I have a sizable collection of old electric range manuals and have to say that many of the main dishes have killer amounts of fat. The desserts are interesting, often with unique items, but those main dishes probably could not be stirred once they cooled and the fat solidified. We never ate like that. My mom was sort of fat-phobic. She pan-broiled or sauted and never deep fried anything. Reading a few of those recipes was shocking and nauseating.
I remember a couple of attempts by mom to broil in the Crown gas stove. The broiler pan was so shallow that the grease caught fire. I opened the oven door and flames were jumping up into the oven. Mom made me shut the door before I finished watching; it was exciting. After that she would just heat cast iron skillets then sprinkle salt in them and put the meat in. We did not broil again until we got the GE range.
