Before the Song Dynasty, most people used ceramics, some slates and bronzes as cooking utensils. By the Song Dynasty, people had mastered the technology of smelting iron. Although they had experience in smelting iron before the Song Dynasty, the technology at that time was backward and the cost of smelting iron was too high, so they were generally not used. Therefore, before the Song Dynasty, people often cooked with slate.

In China on the Tip of the Tongue, we can see that in ancient times, people often used slate for cooking, and the simplest cooking method was often used for high-end ingredients. After China mastered the use of fire, it was basically cooked food. Slate with uniform thickness can not only cook food, but also preserve the fragrance on slate, and there are many minerals on slate, so people have been using slate for cooking, enjoying food and keeping in good health.

After the primitive people in our country mastered the use of fire, they ended their life of eating animals and blood and began to barbecue with wooden sticks with food inserted. Moreover, cooked food is very easy to digest, and the food becomes fresh and tender after barbecue, emitting a burst of fragrance. Therefore, in ancient times, after they learned to use fire, they began their barbecue life. Although there is no beer now, eating barbecue at that time was also a very happy thing.

In the Qin Dynasty, the use of bronze reached an unprecedented peak. People use bronze to make all kinds of utensils, not only for holding wine, but also for cooking and making soup. In ancient times, bronzes were not only convenient for people to use, but also had a long service life. So gradually use bronze instead of slate. It was not until the Song Dynasty that iron was used for cooking because its thermal conductivity was stronger than that of copper.