Many of these industrial inventions were thought to help make life easier. These inventions generally made life easier for men but created more work for women. These advances also contributed to the expansion of the American diet. A major step in the industrialization of America's food supply came with the invention of the stove in 1834. Before the invention of the stove, people cooked over an open flame or fireplace. Advances in the iron industry made the stove a possible invention. The stove consumed less fuel than the previously used fireplace, which became more economical for the family. Now that the stove used less wood than the fireplace, men no longer had to carry or cut as much wood and carry it home. The stove may have decreased the workload for men, but it increased the workload for women. By the end of the day, the stove would be covered in soot, which meant the women would have to clean it daily. Because the stove had multiple burners and an oven, women were also expected to cook in a more elaborate and multicomponent manner