In the past Lezlee at Prior said...
It looks awesome and your 1956 Chambers Range is quite amazing
And 'quite amazing' it is~ I love my Chambers Range!
Granny and Mary Ellen-
*that is exactly what I thought when I met a friend years ago that had one!
Incidentally, my Granny Jo had a really old model
(similar to this one, in my recollection)
when I was a child, as well as my Grandmother.
(like Grandmother's)
My dad has hers and it is currently in storage. My daughter hopes to inherit it someday. (All of my kiddos learned to cook on this range)
nannykim said...Well, you need to tell us about the stove. It is quite different. How old is that piece and does it work? Is that two ovens I see?
NannyKim,
*My range is a Model C Chambers Range--
Mine is about 1956 model. It has a unique feature on it called the Thermal Eye which helps to date my stove. (more on that in a bit)
*YES! It works and I cook on it everyday. I love my range. (and I'm not much of a cook meaning, I cook to eat, not because I love to cook, but I love to eat!)
*No. That is not 2 ovens. The left is the oven. The right is storage. Not a warming oven like some people think. There was certain equipment that came with the stove originally, and this space was used to store those pieces and as an access area to make adjustments to the stove.
***ON FRUGAL -Economical TERMS***So it saves gas ~ which is energy~ which is GREEN! if being green means something to you...then cool! I just like to save on the gas bill!
**ON PRACTICAL TERMS**
The oven is said to be small by some people-- and compared to a lot of ovens today, it is small. However~
I've cooked my Thanksgiving Dinner in my oven for the last 14 years!
There is a deepwell on this stove; it is used much like a crock pot or slow-cooker. I don' t have the pilot lit on mine and the Gas is turned off to that part. Just because I don't use it that often,we lost a part and never got a replacement. However~ I used to use it. The stove comes with a pot that fits down inside and you can cook stew down in there pretty fast. This deepwell also has the OPTION OF COOKING WITH THE GAS TURNED OFF.
One Thankgiving I made mashed potatoes early and placed them down inside there to keep them warm until dinner. When they came out they were piping hot!
Mine also has what is called a thermo -baker (the part I lost was the rack for the thermo baker). This is used to bake cakes and pies. I've made a cherry pie with mine. And it was YUMMIE! So, while the oven may be small you have another means of getting the dinner cooked.
My own model C has the Roberstshaw Thermal eye--
Now I don't own an owners manual on this. But I'll tell you how I use it. It has a thermostat on it. You can set it to about 212° (which is boiling point for water) and it shuts itself off! Mine is pretty accurate. This would come in handy for candy making, boiling water (science projects~remember we home-schooled), and for me keeping the pot from boiling over if I'm away from the stove. I'm sure it had and INTENDED PURPOSE...but I'm not sure what that was...(smile)
One of my favorite featrues is the "IN-A-TOP" broiler and griddle. I don't post pictures of it because MINE usually looks dirty. I like to say that my griddle is just very "well seasoned". When I get sick of looking at it-- i cover it with foil. Probably about 2-3 times a year Honey will use the drill and wire brush attachment and shine it up for me.
As for cooking on the broiler- griddle. I can make up to 8 grilled cheese sandwiches at once. I can make a mess of pancakes. I can also cook some really nice steaks inside; complete with veggies!
** On Aesthetic Terms**
There is a copper model. Mine is not copper. It is copper-tone, maybe? For lack of a better decription-- I say it looks like Milk Chocolate.I've never EVER seen one the color of mine and it isn't listed in any catalogs as a color either.
They came in Red,Black,White, baby blue, yellow, and light green. Never seen a Brown one.Originally, I wanted a white one. Milk Chocolate is hard to co-ordinate in the kitchen in the days of White, Almond or Black. But, I've learned to deal with it. The stove already draws your attention in the kitchen, that is why I decided to build the mantle over it- to give it a more commanding presence.
I was glad when the Stainless Steel appliances made it to the seen-- the top of my stove is stainless- and we've slowly added in a few stainless pieces to the kitchen to bring it all together. Honey has been a Stainless Steel worker his whole career-- and really didn't want it in the kitchen. But he's made a few concessions for me! (smile)
Here's a list of links if you'd like to learn more about Chambers Ranges.
You can find them for sale on ebay and craigslist---
I DON'T KNOW!!!
Why would anyone want to get rid of this hardworking piece of equipment? I've cooked on other gas stoves and I've cooked on electric. I don't want to cook on anything but this ~EVER! I've read that Rachael Ray has a Chambers Stove on her set although I've not seen pictures. I don't watch her show; however when I looked to confirm it, all I found was the Orange O'Keeffe Merit stove that is there. If you have pictures or know of where some might be posted send me the link. I'd like to see it.
** This is me putting the word out. I'm looking for A REPLACEMENT EMBLEM. (as seen on the White Model-C above)
Mine is missing the Emblem-- well, I have HALF AN EMBLEM...
There were several types...mine looks like this.
I know I almost wrote a book so--
God Bless you
and
Thanks for reading!
6 comments:
very cool, I love to cook with gas, too. The deepwell on this stove seems like a cool feature. I love my new gas convection fidgeadaire, new from Lowe's, BUT a red one of these would make me swoon! or a wolf with red knobs. Lezlee
I love it! What great meals I bet have been cooked on that beauty. I'm like you that I cook to eat because I love to eat.
The first time I saw a picture of your stove I recognized it as being like one my aunt used to have. Hers was white. She bought it new in 1957 and was so proud of it. She was a great cook and used the deep well almost every day. Yep, I drool every time I see your stove. I especially love the color of it. Thanks for taking the time to make such and informative post.
That's a great post. I've often wondered about your amazing stove. If I cooked I would want one, but since Mike does all the cooking, he gets to pick the equipment. Small price to pay...
I think the cooking without gas feature was way ahead of its time. Why don't they do that now? Makes so much sense!
I am getting old! as in remembering or forgetting what I have asked! This is fascinating. It is really cool. When I was living in my Spindle Cottage we had an oven and stovetop from the 50's. But eventually things broke and I couldn't find the parts I needed so we replaced them. I had to insert a spoon to hold the oven door closed because the spring had broken. The stovetop was really rusty underneath too. But both still cooked fine. Your stove is very cool! Glad it still works. Why don't they make cool stoves like that now a days! Well, I suppose they would cost a fortune!
I'm commenting late, I know, but I can confirm that Rachel Ray had one on the set of her first cooking show - when she was just starting our on the Food Network. I used to love seeing it!
xo
Claudia
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