Hot Stuff! The Evolution of the Oven

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3:00That's quality, reliability, and durability. And it's why JD powered ranks Nissan number one. A new vehicle quality among mainstream brands. Discover how the new Nissan Pathfinder turns the unthinkable into the unforgettable. For JD power, 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study Award Information Visit JDpower.com Slash Awards. Awards based on 2025 model year newer models may be shown. I was like, I know. I was like, you know, I see tomatoes on the calendar. I know. Me too. I just love that I'm learning so much every day, which is like my favorite thing. And then just sharing it. And you're as crazy about this stuff as I am. So. Oh, my God. My name is Eva Longoria. And I am Maite Gomez Rejoen. And welcome to Hungry for History.

4:02A podcast that explores our past and present through food. On every episode, we'll talk about the history of some of our favorite dishes, ingredients, and beverages from our culture. So make yourself at home. Even brodacho. I am so excited. I had the usual night that I are talking about how every week we sit down to these episodes. And we just are so excited about the topic every time. Every single time. So excited because today's topic is like food adjacent. It is you need it if you're a foodie and if you cook. But I've always been fascinated with like, how things evolved into what they are today. And so today's topic is about the oven and the history of the oven. Did you have an easy bake oven? I wish it was my dream toy. I never had one. You didn't get it. I got it. You have a bunch of sisters.

5:02I would have have imagined. Well, that's a thing. I got the flea margin. You know, it came with like one packet to make. It came with like the one cupcake. Right. That light would make. And so I had to actually make reels. I wanted to make real stuff inside of it. And it's not really strong enough for like repeat using. It's a light bulb. I mean, my dad was always paranoid that I was going to get that I was going to burn myself. So he never got it. And it was so heartbreaking. And so he never had one. And I always, every time I went over, I just wanted to do easy bake oven. And she's like, no, let's go for a bike ride. Let's go whatever climb trees. And I was like, no, let's bake. But I had that. Let's make. I put everything in there. I put everything in there. And it would never cook. Right. But it did cook. I mean, it was a proper little oven for two seconds.

6:02I mean, had this little light. It was such a toy that I was like, oh, that's cool. It could teach kids about looking. But it was really genderized. I feel. It was for me for little girls. And, you know, be a good wife. And the housewives and go learn on this starter oven. So you can be prepared for your life. Yes. And the marketing was definitely that. It came out in 1963. So when we think about like 1960s marketing, it's like the madman era, right? It's all of these men that are just coming up with this stuff. So at first came out in this, this, um, sales executive of a toy company called Kenner Products. He was inspired by New York City pretzel vendors and the little ovens that they had. So his development team designed a light bulb powered toy. That would actually work. So you could actually bake in these things. Yeah.

7:02Yeah. Because it heated the little oven. It heated up. I think it heated up to 350 degrees. I didn't think so either. But that was what they were saying that it heated up. That's what it said. Yeah. And that's why my dad was terrified that I was going to burn myself. And, yeah. You know, but I know what it is. It wasn't very hot. It was $16 back then, which was in, like, am I allowance for three months was $20? Right. Something. So, um, $16 was, was pretty pricey back then. And it was, uh, would that be like more than $160 today? Yeah. Can you imagine? That toy wasn't as fast. It was a huge success. And it was like sold 500,000 units in the first year. And so they tripled production the following year. Yeah. But I guess that marketing too, the little girls worked. It worked.

8:02It totally worked. Because if the 1960s, you know, they advertised it on Saturday morning cartoons. Yes. I love news. You see. So, of course, you just want this. And it was like, their slogan was just like moms. Bake your cake and eat it too. And it was like pink and purple. And the packaging it had. The little girl is baking. It was very much like this is your role. So you know who's, who's part of this ad campaign. Um, so it turned this like mundane household task of baking into something, into play, into play. I didn't even know there was a national toy hall of fame. Neither did I. It's so cool. I want to know what else. Obviously, this is for iconic toys. Probably the barbie and the big wheel. Um, but the easy bake oven. Uh, was inducted into the national toy of all the fame. Because it sold 23 million units. The date. I know. Bones and owls.

