Cooking With The Griswold Bolo Oven

My Griswold Bolo Oven

This morning after our breakfast, I put a turkey breast in my little Bolo oven that sits on top of our wood heating stove. It is the neatest little tool I have! I found it many years ago in a junk shop we like that also has an antique shop inside. They put all the junk outside in the spring, summer and fall in huge tents. All kinds of great things. I found lots of canning jars there. And tins. I love tins for storing medicinal plants that I have dried for the winter. Anyway, let me get back to my Bolo oven.

It is made by Griswold and the embossed lettering on the top reads:

Griswold Bolo Oven 

Two In One

Big Oven - Little Oven

Bakes In Half The Time With Half The Fuel

The Griswold Manufacturing Co. Erie, PA, USA

Patented June 20, 1916, September 20, 1919

June 8, 1920

No. 180-B

Large oven baffle at top

 It doesn't look like much. I need to repaint it this summer. Clean up the rust on it. After all, it is pretty old! But it works. It has a baffle in it that must be in place inside for it to work. If you want to bake something big, you put the baffle in the top of the oven. If it is small, you put it the middle. That is why it is called Big Oven Little Oven. But it MUST have the baffle in it when you are using it. It says that right on the baffle.

 Small oven baffle in the center

As you can see it has glass panes in the door. The top one had a crack in it when I bought it. Since I only paid $12.00 for it, I am not complaining. I believe the store I bought it at did not know what it was or what a great find it was! I have seen one or two of these online selling for over a hundred dollars. Even in worse shape than mine. It is made of a metal. Has handles on the side so it is easy to lift and move to where you want it. 

All Done!

 I have baked cakes, cookies, pies, desserts, breads, casseroles, etc. in it. Works great for whatever you want. It is even great for roasting turkeys, roast beef, etc. So if you are using a wood stove in the winter to heat your house, you can use it for cooking your meals as well. It does make a difference in how hot your stove is for what you are cooking. I have cooked a turkey many times in this oven or my wood cook stove oven by putting it in a dampered back oven all night.

Now I don't think you could find one of these anywhere. The camping stores sell those portable ovens, and they just may do the job. Mmmm! Time to go eat! 

Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole