Due to the positive response I received regarding the post about the Kalamazoo Stove Company catalog from September 1931, I've pulled another artifact out of my collection to share with you all: a little brochure about Quick Meal Ranges.
This brochure measures 3 1/2" x 6 3/8" and does not have a date on it anywhere. From the styles of range and the print fonts used in it, my best guess is that it is from the late 1920s or early 1930s.
The Quick Meal Stove Company was located in St. Louis, Missouri, and eventually became Magic Chef.
The first pages of the brochure talk about the exterior finish on their ranges, which they call "Fusenamel." I have only seen a couple of Quick Meal ranges in person. One was a bright blue, and I have to admit that the enamel had endured beautifully. In case you can't see it well in the scans below, these pages also tell you that the enamel comes in "lustrous white, blue, grey, or tan."
The next pages contain the obligatory advertisement for how well the ovens on Quick Meal ranges bake. It points out that the oven is made with zinc and is "the most uniformly heated and perfect-baking oven ever devised."
It also explains that some of their ranges are made with "triple wall construction" where exterior range walls are made of two layers of fusenamel with a layer of asbestos in between. I would think that this would make the range more pleasant to use in the summer.
The last page of text points out the range's "corner tube" with a cutaway illustration. I thought this was particularly interesting. The text reads "An exclusive and patented feature. Notice how side walls clamp into tube. The tube permits expansion and contraction of walls, yet it always holds firmly." Then, the cavalcade of beautiful pictures begins.
The range on the right of the picture below begins their more affordable line which has only single wall construction and a smaller oven.
I didn't scan the back cover because it has no pictures, but it does have "No. 678" printed there.
Are any of my readers cooking on a Quick Meal, and do any of you have any information on a more precise date for this brochure? If so, please use the comments section below to tell us about it.
Hello. Although not a wood cookstove question, I do have something I was wondering about...
ReplyDeleteDo you have any ideas/input on whether it is safe to use antique enamelware? I have a 2 and a 1/2 gallon coffee kettle that is terrific shape other than a dime sized chipped off spot in the bottom. I'd love to use it for heating water for canning (the water would be ingested). I love to catch up on your blog periodically have noticed you also mention vintage cookware so thought I'd see what you think. I enjoy your blog! Including recipe and antiques in general.
LW-
DeleteThank you for your kind words about my blog! I enjoy using a lot of antiques in the kitchen every day, but I really don't know how to answer your question. If it weren't for the chip in the enamel, I would say to definitely use the coffee kettle for potable water, but I don't know how to advise you in your case.
If it were mine, I would be tempted to boil hard water in it until the dime sized spot was covered with lime scale, and then I would use it for potable water without any fear. However, I'm sure that this is not good scientific advice. Hopefully, a reader smarter than I am will see your comment and weigh in on this matter.
Thanks for your readership, and I'm sorry I couldn't be of better service.
In response to LW - I would not be concerned about using enamelware that has chips. I have a neighbor that has used enamelware for YEARS and all of his pieces have at least some paint/enamel loss. This really should not affect the safety of using these vessels.
DeleteAnother fascinating post! Thanks, Jim. It's always fun to see this information even if it's commonplace for those that have been around cookstoves for years.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim! I agree with you; I enjoy looking at the vintage literature, especially since it gives us a peek into what things were important to the cooks of days gone by.
DeleteWhat a beautiful stove. That’s interesting that they became Magic Chef which was popular years ago. I’ve always wanted a blue enamel stove!
ReplyDeleteI commented a while back about the Qualified range working better by switching to the coal grate for burning wood but lately in order to get enough draft for the wood to burn well I had to go back to the wood grate. Weather maybe or the wood?
When talking about the crazy things that they’re doing in shows with wood cook stoves you mentioned them starting a fire in the warming oven under the oven. Is that what the drawer under the oven is for on the Qualified? I assumed it was storage for pans and such like my modern stove has but I didn’t want to use it. When we bought it the previous owners had lined the bottom of the drawer with newspaper which surprised me. Maybe they did that when they put the stove in storage.