9:02Hasbro owns it now. And now it's a little bit more democratic. It's not pink and purple. But there's some blue and some yellow in there. And there are boys and girls that are, you know, baking. Yeah. So yeah. So it's just, it has evolved with the times. I will tell you. That happened in our household. Was the day we got a micro way. Do you remember that? I remember that. That was a big deal. I just remember it was like, wow. This little thing can reheat. And my aunt in Mexico City would make everything in it. And it was just kind of gross. But then it's like, is this safe? Is it? It's just like, but it was a big thing on the counter. It was like, yeah. Do you remember when you got a microwave? Yeah. My dad was excited about it, oddly, because she, you know, we lived on the ranch. We ate from the ground. So everything was made from scratch.

10:02And so when we got it, I was like, yeah, but what do you cook at it? I was so confused. And it came with a little cookbook. Yeah. And one of the first things in there was eggs. And so I remember my dad cracking an egg and doing the thing and putting it in there. And then it, you know, changed. And we were like, uh, and we wouldn't stand near it. Yes. Back away, back away. And because of that, I never used it. And it really just was this black box in our kitchen. But my dad was very excited about it. And then later, it kind of just evolved to reheat the leftovers we cooked. It was just the reheater. I feel like that's how it was in my house from the beginning to reheater or something that you used to make popcorn. But that, and I feel like we, we actually talked about the microwave when we did our popcorn episode. So it, the first microwave oven was called the radar range. And it goes all the way back to 1946. But it was this huge thing. And it was super expensive.

11:02So it wasn't, you know, it wasn't for home use. And these early microwave versions were used in hotels and restaurants. And it wasn't until this company called Raytheon bought it that it became smaller and more affordable. And this is in the 1960s. But it didn't really become common until the 80s, which is when our families, you know, got one. And it changed what cooking was supposed to be. The whole thing about the culture in that moment as well. Like, you know, women are working. Kids are lachki. That was everything. We used to heat up like pockets. Or something. You know, when we got home or something. But yeah, it definitely transformed the household. Because the way society was changing. Society was changing. And it changed like, cooking this, until then, this whole idea of,

12:02oh, cooking should take time. And it should be this whole thing, the last time. And this idea of speed, it speed became normal, you know. And also the fact that it doesn't brown or crisp. Like, that's, that was, that's my thing about not cooking. The microwave is great. It's jelly-like. And it's easy to eat that out of the microwave. But that was why early critics complained about it. Because the food that you could cook in there was like pale or unfinished. And it just was not very aesthetic. So I think, you know, cooking is a craft, too. I don't think the microwave really put a dent in that. But the traditional cooking that requires tending and stirring and heating. And those things still need that stuff. Like, if you're making a souffle, it does need to rise. It does need to, you know, crisp on the top. And so, but this like pressing buttons and something being ready.

13:02That was pretty liberating. It was. For some people, it was liberating. For a lot of people, it was liberating. For other people, it felt like of this loss of scale. And this loss of ritual. You know, the time and the care. So that was just no longer there. So it was kind of a double-edged sword. Yeah. But like, and like I said, as a latch geek, it's like coming home by yourself. The microwave also supported this idea of individualized eating. I'm going to eat at six. And you can eat at eight and shifting the idea. Really the family dinner. And, you know, it was like the TV, the TV metal trays, TV dinners. So what were they called TV dinners? TV dinners. Yeah. They were called TV dinners. TV dinners. And in the metal trays, then you would heat them up. And I tried to heat them up on my easy bake oven. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the food that I had in the meat dinner was interesting.

14:02And it never really replaced the oven. It really didn't. Yeah. But it kind of redefined in the eighties. It kind of redefined what counted as real cooking. It normalized convenience. And it normalizes individual eating. It just really changed everything. I did change the game. Yeah. I used it today. I only used my microwave today to make popcorn. Which I know which you shouldn't. Which is because your bags are full of stuff. Yeah. The bags, I guess, inside. Yeah. Everything's killing us. I know. I always say something's going to kill me. Let's put the machine in Valentina that I'm putting. And how do I know that I'm putting it in the popcorn? Definitely. Not the way I put that bag. Right. It's not the whole that I'm putting in my stomach with all of the acid. Hi, this is one more about the Rama from those amigos. Knees and wanted to test the capabilities of the new Pathfinder.

