Back in 1902 The American Kitchen Magazine had a regular feature titled “Gas Stove Department,” which was exactly what it sounds like: at a time when gas stoves were just becoming popular (replacing wood- and coal-burning stoves), readers could send in their questions about the new type of stove and an expert answered those questions and wrote in general about using gas stoves.  The author of the column extolled the ease and convenience of using gas, which was fairly obvious, since gas could be lit and extinguished with the flick of a dial, unlike the earlier stoves that required either the building of a new fire or the use of still-lit coals from a previous fire.

Reading the column, though, shows that some cooking traditions were getting lost in the transition. The October, 1902, issue of the magazine discussed Halloween traditions that might fade with the conversion to gas. Specifically, the roasting of apples, potatoes, popcorn, and chestnuts over an open fire (yes, the line from the song has its basis in reality). Using a gas stove meant that, apparently, cooking those things was going away.

Of course, apples, potatoes, and chestnuts can easily be roasted over or near a gas flame, and popcorn can be popped in a pan over the flame. The problem with the conversion to gas wasn’t that those things couldn’t be roasted, but rather, the location of where things could be roasted was changing. The conversion to gas involved not just a new fuel, but a change in where cooking happened.

The wood-burning fireplace in the main room of the house could be used for many things. Obviously, it was used for heating, but it could also be used for cooking, particularly for items that were simple to cook. A potato placed near the coals would cook over the course of an hour or so, and an apple could also be roasted on a stick.

The transition to gas meant that the multi-use fireplace gave way to the gas stove (that is, the gas heater) which could only be used for heating. This, in turn, helped push all cooking into the kitchen. In many American houses, kitchens didn’t exist as separate rooms in the early 1800s; the cooking was done in the fireplace of the main room, and cooking ingredients and utensils were stored around that. By 1900, though, cooking was more and more being done in a kitchen, and the transition to gas helped this.

As the article points out, though, some things were lost in the transition. The article in The American Kitchen Magazine suggested that guests gather in the kitchen to cook around the gas stove, which is certainly a possibility but could be much less relaxing than simply sitting on a rocking chair and roasting an apple over the fire. There’s a reason no one ever wrote a song about cooking chestnuts over a gas fire.