Q I'm doing a school assignment and i was wondering if you
could tell me how the Weber kettle came to be an Australian icon.
Beth
Taringa
Queensland
A Beth the Weber kettle is not an Australian icon - it's an American one.
They were first developed after the Second World War by the Weber-Stephen
Company in Palatine, Illinois. The legend has it that the prototypes were
made from small metal naval buoys left over from the war.
They became a big hit in the post war years in the US when people earned
good wages and had leisure time so they could cook outdoors.
I did not see my first Weber until about 1979. They started to become widely
available in Australia from the early 1980s thanks to an enterprising
accountant who lost his job in Adelaide. Keen to be his own boss, Ross
McDonald convinced the American company to make him their Australian agent
and the rest, as they say, is history.
If you want a genuine Australian barbecue icon - try the flat top four
burner gas barbecue.
Let me know if you need more help.
BBQ Blue