A bake kettle could hang over a fire, but it usually served as a quicker way to bake something than using a beehive oven that was built into the fireplace wall. It took hours to preheat a beehive oven, but only minutes to make the bake kettle hot enough for cooking. Red-hot coals from the fire were raked onto a brick hearth and the kettle was set on top. The food was placed inside and more hot coals were shoveled onto the rimmed lid so that, as in an oven, the food was surrounded by heat.  Whether using a bake kettle or a beehive oven, baking time would be about the same.