How we equip and use our kitchen has changed irrevocably over the centuries and the twentieth century saw far-reaching technological and social changes make their mark; the kitchen fire, for many a century the focal point of the house, has given way to electricity and gas. David J. Eveleigh looks at the kitchen that centered on the open hearth or range and surveys the equipment used for storing and preserving, preparing, boiling, roasting and baking food. This is an intriguing topic, shedding light on how the routine of our lives can be influenced by new inventions and on how we are continuously driven to conceive of new technology in an attempt to ease life's chores.