It was a little over 35 years ago when Elmira Stove Works got its start by building wood-burning cook stoves for local Mennonite and Amish communities.  As the business expanded many consumers loved the appearance of the cook stoves but asked if modern conveniences such as gas or electricity could be installed. So that’s exactly what we did.

We saw no reason to stop there though. Only a few years later we introduced an “antique” refrigerator, microwave ovens, wall ovens and dishwasher panels. It was what the consumer wanted and that’s exactly where we pull our innovative ideas from.

“Elmira has always focused directly on the needs of consumers, developing and updating products to meet their changing needs. Using the best and most innovative practices, we have grown with our customers,” says Tom Hendrick, President of Elmira Stove Works.

And grow we did. Our next step was the Northstar line which included a retro refrigerator, range, microwave, splash backs, range hoods, and dishwasher panels. We realized retro products were becoming popular, but were not readily available.  This is probably what made our retro appliances such a roaring success.

Last but not least, we went back to our roots with the introduction of the all-new Fireview wood-burning cookstove. The Fireview keeps to Elmira’s mantra of innovation by incorporating many unique features never before available in wood-burning stoves.

“Over the past 35 years, we have realized that the more innovative and creative we get with out products- keeping the antique and vintage design image- the better we can serve our customers. It’s not just what we do: it’s who we are,” said Hendrick.

About Elmira Stove Works:                                                               

Elmira Stove Works has been manufacturing vintage-styled ranges since 1975, and offers full lines of “circa-1850” and retro 1950s appliances, including ranges, refrigerators, microwaves, wall ovens, range hoods and wood-burning cook stoves.Elmira appliances are sold through dealers across North America. Elmira Stove Works is a privately owned company based in Elmira, Ontario, Canada.

Normally when choosing a stove, the answer to whether you want to use gas (natural gas or propane) or electricity as a fuel source would depend entirely on how you prefer to cook. But unless you know the facts, how can you know what is best for you?

Let’s start with the idea of using a gas stove. Gas burners provide virtually instant heat. Chefs around the world use gas burners because the flame can be adjusted quickly and very accurately.  This is a real advantage for searing meats, or when making delicate sauces that need to simmer at just the right temperature. However, gas stoves need a gas hookup in order to work. This may add unwanted costs when purchasing a residential range.

Electric stoves are a popular consumer choice with their smooth tops and shiny eye-catching design that is easy to clean after cooking.  According to professional tests, electric ranges cook more evenly than gas ranges. This comes in handy for those who like predictability and consistency when cooking. For the budding Top Chefs out there though, take note that it is hard to determine exactly how much heat is emitted at the setting the electric stovetop is at.  Another feature to be away of is if you’re in a hurry, electric stoves take slightly longer to reach the desired cooking temperature than gas stoves.

So when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, Elmira suggests going with what best works for you. Thankfully there is no reason to sacrifice what you truly want because Elmira Stove Works can put together whatever stovetop option you want with any Northstar or Antique range. Elmira appliances are built to suit your cooking style, whether that may be electric, gas, or duel fuel. All ovens are self-clean and our ranges come in an array of colors to match your décor and style. Be sure to check out Elmira’s Northstar and Antique ranges at www.elmirastoveworks.com and get ready to start cookin’ with your new gas or electric stove!

Contestants have a chance to win new & improved Elmira Microwave!

For the next several weeks, Elmira Stove Works is challenging social media fans and followers to an Old Fashioned trivia contest, for a chance to win an Elmira Microwave! Every Monday and Wednesday until August 30th, Elmira will randomly post a trivia question from the 1850s or 1950s on Twitter. The first person to retweet the question with the correct answer will automatically win an individual weekly t-shirt prize and be entered in a grand prize drawing of an Elmira Microwave!

Additional Information:

Contact information will be collected from each prize winner through a direct message on Twitter.

Prizes will be mailed out at the end of each month.

Participants are limited to winning one weekly (Monday / Wednesday) prize throughout the duration of the contest.

All weekly winners will be entered in the drawing for the grand prize.

This promotion is not sponsored by or affiliated with Twitter.

Wood “Going Home”

One of life’s glories is homemade bread, but the sadness is that it is rapidly becoming a dying art. My mother used to bake bread every week when we lived in the little Missoula, Montana house that my father designed and built in the 1940s, but in 1950 we moved to Helena, and from then on the closest we ever got to that wonderful yeasty taste was a Helena bakery that baked fresh bread; a decade later, when we moved to another state, not even that. From that day to this, it’s been store-bought bread like everyone else.

She used a wood-burning stove in Missoula, and to her dying day Mother always insisted it was the best stove she ever had. Perhaps that’s why she gave up baking bread, because if it’s not going to be as good as it used to be, why bother? I don’t know. Maybe we should have found a way to hook her up with Elmira Stove Works, which is a Canadian firm that actually began operations in 1975 by manufacturing wood-burning cook stoves for local Mennonite and Amish communities.

It’s weird what you get used to-or don’t get used to, I suppose. In this day and age the thought of a wood-burning stove seems so alien to all that we know, to a point where the first question must surely be, “Well how many hours does it take to get it going?” Truth to tell, though, the dry kindling that is always beside the stove, a bit of newspaper, and a match gets it going in not much longer than it takes to fire up a gas range-a minute or two, tops! (Read More)

Be Cool: A Kegerator Don Draper Would Love

Ever since the inventions of draft beer and the refrigerator, wild-eyed dreamers have tried to combine the two.

So far, the results had been, shall we say… dorm-worthy.But like any good idea, it was bound to produce genius at some point.Time to meet Elmira Stove Works, makers of what we’re calling the world’s first handsome keg-ready refrigerator, available now.After years of careful engineering study, they’ve combined the functional majesty of the beer tap with the cold-making powers of the fridge. And thanks to a retro-styled front piece, it looks like it was lifted from the set of Mad Men. (Read more)

Designer picks: New kitchen appliances

Every year, a slew of shiny new kitchen appliances enter the marketplace. New technologies are making waves in the kitchen arena and yet we also can see some retro-vintage products as well. The urge to move forward while keeping a toehold in the tried and true is always an important aspect of home building. Three professional kitchen designers from across North America weigh in on their favorite appliances that are new in the marketplace. (Read More)