Kept on Wikipedia:Toasting fork
A toasting fork is a fork which is used to brown food such as bread, cheese, apples or marshmallow by holding it close to a fire or other source of heat.[1][2] It can be used to broil hot dogs and heat hot dog buns.
The forks would typically be made from metal such as brass or silver but handles of ivory or wood might be used to prevent the heat of the fire being conducted to the hand.[3] Some forks had telescopic handles to make them portable for travellers.[3][4] Others had sliding handles which could be used to manipulate or adjust the tines of the fork.[3]
Toasting forks in England date back to at least the mid 16th century, with at least two forks extant from that era.[2][3] They were typically used by those in the middle and upper strata of society. Toasting forks are mentioned in the Shakespeare plays King John and Henry V, and a 17th century wrought-iron toasting fork is held in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust collection.[5] Toasting forks became particularly popular in the Victorian era, and survived in common use into the 20th century.[6]
The Victoria and Albert Museum has a collection of toasting forks which was mostly curated by the wealthy antiquarian, Louis Clarke.[3][4]
Toasting forks are a useful camp accoutrement, and can be easily made from a recycled coat hanger.[7][8] Some folks opine that a proper toasting fork should have three prongs.[9] Usually they are used over an open fire, and
Classically, a toasting fork could be stuck into a piece of bread and used to hold the bread in the fire, with a periodic rotation for even browning. For advanced players, it's possible to use a toasting fork to make toasted cheese sandwiches and other hot sandwiches.[9]
Going back to 1854, Chef Alexis Benoit Soyer gave a recipe/prescription for their proper use to produce toast.[10][11]
To be sure, with the invention of the Electric toaster, toasting forks became less relevant.[upper-alpha 1]
Gallery
_(FindID_514161).jpg)
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ This source erroneously credits Alan MacMasters with inventing it in 1893. This was a Wikipedia hoax.[9]
Citations
- ↑ "Concerning Toast", The Cornhill Magazine, Smith, Elder & Co., 1: 356, 1896
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Toasting fork 1561". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Burstyn, Dorothy (2010), Toasting Forks (137), Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver (ASCAS)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Toasting fork (M.25–1961), Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004
- ↑ Jackson, Victoria. "Shakespeare in 100 Objects: Toasting Fork". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ↑ "Toasting Fork". Future Museum. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ↑ "Useful Articles Made From Coat Hangers". Popular Science. 125 (3). September 1934. p. 53. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ↑ Jenkins, R.H. (October 1937). "Camper's Toasting Fork Made From Twisted Wire". Popular Science. 131 (4). p. 96. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 McMahon, Mary (September 19, 2022). "What is a Toasting-Fork?". Delighted Cooking. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ↑ Soyer, Alexis Benoit. (1854) A Shilling Cookery for the People, "How to Toast Bread", New York: George Routledge. p. 165.
- ↑ Pagett, Hazel Morrison (March 4, 2018). "Toasting Fork: Toasting before Toasters as we know them today". Moycullen Heritage. Moycullen Historical Society. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
This article "Toasting fork" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Toasting fork. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
|
This page exists already on Wikipedia. |
