The Hearth: Centerpiece of the Colonial Kitchen
For the settlers, the hearth was certainly the heart of the kitchen (Fisher, 2010, p. 20). Fires were kept burning all day and rarely allowed to go out completely at night. Much of the household cooking was done on a swing crane, an iron bar attached to the side of the fireplace with hinges. "It swung out from the fire so cooks could stir the ingredients or remove a pot without getting burned. Pots could also be raised and lowered with hook and chains to control the amount of heat they received from the fire" (Ichord, 1998, p. 8).
Just as modern cooks can have an oven and several stove burners operational at one time, the Colonial cook could be heating a stew in a large kettle, roasting a chicken in a tin kitchen, frying vegetables in a spider skillet, and baking a casserole in a Dutch oven—all on the same hearth for the same meal (Kalman & Brown, 2002, pp. 6-9). Cooks controlled the amount of heat by varying the distance from the food to the fire, and/or the amount of coals used to heat the dish. |
This video demonstrates how a Colonial cook was able to manage several dishes at once on the hearth. |
Heat Management
Without the assistance of the precise temperature controls we rely on today, the Colonial cook had to monitor the wood and coals carefully. "The cook has to be able to 'read' the fire and know which coals are the hottest. You judge heat by color and brightness, much like a blacksmith looks at hot iron. Yellow heat is hotter than orange, which is hotter than red. You also have to remember that once you take hot coals out of the fire, you have to put more wood on it" (Crews, 2004, para. 9).
The talented cooks of today must manage the cooking of all components of a meal, so that everything is ready to eat at the same time. Colonial cooks were no different. "A skilled cook knew more than how to prepare a variety of foods using an assortment of equipment that became more varied as the century progressed. A sense of timing was essential. All parts of a meal had to be ready to send to the table when they were called for" (Gibbs, 2004, para. 7).
The talented cooks of today must manage the cooking of all components of a meal, so that everything is ready to eat at the same time. Colonial cooks were no different. "A skilled cook knew more than how to prepare a variety of foods using an assortment of equipment that became more varied as the century progressed. A sense of timing was essential. All parts of a meal had to be ready to send to the table when they were called for" (Gibbs, 2004, para. 7).
Dangers
The heat from the fires in the hearth was not only used to cook a household's meals, but was also key in handling many other chores, including boiling water for baths, washing fabrics and warming irons for pressing clothes (Fisher, 2010, p. 20). Keeping the fire burning and managing all these tasks was hard work and dangerous. "Preparing food over a hot fire was a hazardous occupation...the register that lists York County free blacks from the late eighteenth through the first quarter of the nineteenth century describes many women with burn scars on their faces, arms, hands, breasts, and legs" (Gibbs, 2004, para. 4).
The long skirts Colonial women wore by the fire could prove fatal. "Many colonial women were killed when their long dresses caught on fire. Women often found it safer to hitch up their skirts and aprons and tuck them into their waistbands when cooking" (Ichord, 1998, p. 8).
The long skirts Colonial women wore by the fire could prove fatal. "Many colonial women were killed when their long dresses caught on fire. Women often found it safer to hitch up their skirts and aprons and tuck them into their waistbands when cooking" (Ichord, 1998, p. 8).
Title photo: Onions cooking in butter on a spider at Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC. Taken in March 2012 by Brooks Jones.