Chambers stoves also often included a griddle on the top surface, which flipped open and was lit from below, serving as a broiler for items placed in a pan below the same flame. Imagine making eggs and toast on the griddle while bacon cooked to a perfect crisp directly below it. This is how families aspired to cook in the post-Depression era leading all the way up to the ’60s. But Chambers stoves were costly to manufacture and even costlier to ship, because each appliance weighed hundreds of pounds. Manufacturers like Frigidaire shifted focus to lightweight ranges that didn’t have the same functions but looked modern and gave you what you needed — burners and an oven — at a more affordable price.
What it’s like to live with a Chambers stove
But the cost of ownership doesn’t end when you bring it home. Beyond making a 400-pound stovefit within a modern kitchen setup, you must also ensure your kitchen floor can actually handle that weight. If it doesn’t, a subfloor reinforcement project will be necessary. Also, replacement parts are difficult to find, since the company and brand no longer exist. And finally, in today’s climate, having a stove that collects heat for a long period of time during hot summer nights can be both problematic and pricey.
