BRICK OVEN. In colonial days in the United States the brick oven, also known as the baker's oven, was used in the home as well as by bakers, to cook by conserved heat. It was built in beside the kitchen fireplace, usually with an arched top. The doors were first of wood, protected on the inside by a sheet of metal. Later iron doors with a draught were used. A hot fire, often of brushwood only, was built in the oven and the iron door closed with the draught open, or the wooden door left slightly open. When the fire had burnt out, the ashes were raked out, the food set in the oven and the door closed without draught. To place and remove the food there was used a slice or peel—a long-handled iron tool with a flat blade to slip under the pot or pan. Many of these ovens were very large, so that many loaves of bread, pies and cakes could be baked at once. The colonial housewife often baked 4o or so mince pies in one day, piled them one on the other in a storeroom where they would freeze, and re-heated them when required in the Dutch oven (q.v.). These ovens still exist in colonial houses and are sometimes used by lovers of old ways. They are an early form of fireless cooker (q.v.) .
Brick ovens were also extensively used in England and still are in many country districts.