Cooking with kiln-dried wood?

KD is just that....dried in a kiln to accelerate drying.....standard practice up here in the Pacific Northwet. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for cooking although alder is a local favorite.

I think Dave is right on. Fir and pine are kiln dried and I suspect that is what they are talking about. In fact it is generally stamped on the end, Kiln Dried.

Super_Dave wrote:
Most of the lumber that I see the terms, "Kiln Dried" associated with are non hardwoods such as fir. I have never seen oak, mahogany or other finish hardwoods carrying the label of kiln dried. Hence, nobody smokes with soft woods so again, we might get mixed up on semantics of cooking vs. smoking.

I use kiln dried oak all the time. I have a hardwood flooring company and save all of my scrap unfinished wood and cook on it while camping. It is only dried, not treated.

I use scrap oak from pallets which is not treated to cook on an open fire, smoke fish, soak in water thin 4x12 in slabs to cook chicken and fish on an open fire or grill. I also use it in my wood burning stove at home to heat my house. The oak imparts a nice flavor. I also tried hickory and cedar which is good also but I can get the oak for free.

I just use liquid smoke in a bottle. Works for me. JMHO

Most of the lumber that I see the terms, "Kiln Dried" associated with are non hardwoods such as fir. I have never seen oak, mahogany or other finish hardwoods carrying the label of kiln dried. Hence, nobody smokes with soft woods so again, we might get mixed up on semantics of cooking vs. smoking.

Ditto on NOT using the pressure treated also called wolmanized wood up in the north. I've seen kiln dried wood be treated also.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-kiln-dried-lumber.htm

snip-it
"Drying it in a controlled environment is important, as it allows the wood to contract without warping. The lumber may also be treated with chemicals so that it will resist insects, mold, mildew, and rot; treated lumber tends to be......"

I would think you would need to soak kiln dried wood a very long time to keep it from flaring. Other than that, I see no reason not to use it. I read somewhere once to only use wood for cooking that produces a nut or fruit of some kind. No scientific proof of such, just supposedly better "flavoring" to the meat.

I'm also a woodworking, woodturner and have spent more then one day building homes.

I would never hesitate to use untreated/unpainted KD wood for cooking, heating, campfires, etc.

The wood is simply force dried. There are no chemicals used.

As point of fact, the firewood in the rig right now is mostly KD, the rest is cut-offs from woodturning.

Pressure treated could give you a good buzz though.