15:02But not in a lab. Not on paper. So they went looking for the most creative minds they could find and asked three kids to imagine the ultimate adventure. Then a Hollywood director and his stunt team brought that drawing to life, turning imagination into a real, measurable test of the power of Nissan. Every challenge is 100% real, no tricks, no shortcuts, just pure V6 engine power. That's quality, reliability, and durability. And it's why JD Power ranks Nissan number one. A new vehicle quality among mainstream brands. Discover how the new Nissan Pathfinder turns the unthinkable into the unforgettable. For JD Power, 2025 US Initial Quality Study Award Information Visit JDPower.com Slash Awards. Awards based on 2025 model year, newer models may be shown. People talk about distance like it's a real thing. But in Latino families, it's not existing.

16:02You're never far, you're one call, one text, one meme away. And with that, if you don't answer because your hermanos, your cousin, they're all calling till you do. That's why T-Mobile is the play if you want to stay connected with your hands. With unlimited talk, text, and data between US and Mexico, home is always close. Every convoc on McKinthe leaves me happier, just like being a T-Mobile member. Switching took me, what? 15 minutes on the T-Life app? 15 minutes that unlock the best benefits in wireless. Everyone has three phones. But with T-Mobile, I have value that lasts. My peeps keep me centered, you won't believe all the benefits you can get when you switch to T-Mobile. Switch today, online, in-store, or on the app. You choose Dueliges. Visit T-Mobile.com. Switching 15 minutes per line, qualifying plan required. Hola, it's Honey German here. Let's be honest, in our community, especially us women, we do it all. We work, we take care of the family, we hustle so that we don't miss anything.

17:02But even the strongest need a break. Don't worry about it. That's why I love talking about real stuff on my podcast, Gracias come again. Because we're all out here doing our best. And sometimes having alien into a skiner is so as a toda la diferencia. Like a state farm agent. They're the kind of hint that shows up, listens, and helps you get the coverage you need. It's not about needing help. It's about knowing you deserve to feel supported. Comun buen besino, state farm is the i. State Farm proudly supports a podcast network. Escucha tus shows favorito, wherever you listen to your podcasts. Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and build for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day. And most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts,

18:02you've got fewer repairs. And style, there are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. An EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more at electricforall.org. Plan parenthood health centers save lives. But the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at plan parenthood health centers for one simple reason. They want to shut plan parenthood down. But across the country, plan parenthood health centers are still there, opening their doors to care for their communities. That's because plan parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom and they'll never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the U.S. have been to a plan parenthood health center for high quality health care. Like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information from millions of people.

19:02Plan parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need. And they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At plan parenthood care continues to learn more. Visit i'm for pp.org. I just use it to read coffee. Oh yeah, I do that too. I do that too. This is my fire king vintage cups. These are vintage and old because these are the ones you could put in the oven. So house in the 1950s people would reheat their coffee in the oven so these can go in the oven. No way, I've never seen those. We're doing a dinnerware. We're doing an episode of that next year. For those of you listening, you're doing this beautiful coffee month. It's like iridescent. If you know that it comes in jade and this orange

20:02iridescent color, it's called fire king. And it's a brand that it was and they had bowls and plates and because you could put them in the oven. Wow, I've never seen this. Fire to the microwave. What? You can only find them on eBay and vintage shops. And people give you like one cup. One cup. What is it called again? Fire king. Fire king. I'm going to look for it. It's pure. It's revolutionized. The household in the 50s as well. Okay. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. Well, let's talk about this idea of revolutionizing. So this is about when humans first started to cook with fire instead of just over fire. So this is way before the easy bake oven and the microwave. This kind of transformed life. Humanity. Really? I've always been fascinated with when humans started cooking with fire. Have you kind of saved me? Save me.

