Whilst there are a lot of options for different ranges, from gas rings to induction heating, gas cooker installation is still an enduring and popular option, in no small part because of how quickly they heat up and are ready to go.
Whilst they have been widely available for well over a century thanks to the development of a reliable natural gas transport network in the UK by the 1880s, the appetite for gas stoves and ovens had been stoked for over three decades by that point.
This was, in no small part, thanks to one of the earliest celebrity chefs in the UK, who had a chance to take one of London’s most radical cultural centres and create one of the most advanced kitchens in the country at that time.
- The Gastronomic Regenerator
Born in Meaux-en-Brie in France in 1810, Alexis Soyer was poised to become a highly celebrated chef in the country until the July Revolution and the decades of political turmoil made it somewhat unsafe and tumultuous to be a part of French high society.
In those times, being associated with certain aristocracies would effectively make you unemployable, so he left before the Revolution of 1830 could take hold.
Thankfully, there was no shortage of rich and powerful figures looking for French chefs, so he worked for the Duke of Cambridge as a head chef, along with many other members of the landed gentry in various capacities.
However, whilst he was a known figure in high society, married to the daughter of a Shropshire landowner and with friends in the freemasons, it was his work with the Reform Club that made him famous and shaped how we use our kitchens today.
The Reform Club in London has traditionally been seen as the home of radical and progressive ideas, literature and culture throughout the mid-19th century, and in 1837 it appointed Mr Soyer to be its head chef.
As the Reform Club’s building was being constructed at the time, he had the chance to set up a kitchen that was perfect for him, with equipment and stoves designed to his particular taste.
This included steam-heated cupboards to keep dishes warm, a larder with slate and marble tabletops to keep meat and fish cool, and a large kitchen table where all the spices and accoutrements were kept close to hand.
Most notable, however, was the stoves themselves. They initially ran on coal and charcoal, much as stoves and ovens had been for centuries, but in 1841 Mr Soyer requested that the kitchen have a gas pipe running through it.
His reasoning was that it would logically be cheaper and less wasteful to turn gas on and off when it was not in use, rather than the arduous process of waiting for a coal-fired stove to reach an optimal cooking temperature.
The technology was at that point relatively new, with the first gas stove patent being filed in 1826 and the first commercially available stoves only becoming available in 1836.
Ultimately, this proved to be highly influential, and as gas became more widely available, more people followed Mr Soyer’s lead.