The History of Ovens

Ovens have become a staple is virtually every kitchen. In fact, in most households, it is probably used almost daily. Turns out, the foundation of the oven has actually been around for centuries. There is evidence that even thousands of years ago, oven-like structures built of stone and powered by fire were used to cook food. The first record of an oven comes from 1490’s France, where an over-like structure built of bricks and and tiled was made to make the process of cooking food easier. As these became more popular, advancements started being made, such as a chimney to get rid of the smoke. Eventually in Germany, ovens started being built out of cast iron and became a lot more efficient. They could warm multiple pots at once and had chimneys to get rid of the smoke in the kitchen. In 1826, James Sharp attempted to build the first gas oven, which was successful for its time. As the technology was developed and gas became more accessible in households, gas ovens became more popular. Similarly, so did electric ovens. The basis for electric ovens existed since the 1890s, but were often not used due to the inaccessibility of electricity. As electricity started being more popular in households, electric ovens started competing with their gas counterparts. Since then, costumers have had access to all kinds of ovens and with the advancement of technologies, even microwave ovens!