††The first electric ovens were developed in Switzerland in 1889. They were installed in a hotel in Bernina, Switzerland. They were powered by a hydroelectric power station, which was in turn driven by a waterfall.
In 1890 the Carpenter Electric Heating Co., of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, began selling electric ovens. The first domestic version of the electric oven was introduced by the British firm, Belling, in 1919.
The gas stove was invented by James Sharp in 1834. In 1836 he began to manufacture them. The first customer was the Bath Hotel, in Leamington Spa, England.
The most recent form of oven is the microwave oven, which can reduce cooking times on some products to seconds rather than minutes.
