In a world which has become singularly devoted to specialization and its narrowing functions besides, this picture at C.W.’s place* made me hoot with joy.
Let’s look at this beauty from the perspective of Mom preparing Thanksgiving Dinner: a cooktop with six burners, five ovens and three warming drawers. In other words, you can prepare simultaneously your turkey, vegetables, pies and anything else you desire, plus you’re keeping pre-cooked dishes warm for the table, and have maybe a spare warmer for the plates. None of this time-juggling nonsense that modern tiny and inadequate ranges force you into.
Now let’s consider all the things that Make Kim Happy: not a single electronic doodad to be found anywhere, which means that any failures over time (if any) can be repaired by a competent mechanic or electrician, or else by replacement of the failed part installed also either by the homeowner or either of the above technicians. You’d have none of this “Oh, one of the electronic switches has failed so you have to replace the entire panel” or even worse, “It would be cheaper just to replace the entire range than to fix this one thing” (a comment which always has me reaching for my 1911).
Oh, and did I mention that appliances such as this one would probably last for fifty years (or even longer)?
And yes I know that this Hulk-y thing of beauty is bigger than most modern kitchens, all by itself. [20,000-word rant against modern interior design omitted]
To me, the tipping point of this piece was New Wife’s reaction to the above, which was awe and wonder, coupled with envy that someone somewhere has this lovely beast and she does not.
It’s wonderful, fantastic, and every home should have one. Yes, it’s no doubt Too Much for the modern generation, whose idea of home cooking is a call to DoorDash or some such foulness. I don’t care about them and nor should anyone else. I just know that if I were younger and the head of a decent-sized family (as I once was), this appliance would make my wife’s life far easier, and that’s all I care about.
Feel free to argue the point with me, but you’d be wrong.
*Ol’ C.W.’s (misnamed) Daily TimeWaster website has been a longtime staple of weekend viewing for New Wife and I, as we spend every Saturday morning in bed with cups of tea and coffee respectively as we catch up with a week’s worth of his brilliant pics. I know that he features a lot of links (ads) to Amazon, but I also know that the stuff he features is mostly very desirable to a lot of people — to me no less than anyone. I have probably followed an Amazon link and subsequently purchased no fewer than four or five of the products per year of reading his website for the past decade (or longer).
And no, it’s not a waste of time. Looking at the various things of beauty and enjoying his occasional dry commentary could never be a waste of time.
Keep it up, buddy.
Such a beast of a cooker would almost fill my kitchen on its own! But it’s gorgeous. And that comfy chair is something else. Wait, you’re not expecting the Spanish Inquisition, are you?
If the Spanish Inquisition ever comes calling, they’d better bring body bags.
Lots of them.
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! 🙂
I too found that stove fetching and a work of art. But alas it is just too much for our old assed 2 person fambly now.
I’m an architect and about 10 years ago I tore our kitchen down to the studs and joists and redid everything brand new. I did all the work myself over about a month long period. I didn’t do the Corian countertops, hired that out.
Now, 10 year later, we are older, eat less, and could do with a kitchen about half the size. The oven is too big and takes too long to heat up. We have never used more than 2 burners at the same time on the range. In the warmer days I do a fair amount of cooking on the gas grill on the porch.
And we only eat one meal a day, supper. Almost never a breakfast, and lunch is 1 or 2 pieces of fruit or cheese, or something like that.
But I do like that restored vintage stove. Yes I do. If I was wealthy I’d sit it right next to a restored, fully equipped Hoosier Cabinet. look it up
Get an air fryer. You’ll hardly ever use your oven ever again.
Your suggestion might be the straw that….
Been thinking about getting one.
My hesitation is rooted in them shelves in the pantry slammed with kitchen gadgets that never get used any more.
But you prodded me into taking another look.
Growing up we had an avacado green stove that lasted from the early 1970s until the late 1980s or maybe the early 1990s. A couple of the heating elements on the electric stove were replaced I believe. That was a quick fix. It had a large over on one side and a smaller oven on the other. You could broil steak, chicken etc while backing potatoes or something else while vegetables simmered on the stove top. SInce then every stove I have had has only had one oven.
The stove in the picture looks fantastic!!!! which burner would be your favorite?
Similar to Ghost, I’d love to have it as a working antique, but 95% of my meals would only involve a single burner and maybe the smallest oven. The only time the rest of it would get used would be a holiday. Beautiful though. I’d be willing to trade out every single appliance in my kitchen for a new or restored 1950’s version tomorrow, if possible. Right now I have two different (and expensive) appliances throwing error codes. The appliances still work, we just have to power-off/power-on to reset the electronics every time we use them. Cheaper than a repair but still a pain in the ass.
The stove takes me back. My grandmother had essentially that stove except the four smaller compartments under the burner were one big oven, so you could do a turkey or goose or whatnot. A flood of memories there.
I grew up with a smaller version of this range. On top were four burners with a griddle in the middle. Beneath the burners were an oven on one side and a rotisserie (!) on the other that could also be used as a broiler. There was a warming drawer under the oven. Natural gas was cheap and nobody we knew had an electric range.
My gandma had something like that, only a little smaller. She did Thanksgiving for many years. It stayed with the house when they sold and moved from Chicago. sigh. Back in the day when they made forever appliances.
Oh, to be able to return to a gas kitchen…