Woodoven
One of the unique aspects of our eendracht is the woodoven, the genuine hart of the restaurant.
We chose the woodoven for several reasons:
Heat:
The woodoven burns at temperatures between 300 and 400 degrees Celsius, quit a bit warmer than a convection oven. A convection oven blows hot air over the product; the product dries out on the outside and quickly caramelizes. If you did somehow manage to get a regular oven to the temperatures which are common in a woodoven, the product inside will be black on the outside and raw in the inside in no time at all.
The secret of the woodoven is that the heat is hotter but gentler. The heat glides over the product, allowing the product to maintain its juices and to caramelize in a slower manner. This “blanket” of heat let’s the aroma’s stay with the product and not blown away as is the case in a convection oven. This is the main reason why woodoven pizzas are so delicious, because of the wood aromas, although they are a plus of course!
Versatility:
From way back in the day, the woodoven was used in various ways to optimize the different stages of warmth it would go through. And wood was and is an economical and sustainable source of fuel.
First the oven is lit and burned to the maximum heat, ideal for pizza’s, steaks, fish skin-side up and shellfish, items that respond well to the principle, the hotter, the better. Then the oven is tempered to cook roasts, bread, vegetables, whole large fish en poultry, the roasting. After this stage we can braise, stew and bake cakes in the oven. Over the course of the next hours and days, the oven can be used to slow cook, conserve and dry fruits and vegetables.
Smoking can be done on any temperature by adding wood and closing the valves, you can even cold smoke when the oven has been out for a few days.
And then there is the wide array of wood you can choose from, to use as fuel. Nut and fruit wood can be aromatic and hickory and oak full flavored. We use ash; ash is fairly neutral and is a dense type of wood, much like oak. We chose a neutral kind of wood, because we don’t want the aroma of the wood to be overbearing. The product must maintain its integrity.
At eendracht we use many of the techniques the woodoven brings and we are still learning new ones. The woodoven is a great inspiration to work with and a daily challenge we love to have.
Feeling & Ambiance:
Aside from the natural aroma and the warm glow it exudes over the restaurant, it is the instinctive aspect of cooking with the woodoven that is the biggest reason why we love working with it. After years of cooking in kitchens where temperatures and measurements are essential, it was a revelation for Pepijn to let this go while cooking with the woodoven. It is impossible to maintain a constant temperature in the oven, the situation inside changes with every new log of wood. There is absolutely nothing constant about cooking with this oven. The cook has to maintain a constant feel of what is happening inside the oven and that is what so exciting about it.
Cooking with a woodoven implies looking, smelling, sensing and constant adjustment. It forces the chef to rely on his instincts and cooking instinctively is cooking with feeling and that results in taste!