21:02Save me. No. Yeah. By Yvonne. Amazing book. I mean, dense, but like it's the history of evolution. And in there is like when fire really changed our evolution. So that I've always been fascinated. And then I've always been fascinated. Because in Spain, one of the oldest ovens is there. I mean, I went to a restaurant. This is the oldest oven of Europe or similar. I never know. And it's a restaurant. The restaurant is built around this old looking hole. Right. And I was like, that was the first. What year was that? So I've always been fascinated about, you know, the history of cooking with fire. Because we didn't used to before fire. Yeah. But what was it like a million years ago? Yeah. Like prehistory. I mean, evidence of cooking over an open fire dates at least 400,000. But probably up to a million years ago. And there is sites like this Wonderwork Cave in South Africa who just early people were eating or were roasting meats

22:02and tubers directly on embers. And so this idea of cooking with fire using fire to heat containers, to boil water, to bake, and in close spaces. That came much later. And there's an early pottery found in China dating to approximately 20,000 years ago. Marxist meager turning point. Because this allowed people to boil stew and extract nutrients in different ways. And we're going to talk about that more when we do our dinnerware thing. Because this idea of the oven and pottery kind of goes hand in hand, which is super interesting. Yeah, but it's interesting because there's fire, fire changed our species. Because first it was just to stay warm, right? Like in fire, we're just going to use stay warm. And then there was an era of controlled fire, which was like, oh, you know, because it was just, you know, fire and then like controlled use of fire. And then it was the evidence of cooking.

23:04And so it's so interesting how like, you know, if you look at these, these anthropology studies and things like that, whether it is about pottery or the first, the dishware that they use to boil the discrepancy, because some didn't eat, some were just using it for like hot water and warmth. And then some were way more, some species were way, way more advanced. But the homalore rectus to the, the anders all to the, I mean, it's crazy. It is so fascinating. You got to read Sapiens. Okay. One of the best books ever. We're going to link to it because yes, there's just so much to learn from this. And these are things that we don't really think about, right? It's like, oh, the fire. I think about this all the times. Yeah. Because I know I say that we don't have that. There was a fire that happened. And Yuval's book, it was like a fire that like burned the forest. Reminions out of animals. And they saw birds picking,

24:04picking at it and eating it. And they were like, oh, and that's how they found like, oh, you could cook meat. But you could cook fascinating animals. Anyway, yeah, it's so fascinating. So yeah, so by, I know it's what this whole thing is like, oh, fire, heat. Oh, my gosh, run. And then, oh, but look. So that there's by about 10,000 BC. There were settled communities. And the place that you mentioned in Spain is probably one of these. There's also sites in Turkey. So they were building permanent ovens. And then this really transformed fire from this open flame into something controlled and managed. Turning cooking and simple roasting into something social and something cultural. So this completely created this shift in societies, right? It was just this shift towards agriculture. It expanded where people counted as food. You know, like you said, oh, like the birds maybe were picking at this cooked meat and all of a sudden, it was just it shifted,

25:04like completely shifted societies. And then it shifts to the actually early ovens, which were the earth ovens. Kyle, we talked about a lot in Medina. Yes. And the pits underground that are lined with hot stones and wood and then they're covered to trap the heat. And that's how they slow roasted food for hours. Or sometimes 24 hours. Sometimes a full day. So these like, gochunita, the pv. Yeah. To cook underground. Hawaii, the Polynesian culture, like all of this like cooking underground hot stones. That really was the first evolution of the oven. And yeah. And there were the first evidence of those were at least 30,000 years ago. I mean, the earth ovens go back like way back. And then we have the tandoor ovens that are, you know, later, these are like 3000 BC. And these are clay ovens that could reach really, really,

26:04really high temperatures. And used wood as a fuel and they gave whatever was inside a really smokey flavor. And so then it just became about, oh, this tastes really good. This wood tastes really good. And then in these tandoor ovens, food cooks really quickly at a really, really intense heat. So it sears the meat and then also keeping it juicy, allowing the fat to drip away. The lean proteins were made easier to prepare. And then they were able to make flatbreads and none. And so we see these like faster cooking. But also like bold flavors. And these interesting textures. So it sort of, it was like first it was like, oh, yes, you know, protein. And we could cook these different things. Oh, but these things could just also taste really good. And feel like feel good in your mouth. So it's super. And then there was clay ovens. Clay ovens, which, you know, made bread making possible, which was a major diet shift.

27:05Because then it made grains, a true staple. And bread became very central to civilizations. And so yeah, a lot of, a lot of these early ovens used wood as, as fuel. So the firewood was abundant. And controlling sheet relied on, on intuition. Yeah. Adding wood to, you know, make it hotter and increase the temperature, letting ambers die down, to gauge the temperature. I mean, that was just all, you know, I think this is right. Then it becomes, I mean, they still do, in many parts of the world, they control the grilling of the meat, based on wood, and the grill going up, and the grill going closer to the fire, the grill going up. And that's how they, those, Master of Federals? Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Like the pit masters.

