbecuing with a chiminea.
There is also the added benefit that using locally produced charcoal is environmentally friendly as it hasn’t had to be transported from overseas – thus reducing it’s carbon footprint.
An increasingly popular way to start your fire is using Kindle Cone. These soy wax firelighters are environmentally friendly and are infused with all manner of good things to give them a rich aroma when burnt. For cooking we recommend the BBQ Fireligher Kindle Cones which come is boxes of 12 – six bay leaf, chilli and lemon lighters and six clove, rosemary and hickory spice bbq organic soy wax fire lighters.
The most popular accessory for cooking is the cast iron frying pan. Ours come with an extra long handle so there’s no danger of you getting too close to the burning coals of the fire. Also as cast iron retains more heat, its a very effective way of cooking all kinds of food, from meat to vegetables.
This year we have had a lot of interest from customers who want to cook pizza on their chiminea. As chimineas offer an enclosed ‘oven’ type space they are the perfect outdoor cooking tool for making pizza. To cook pizza you’ll need a traditional clay pizza stone and also a pizza spatula (which makes getting your pizza in and out of the chiminea much easier).
There are plently more chiminea cooking accessories that you can see on the website. If you are looking for a selection of accessories you can choose one of our best selling ‘chiminea accessory bundles’ – these are available for cast iron or clay chimineas.
Of course, if you have any questions about getting the most out of your chiminea just let us know!
Well after what feels like a very loooooong time we finally have the Lucio Folding Firebowl available to purchase. It was a very popular option last year when it was available due to the fact that you can fold the legs up and pop it in a bag!
Ideal for taking away with you on holidays or at the weekend to the beach, the Lucio firebowl is incredibly versatile. It comes with a BBQ grill so you can take along your sausages and enjoy a few BBQ treats with friends and family. Or simply use it as an open fire and create a romantic mood with someone special.
The firebowl has an enamel coating which can help protect it against high temperatures meaning it will stay looking its best for longer.
The Copan steel chiminea fireplace offers a low-cost option for those looking for an authentic chiminea fireplace experience, but without the expense of some of the other larger, heavier models.
These chimineas come with a wire mesh which gives you a nice open view of the fire from all angles. It comes in a flat pack as well so its far easier to transport and can be assembled very easily out of the box.
The Copan Steel Chiminea
And like all steel chimineas its big advantage over its cast iron and clay cousins is the products light weight and durability. Unlike the other two types you can move steel chimineas are lot more easily that cast iron and they are not prone to the same cracks or damage.
Always bear in mind though that you should always take care of your chiminea regardless of what it is made from, and we recommend a cover and chiminea paint to help keep it looking at its best.
February is really seeing a huge amount of new chimineas coming into stock. The Cono Steel chiminea is another daring new design from our friends at Gardeco. Standing at 125cm and with a 44cm diameter it is just slightly smaller than the ever-popular Tia Steel Chiminea. So a very good size indeed and capable of giving off a good amount of heat.
Cono Steel Chiminea with Stainless Steel Rim
We also really like the attention to detail with the stainless steel rim around the mouth adding extra character. The staff at Gardeco told us that they added the steel rim as beforehand the chiminea just “looked a little bit sad” – and the rim helps to make it look more cheerful (and stylish I must say).
There is another version of the Cono with a copper rim, but unforunately this one hasn’t arrived into stock yet. We are hoping for more news on the arrival of this one towards the end of the month, so we’ll keep you posted with updates.
In the meantime, please get in touch if you have any questions – you can reach us by email, Facebook, Twitter or by leaving a comment in the box below.
Well after what seems like far too long we are thrilled to announce that the gorgeous Ellipse clay chimineas have now landed into stock. The Ellipse Spring Green, Dark Brown and Beige are all now available to buy, with the Cranberry and Charcoal arriving later next month.
The Luscious Ellipse Dark Brown
These striking extra-large chimineas are a brave new design by Gardeco and are guaranteed to make a bold statement as an outdoor heater, or used indoors with a chim-burner. We actually think they look great used inside with the bioethanol fueled chim-burner (but that’s just our opinion).
Each Ellipse is finished with a high-shine glaze effect and they have incredibly large mouths to give you a great view of the fire.
We are sure these are going to be one of this year’s big sellers – get ‘em while they’re hot (terrible pun intended…)!
First of all, it may sound obvious but when using a chimenea always bear in mind that you are using a real fire. It is therefore very important to take a number of precautions to avoid damage to property of injury to those around you.
Remember it's a real fire!
So here are our 5 top safety tips – followed by a video on the same topic.
Do not put your chiminea anywhere near flammable materials. One common mistake is to place your chiminea directly on wooden decking. If you do wish to use it on decking always place something underneath it, such as a slab of concrete or stone for protection. You can also buy a floor protector which is especially for this purpose. Also bear in mind that if you place it on the lawn that it will turn the ground around the chiminea brown.
Equally if you have trees or bushes above the chiminea the leaves will dry out, turn brown and become a fire risk. Do not put your chiminea under an awning or other outdoor covers. And if you do wish to use your chiminea indoors, do not use logs, you should instead use a chim-burner which uses bio-ethanol fuel.
With traditional clay chimineas the biggest safety tip is to take the lid off. You’d be surprised by how many people leave the lid on when trying to make a fire. This can be dangerous as the pressure from the flames below could actually cause the chiminea to explode. All of our clay chimineas come with instructions so make sure you read them carefully before starting a fire.
