gas stove

Many stoves use natural gas as a heat source. A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by flammable gas such as natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or syngas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels, such as coal or wood. The first gas stoves were developed in the 1820s and a gas stove factory was established in England in 1836. This new cooking technology had the advantage of being easily adjustable and could be turned off when not in use. The gas stove, however, did not become a commercial success until the 1880s, by which time supplies of piped gas were available in cities and large towns in Britain. The stoves became widespread in Continental Europe and in the United States in the early 20th century.

Gas stoves became more common when the oven was integrated into the base and resized to fit in with the rest of the kitchen furniture. By the 1910s, producers started to enamel their gas stoves for easier cleaning. Early models used match ignition, later replaced by pilot lights — more convenient but wasteful due to constant gas use. Ovens still required manual ignition, posing explosion risks if the gas was accidentally turned on, but not ignited. To prevent this, safety valves known as flame failure devices were introduced for gas hobs (cooktops) and ovens. Modern gas stoves typically feature electronic ignition and oven timers.