Evolution in Kitchen

Submitted to
Dr. Suman Singh
Sr. Scientist AICRIP

Submitted by
Nidhi Suthar Ph.D FRM
Meaning of kitchen

A kitchen is a room or part of a room

used for cooking and food preparation
 History of kitchen
The evolution of the kitchen is linked to the
invention of the cooking range or stove and the
development of water infrastructure capable of
supplying water to private homes.

Antiquity
Middle Ages
Industrialization
Rationalization
Technicalization
 Antiquity
Ancient Greece
homes, a covered but
otherwise open patio
served as the kitchen.
Roman Empire they
did their cooking in
large public kitchens.
There were no chimneys.
 Middle Ages
• The "kitchen area" was
between the entrance
and the fireplace.
• European medieval
kitchens were dark,
smoky, and sooty
places, whence their
name "smoke kitchen”.
• Separate kitchen with
chimney was
introduced.
 Industrialization
• Second half of the 19th century
induced other significant changes
• At the turn of the 20th century,
electricity had been mastered
• The first electrical stove had been
presented in 1893
• Industrialization also caused social
changes
 Social change due to Industrialization

• Kitchen in factory working class was badly

aired and with insufficient lighting
• In upper classes kitchen as separate space
and operated by servants
• The middle class tried to imitate the luxurious
dining styles of the upper class
• Gas pipes were first laid in the late 19th
century
• gas distribution would go through a coin
meter.
 Rationalization
• To streamline work processes,
Taylorism and time-motion studies
were used to optimize processes.

• The German kitchen brand

'Poggenpohl', established in 1892 by
Friedemir Poggenpohl, introduced
ergonomic work-top heights & storage
chutes
The Frankfurt kitchen using Taylorist
principles

Developed in 1926, this

kitchen measured 1.9 m by
3.4 m (approximately 6 ft
2 inby 11 ft 2 in, with a
standard layout.

two purposes :

•to optimize kitchen work

•to lower the cost of building
Causes of criticism of new concept
of kitchen

• people were not accustomed to the

changed processes
• it was so small that only one person
could work in it
• some storage spaces intended for
raw loose food ingredients
 Technicalization
• The idea of standardized
dimensions and layout developed

• The equipment used for standard

kitchen : hot and cold water on tap
and a kitchen sink and an electrical
or gas stove and oven and
refrigerator
• Swedish kitchen using unit furniture
with wooden fronts for the kitchen
cabinets.

• A trend began in the 1940s in the

United States to equip the kitchen
with electrified small and large kitchen
appliances such as blenders, toasters,
and later also microwave ovens.
• After the World War II,
massive demand for –
- low-price,
- high-tech consumer
goods

This led to Western

European kitchens
being designed to
accommodate new
appliances such as
refrigerators and
electric/gas cookers. Stainless steel home
appliances popular in
modern western kitchens
Open kitchen
• Starting in the 1980s, the
perfection of the extractor
hood allowed an open
kitchen again.
• The open kitchens,found
with high ceilings (up to the
roof) and were aired by
skylights.
• The extractor hood made
possible to build open
kitchens where ,high ceilings
and skylights were not
possible.
 Domestic kitchen planning
• The first ideas to optimize
the work in the kitchen go
back to Catharine Beecher's

• Beecher's "model kitchen"

was the first systematic
design ,based on early
ergonomics.

• The design included regular

shelves on the walls, ample
work space, and dedicated
storage areas for various
food items.
Beecher's "model kitchen"
brought early ergonomic
principles to the home
• Architecture of the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign in 1944 want to
improve home building, with an
emphasis on standardization for cost
reduction.

• It was there that the notion of the

kitchen work triangle was formalized –
storage ,preparation and cooking
 Few common kitchen forms
Few common kitchen forms, commonly
characterized by the arrangement of the
kitchen cabinets and sink, stove, and
refrigerator

• A single-file kitchen (or one-way galley)

• The double-file kitchen (or two-way galley)
• L-kitchen
• U-kitchen
• block kitchen (or island)
 Single-file kitchen
(or one-way galley)
The double-file kitchen
(or two-way galley)
L- shape kitchen
U- shape kitchen
 Block kitchen
(or island kitchen)
 Modular Kitchen
Modular kitchen
normally constitutes
wooden cabinets,
countertops,
internal accessories,
electro eomestic
gadgets like
chimney, hob, built-
in-oven, sink with
or without drain
board and in some
cases a refrigerator,
dishwasher or other
gadgets.
 Creating an ergonomic kitchen
By James Mahoney

• Ergonomic kitchen is that should be planned to suit

you
• Special consideration about specific heights,
depths, widths & clearances
• Right kitchen design that creates a working
environment
• The design should fit to your exact movements
• Ergonomic kitchen take into careful though just
what your present and future physical abilities
• kitchen that is comfortable and convenient both to
use.
 Seven Essential principles for
design kitchen

The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University

– Equitable Use

– Flexibility in Use

– Simple and Intuitive Use

– Perceptible Information
Seven Essential principles for design kitchen

–Tolerance for Error

– Low Physical Effort

– Size and Space for Approach

and Use
 Kitchen Work Triangle
In the traditional kitchen the three main work sites are:

• Refrigerator - the
cold storage work
site
• Sink - the
cleaning/preparation
work site
• Stove / Cooking
Range - the
cooking work site
Optimal Kitchen Counter Top
Height
The most
common
height for
a kitchen
counter top
is 3-feet
(36-
inches).
Optimal Toe Kick Dimensions

The optimal depth for a toe kick in 3 inches. This

provides an adequate recess to maintain balance
while working at a counter top.
 What is a Toe Kick For?

A toe kick is a recess at the bottom of a base

cabinet. It provides a recess for your feet so you
can get close to the counter top without losing your
balance.
 Better Kitchen Storage
By Acorn Kitchens

Recommended ergonomic storage levels for storage items