Clay chimineas are fragile. Drop them and they will break (please take our word for it and don’t try this for yourself!). In order to prolong the life of your chiminea and avoid cracks from the fire, we advise lining the base with either sand of lava stones (also commonly called pumice stones) which are special stones that will keep the hottest part of the fire away from the clay. So just drop an inch or so (2.5cm-ish) of sand, gravel or lava stones to prevent cracking.
Finally, start with small fires. I’m sure we’ve hammered this message home all over the website but it bears repeating. If you do not ‘cure’ your chiminea by starting with small fires then you risk cracks appearing. It’s very simple, just ball up some newspapers or ocote sticks and place these on top of the lava stones and let them burn out completely. Keep fires small at first, you can then build larger fires after you have done this a few times.
Check out the video we made recently on this very same topic:
If you have any questions please get in touch – we’re nice!
Last year’s best selling cast iron chiminea, the Toledo Extra Large, has been renamed as the Toledo Jumbo Chiminea. This comes as part of the size reclassification by the chiminea’s manufacturer Gardeco.
In simple terms the following Toledo size changes have been made:
Toldeo Extra Large is now the Toledo Jumbo
Toledo Large is now the Toledo Extra Large
Toledo Medium is now the Toledo Large
The size changes reflect the overall dimensions of the Toledo range which are amongst the largest of the chimineas available in the market today.
We are also delighted to announce the arrival of the Jumbo Toledo back into stock after being sold out for much of the latter part of last year. This huge chiminea (measuring over 146cm high and 52cm wide around the belly) was one of last year’s most popular models and flew off the shelves as soon as it came into stock. Suitable for larger gardens and patios, it can take the biggest logs and can produce large, hot fires.
Our new Toledo chiminea shows the slightly smaller ‘Extra Large Chiminea’ so you can get a feel for the design and features (just bear in mind the Jumbo size is even bigger!).
We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new range of rustic firebowls, and the Theydon range do not disappoint.
Made from very high quality steel, they have a dark copper-like finish and look like they could have come straight out of the middle-ages. We love the way they give that rustic, medieval look to your garden or patio.
They also come with convenient carry handles so you can move them around easily (preferably with a friend helping out) and a sturdy 3-legged base for stability.
We think they’ll be a real talking point at any gatherings as well as being a great source of heat to keep you warm and for toasting food.
Coming in at £99.97 for the medium size Theydon Firebowl and £119.97 for the large Theydon, we think these lovely looking firebowls will be one of the most popular products of 2012.
We are really excited by the new chim burner product which has recently been launched on the ChimineaShop.co.uk website. It’s a cracking little piece of kit that allows you to use your chiminea indoors so you can make the most out of your chiminea year-round.
Large Air Chiminea with Chim Burner
The chim burner runs on bio-ethanol fuel which is clean burning, produces no smoke and makes no mess. If you have ever been to a Chinese restaurant and seen the candles they put under the hot plates to keep food warm then you get the idea! You just have to top up the chim burner with some bioethanol and light it – you will then have an instant fire. Extinguishing it is also very simple by using the built in ‘snuffer’.
The chim burner uses bio-ethanol, which is an eco-friendly fuel source that can be made from common crops such as corn, potatoes or sugar cane. So this means that not only is it clean burning and odourless, it is also produced from renewable resources, which as you know is very important for us at the Chiminea Shop.
The video below shows the chim-burner in use inside a Large Four Elements Water chiminea, but it can be used in any chiminea or firebowl that we stock.
So if you miss your chiminea in the cooler months, or you simply want to bring your chiminea indoors (and avoid the mess of making a wood or charcoal fire) then this is the ideal solution for you – and at only £39.87 we think it’s a great deal too.
Get in touch if you have any questions or would like to know more.
One of the most common problems (and the most frequently asked question we get asked) is regarding what to do about cracks if they appear in your clay chimimea. Cracks usually appear due to the clay being exposed to either extreme heat or extreme cold – or a combination of both in quick succession. So the first, and most obvious, thing to say is that it’s best to avoid cracks appearing at all by taking a few simple precautions.
Cracks can be repaired if you follow a few basic steps
Number 1)
When you get your new clay chiminea start by lining the chiminea with sand or lava stones. Then start building small fires – burn a little kindling, a few ocote sticks or balled up newspapers until the fire burns itself out. Then slowly build up the size of the fires so you in effect ‘cure’ the chiminea for larger fires later on. Once you have prepped your chiminea you can then build a decent fire to enjoy – just don’t get carried away and have flames shooting metres out from the top, that won’t help at all!
Number 2)
Protect your chiminea from the cold by getting hold of an insulated cover. These will help protect against cracking due to colder temperatures in winter. It’s also best to bring your clay chiminea indoors too when not in use.
OK, so we’ve got the prevention our of the way. But you are probably reading this because you’ve already got cracks in your chiminea and are wondering what to do about them. Well never fear, there are a few simple steps you can take to make your chiminea look like new again.
First of all get your hands on some ‘filler’. There are a couple of suitable fillers that you can use to fill in the cracks – fire cement or car body filler are the ones we recommend. Do not use polyfilla, blue tac – or anything else, doing so could cause your chiminea to explode. And nobody wants that.
Once the filler has dried you can rub it with wire wool to smooth it out and then paint over the chiminea with emulsion (water based paint) and it should look as good as new. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t get many more years of use out of your clay chiminea. However, if you have a sizable crack which filler just won’t cover you may just have to resign yourself to buying a new one.
Here’s a video we made recently all about repairing cracks in clay chiminea:
