In
cooking, a
gas stove is a
cooker/stove which uses
natural gas,
propane,
butane,
liquefied petroleum gas or other
flammable gas as a
fuel source. Prior to the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuel such as coal or wood. The first gas stoves were developed in the 1820s, and a gas stove factory was established in England in 1836. This new cooking technology had the advantage that it was easily adjustable and could be turned off when not in use. However the gas stove did not become a commercial success until the 1880s, by which time a supply of piped gas was available in large towns in Britain. The stoves became widespread on the
European Continent and in the
United States in the early 20th century.