The cast iron coal-burning range was a great advance in cooking.  Available in England in the early 19th century, ranges were becoming popular in America, around the time that James Gallier Jr. constructed his residence.  Earlier New Orleans kitchens were usually housed in separate buildings because of the heat, odors, and threat of fire from the open hearth.  The built-in cast iron range, which contained the fire and directed the heat and odors up the chimney, was safer and provided a more versatile cooking surface.

The range was also an integral part of the hot and cold running water system.  Water from the cistern was heated in a reservoir, or fire back, surrounding the firebox behind the stove and circulated through the copper boiler.  Hot water was then drawn off as needed by turning on the faucets.  The water traveled through lead pipes to the two sinks downstairs and the bathtub upstairs.  The hot water system was inoperable, unless the range was fired.  Cold water was fed either directly from the cistern or from the attic storage tank serviced by the force pump in the courtyard.  The cold water system worked primarily by gravity feed.

Cooking was a much more complicated process in the 19th century.  Most food items required extensive preparation.  For instance, sugar was pulverized from larger cones or loaves, coffee beans were roasted and ground, and fowl were plucked and cleaned.  Menus were lengthy and the number of different dishes required the cook to be quite experienced.

The Galliers, as residents of a large port city, had available to them all of the prepared foods of the day, such as preserves, pickles and sauces, dried beans and pasta, churned butter and baked goods.  At the nearby French Market, one could purchase meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other foodstuffs each day.