Cooking Appliances Through History: Fire to Modern Stoves

Next to a refrigerator, cooking appliances are essential to a modern kitchen. All the more so if cooking is your passion. It’s only reasonable that you should buy the best oven and stovetop or range within your budget. While not always feasible to purchase a matching set of kitchen appliances in a single transaction, buying even one new piece made of the same materials–like stainless steel–helps tie everything together.

As you redesign and rethink your kitchen, discover more about the attributes of ovens, stoves, and ranges, along with options that will fit your budget, space, and cooking style

How America Got Cooking

Humans began cooking over open fires about 2 million years ago. In 1742, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin created a metal-lined Franklin stove, a type of wood-burning fireplace. The unsuccessful Franklin stove was for heating, not cooking. In 1795, Sir Benjamin Rumford designed a cast-iron stove, which was too large for most homes. In 1834, Philo Stewart received a patent for the wood-burning Oberlin Stove. The smaller cast-iron Oberlin was popular for its convenience in being used indoors.

In 1846, James Sharp opened a gas stove factory in England. It wasn’t until the 1880s that gas became inexpensive and efficient for home use. By the early 20th century, gas appliances gained popularity in Europe and the United States.

In 1896, William S. Hadaway Jr. introduced an electric stove that could be used only in wired cities. In the 1920s, electric stoves caught on as utility companies invested in infrastructure to meet the gas and electric power needs.

Also popular in the 1920s were enameled porcelain gas stoves. Cabinet ranges featured five burners and two ovens with heat regulators controlling oven temperatures. In the 1930s, ranges got smaller and better looking, configured for early streamlined kitchens. The post-World War II housing boom ushered in colorful appliances. The focus was on homemakers, whose lives could miraculously improve with “delightfully festive” cooking appliances.