Thursday, February 9, 2012

Laboring Over a Hot Stove


Although, we have had a pretty mild winter so far, it still is that time of year when one likes to spend afternoons in the kitchen cooking warm & nurturing foods.
Sometimes we forget how easy our lives have become over the decades. 
Here are a few photos that I took last summer of kitchens from days gone by.


This stove was probably the height of modern convenience when it was first installed in its  medieval castle. 


This stone cook top had burning embers below & pots that fit into the holes above.


 I believe that this large caldron in a vast fireplace, was used to boil water for laundry, which was then stirred with the pole to the right.


I loved this old bakers oven found in another medieval town. No longer in use, it does resemble pizza ovens of today.


This photo was taken in the home of a sculptor, who created the circular table in the foreground. He actually uses his fireplace to cook his meals, as they did when his house was first occupied in the middle ages.


The last two photos are of village bread ovens, where early villagers would bring their bread to be baked communally.


This one belongs to my neighbor in France, & is still used to bake the occasional pizza or fire roasted meal.

8 comments:

  1. Interesting evolution, I never saw a stone one, x

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  2. Sally, And I was complaining about all the baking I had to do in my modern oven! I imagine I would have spent a lot more hours baking with those stoves.

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  3. Hi,Sally.
    Very interesting to see that evolution of stoves.
    They remind me that how convenient the world I am living in is.

    Tomoko

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  4. beautiful!
    i love slow cooking. on a wood heater. or even on a open fire.
    but the gas stove is very convenient of course!

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  5. I'd LOVE to have an outdoor bread/pizza oven. I've watched Jamie Oliver use his and often thought about having one built!

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  6. Thank you very much for this intersting serie of pictures.
    Have a nice weekend
    Angela

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  7. This makes me think of difficult lives, hard working people ...
    I find a lot of beauty in utilitarian objects and those old ovens and fireplaces are incredible!

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  8. The fith image is so beautiful!

    Vive la France!

    :-)

    ♥ Franka

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