Curious Appliances: The Bachelor Griller

The history of the kitchen is, as we have briefly touched upon several times in the past, one that is very rich and incredibly expansive. To cover it all in a comprehensive manner would take longer then our usual word count for these little editorials, to put it mildly; it stands to reason then that sometimes, the evolution and innovation of kitchen technology could get a little eclectic. We’ll be taking a look at one such appliance in the first of what we hope to become an ongoing series. The appliance in question is a Mini Oven, or as it’s more commonly known the Bachelor Griller.

Around about the size of a microwave, the Bachelor Griller combines two heating elements; a large one in the bottom and one on top- with the midsection of the appliance being capable of grilling, baking, or roasting food in much the same way as a conventional oven, and depending on the model and brand will contain a couple of hobs or a ceramic hotplate. There’s honestly not much more to the core concept then that; effectively, it’s a means of synthesising a large kitchen down to a single appliance for ease of use, and provides a better alternative to a microwave (and thus, eating predominantly prepackaged meals) in situations where a full-sized kitchen with multiple appliances would be unreasonable or even impossible. Typically, these include small flats or apartments, and possibly certain hotel rooms.

The name “Bachelor Griller” is actually something of a colloquial term rather then an official designation; no brand of mini oven has ever been marketed or sold under the name. The term’s connotations are obvious; that it’s the kind of appliance most likely to be bought and used by single men; and has been used to refer to mini ovens more or less since their inception over 100 years ago.