Fender Trivet
Display: Global Gastronomy
Culinary Technique: fuel conservation
Date: c. 1800
Since 18th-century kitchens were often located in a building some distance from the living quarters, trivets like this were often used at a fireplace. Hung on the fender, or rim of the grating that kept coal, logs, and ash within the hearth, such a cantilevered trivet could warm a kettle safely before a fire, convenient for a cup of tea or for filling a wash basin with hot water.