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Lloyd Groff Copeman is credited with inventing the electric stove over 100 years ago. He founded Copeman Electric Stove in 1912. Five years later, in 1917, he sold this company to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

He had several other inventions on the back burner that were starting to heat up and felt it was time to proceed with them. Copeman invented several useful items for the home including the flexible ice cube tray. He was one of the few men who could claim success in the kitchen being hot or cold.

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to stoves. My dad had an appliance store in Underwood and sold stoves. Naturally, he took in many trade ins – some were good and some not so hot. He hauled home to our garage one of the worn-out electric ranges, complete with a double oven, for me to have as a play stove. I started collaborating almost immediately with Eloise, that was the name I gave the stove. Eloise and I ended up with some of the finest make-believe Creme Brulee ever.

The triumph of this dessert came from Eloise and her magnificent broiler. Her talent to create a bronzed caramelized pond on top of this rich baked custard assured me that she had the whole package when it came to cookery.

My mom used the broiler regularly in our home. With seven people daily at the red gingham tablecloth, it was a handy device for doing hamburgers and steaks with ease. We never felt a need for a grill in our home because we had this handy dandy oven broiler.

That tradition has continued in our home today. I am attentive of the wonderful meals that one can create with a grill and have enjoyed several lovely meals prepared on the grill. Currently, the broiler wins out for ease of use and simple storage.

Recently, I was explaining to Lydia the wonders of using a broiler by making kebabs at our home. One of the first steps in successful broiling of kababs is to select foods that combine flavors in a compatible way. Look at it this way – if you were to travel the world with someone, you would want to select someone who was likeminded as yourself. This holds true when selecting items to skew for kebabs. Most often when making kebabs you will be basting or marinating to keep foods tender and moist while under the boiler. By selecting the right marinade, basting, or dipping sauce, you can be assured that anything speared up whether it be an appetizer, main dish or dessert will be excellent.

When broiling or barbecuing kebabs, oiled metal skewers are ideal because it is easier to remove the cooked meat or other items from them. Skewers have several cousins such as a handyman’s who devises one from a coat hanger; maybe you’re out camping, and you meet cousin skewer who was whittled from a branch and works well over the grill. We also have the uptown skewers complete with fancy embellishments such as seashells, pineapples and believe it or not, some hula dancers. The standard in our home has been bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for an hour to prevent them from burning.

If you are not blessed with a place to barbecue, remember great look alike results can come from using your oven broiler. Start broiling with the oven rack placed in the middle of the oven and should you need to move items closer to the boiler, it is easy to do. When using a broiler, you need to be constantly by the stove – watching to assure that food is not being over-cooked and getting burned.

When making kebabs it is good to remember that we eat first with our eyes. Selecting vegetables and fruits that are in season and then arranging them in attractive patterns can make an impressive dish. You can further enhance your display by selecting fun and attractive dishware to serve with. Often the use of complementary colors as shown in the picture are impressive and attractive. It will also remind your guests that the years you spent doing paint by number paintings has paid off.

You can entertain several guests economically as little chunks of meat and vegetables stretch out nicely on skewers while keeping you within your budget and piecing together a good time. Broiling is also healthy because much of the dripping from meats run off into the drip pan – another broiler plus.