THE KITCHEN STOVE

When I was growing up the gathering place in our home was usually the kitchen. We did spend quite a bit of time in what we called the "front room", especially if visitors came. However the kitchen was the place to play games, to wash clothes, prepare school lessons or just sit around the table and talk. Although it was the table where we spent most of our time, it was the kitchen stove that always seemed to intrigue me.

It was a monstrous thing. I think ours was a Monarch Brand but at this point in my life I am not sure I remember that correctly. Most of the kitchen stoves in that day were all black, however some of them had colored trim on them. It was usually green or yellow or cream colored and some trim was even white. Of course no matter what color the trim was the top was a big sheet of iron. There were usually 4 or 6 round holes in the top for various uses and each one of the round plates had a rectangular hole it it where you could insert the "lifter" to removes it from the hole.A lot of the stoves had a tank built on the side where you could keep water warm. Ours was a little different and I think a lot if them at that time were built like ours. There was a hot water jacket in the firebox and there were pipes from it to a water tank on the corner behind the stove. When there was a fire in the firebox there was always hot water in the tank. And conversely if there was not a fire there was not hot water. If you just needed a little bit of water you would just use the trusty old tea pot, but if you needed a lot, a fire would be built in the firebox.

You could burn wood or coal in the old kitchen stove but of course as we lived in a coal mining town we always burned coal.

Even with its few draw backs the kitchen stove was a wondrous thing. It was used for a lot more than just cooking. I was amazed how my Mother could cook a big meal, cooking everything at once on that old stove.

When cooking a big dinner she could make it seem like magic. She would have frying pans and kettles cooking or staying warm on top of the stove. It would depend on how hot you wanted them as to where they were placed on the stove top. There were two warming ovens above the stove top and they kept rolls or biscuits or bread warm until it was ready to be served. The oven( emergency hair dryer) would have a roast, bread, veggies, potatoes or any number of pies cakes or "goodies." The tea pot was always sitting on the back of the stove, full of water in case it was needed. If it was not needed it could always be used to wash the dishes in later.

As I mentioned earlier the iron top of the stove had 2 or 4 (and sometimes 6) round holes in it that were for various uses. They were used to keep the firebox full of coal or if not full, just the right amount to keep it at the temperature Mom wanted. The other holes were to clean out the soot or warm a "flat iron" or numerous other things

The front looked like a control panel for a mysterious piece of machinery. In addition to the oven door there was a door for the water tank,  a door with a window so you could watch the firebox. There was an adjustable damper to control the air, and thus the heat. There was a door to open and remove the "clinkers." I recall our stove produced a LOT of ashes and clinkers. It also produced a lot of soot and there were several places it could be removed from the stove.

There was also a grate inside the fire box and a shaker tool that you could attach to the grate and shake the ashes into the ashbox.

As I said earlier the stove was used for much more than cooking and heating.--I recall my sister sitting on a chair in front of the oven, with the door down and brushing her hair until it was dry--To sit in front of the oven with the door down was a great place to warm your feel or dry your pants, after an evening of sleigh riding, or a long walk home after visiting a friend.--- If you wanted warm socks to put on in the morning, you put them in the oven just before going to bed and they were usually still warm in the morning.-- It was a great place to "snuggle up" and read a book or a comic book on a cold winter day. ---It also was a favorite place for my dog to warm up, if I could sneak him in past my Mom. As soon as we were in he would head for the corner behind the stove and curl up. There was usually a rug back there so I suspect my Mom always knew when he was there.

I do remember you had to "Bank" the stove in the evening and if it was not done properly you had to pay the price in the morning. (If you have ever "banked" a stove you will know what I mean?)

Now as I said an old kitchen stove was a wondrous thing and it was just taken for granted in my day just like the wonders we have now.

Now in order to cook a meal, I use an electric Range, or electric Crock Pot, or electric grill. There are "electric gadgets" that cook two hamburgers at a time. (I don't think to many people want to cook only two at a time. I use an electric mixer (instead of a spoon.) to mix bread and an electric oven to cook it in, I SURE HOPE THE ELECTRICITY DOES NOT GO OFF
WALLY