The Evolution of the Stove

The stove has truly become the centerpiece of kitchens all over the world. Taking a look back at products that have become a staple in our homes is always interesting to us. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the stove and how it became what it is today.

We find looking back at products like the common stove can really help inventors look differently at modern products and inspire them to ideate innovative new inventions. 

The Early Days for the Evolution of the Stove

In the early days, the stove wasn’t an appliance at all, it was a fire which was fueled by wood. This is how many people in the early days cooked their food. The obvious issues with this method were that it was a major fire hazard, smokey, and the uneven heat wasn’t efficient.

Clay stoves were also used, which enclosed the fire completely and were fueled by wood or charcoal through a hole in the front. In both cases, pots were placed over or hung into holes.

Wood fired oven

In the 19th century, the first cooking iron stove was invented. It used one fire to cook multiple pots that were suspended in holes. The first half of this century there was a steady improvement in the design of the stove.

Cast iron stoves replaced those made of masonry, and the size began to shrink so people could incorporate stoves into their kitchens at home. This evolution can really help inventors understand how a product can evolve and develop into new innovations.

The Introduction of Gas for Cooking

Stoves around this time burned charcoal as well as wood. Soon these stoves were replaced with gas due to an improvement in fuel technology and the first gas stoves were developed as early as the 1820s as isolated experiments and prototypes.

James Sharp patented the gas stove in 1826 and opened his factory in 1836. A gas stove was shown at The Great Exhibition in London in 1851, but it wasn’t until the 1880s that the technology started to catch on. By this point, gas became more affordable and efficient for domestic use and gas stoves became widespread around Europe.

Victorian gas cooking

The Electric Stove

The introduction of the electric stove was slow due to cities and towns needing to be stimulated with electricity first and for electricity to be more affordable and widespread. Once electricity was more readily available by the 1930s this would help inventors improve the technology of the electric stove and it started to take over in household kitchens.

Vintage electric stove

Today most stoves found in homes are electric and come with a glass/ceramic top but you probably didn’t guess this technology actually first appeared in the 1970s. However, it’s only becoming more and more of an affordable within the last decade or so.

What inventions do you want to know the history and evolution of? If you’re an inventor, or will like us to help inventors, tell us below what inventions stories you would like to read about!