H70.142.4

• california gold rush

cooking fork. Description: hand-forged iron flesh fork. From the History Information Station: Object: Pot, cast iron, lined with enamel. Made after 1874, through pots of this sort without the enamel were used in California Gold Rush kitchens. Contains long-handled iron cooking fork with two pointed tines. History: Enameled cast iron pots came into use in the 1880s, for they were easier to clean than plain iron, and smooth enamel was considered more sanitary than metal. Not everyone like them, however. Many found that enamel chipped easily and worried that it would cause lead poisoning. Not until the 1890s, when refinements in enamel and steel manufacturing allowed the production of enameled steel cooking pots, did enameled pots gain popularity.

Used: cooking ~ meat | Sutter Creek