Material

iron

Dimensions

Overall: 6 3/4 x 41 3/4 x 5/8in. (17.1 x 106 x 1.6cm)

Creation Date

circa 1810 – 1840

Description

Wrought iron peel with a long handle of rectangular section topped with a ram's-horn terminal. Handle, once forged integrally with the quadrangular blade, has been broken and reattached by three crude iron rivets.

While the simple peel, also known as a slice, might look like a gardening tool to modern eyes, it was the key implement to early American oven baking. With a long handle and sturdy blade, it was as useful for moving glowing hot coals within the oven as it was for putting in and removing foodstuffs. Peels like this one are the direct ancestors of those used today in most pizza restaurants.

Considering its robust construction and handy form, it's easy to see that a peel could hold a certain appeal for use in other tasks. Such may be the case with this once-fractured example, likely broken from use as a pry-bar. The handle was rejoined to the blade with three iron rivets, and it was pressed back into service.

Provenance

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Gift of Earl W. and Eleanor G. Sargent.

Kitchen Artifact ID

Acc. No. 1977-112