Shannon here: Donna Schlachter shares her research on cookstoves for her The Recipe Box series. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for an ebook copy of her Historical Romance, Cooking Up Trouble. Deadline: May 25th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Donna:
Cookstoves in History to 1940 by Donna Schlachter
Which came first—the kitchen or the cookstove? Well, the kitchen, of course. Food preparation has been going on far longer than the separation of an area to prepare the food. In ancient cultures, open fires cooked meat and breads. Later, clay was used to create ovens, enclosing the fire completely for a much more efficient cooking process, particularly for baking and roasting. Both wood and charcoal, or sometimes a combination of both, were used in the process to provide the higher temperatures needed.
In these designs, which were about knee high, fuel was added through a hole in the front, while the cooking pots were placed over or hung into holes at the top. By as early as the second century AD, this design was common in the Middle East, with China and Japan adopting and adapting similar cookstoves soon after. By the 1600s, after stooping over their stoves for far too long, a raised version was developed in Japan.
In the Middle Ages, waist-high brick-and-mortar hearths appeared, many with chimneys. Food was cooked mainly in cauldrons hanging over the hearth, with temperature regulated by raising or lowering the pot in relation to the flame.
When hearths were redesigned to make them safer, decrease the smoke in the house, and increase the cooking and fuel efficiency, flat-bottomed pots were required to set on the iron plate.
The first design to completely enclose the fire was the 1735 Castrol stove, built by a Bavarian architect. Made of masonry, with fire holes covered by perforated iron plates, this design was also known as a stew stove. By the end of the 18th century, the design included devices to hang the pots in the holes.
In the 1790s, in an effort to restrict the chimney to create an updraft which generated more heat so the cookstove would not just cook food but also heat the room, Count Rumford, an avid scientist and inventor, modified fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to angle the side walls. Next, he developed a kitchen range made from brick, making the design more efficient to cook and to heat. This range was popular in large cooking establishments, including the soup kitchen he opened in Bavaria.
Within fifty years or so, Rumford’s design was adapted for use in private homes. The first cast iron stoves
replaced the bulkier masonry versions, and by the 1850s, the modern kitchen, complete with a cooking range, was seen in most middle-class homes. The growth of American coal mining in the early years of the 19th century and iron mining made these cast iron ranges more available and affordable. Before this, early metal stoves were imported from Holland and England.
Gas stoves were introduced in the 1820s, but while they proved a major improvement to the cooking process, the fuel was not readily available. In 1851, a gas stove was shown at The Great Exhibition in London, but the technology didn’t come into widespread use until the 1880s.
Following the Civil War, ranges with baking ovens attached became popular, spreading heat thoroughly throughout loaves while keeping the top crust tender. Stoves of this time also allowed the heat to be concentrated on one side of the stove top, so that food could be cooked at different temperatures based on where the pot or pan was set.
At the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, an electrified range was demonstrated, but the notion was slow to catch on because consumers living outside large cities didn’t have access to electricity. In addition, the ranges had poor temperature controls, and their heating elements didn’t last long.
The first practical design for the electric range was patented by Australian David Smith in 1905, followed soon by the high-end gas stove called the AGA cooker in 1922. This version incorporated the best of the cast iron cooker and became popular in Sweden. By the 1930s, Britain had adopted this style, which is still made today in England.
Resources for research:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_stove
Question for Readers: Do you have an electric or gas stove? What type do you prefer and why?
About Donna: A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed career writers. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – Cooking Up Trouble:
An unsuitable match to satisfy a debt. Can Holly find another solution?
An unsuitable calling–a man in the kitchen. Practically unheard of. Can Adam find the strength to step into his purpose in life?
Or will they both resist God and make their own way?
Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Interested in Donna’s other titles?
Get your copy/copies now!
Cooking Up Trouble The Recipe Box Series Donna’s Books
Come back May 21st for Jeanette Marie Mirich!
I prefer an electric stove. It’s much safer. I did grow up with gas stoves but never did lid like them. In fact, I learned to cook on a gas one.
Hi Beverly, I also grew up with electric, and never used gas until I came to the US when I was 40. I’ve also used a woodstove. Good luck in the drawing.
gas, either
Fun! Good luck in the drawing.
Definitely Gas for me but I Love the style of the old wood cook stoves We had one for a couple years when I was a girl. The gas is more even temperature control on or off or anywhere in between 😊
Hi Wendy, thanks for stopping by. I agree about the more even temperature for gas. And the instant on/off.
Hey Donna, glad to have you. I like an electric stove. It’s what I learned to cook on. And it doesn’t heat the house up as much as gas. Sadly in my 40 married years, I only had electric for about 2 years. The house we’ve lived in for the last 38 has gas and there’s no 220 wiring for electric. One of these days I’m going have it wired. Gas is fine in the winter. But I pretty much don’t bake in the summer.
Hi Shannon, yes, gas can heat the house. In fact, we used it a couple of times in winter when the power went out and the furnace wouldn’t run 🙂
I have a winner! Wendy Hooten won the drawing. I appreciate Donna for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.