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Post by mach12 on Jun 15, 2014 23:55:28 GMT -5
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Post by vaporvac on Jun 16, 2014 12:44:08 GMT -5
You've found my favourite stove. There was one for sale last year in Pa, but noone could figure how to get it out of the basement. I actually was on the verge of tearing my kitchen apart to accommodate it as it's really what my kitchen probably had originally ( or something similar) besides which it's just always been the style I personally dreamt about since I started being aware of such things many moons ago. The copper stove came into my life about that time which was MUCH easier to fit in, but I still thin about the one in the basement. It did differ in that the two burners weren't hanging over the edge so it was either narrower or had an extra oven. I haven't been able to find the post I need to go see this stove next time I'm in Portland.
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Post by pooka on Jun 16, 2014 13:08:50 GMT -5
That is one fabulous stove. I've posted about it before. Here's a link to the post about the one that was for sale in Pennsylvania. I'll have to dig to find other posts. 1925 Chambers Fireless Gas Range
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Post by mach12 on Jun 16, 2014 22:56:06 GMT -5
I haven't been to the Pittock mansion for years but was telling my son he should see it while he's down there this week. Then I got to wondering whether there might be any cool kitchen ideas I might want to incorporate into our remodel plans so did some digging. Quite a shock to see the Chambers (Didn't know a Chambers from a Kelvinator back when I first toured the place). I'm headed down to Vancouver next week so will have to pop across to Portland and tour it again - with my camera.
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Post by pooka on Jun 17, 2014 1:33:51 GMT -5
There's a lot of good pics at the link you posted at oregonlive.com. That's a more recent article than anything else I've seen. One thing I noticed in reading it just now, is that the caption of the first pic says; "Chambers Fireless Gas Range (c. 1911 – 1914)". That's wrong That is a 2000 series which was made from the early to mid 20s until about 1927 when the 3000 series came out. Before it was the 9000 series, 8000 series & a series that didn't use a forth digit at the beginning. A catalog refers to it as "The Original and Only". Finally what is referred to as the "CHAMBERS DUPLEX" in their ads. If you visit, you might inform them of their error. If the house was completed in 1914 as the article says, it would've had a bigger version of what is shown in one of these ads. The first is from January of 1912 Boston Cooking School Magazine. It mentions a "catalog of 20 sizes and styles". This second ad may be as late as 1914. It was published in the back of a cookbook titled "A New Book of Cookery" by Fannie Merritt Farmer first published in 1911 & was reprinted many times on into the 20s. The online copies I've seen have twenty pages of ads at the end, so each printing had different ads.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 17, 2014 2:25:36 GMT -5
That copy looks to be in great shape Pooka! I have seven of Fannie Farmer's cookbooks but the ones with ads are all late 20's and early 30's. Just looked and no Chambers ranges in any of them. I bought another a few weeks ago that was all musty and it's still in the bucket of cat litter and baking soda up in the shop. I'll have to look at that one tomorrow.
Fannie Farmer was way ahead of her time, especially with healthy eating. Her charts on balanced meals, Vitamins and so on in the Boston School of Cooking books are pretty accurate today.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 17, 2014 11:40:18 GMT -5
I just checked the cookbook in the shop and it doesn't have any Chambers ads either. Dang. I started collecting old cookbooks about 5 years ago and have a bunch from the late 1800's on so am going to have to go back through them for ads and see what's there.
I'm not sure what other methods are out there for getting rid of the musty smell in books but I've have good luck with a cat litter and baking soda mix. First I wipe off anything on the book (it's often dried mold, so outside is a good idea) with a damp cloth soaked in a very mild bleach water solution, then I make sure it dries completely. Then I take a white plastic 5 gallon bucket and put about 6 inches of plain clay cat litter in it, mix in a cup of baking soda, place the book in a plastic container that holds the book and set it in the bucket. Then I put the top on the bucket and leave it for 2 or 3 weeks. I've only ever had one book where it didn't clean up the musty smell, a first printing of the Whitehouse cookbook that I found in an estate sale in Lincoln City, Oregon. A book dealer told me to dust the pages with corn starch, wait a week or so, dust it off and put it back in the cat litter bucket for awhile. Worked beautifully. I'm always looking for better methods though, so if anyone knows of any I'm all ears!
