How to cure your wood-fired oven before first use
After your Grand-Mère wood-fired oven has been installed, this initial drying process must be carried out very slowly and with great care over several days, always with the door left open.
Days 1 and 2
On day 1, light a small fire in the centre of the oven floor and keep it going for 7 to 8 hours. Make sure the flames do not touch the oven dome. You can then let the fire die down and close the oven with the insulated door to retain the heat inside.
On day 2, repeat the same process, again for 7 to 8 hours.
Day 3
Start with a low fire. Then, after 2 hours of heating, you can gradually add more wood so that the flames reach the oven dome, but only to a height of around 20 to 30 cm, for 5 to 6 hours.
Move the fire around the oven floor several times throughout the day to ensure that all parts of the dome heat evenly. During these first three days of curing, the dome will remain black.
Day 4
On day 4, you can begin to raise the oven temperature little by little, reaching only around 100°C after 2 hours of heating.
Then increase the flame gradually until, by the end of the day, the dome has turned white across around three quarters of its surface.
At this stage, the oven is dry. You can now raise the temperature further until the dome turns completely white.
If your oven is fitted with a vault thermometer, the temperature should never exceed 60°C on the first day, and 90°C on the following two days.
Curing a wood-fired oven after several months without use
After a long period of inactivity, your wood-fired oven should be cured again to remove any moisture that may have penetrated the refractory material. As a general rule, this is recommended after 6 months in a dry climate or 3 months in a humid climate.
The day before using the oven again, light a very low fire in the centre of the oven floor and keep the temperature at around 80°C. The flames must not touch the dome. Maintain the fire for 2 to 3 hours, then, once the fire has gone out, close the oven door.
A delicate step that must be carried out with care
Take care when curing your wood-fired oven. This initial reheating process must be done very gradually to avoid thermal shock, which could seriously damage the oven.
As the temperature rises, small cracks may appear at the base of the dome, up to around 12 to 13 cm high. These micro-cracks are not a cause for concern and do not affect the quality or durability of your oven.
However, if the cracks extend to the top of the dome or beyond, it means the curing instructions have not been followed correctly.