Hi, Nancy!
DeleteThe grate thing could be weather or wood or both. The important thing is that you are developing that necessary quality for a wood cook: a keen sense of observation and willingness to adjust to what you see.
The drawer under the oven on the Qualified ranges was always called a storage drawer in all of their literature, but it could be used as a warming compartment because things do get warm down there. I never did, though, because it seemed like ours was always too dusty. The drawers on the Qualified ranges were basically open on the bottom, whereas the warming oven beneath the baking oven on the Home Comfort stoves was completely enclosed.
It's funny that you mentioned the drawer being lined with newspaper. I always made sure that nothing combustible was kept in our drawer, but I saw a Kenmore woodburning range sold at an auction once, and the storage compartment beneath its oven was also lined with newspaper. That just seems dangerous to me.
I've been wondering if you've been doing much baking in your Qualified. Drop me a line and let me know how it is going.
I can confirm about the storage under the oven on a home comfort cookstove. My neighbor got one last year and has put food in it briefly after a meal before storing away the leftovers. We actually forgot it was there when looking for the pan of stuffing - ha!
Deletei cant get info on a Quick Meal wood stove. model 16-8 & serial 123. call 865 805 3725 or johnnichols9@ aol.com
ReplyDeletewhy does the model 16-8, serial 123 not have a temp gage on oven?
ReplyDeleteI just purchased a cabin that has a tan Quick Meal stove in excellent working condition. I wanted to post a picture but can’t find how to do that. Anyway, thanks for your very helpful blog. I didn’t know anything about it until I found your site. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteJulie-Anne-
DeleteWelcome to my blog and thank you for your kind words. Feel free to e-mail me pictures at rossnj8@msn.com. I'd love to see your stove! Best wishes to you as you learn to cook on your Quick Meal. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask; I'll do whatever I can to help.
Hi Jim, I would love to get instructions on how to use the stove. Do you happen to know how or have detained instructions? Thank you. Julie Anne
DeleteI emailed you a picture of our stove too. Thank you!!
DeleteIs it safe to burn coal at night in a Quick meal stove? We have one in our kitchen and use it daily, but I am unsure about the use of coal in it.
ReplyDeleteIf you have the full compliment of cast iron firebox liners (including the piece that drops in in to protect the front door), you should be just fine.
DeleteI would recommend, however, that you try burning coal during the day at a time you can be home to watch how it behaves. See how it responds to your drafts and dampers so you know how to set them in order to keep the fire from getting too hot while you're not watching.
It is not uncommon for people who heat with wood to use coal overnight. If we still had the Qualified in the kitchen, I would definitely look into it. You just don't want to overfire because that could cause damage to the stove (and less likely, your house).
If you are inexperienced in burning coal (as I am) it can be a challenge to learn the skill. For detailed information and discussions about burning coal in a cookstove, follow the link on my post here: https://woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com/2014/12/link-to-information-regarding-firing.html
You'll have to do a lot of sorting and reading, but it could prove extremely helpful.
Finally, be sure to let me know how it goes.
Thank you for the speedy reply. I am a hobby blacksmith, so I have quite a bit of experience with coal, I just wasn't sure if this stove was built for it. I do have the protective plate for the front door, though until now, I didn't know what it was for. We'll give it a try tomorrow and see how it goes. Wayne Crome
DeleteNebraska
Hello! We just bought a Quick Meal 4-0 serial 124 but I can't for the life of me find anything out about the stove. Can you by chance point me in a direction on any info about these ranges. Thank you for your time.
ReplyDeleteBelinda, I'm sorry that I don't know of any official place where you can find more information about your particular model of Quick Meal. The only advice I can give is to keep your eyes peeled at antique shops and flea markets and be sure to check Ebay for old stove catalogs and advertisements. Those are the places where I have been able to add to my collection of materials. Unfortunately, this blog post contains all of the information I currently have regarding this brand of range. Sorry!
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