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Post by vaporvac on Jun 17, 2014 13:27:37 GMT -5
Thanks for those instructions. I have a lot of old cookbooks and a friend just gifted me the motherlode recently. They could certainly use this treatment.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 17, 2014 19:40:10 GMT -5
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Post by mach12 on Jun 17, 2014 22:13:01 GMT -5
Thanks for those instructions. I have a lot of old cookbooks and a friend just gifted me the motherlode recently. They could certainly use this treatment. You're sure welcome! Have you posted anything about your cookbooks? Being such a newbie to Chambers Ranges I've been caught up in learning everything I can about my Chambers so that it gets done right. I never even thought to look here for cookbook info and they're as natural of a tie to our ranges as cookware. I'd love to see more about your cookbooks!
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Post by mach12 on Jun 17, 2014 22:16:22 GMT -5
That is one fabulous stove. I've posted about it before. Here's a link to the post about the one that was for sale in Pennsylvania. I'll have to dig to find other posts. 1925 Chambers Fireless Gas RangeI did some searches before I posted and didn't see anything but may not have used the right search keyword. If you find anything let me know. Your posts are a wealth of info!
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Post by vaporvac on Jun 18, 2014 0:00:29 GMT -5
I've never posted pics, but I'll do it if you're interested. They're mainly from 1890s to 1930s. One of my favouriets is the original Duncan Hines cookbook written by Duncan Hines....just his faves in no particular order. Another is a GE one showcasing the BRAND NEW monitor top fridge so everything is cold. That one has the cutest pics of the monitor top in action. Then there's "the Bride's cookbook" from the late 1800s...lots of steamed puddings...YUM! Somewhere I also have some very old French ones, but they're mainly classic recipes and no drawings so not as fun or pretty.
You're going to have to collect all of the Chambers booklets, but be sure to look under "fireless cooking" cookbooks as well. It's the predecessor of a Chambers stove so can be adapted to Chambers use.
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Post by mach12 on Jun 25, 2014 21:24:01 GMT -5
I've never posted pics, but I'll do it if you're interested. They're mainly from 1890s to 1930s. One of my favouriets is the original Duncan Hines cookbook written by Duncan Hines....just his faves in no particular order. Another is a GE one showcasing the BRAND NEW monitor top fridge so everything is cold. That one has the cutest pics of the monitor top in action. Then there's "the Bride's cookbook" from the late 1800s...lots of steamed puddings...YUM! Somewhere I also have some very old French ones, but they're mainly classic recipes and no drawings so not as fun or pretty. You're going to have to collect all of the Chambers booklets, but be sure to look under "fireless cooking" cookbooks as well. It's the predecessor of a Chambers stove so can be adapted to Chambers use. I posted a reply right after your last post but it doesn't seem to have stuck around. I don't remember all of it but basically was saying that there were some interesting recipes back then and as I've gone back to cooking from scratch and fresh I've really found some good stuff in them. Had to do a bit of translation though, like what temperature "Hot" and "Medium" ovens are.
I definitely want to collect whatever Chambers booklets I can find. Not sure what I'll find around here but can put my family on it since we're all over the darned place. I can only imagine the ransom they'll demand for what they find. I hadn't thought of looking under fireless cooking - Thanks!
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Post by karitx on Jun 26, 2014 8:10:42 GMT -5
I've never posted pics, but I'll do it if you're interested. They're mainly from 1890s to 1930s. I've been trying to stay out of this thread because old cookbooks are my weakness (well, one of my weaknesses!), but I can't stand it anymore... Yes, I would like to see the pictures!
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