The History of Stoves

In ancient times, stone or brick ovens that used wood for fuel were the main options for baking bread. In Colonial America, people relied on beehive-shaped brick ovens to cook their food. In the 1700s, cast iron stoves were introduced; the version invented by Count Rumford at the tail end of the century was particularly popular. His model featured a single fire source but allowed for (limited) temperature regulation; unfortunately, it was too large for smaller home kitchens. The first commercially produced gas stove was designed by James Sharp and debuted in the second half of the 19^th century. Electric stoves came into use soon after, in the late 1800s. Electric or gas stoves reigned until the mid-1900s, when the first microwave oven was released by Amana, a division of Raytheon. Today most American kitchens have both a stove and a microwave for cooking food.