What Type of Utensils Were Used in Cooking in 1780?
In the late 18th century, many cooking, food-storage and eating utensils were crafted from hardwoods, such as beech, oak and mahogany. The first open range was introduced in 1780, and many cooking utensils from the time period varied in design, with functional and decorative elements. Craftsman fashioned most utensils with hand tools or pedal-powered lathes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cooking
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Thomas Robinson invented the first open range in 1780. It differed from previous ranges in that the fire heated an iron plate on which pots, kettles and cooking vessels sat. Prior to this, cooking vessels hung over an open wood fire, which left soot and ash on the inside and outside. Some models had compartments to heat and hold water.
Preparation
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Artisans in the late 18th century commonly used hardwoods, such as sycamore and beech wood, in cooking implements, including bowls. Bowls had varying depths depending on their use. For instance, large bowls were used in dairy applications, whereas smaller versions were used for eating, drinking and mixing. Craftsmen turned the wood on a pole lathe to fashion the bowls. Late 18th century ladles were made using a pole lathe technique similar to bowls. Artisans turned the ladles twice -- once to create the bowl and once for the handle -- and, also like bowls, the ladles were commonly fashioned from beech wood.
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Storage
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Five layers of heat-treated, pressed and laminated mahogany comprised the cheese cradle's construction, which, as the name implies, held half-wheels of cheese. Some versions had a bread compartment, although these were not as common. Yew wood has a "springy" quality to it and facilitates the construction of wood-turned items, such as spice containers. Spice containers in 1780 had several compartments stacked atop one another, with the bottom of each segment screwing into the top of the one beneath it.
Dinnerware
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Classic Scottish drinking vessels, called bickers, came in several sizes of increasing circumference. The cups fit inside one another for storage, similar to Russian nesting dolls. Alternating staves of alder wood and sycamore comprised bickers, and craftsmen hand-tooled them using only a knife. Some decanters in 1780 were fashioned from a single piece of mulberry wood, hollowed by carving through the bottle neck down to the interior of the bowl. Some goblets were made from laburnum wood and yellow sap wood, which lent boldness and elegance to its appearance. A double-cup resembled two goblets attached at the bases, except with longer stems. Fashioned of burrs from birch wood, the double-cup had an ornate design made by using an ornamental and treadle lathe. Coopers, who also designed barrels, crafted jugs from oak for use with dry and liquid goods.
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