Kitchen

**1. Historical Evolution of Kitchens:**
– In the Middle Ages, kitchens were often located between the entrance and the fireplace in European longhouses.
– Wealthy homes had multiple kitchens for different types of food preparation.
– Kitchens were separated from the main hall to avoid smoke and fire hazards.
– Colonial America saw kitchens built as separate rooms, listed with various items in inventories.
– The Frankfurt Kitchen by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky in 1926 aimed to optimize kitchen efficiency and reduce building costs.
– The Frankfurt Kitchen design was based on detailed time-motion studies and tenant interviews.
– Modern built-in kitchens use materials like particle boards, MDF, wood veneers, glass, and melamine.
– Stainless steel kitchens were used by architects until the 1950s.
– Steel kitchens were replaced by cheaper particle board panels with steel surfaces.

**2. Kitchen Design and Planning Concepts:**
– The concept of optimizing kitchen work dates back to Catharine Beecher’s work in the mid-19th century.
– Beecher’s model kitchen introduced systematic design based on early ergonomics principles.
– Christine Frederick applied Taylorist efficiency principles to kitchen design in the early 20th century.
– Architects like Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and Bruno Taut further developed efficient kitchen layouts.
– The notion of the kitchen work triangle, emphasizing storage, preparation, and cooking areas, led to standardized kitchen designs.

**3. Commercial and Specialized Kitchens:**
– Commercial kitchens are prevalent in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other establishments.
– They are equipped with heavy-duty appliances like walk-in refrigerators and large dishwashers.
– Public health laws regulate commercial kitchens in developed countries.
– Commercial kitchen equipment like sinks is also used in household settings for durability and convenience.
– Canteen kitchens in hotels, hospitals, and institutions.
– Use of tiled walls and stainless steel surfaces in restaurant kitchens.
– Challenges and setups in railway dining cars and ship galleys.
– Unique kitchen setups in aircraft, space shuttles, and outdoor areas.

**4. Kitchen Layouts and Designs:**
– Double-file kitchen (two-way galley).
– L-kitchen.
– U-kitchen.
– G-kitchen.
– Block kitchen (island).
– Backlash against industrial kitchen planning in the 1980s.
– Emergence of flat pack kitchens in the 2000s.
– Introduction of informal eating spaces like breakfast areas.
– Concept of chefs kitchen in larger homes.
– Integration of kitchen islands for multi-functional use.

**5. Regional and Cultural Kitchen Variations:**
– Traditional Chinese kitchen equipment like woks and steamer baskets.
– Role of the Kitchen God in Chinese spiritual tradition.
– Evolution of kitchen tools from ancient Chinese cooking vessels.
– Cultural significance of kitchen rituals during Chinese New Year.
– Influence of Shanghainese style kitchens in China.
– Kitchens in Japan are called Daidokoro.
– In India, a kitchen is called a Rasoi or Swayampak ghar.
– Cooking methods vary across the country.
– Indian kitchens follow vastushastra architectural science.
– India promotes biogas and solar energy in kitchens.

Kitchen (Wikipedia)

For other uses, see Kitchen (disambiguation).

A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, and worktops and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher, and other electric appliances. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food (and to complete related tasks such as dishwashing). The room or area may also be used for dining (or small meals such as breakfast), entertaining and laundry. The design and construction of kitchens is a huge market all over the world.

Commercial kitchens are found in restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, hospitals, educational and workplace facilities, army barracks, and similar establishments. These kitchens are generally larger and equipped with bigger and more heavy-duty equipment than a residential kitchen. For example, a large restaurant may have a huge walk-in refrigerator and a large commercial dishwasher machine. In some instances, commercial kitchen equipment such as commercial sinks is used in household settings as it offers ease of use for food preparation and high durability.

In developed countries, commercial kitchens are generally subject to public health laws. They are inspected periodically by public-health officials, and forced to close if they do not meet hygienic requirements mandated by law.^{[citation needed]}