The Kitchen: The Place of Fire II

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The oil stove, a bridge between the charcoal barbecue and gas stove, saw its main means of promotion in women's magazines. <br>

Oil stove with three burners and an oven with two burners.

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Advertisement in the magazine <i>Almanaque Dulce</i>,<i> </i>1939, promoting the different “Boss” stoves, one with four burners and an oven, and another with two burners and a portable oven. <br>

They also mention their excellent performance and instant ignition.

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Iron stove with three burners finished with black glaze, with oil as its fuel. The grills are worn due to the flames.

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Stoves with one and two burners, some still with their oil tanks. Photograph from 1984, when the prisoners were removed from the old San Javier Penitentiary and transferred to the new prison. It should be noted that these oil stoves had already ceased to be used in home kitchens for more than a decade.<br>

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Advertisement in the magazine <i>Almanaque Dulce</i>,<i> </i>1942, of the "Prize" stoves with black and white glaze finishes, from one burner at a cost of 17.75 pesos up to four burners for 99.75 pesos.

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The fuel for the stoves, oil in barrels from "Don Neri's" hardware store, located in the Santiago neighborhood.

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Barrel with oil, funnel and liter, tools needed to sell oil at retail in the "Don Neri" hardware store.

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Marga López, a Mexican actor, in a film scene simulating cooking on an oil stove with two burners. <br>

Behind her, there is a pot on a portable barbecue fueled with charcoal.

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"The refined stamp of cleanliness in the modern kitchen is the wonderful electric stove with four burners, from the Westinghouse brand. It also features a built-in oven. Stove advertisement in the magazine <i>Almanaque Dulce</i>, 1936.

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GENERAL &amp; ELECTRIC Hotpoint electrical stove with four burners. Its knobs turn to four degrees of heat: high, medium, low and off. <br>

The oven with a knob that turns to: hot, bake, roast and off. It also has a clock.

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Illustration of an electric stove. The drawing clearly shows its components and how it works.

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Electric stove with an automatic oven. The book "De la Plancha a la cocina electrificada" ("From the griddle to the electric kitchen").

In the homes of <i>Federal Electricity Commission</i> employees, electric stoves were widely used, given that the company provided its employees with electricity service at no cost.

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With the appearance of the gas stove, Salvador Novo, the illustrious Mexican journalist, recounts the latest changes taking place in kitchens in his book <i>Cocina mexicana o Historia gastronómica de la ciudad de México</i> (Mexican Cuisine and the Gastronomic History of Mexico City):

"Now we cook with gas, on aluminum sheets. Goodbye barbecue, fan, and charcoal."

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The benefits of using a gas stove: "Ma'am, you can eliminate the inconveniences and annoyances of the kitchen. You'll no longer have smoke, grime, ash, or trouble lighting the charcoal." Advertisement in the magazine <i>Mignon</i>, 1940. Kitchen with gas stove, with a woman preparing sandwiches.

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Full kitchen in the home of Saúl Kuper, in the Historical Center of Puebla, 2015. <br>

Built-in stove beside metal cabinets, on top of them some appliances.

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Large stove with four burners, oven, broiler, side cabinets and clock, in the home of Saúl Kuper.

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“Servicio de Estufas, S.A.” Like any appliance that is constantly used, the stoves also broke down, and so there were companies that offered "Urgent home service" to repair them.

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The kitchen as a gathering place, three-generation family. Gas stoves built to last, their average life time: 30 years.

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Full kitchen that combines technology, quality and sophistication, with the incorporation of a double stovetop that provides eight burners and two central grills.

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Home of Catalina Cuautle Meza, in San Andrés, Cholula, Puebla. In the barbecue system attached to the wall, an installation has been incorporated with a gas supply for the fire that feeds four grills.

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