Oven Facts for Kids

Pies baking in an oven.

Ovens are special enclosed spaces that get very hot. People use them for many things like cooking food, drying things, or even making pottery. They are great because they spread heat evenly, making sure everything inside gets cooked or heated just right.

Most ovens you see indoors use electric heat, or they might run on natural gas or coal. Outside, ovens are often made from brick or clay. Sometimes, they are even built into the ground and heated with hot coals.

When an oven is used to make pottery, it's called a kiln. If it's used for big industrial jobs or heating buildings, it's called a furnace. No matter the type, ovens are always hot inside, and whatever comes out of them is usually hot too!

History of Ovens
Different Kinds of Ovens
Images for kids
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History of Ovens

An old Greek portable oven.

People living in the Indus Valley Civilization were among the first to have ovens inside their homes. This was around 3200 B.C., and their ovens were made of mud-brick.

Later, the Greeks became very skilled at baking bread. They even invented a type of oven called a "front-loaded bread oven." This shows how important ovens have been throughout history for preparing food.

Different Kinds of Ovens

An oven shown in a painting by Jean-François Millet.

A double oven in a kitchen.

Double oven: This is a built-in oven that has two separate ovens stacked on top of each other. Sometimes, one might be an oven and the other a microwave oven. They are usually built right into your kitchen cabinets.

Earth oven: An earth oven is a hole dug in the ground. It's heated, often with hot rocks or burning wood. Many cultures have used these ovens for cooking for thousands of years. Food cooks slowly inside, often by roasting. Finding earth ovens is a big deal for archaeologists because it shows where people lived and settled down.

Ceramic oven: These ovens are made from clay or other ceramic materials. They look different depending on the culture. For example, in India, they are called tandoors and are used for cooking. Ceramic ovens have been around since 3,000 BC, possibly starting in the Indus Valley. Brick ovens are another type of ceramic oven. They are famous in Italy for making pizza, but the Romans also used them for cooking at home and in businesses.

Gas oven: One of the first times a gas oven was used for a big meal was in 1802. A British inventor named James Sharp started making gas ovens to sell in 1834. Later, in 1851, the "Bower's Registered Gas Stove" was shown at a big exhibition. This stove helped create the gas ovens we use today. Over time, improvements like thermostats (to control temperature) and enamel coatings (for easier cleaning) were added.

Masonry oven: Masonry ovens have a baking area made of fireproof brick, concrete, stone, or clay. In the past, they were often heated with wood or coal. Today, many modern masonry ovens use natural gas or even electricity. They are very popular for making special bread and pizza. People used them for all sorts of baking tasks in the past.

Microwave oven: This oven uses special waves, called microwaves, to heat food instead of fire. Dr. Percy Spencer discovered how microwaves could heat things in 1946. By 1947, the first microwave oven for businesses was being used in Boston.

Toaster oven: Toaster ovens are small electric ovens. They have a front door, a wire rack, and a tray for baking. You can toast bread in them by placing slices flat on the rack. When the toast is ready, the oven turns off. Toaster ovens are bigger than regular toasters but can do many things a larger electric oven can, just on a smaller scale.

Wall oven: Wall ovens are built into your kitchen wall, often at waist or eye level. This makes it easier to put in or take out large roasting pans without bending down. They usually come in widths like 24, 27, or 30 inches. While they can save counter space, they are usually more expensive than a regular stove with an oven underneath.