Whether it’s boiling or frying, steaming or grilling, braising or blanching – every type of cooking requires heat. The evolutionary history of mankind took a major step forward when people first discovered fire following a lightning strike and then found that meat was more digestible once it had been cooked.

Today, around 1.5 million years later, open fires and glowing coals are still the commonest energy sources for cooking food throughout the world. Our ancestors gradually learned not only how to light a fire themselves, but also how to control it, and therefore to cook at different temperatures and for different lengths of time.

However, it was only the discovery and harnessing of electric power for heating that freed people in many parts of the world from their dependence on coal fires for cooking.

The electric cooker was first developed in the USA in the mid 19th century. The latest hi-tech development in this area is the induction cooker.

The second important step in history was the invention of the oven  – an underground cooking chamber  – around 4,000 years ago, which enabled our ancestors to cook new sorts of food. Gradually the oven, like the hob, moved away from using fire and coal as a source of heat.

Modern ovens are built-in devices, some with a grill and a fan, which can be installed wherever there is an electricity supply.

Thousands of years ago the Chinese discovered that steaming was a very gentle method of cooking. Food was cooked in hot steam in double-wall pans which kept the food separate from the cooking liquid.

Modern steam ovens combine the gentle process of cooking in steam with the dry heat of the conventional oven for browning.

The history of kitchen appliances is all about reduction  – reducing time, energy, materials and also risks. At the same time, it is an example of mastering the art of perfection.

Here can you find delicious recipes: