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→Technology Evolution
The next major phase of development for kitchens occurred because of developments in stove technologies. The Rumford stove, designed in Britain in 1800, became the first household stove that could heat multiple items using a single fire source. The later Oberlin stove, from the 1830s, were relatively small and could be fit in most kitchens. Fire was fueled by wood or coal, where gas stoves were not introduced until late in the 19th century. As more foods now could more easily be cooked in kitchens with developing stoves, and increased access to goods for consumers, kitchen storage space began to be a problem. This led to the development of kitchen cabinets that were now designed to hold foods and spaces for spices, condiments, or even dishes.
Other major changes occurred throughout major cities in the late 19th century. The first was water pipes began to be incorporated with homes, initially to help remove waste, but this was found to be useful for bringing water to kitchens, as it provided clean water to help clean and prepare foods. The second development was the creation of gas pipes in cities. These were created to help cities provide lighting for streets, but with gas and its prevalence now provided a new fuel that could be used for firing stoves. Gas-powered stoves became now more common and replaced the wood and coal fired stoves, helping cities to also become relatively cleaner by producing smoke that was less sooty. Stoves were also closed, forming designs that began to shape our modern ovens.
Kitchens also began to change in their social outlook. For wealthy classes, kitchens were still working areas that were often a good distance away from the dinning areas. For middle classes, kitchens were next to or near dinning areas. For the middle class, therefore, as kitchens became cleaner due to better burning stoves and availability of water, kitchens began to become a new type of social space. People began to place tables and other furniture to use kitchens as social gathering spaces, while dinning rooms were used more for more formal dinners.
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