28:05I said, I said, I don't know. Anyway, I don't know. They're called some makes, the grillers. The grillers. The grillers who are watching on. Right. And those guys, they do that. I think they control the temperature, but going up and down. But so interesting. Well, I found fascinating, when I went to this restaurant in Spain, I was like, this was the oldest oven in Europe, or I forget where, and I was like, it was the oven for the community. It helped social life. So like everybody would just cook at this one spot. Yes. Many early towns, like from the ancient Mediterranean to Asia, to Mesoamerica, people brought their foods, their dough, whatever, to a shared structure, a shared wood fire structure. And so in sites like Pompeii,

29:05during the Roman Empire, there was, you know, we see these, there were public ovens. And communal ovens required coordination. It required community. Some people gathered fuel. Someone managed heat. Others waited their turn. And sort of this waiting period became a time for conversation for exchanging news, for matchmaking. It was like this for time for cheeseman. Right. People were just chatting and getting to know each other. And they were just chatting. And what are you putting in this? And so, you know, baking requires steady, retaining heat. People often pool their resources, making bread a bread day, a collective event, rather than something private. So they not only, you know, these communal ovens, not only cook the food, but they started to structure time and reinforced interdependence.

30:05It's really built around the oven. It's like today, you have a party, everybody's in the kitchen. In the kitchen, around the barbecue. Yes. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. It's the same. The people had changed, but we're exactly, what we're attracted to is intrinsically the same. Hello, it's Wimmer from Rama. The new Nisa Pathfinder is made for those who don't conform with the basics. Under the hood, it has a powerful V6 engine. The V6 is more premium for words in the last 30 years. That is proven power that leads you to where you want to go with confidence and with capacity of up to eight passengers with premium technology is designed to go to the distance and more far, comfortably.

31:05The Pathfinder takes you with all the security that your SUV will respond to any surprise for the truck. The new Nisa Pathfinder is available for every escape. Hey, it's Honey German. You already know me. I'm Dominican, a positive, proud and well connected. Yet, I'm back for my hint. Because home is where the mango is. Staying connected is more than bars on a phone. It's video calling, checking in, feeling close no matter where I am. Like here in the US, oh yeah, I gotta stay connected. And with T-Mobile, I get unlimited text in 21 Latin American countries. Siempre me siento en casa. Switching to T-Mobile feels like the right decision. It only takes 15 minutes with the T-Life app, and you can do it from anywhere anytime. Everyone has free phones. But on T-Mobile, I get value that lasts and the best benefits on wireless. You won't believe all the benefits you get when you switch to T-Mobile.

32:06Switch today online, in store or on the app. You choose to do this. Visit T-Mobile.com. Switch in 15 minutes per line. Qualifying plan required. Life is just better when you've got a friend to go through with it. Your family or the unexpected. It's always easier when you're not doing it alone. Hi, I'm Womorva Durama from the Los Amigos Podcast. Every week I get to sit down with one of my best friends and talk about all the wild, unpredictable, and sometimes hilarious parts of my life. And it reminds me that's the kind of support we all need. Not just in good times, but when things go sideways. Quinta con estate farm. They're the kind of friend you want in your corner. Your estate farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Your estate farm agent can help you file your claim. It helps to have someone who really listens. Someone who's there, like a true amigo. Like a good neighbor. Your estate farm is there. And estate farm supports my Coutura podcast network. Helping to share stories that bring us together. Catch those amigos and more

33:07wherever you get your podcast. Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and build for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day. And most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs. And style, there are hundreds of new and used EV models to choose from. And EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. Learn more at electricforall.org. Planned Parenthood Health Center's Save Lives. But the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood Health Centers for one simple reason. They want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood Health Centers are still there. Opening their doors to care for their communities.

