Frontier Living: 1820s Style Dinner Cooked Over an Open Fire

Our kitchens today are filled with all kinds of gadgets to help us make food as quickly as possible. From blenders to air fryers to apple peelers to microwaves we have it made when it comes to food prep. Drop someone from the 1820s into a modern kitchen and they probably wouldn’t have a clue how to use most of the items. But, the same can be said for many modern people if they were put in an 1820s “kitchen” and asked to make a meal.

Back then many working class and farmers’ homes were open concept (before that phrase had been invented). Owing to economy most cabins were only 2-3 rooms at most. The main room contained the hearth, the table, any places to sit, and often at least 1 bed. Lean-tos built on the side of the cabin could function as closets or even makeshift bedrooms if needed, but for many families the children and the storage area were one and the same -in the loft.

At this time stoves were uncommon and women cooked over open fires in stone hearths. A variety of implements made of iron were used since the coals had to be red hot in order to cook the food. Pokers, Dutch ovens, hooks, and broilers were just a few of the iron tools that were used in this way.

Ron and Justine of the Early American YouTube channel have been making videos on the 1820s way of life and demonstrating this in a cabin with a stone hearth. You can see how these tools were put to use in making a typical meal of the day: broiled potatoes, red cabbage with sausages, and some “Indian meal” pudding sweetened with molasses.

Watch how it’s done in the fascinating video below.