A bachelor griller, mini oven[1] or mini kitchen[2] is a countertop kitchen appliance about the size of a microwave oven but which can instead grill, bake, broil or roast food. It generally incorporates one or two heating elements at the top and bottom of the appliance, has one or two hobs (American English: burners) on the cooktop, or a ceramic hotplate, and may incorporate a rotisserie.[3][4]
It can be used to fry, bake and grill (American English: broil) foods. It is an alternative to reheating prepackaged meals in a microwave oven.[5]
Modern bachelor grillers have controller knobs to control cooking temperatures. These are steadystates, a combination of a potentiometer and a thermostat, which ensure that the temperature stays stable.
History
editThe expression is at least 100 years old, with early versions generally powered by gas.[6][7] The expression derives from the stereotypical idea that a bachelor will not cook anything properly, if at all. It has also been used as (and may have originated as) a brand name: the 1905 Journal of Gas Lighting, Water Supply & Sanitary Improvement (page 410) describes "illustrations of the firm's "Welcome" and "Bachelor" grillers, their "Vulcan" cooker, and an assortment of brass fittings for gas".
George Orwell used a bachelor griller in 1935 while sharing a flat with Rayner Heppenstall in Bloomsbury, London.[8][9][10]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Drew, Tom (19 March 2009). "The Ten Best Mini Ovens". The Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Dorm Cooking: Multi-Tasking Kitchen Appliances for College Students". wetpig.com. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ Spring, Justin (March 2006). The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook: Everything You Need to Know about Setting Up & Cooking in the Most Ridiculously Small Kitchen in the World. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0767920162.
- ^ Graham, Louise (2014). Can I have chips?. Troubador. p. 129. ISBN 9781783062423. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ O'Rourke, P. J. (13 March 1997). The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 978-0871136862.
- ^ "A similar 'Bachelor' Griller, without stand, circa 1910". Christie's. 30 September 1992. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ^ "Gas Logic, Volumes 21-26". Gas Logic. 21–26. New York Public Library: 7–14. 1917. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ Orwell, George (2000). Orwell, Sonia; Angus, Ian (eds.). The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. Vol. 1. An age like this (1920–1940). Penguin Classics. p. 150. ISBN 9781567921335.
- ^ Stansky, Peter (1994). The Unknown Orwell. Vol. Orwell, the Transformation. Stanford University Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780804723428. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ Bowker, Gordon (2013). George Orwell. Hachette. p. 174. ISBN 9781405528054. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
External links
edit- Image of a gas-fired bachelor griller, circa 1910.