34:07That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom. And they'll never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood Health Center for high quality health care. Like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, abortion and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information from millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need. And they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, Kira continues to learn more. Visit armforpp.org. So when did coal and gas enter the party and transform to others? Because that really changed cooking as a science. Totally. So gag, like we were saying

35:07for most of history, cooks judged heat by intuition. Right, the way it looked, the way it sounded, the way it felt. And the turning point came in the 18th and 19th century. And this is the industrial revolution that we just talked about. And closed coal and gas ovens allowed heat to be regulated and measured. So ovens were now not clay. They're now made of cast iron. And cast iron retained and radiated heat more efficiently. And sort of this combo enabled smaller indoor kitchens, removing the reliance on communal ovens. And this accelerated urban domestic life. And it also standardized recipes because temperatures became more predictable. 18th and 19th century, huge cookbook culture now. And start seeing like the brands and the stores and all of this. So it just changed the way it also enabled smaller ovens,

36:07like smaller indoor. It was just so easy because it was just, you know, like the microwave is just a smaller thing that you could have in your house. So there's this guy named Benjamin Thompson, who is this American born, who became a European nobleman. He's known as Count Rumpford. He was this 18th century scientist and inventor. And he kind of transformed how we think about cooking. He was in Europe, and he had many kitchens. And you notice that open fires and traditional stuffs wasted, heat and fuel. And he applied this emerging science of thermodynamics and redesigned ovens and fireplaces to redistribute, eat, heat more efficiently and consistently. And by doing this, he showed that cooking could be measured and controlled rather than left to intuition. And so he was super innovative and his work helped make kitchens safer and more efficient. And laid the groundwork for cast iron ovens and thermostats.

37:07So we thank him for the thermostat. We could thank him for the thermostat. Exactly. And also cast iron stoves and also enclosed ovens. And this eventually made, you know, the oven became a symbol of modern domestic life. And in the later, you know, 19th and early 20th century. And this is when industrialization, urban utilities, and advertisinging converged. Oh my gosh. So this thing really changed. He changed the game. Because imagine an oven without a thermostat. Forget it. Yes, so forget it. Well, I think something that really changed domestic life was gas lines. Gas lines and electricity, right? That you could actually connect homes to these, you know, gas lines. And so this was like 19th, early 20th century, when urban utilities became a thing. And cities like London or New York, these gas ranges or electric ranges

38:09were popping up in people's kitchen and shifted this, like, smokey work site to just a really cleaner, mechanized space. And then that's how the, that 1950s enamel range became, you know, this shorthand for efficiency. And, uh, and upward mobility too. Like, I still covet that, uh, that, that old enamel range. That was the so beautiful. And it became like, this tool that symbolized modernities, stability, and just like, uh, encourage a domestic, domestic life. It was like the fantasy of a domestic life. Those are nominal ovens. That there's nothing more beautiful. And those, um, actually, when I first moved to LA, my apartment had one of those ovens and it was the most beautiful thing ever. It broke down. My landlord was like, well, if you want it,

39:09you need to fix it. It's like, I was renting. And of course, I couldn't afford to fix it. Like, what am I going to do with it? And he didn't fix it. And I came home one day and he had a horrible thing. And I literally cried, because it was the most beautiful thing. And so these ovens emerged in the 20s and 30s. And if they became this sort of staged a fantasy of modern life, you know, these, after the First World War, companies like General Electric and Westinghouse and Magic Chef, they began producing these porcelain enamel ranges in whites and soft pastels and so stunning. They're beautiful. They're practical. And they're also aspirational. Like, they're clean. And this idea of this spotless white kitchen became a signal of discipline and hygiene and scientific class. And class.

40:09And class. Absolutely. We have the rise of the modern woman. And all these advertisements promised all this like leisure and elegance. If you have this stove, you're going to be, you know, more efficient in it. It just suggested that domestic labor could be transformed into this like glamorous activity. If you bought this too, romance. I feel like that sometimes. I feel like that. Look at my stove. That apartment. I was like, oh my god, this is my beautiful thing of reversing. And it also part of the kind of art deco movement of the design movement of that time period. These curved edges and chrome and these not these bold knobs and symmetry. They kind of look like giant

41:09radios or like automobiles. And it was sort of the same design when money was tight, even when money was tight, aspiration intensified. And this enamel range could transform just a modern kitchen wherever you were. Something that felt wow, glamorous. Well, cosmopolitan. And then like it's so interesting because then, because the stove was no longer just utilitarian and it became part of the home's identity. And so, how advertisers sold ovens is like happiness and femininity. But also, to the architecture and four plans of houses. Like now, the kitchen was a show room. And so, there in this company, like Jeannie and Westing House, and they would just fill magazines with this like bright spotless kitchen and a smiling woman was

