Magic Chef
Encyclopedia
Magic Chef, Inc. is an appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation.
In the 1850s, a immigrant to the United States John Ringen began a tinshop in St. Louis, Missouri
. His business prospered and in 1870, he took in a partner, George August Kahle, who had immigrated to America in 1867. The business sold housewares, washing machine
s, and cooking stoves they called "quick meals". In 1881, George Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law, Charles and Louis Stockstrom to set up a shop to make stoves. These four principals then organized two corporations, the Ringen Stove Company and the Quick Meal Stove Company.
Quick Meal manufactured the stoves with Ringen Stove handling the entire output of Quick Meal's production. The phenomenal growth of these two companies during the 1880s and 1890s led to the merger of eight other stove companies in St. Louis
, Chicago
and Cleveland in 1901 to form the American Stove Company. American Stove introduced the first oven temperature control device in 1914, and in 1929 brought out the first brand name Magic Chef. The Magic Chef name became so popular in the minds of cooks worldwide that American Stove Company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951. The company was well known for its gas stoves, but attempts to spread the brand to other household appliances were unsuccessful.
In 1957, it was merged with the Food Giant Markets of California. In 1958, it was sold to Dixie Products, a small stove company of Cleveland, Tennessee
. By 1986, the company had become the 249th largest industrial company in the nation and it was sold to the Maytag Corporation. Magic Chef also made home furnace
s and that operation was sold to Lennox International
. Whirlpool Corporation acquired Maytag Corporation in 2006.
In the 1850s, a immigrant to the United States John Ringen began a tinshop in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. His business prospered and in 1870, he took in a partner, George August Kahle, who had immigrated to America in 1867. The business sold housewares, washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
s, and cooking stoves they called "quick meals". In 1881, George Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law, Charles and Louis Stockstrom to set up a shop to make stoves. These four principals then organized two corporations, the Ringen Stove Company and the Quick Meal Stove Company.
Quick Meal manufactured the stoves with Ringen Stove handling the entire output of Quick Meal's production. The phenomenal growth of these two companies during the 1880s and 1890s led to the merger of eight other stove companies in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Cleveland in 1901 to form the American Stove Company. American Stove introduced the first oven temperature control device in 1914, and in 1929 brought out the first brand name Magic Chef. The Magic Chef name became so popular in the minds of cooks worldwide that American Stove Company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951. The company was well known for its gas stoves, but attempts to spread the brand to other household appliances were unsuccessful.
In 1957, it was merged with the Food Giant Markets of California. In 1958, it was sold to Dixie Products, a small stove company of Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...
. By 1986, the company had become the 249th largest industrial company in the nation and it was sold to the Maytag Corporation. Magic Chef also made home furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
s and that operation was sold to Lennox International
Lennox International
Lennox International Inc. is an American company. Through its subsidiaries, it is a provider of climate control products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets around the world...
. Whirlpool Corporation acquired Maytag Corporation in 2006.