What was used before the first refrigerator?

ice house
One of the earliest forms of refrigeration was called an ice house. These were commonly used to store ice throughout the year, usually cut from nearby lakes and rivers. Hebrews, Greeks and Romans were also known to use snow placed in storage pits, and Egyptians placed jars out overnight to cool.

What did people use before electric refrigerators?

icebox
An icebox (also called a cold closet) is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common early-twentieth-century kitchen appliance before the development of safely powered refrigeration devices. Before the development of electric refrigerators, iceboxes were referred to by the public as “refrigerators”.

What did people use before iceboxes?

That’s when people started pickling, smoking and curing foods. Natural sources such as streams and caves were also a great cooling option. The deeper the cave in the earth, the cooler the air would be. Streams also offered a way to cool things faster due to the flowing water moving around the object.

How was ice delivered in the 1800s?

Ice was cut from the surface of ponds and streams, then stored in ice houses, before being sent on by ship, barge or railroad to its final destination around the world. Networks of ice wagons were typically used to distribute the product to the final domestic and smaller commercial customers.

How did they store cheese before refrigeration?

In fact, refrigeration in true terms did not even exist until post second world war. Until then, a cool and dark storage space is all that was required to store cheese. Cheese stays fresh unrefrigerated inside a cool pantry or a storage room for months at a stretch.

How did people survive without refrigeration?

Before refrigerators, perishable meat or dairy products were stored in cool cellars or spring houses, a small building constructed over a natural spring. Food could be stored in containers in the stream of water or in the cool atmosphere of the spring house.

How did people keep milk cold before refrigerators?

In the early 20th century people in cities had ice boxes to keep things like milk cool. In northern states ice was cut on lakes or rivers and taken to home ice houses and insulated with sawdust or other insulating material for use the following summer. The left over milk would be turned into cheese.

How did pioneers keep milk cold?

Since the pioneers lived before refrigeration, they stored the milk in a springhouse or a hand dug well. Water coming directly from the ground was not as cold as today’s refrigerators, but the water was cool enough to keep the milk safe to use for a short time.

How did they keep things cold in the 1800s?

By the end of the 1800s, many American households stored their perishable food in an insulated “icebox” that was usually made of wood and lined with tin or zinc. A large block of ice was stored inside to keep these early refrigerators chilly.

How did people store cheese before fridges?

In temperate climates, the cooling properties of slate were sufficient to keep cheeses and milk at a low temperature for every bit as long as in our modern refrigerators. The victorians also made use of terracotta pots that had been soaked in water.