Fire shovel (Salamander)

In Collections: Feeding America: the Historic American Cookbook Project Museum Objects

Historical Note: From Practical Cooking and Dinner Giving by Mary Newton Foote Henderson (1877): A salamander was the tool of choice for toasting the top of a dish. It consists of a thick plate of iron attached to the end of a long handle with 2 feet, or rests, arranged near the end (where the iron plate is) for propping the plate over the food to be browned. The salamander was heated until glowing red and then passed over the dish and the food would then brown (e.g., meringue) or broil on top (much like the torch does for crème brulée!). Salamaders are rare in museums which suggests that they were not staple cookware in the past. It was apparently not a commonly owned item. Consequently, the recipe in From Practical Cooking and Dinner Giving recommends substituting fire shovels (which are usually used for scooping up hot coals) or pokers heated red hot. Following the suggestion of the recipe, this photograph depicts a fire shovel.

Referenced In: Practical cooking and dinner giving : a treatise containing practical instructions in cooking; in the combination and serving of dishes; and in the fashionable modes of entertaining at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, available at: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5wm2z