The Stove

A stove is a cooking machine that sits in the kitchen. It has flat circles on top called burners. You place pots and pans on the burners to heat up food. Stoves help us cook meals like soup, eggs, and pasta.

Gas and Electric Stoves

There are two main types of stoves. Gas stoves use a flame that you can see to heat the pan. Electric stoves use coils or flat glass tops that get hot. Both kinds can cook food very well. Many stoves also have an oven built in below the burners.

Stoves Through Time

Long ago, people cooked over open fires in their homes. In 1742, Benjamin Franklin invented a metal stove that kept rooms warm. Later, cooks started using iron stoves just for cooking. The first electric stove was shown at a fair in 1893. Today, stoves are found in almost every kitchen.

Fun Facts

• Benjamin Franklin never put a patent on his stove invention.
• Induction stoves use magnets to heat pots without getting hot themselves.
• The word 'stove' once meant a heated room, not a cooking machine.

Did You Know?

Early stoves were sometimes used to both cook food and heat the whole house during winter.