The Stove

The Tappan was installed in the brand new home in 1962. What a modern home it was - bright turquoise paint on the upper part of its two stories with a brick facade on the lower part. Inside was shiny asbestos tile in beige and in the kitchen, wallpaper that was coral and turquoise print with cups and saucers, trellis and ivy. The kitchen was very fine and the focal point was the sleek 40" Tappan range. It was state of the art, after all this was to be a model home for the new street and only the best upgrades would do. The Tappan had a butcher block pull-out stove top with four burners, one of which was the "burner with a brain", aka thermostat, so the cook could simmer a large pot of spaghetti sauce or beef stew all afternoon at a set temperature. Above the range top were the two ovens - one for baking and one for broiling. Each had snazzy glass doors rimmed in stainless steel and embellished with horizontal lines and the signature tiny four point stars of '60s decor. You can just see the happy housewife in her shirtwaist dress, apron and high heels happily and proudly cooking a complete dinner for the family - especially the guy who brought home the bacon.
When I met the Tappan it was five years old. It was one of the charms that made me fall in love with the house, along with the brick fireplace, two walk-in closets in the master bedroom, two bathrooms upstairs (although very small by today's standards) and one half-bath downstairs. This home is on a cul-de-sac and has the "largest slice of the pie" backyard at the end of the circle street. Oh yes, there's the huge ancient oak tree in the front yard and the 12 minutes it takes to get to UT, downtown or the mall.
The Tappan spent 47 years here. It just left last month, after its long life of no seriously disabling infirmities (except the expiration of the broiler and the burner with the brain). It finally developed a slow leak of an odor of natural gas which signaled that it was ready to go. It could still provide the heat for the cooking of the necessary meals, although parts were no longer available for its thermostats (hence no more BWAB and a portable oven thermometer for the baking oven). Turkeys were baked the required 3 or 4 hours, Dutch Apple pies were baked for the sake of the son in law whose favorite they are, along with countless birthday cakes for the children growing in the home. The stove top most frequently held the black iron skillet that was as old as the Tappan and contained the sauces, soups, breakfasts, family recipes for German pot roast, chicken and homemade dumplings for the many meals of everyday family living and special occasions.
The Tappan was still here after the children grew up and established their own homes, cooking on their own stoves, none as vintage and special as the Tappan. When they returned for visits the Tappan served to provide vegetarian meals - spinach lasagna, cheese enchiladas and quesadillas, and still that Dutch Apple pie.
Will they miss the Tappan and think about it as an old friend as I do? I think not; I think they will be happy that there is now have a shiny new kitchen range with all ovens and burners in perfect working order, especially since the new one will be there for the making of the food they like, and that's the important thing I suppose. I took a picture of my old friend and write about its place in my life as a tribute to a reliable and unique icon of an era.