From clay to steel: a brief history of cooking stoves

From clay to steel: a brief history of cooking stoves

Do you know where cooking stoves were invented? They were made from clay in the Far East.

The first stoves
This is how Wikipedia describes the first stoves: “These stoves were fired by wood or charcoal through a hole in the front. (…) Pots were placed over, or hung into holes at the top of the knee-high construction.”

The first cast iron stoves were built in the early 18th century. It was Sir Benjamin Thompson (an American-born British inventor, also known as Count Rumford) who developed a cast iron kitchen stove that could heat several pans from a single fire. Moreover, the heat for each of the pans could be regulated separately.

Enamelled cookers were introduced early in the 20th century - enamel is easier to keep clean than cast iron. This is also the time when the well-known Aga was invented by Swedish inventor Gustaf Dalén.

The first modern range cookers were launched by Britannia
Range cookers with a steel chassis as we know them now, are a fairly recent development. Stainless steel range cookers have the advantage of being much lighter than those made from cast iron - making the cookers easier to install. Also, their energy efficiency is far better.

Britannia was the first company to sell ranges with a single steel chassis in the UK. This was in 1995 and quite a few cookers that were bought from us in that year are still being cooked on!

These first steel cookers were developed together with a family business based in Italy. And the steel chassis wasn’t the only innovation. We’ve always tried to make cooking more enjoyable and our range cookers were the first in the market that offered multifunctional cooking and programmable ovens. Our cooking instructions are simple: Enjoy!

And the most recent invention?
That’s induction technology for hob cooking. Induction provides the safest and quickest method of cooking on a hob. It’s also energy efficient. Britannia is the only company to offer a range cooker with 6 induction zones.

It’s come a long way from clay ovens hasn’t it?

What should the next invention be? Let us know by leaving a comment below…

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