The History Cooking Methods

So, most of us who cook just go home, preheat the oven, stick what ever we're roasting or baking in, set the timer and hope we don't burn dinner. Well, before we had our now hi-tech modern stoves and ovens, it wasn't so easy. There was no temperature control, no buttons to push, and not even A SELF CLEAN OPTION! I know it sounds scary, but it's true. But, as college students, I'm sure you already know this... but have you ever wondered how we go to have the easy ovens that we do now?
I'm sure that we all know that it all stated with fire. Once man discovered... or more accurately, learned how to use it, they realized that you could make food easier, safer, and better to eat. But as humans are, we are never satisfied with just one method of something. Who wants to eat everything grilled or charred on the fire? Different cultures came up with their own methods of cooking. Some made ceramic pots filled with water and would put that on the fired to boil water and cook food. Other cultures learned to weave baskets, fill them with water and add fire hot rock to heat the water. And of course, others came up with iron pots to cook in. But what about roasting a chicken? Baking a pie? How did man figure those things out?Many cultures did find a way to make wood burning ovens that were great for pizzas, some breads, and cooking cut up meats. But these ovens were so hot, (way hotter than any conventional oven can ever get now) that it was harder to cook things in fear that they wouldn't rise, or would simply burn under such heat.

Native Americans cooking in pottery

Chinese Cooking Banquet

Medieval Cooking Stove

Ancient Roman Oven

Hawaiian pit oven called Imu, used to steam.

One of the first wood burning ovens recorded in history was in Alsace, France around 1490. It was made completely out of bricks and tile.

Picture of first designed stove

But of course, like with all first models, there was room for improvements. They found a way to keep too much smoke from escaping the stove. The made specials chambers for cooking pots, so that the cauldron would become obsolete. In 1735, the Castrol stove invented by French architect François Cuvilliés. This stove was better known as a stewing stove. It had many openings covered by iron plates with holes. And was one of the first designs to completely hold the fire in. 

Around 1728, a German designed oven called Five-plate or Jamb stoves were gaining popularity. These were made of  cast iron.

Five-plate or Jamb stoves

 

 

 

In the 1740's closed stoves were becoming the new best thin. These were also known as 6 plate stoves

Six-Plate stove design

 Benjamin Franklin created a stove called the Pennsylvania Fireplace in 1742. This stove was extremely popular because the people needed not only a stove to cook on, but a safer way to heat their home and that was more efficient. Stoves before this design burned too much wood, so this cast-iron designed allowed them to have warmer safer winters. A flaw to Franklin's design was that he made vents for the smoke at the bottom of the stove. Since smoke rises, this was on only thing really wrong with it. But still, people preferred this to past designs because of the safety.  This stove is now known as the Franklin Stove. Oddly enough, Benjamin Franklin never patented any of his inventions, but still gets recognition for them. He believed that the people's appreciation was enough for him. Where as, we have seen that many of the above stove inventions (and other inventions in history) don't really have one person credited for them.

Franklin Stove

Around 1800, Benjamin Thompson, later known as Count Rumford because of the title given to him in Bavaria, invented the iron Rumford stove, designed for larger production kitchens. This stove was made to have only one fire source for the entire stove. The great thing was that each pot and pan could have it's heat level regulated and adjusted individually. This was a great break through in commercial kitchens, but this stove was much too large for the average kitchen.

In 1834, Stewart's Oberlin iron stove, was greatly popular due to the fact that it was similar to the commercial Rumford stove, but it was more compact for domestic use.

In 1833, coal ovens began to become popular. These ovens were cylindrical, made of heavy cast iron, and with a hole on top that was enclosed with an iron ring.

 

In 1826, British inventor James Sharp came up with a gas oven. This is recognized as the most successful gas oven to appear on the market at that time. But, the success of these ovens was delayed due to the fact that most houses didn't have a gas line. In 1910, gas stoves were now given an enamel coating with made easier to clean; the closest thing to self clean at that time. 

James Sharp oven

 In 1882, Thomas Ahearn invented the first electric oven. This design wasn't as popular as the others at the time, because many still didn't have electricity in their homes.

Thomas Ahearn

All of these wonderful progressions in stoves have all lead up to the easy to clean, safe, stylish, and more efficient stoves we have today. Thanks to the minds of these great thinkers and inventors, we have so many different kind of stoves and ovens your head almost spins. Not only that, we now have toasters, toaster ovens, microwave ovens, convection microwaves, convection ovens, induction burners, and a million other hi-tech do-dads. Who knows, hopefully in a few years we'll have an invention that at the push of a button a 5 course dinner automatically pops out.... oh wait.... that would put me out of business! Better yet, let's hope people keep relying on great chefs to prepare their food and tease their senses. And while you eat your souffle, celebrate over your chocolate raspberry cake, or your oven roasted turkey with all of the sides, remember that those delicious, time consuming, and temperature sensitive dishes were all possible because of the great minds who live in the kitchen.

Sources and pictures from:
http://www.antiquestoves.com/history.htm
http://www.tititudorancea.com/z/stove.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/ofamousinventions/a/oven.htm
http://all-kids.us/potters-page.html
http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-cooking.html
http://www.passion-4-pizza.com/history_of_pizza.htmlhttp://mauiluautickets.com/home