Pat Robb asked for experiences with the Hearthkit, so here's mine!
After Reggie's enthusiastic post, I looked at the website and showed it to
my husband. I got one for Christmas.
It is the most wonderful piece of equipment that I've gotten in a long
time. The French bread I make using it is as close to perfect as I've ever
come. My crusts are great. Pizza is wonderful, too. I've also used it
to roast meats and vegetables, and they've turned out great, too.
I did have one problem that almost made me send it back, though. The
Hearthkit comes in three or so sizes, but the difference is all in the
width, not the depth. I have an Amana oven with a convection feature that
causes the oven to be shallower than normal. When I first put it together
in the oven, I almost cried! The thermometer touched the door, and the
door barely closed.
They were extremely nice at Hearthkit when I called customer service (the
day after Christmas, of course). They said that they were very careful in
the design and knew of very few ovens that were too shallow for the
hearthkit. They also took the model number of my stove and the
measurements. After some consultation, they called me back and suggested
that I take it to a stone cutter and have some of it cut off. That was an
excellent idea and probably would have worked beautifully, but I was afraid
that it would get broken and I'd be out my (OK, my husband's) $200.
The end result was that we played with the way the thermometer is held in
place and came up with about 1/16th of an inch that enabled the door to
close completely on my oven.
I'm now wishing that I had two ovens, though. I don't keep the hearthkit
in the oven all the time as they suggest. It simply isn't convenient for
me. With another oven, I could keep it in one all the time.
So, I spend one whole day making quantities of bread to give to friends and
neighbors. And that night we have pizza for supper.
Jenny Ball