Third, they use few cooking methods. The cooking methods of nonindustrial cultures are extremely limited by modern standards, with most cultures only using two or three methods. Even in affluent Western cultures, cooking methods were limited by technology until relatively recently. Until the 1820s, most cooking in the United States took place in an open hearth, which is a time- and labor-intensive method that makes complex cooking techniques difficult. Cast-iron wood- or coal-fired stoves replaced open hearth cooking in the 1820s, and they remained the dominant cooking method until they were
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