42:09at her life as a wife and a mother. I mean, this was very honestly genderized advertising. But temperature dials, you know, were also framed as like scientific motherhood. Should say, Jeff, if you had precise heat, you could make a perfect cake, which in turn will make you the perfect wife. And so, this marketing, this marketing was just, you know, a beautified domestic labor because of this technology, which tried to tie a woman's identity and to, and her worst to that. And so, it worked, you know, in the 1920s and 30s. But then we saw, you know, a shift later on, I guess, the timeline of ovens, bringing that restaurant to the stainless steel. That's my jam. I do love it. I do love the, I mean, that's my jam now. And also, open kitchen. Make the cake and then bring it out and present it to the world,

43:09you know, to the kid to present it to her. Yes, now it's like, open kitchen. It's almost like the whole, yeah, like the community, you know, it's like the home is now in the community. So yes, this, that's what now, I like, oh my god, when I see like a wall for a Viking oven, I'm just like, I drool, like I want one of those. But this is an interesting shift in the 20th century. Kitchen stopped trying to look pretty. They wanted to look powerful. Yeah, they started to look powerful. And brands like wool of inviting, they helped redefine what aspiration looks like. Instead of these pastel enamel or white enamel and chrome and curves, they offered power and weight and stainless steel. And then the 1990s brought the food network and the rise of celebrity chefs in the 20th century. And so it's different, like restaurant ranges are built for super high heat,

44:09multiple burners, visible flames, and like durability over decoration. And when companies like Viking become marketing true commercial style ranges for residential kitchens, all of a sudden hotter, bigger, more metal, became better. And it was this gender shift, right? Oh, the woman clean. Yeah. You know, it was like, oh, it became masculinized. The white enamel promised ease and stainless steel promised intensity. So the feminized aesthetic of the kitchen of earlier decades was really just erased. It was just this shift. And also, of course, the open concept really amplified this shift. And so that brings us to the part of it. I've never heard of this. Smart events are like this new thing and they're connected to Wi-Fi. So they're allowed you to control and monitor cooking remotely,

45:10like on your phone, or via voice commands. The smart event has this promise that meals are perfectly time. They're easy to monitor. They're guided by built-in technology. I don't know. I don't like them because I don't like it. Yeah, I don't like it. It's too much of the future. Yeah. I want either my enamel, an enamel stove or like a beautiful Viking or maybe somebody needs to come up with some sort of in-between. But yeah, this smart phone thing, it's smart oven thing. Oh, I don't know. They have everything they have. They have refrigerators that are like that. It's just too much. What is your favorite thing to make in the oven? Oh, I love to bake in the oven, but I would say that my favorite thing to make is like a few weeks ago when I was pouring rain in LA,

46:11I made short ribs and this like cooking something for hours and hours and hours and walking into the house and smelling the cooking food and the meat and the it just feels so cozy. That is probably what I love to make in the oven. Like a really like a like this idea of a super tough meat I make of meat that's just like balls apart. What about you? Yeah, I make everything. I do everything in the oven. Yeah, everything. I would heat up my coffee in the oven if I could. And I can't. No, I love the oven. The oven is like vital to me. But I like forget about it. Like me, I think we're roasting a chicken or a turkey. That's my favorite. Oh, roasting a chicken. Oh, that's so good. Thanks for listening everybody. Leave us some comments. Tell us what, or most of all, if you had an easy bake oven. Send us pictures of your easy bake oven.

47:12And what your favorite thing is to cook in the oven. We'd love to hear from you. Yeah, share your favorite thing. Do you cook lasagna? Thanks for listening everyone. Thanks, bye y'all. Bye. Hungry for history is a hyphenate media production in partnership with IHART's Michael Thurap Podcast Network. For more of your favorite shows, visit the IHART Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine never having to buy gas again. Sounds like a dream. Except, it's real. That's everyday life with an electric vehicle. No long lines at the pump. Just plug in at home and go. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and build for real life. Most Americans drive about 40 miles a day. And most EVs go 200 to 400 miles on a single charge. And with fewer moving parts, you've got fewer repairs.

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