Vintage Stoves

[shamus]

I'm picking up my first Vintage Stove. An O'Keefe and Merritt. Lowback late 40's model 505 I believe.

I'm sending it off to be re-chromed, re-colored Colbolt Blue and well just redone.

Didn't know if anyone else is cooking with vintage...

here's what it'll look like when it's done.

 

[Section10]

That's a beautiful stove! I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it.
We have a modern electric range for summer time use, but when the weather is cooler (which is most of the time) we use a c.1910 South Bend Malleable wood range almost daily. It's in excellent original shape (nickel plate and black iron). We've used it for years and would be handicapped without it. I'd say anyone who has the house setup and available firewood to try a quality vintage wood range and gives it a sincere try would be forever sold on the concept after a few months.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

*DELETED BOB*

 

[MissQueenie]

Wow, absolutely splendid!

I grew up with a vintage stove, one of the 4 rangers with a big griddle range in the middle, an oven, and a broiler (remember when they used to be two different areas?). It had a clock on the top, and a high back with a shelf that could be left flush against the back or snapped up to form a deep shelf above the stove. It also had a light above the range.

In all honesty, that thing was the truest friend a girl ever had -- it heated up fast, the flames were strong and steady, it was solid, well built, easy to clean, and handsome. I was hoping they'd keep the vintage stove the duplex I'm in now came with, but they ripped it out and put in a new fangled thing. It's nice, but it is so hard to clean! Grr.

 

[scotrace]

Wow!

That is Really super, super nice, and that brand is tops. If you can't have an Aga Cooker, that's the next best thing.
Modern gas stoves are lower BTU (usually the right front is a little higher), so they're useless for cooking.

Congrats Shamus, I'm GREEN with envy. It's bitchin!

 

[shamus]

Thanks everyone but one....

Just looked at it tonight and will go over all it needs. Keep in mind that picture is what it WILL look like.

I'm stoked. It's a lot like buying an old car. It's going to be restored and then we can enjoy all that chrome and color!

 

[jamespowers]

Gee, I thought I was the only one who liked vintage stoves. We have three.
I have the O'Keefe and Merrit from 1964 that my parents bought when they got married. It is much like yours Shamus except it has glass windows in the double oven doors. Prepared Thanksgiving dinner on it.
There's also a 1951 Wedgewood and a 1958 Westinghouse Custom Imperial---electric. The electrics of those days are pretty amazing with automatic pot stirers, speed broilers and a few other things I can't remember now. My wife prefers the gas ones though.
You will enjoy not only the looks of that stove but the usefulness of it. There's nothing like them. You'll see.


Regards to all,

J

 

[K.D. Lightner]

My maternal grandmother had an old black wood/coal burning stove. She cooked like a dream and made the best fried chicken anyone has ever tasted.

To this day, my mother wishes she had taken that stove and kept it when her folks passed away. I guess that stove is a little older than the vintage being discussed here, but it is the stove I recall from my earliest years.

I have a friend who has a black wood-burning stove; she lives on a farm in New Hampshire. The house she lives in is about 200 years old.

karol

 

[bgbdesign]

Here is my Chambers high back. I live in a 100 year old house and was very lucky when I bought it, as the stove came with it. Works well and even has the three original containers still in the well and the griddle with a broiler underneath.
bg

 

[shamus]

That's a sweet stove. The chambers has the "child safety" knobs and that cool container cooker.

Nice stove!

I took a look at mine yesterday. All the panels are off so it looked a bit different...

 

[PrettySquareGal]

So nice that I wouldn't want to cook on it

That is gorgeous. I love old stoves, even the Victorian Era stoves.

As an aside, am I the only person that doesn't own a microwave? I purchased a ready-made lunch entree and was shocked when I discovered that there were only instructions for microwaving. I called and was told "no one uses conventional ovens anymore so we don't add instructions for them."

Huh?

 

[Wild Root]

Old stoves RULE!!!

I have only one vintage stove of the potbellied style. It's from the 1930's but, it's a fun little two footer that sits in my home looking rather fine. I have owned it since I was 11 years old!

When I buy my own home, I'll be sure to only have a vintage gas stove. I hear that they are better then any modern job on the market today!

There is right now a beautiful 1860's era Wood Range at the Antique mall I work at. It's funny to see women walk up to it and just marvel and can't seem to fathom the thought of really using one of those stoves! I believe they make food taste better and cook better!

Shamus, I can't wait to see that stove when it's done!!! I'm sure you'll have it for many, many years to come and it will be passed down the family line and used as long as natural gas is used in homes!

=WR=

 

[shamus]

Update

Well, the stove beat us to finishing tearing out the kitchen. So she'll have to sit and wait till were ready for her.

Here she is. A 1953 model... The pictures don't really do her justice.

She's colbalt blue now with fresh chrome...

 

[whistlebait]

The stove is beautiful, Shamus.

As an aside, am I the only person that doesn't own a microwave?

PSG, I feel the same way about cell phones.

 

[yachtsilverswan]

Shamus - What a handsome stove. O'Keefe & Merritt is top of the line.

May I ask who did the restoration? (And do they have a website?)

 

[EL COLORADO]

Hey Shame,

Im comin over for breakfast!!!
:coffee:




EC

 

[Wild Root]

Me too!

That's a swing'n stove man! LOVE IT!!! All ya need now is the 40's spice wrack to hang over it on the wall, oh, and the tin match holder!

O'Keefe & Merritt's are top of the line! Must be swell knowing that stove will only go up in value as the years go by! They're highly desirable stoves.

=WR=

 

[shamus]

Thank you for the comments.

They're not cheap, but well worth it.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Shamus its a beauty...

 

[Lena_Horne]

As an aside, am I the only person that doesn't own a microwave? I purchased a ready-made lunch entree and was shocked when I discovered that there were only instructions for microwaving. I called and was told "no one uses conventional ovens anymore so we don't add instructions for them."

Huh?

I've had that happen to me a few times. I'll deliberately take food that has microwave instructions and go through the long oven directions because I like the way it tastes and the warmth (versus sheer heat) that the oven gives off. I don't plan to own a microwave or dishwasher when I start my own home (we don't have a dishwasher but more and more houses come with them these days) and would like to do things the long way if I can. I just enjoy the feeling that comes behind doing a little work when I want a meal. Even if it's just making some breakfast in the morning. I hope this doesn't come to an end, my mother's requiring that I find a job and soon.

L_H