A stove is an appliance that produces heat for cooking food. Most kitchens have a stove with burners on top where you can boil water in a pot or fry eggs in a pan. Many stoves also include an oven underneath for baking cookies or roasting a chicken.

Stoves can run on different energy sources. Gas stoves burn natural gas to create flames you can see, which cook food quickly and let you control the heat precisely. Electric stoves use electricity to heat metal coils or smooth glass surfaces. Some families have wood stoves, which burn logs to heat both food and the whole house.

Before stoves became common in the 1800s, people cooked over open fireplaces, which was difficult and dangerous. The invention of the enclosed stove made cooking much safer and more efficient. Today, when someone says they're cooking “on the stove,” they mean the burners on top, while “in the oven” refers to the enclosed compartment below.