Memory Monday: Cooking in My Grandmother's Time And Now

A cooking stove from 1883

COOKING IN MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER’S TIME AND NOW

In my research, I came across the stove above in a book from 1883—this would be shortly before my grandfather was born. Now can you imagine cooking on a stove like this? But it gets better. See below.

A steaming oven

And then there is this jewel—

A pot where you can cook four items at once

After looking at the stove from generations past, I think about a re-doing my kitchen. I dream of a stove that has two ovens, all bright and shining with lots of knobs and controls, a smooth cooktop where no spattering grease or over-boiling pasta water can make a mess down below. Maybe it will have a removable griddle, or grilling section. But then I think of how I cook—using the microwave well over half the time, my little counter top over for frozen pizza, and as far as smoky, grilled burger, there is a little restaurant I know and love to go there to eat. And then I think of that spattering grease and over boiling pasta water, well, my darling husband cleans up after me. All in all, I think I will keep things the way they are. That way there will be no messy remodeling. Besides, if I had that wonderful stove, I might have to cook more, and that would cut into my writing time (and after all, my husband took over keeping the house—including the kitchen, cleaned and in order—to support me by giving me time to write).

I might love writing about women who used stoves like the one above, but I really wouldn’t want to have to use one. Give me a microwave any day.