Step-Saving Kitchen (1949)

[Music] la these plans were developed for people just like you people who are interested in having the very latest ideas in design that will help them cut down on the time and the effort that must be spent in doing kitchen work since you folks have an oldfashioned kitchen you know the amount of stooping and reaching that must be done done and the running from one corner of the kitchen to the other during the last few years our Bureau and the land grant colleges have received hundreds of requests from Farm Homemakers asking for suggestions that would help them do their kitchen work faster and more easily that's why we've developed this kitchen well uh just how did you go about developing the design for this you kitchen we based our planning on established principles of work simplification to supply storage space and work space for all the activities that take place there arranged for maximum convenience and with good working Heights and good light incidentally we developed this U arranged kitchen first but the principles of planning we Ed we can apply to other arrangements such as the L and the corridor type laboratory research in our Bureau and in the state agricultural experiment stations has made evident many of the requirements of a good kitchen for example we have learned that more counter space is required for the making of cookies and bread than for any other mixing operation experiments have shown that we need at least 36 in and that 42 in is a more desirable length for the mixing counter different kitchen jobs have been studied to determine the most comfortable working height for each to obtain different heights in our kitchen we use pullout boards we designed revolving Corner cupboards to make the greatest use of available space these bring things out in the open so they're easily seen and reached models for many features were made and experimented with some were used some [Music] discarded good lighting is important in the kitchen to obtain this we developed a design for a homemade fixture which would enable the farmer to use modern lighting at minimum cost a shallow wooden trough in which we mounted four 40 watt fluorescent tubes was hung 8 in from the ceiling above the work centers and finally our kitchen began to take form the units for each activity were put together to secure an orderly sequence of work we plann this kitchen to take care of the preparation of food eating clearing and some food [Applause] [Music] preservation as a convenient place for the telephone and for making out menus and Market orders we also included a Planning Center the planning desk is actually a drop leaf table on casters which can become a teac card or an extra work or dining table by placing a large picture window across the end of the kitchen we gain the benefit of natural light over all work surfaces since most women prefer to work from right to left we place the mixing Center in the right leg of the U between the refrigerator and the sink Center in the mixing Center as in all other work areas we plann storage facilities to take care of all of the supplies and the equipment used in that Center [Music] these revolving corner shelves make it possible to store the heavy and frequently used Foods near working level they are roomy enough to hold all of the staple supplies used here just below counter level shallow drawers give handy access to small equipment used in the mixing Center even in the best of kitchens one will have to stoop sometimes store here only things used occasionally like picnic supplies extra- large baking utensils and odds and ends see how easy it is to get out what you want we designed the smaller top shelf for long- handled pans to allow full use of the Shelf space below [Music] space ordinarily wasted is utilized to Advantage by these built-in bins for flour and sugar another Advantage is that they eliminate canisters which take up counter surface behind the door a container holding 40 lbs of flour feeds into the smaller bin below top shelf space is used to good advantage by vertical files for baking pans this does away with stacking and with stooping or excessive reaching this mixing Center like the other centers in our kitchen embodies all the principles of good planning thus it has plenty of work surface at comfortable Heights well lighted by natural and artificial lighting with everything needed stored within easy reach for sitting at work this pullout board at lap level 26 Ines above the floor gives a good working height it permits a woman to sit comfortably in an ordinary kitchen chair with a good back rest her feet flat on the floor while she's working at long and tedious jobs to supply additional work surface in food preservation the table from the Planning Center can be easily rolled over and placed next to the pullout [Music] [Applause] board to the left of the mixing counter is the vegetable preparation and dishwashing center with knife rack and utensil cupboard at the right vegetables in front of her and sink at the left this worker has a step saving setup for preparing vegetables a garbage hatch in the counter eliminates stooping and avoids repeated handling of garbage the pale in the metal line compartment below can be removed for empting from the outside through an insulated door in the wall [Music] all bins and the compartments into which they fit are designed for easy cleaning [Music] in the cooking and serving Center are all of the supplies and equipment used at the [Music] range right above the range are bins built into the wall for foods such as cereals that go directly in into boiling water and also for seasonings that are used at the [Music] range notice how these doors fold back safely out of the way [Music] serving dishes and range utensils are close at hand the serving counter next to the range is convenient to the dish cupboards sliding doors back of this counter and cupboard give access from the dining room side [Music] in the dishwashing Center dishes are scraped directly into the garbage hatch and stacked ready for washing a double bowl sink provides for both washing and draining the one on the right is shallow about 5 in deep making for a comfortable height for dishwashing the drainer hangs across the deeper bowl with room at the side for emptying liquids this bowl because of its depth 8 in is also satisfactory for washing large quantities of fruits and vegetables just back of the faucets is a cupboard for storing soaps and cleaning supplies extra supplies and a handy wastepaper basket are kept under the sink [Music] after they're scalded and dried silver glass and dishes are stored in adjoining cupboards here's a handy rack for drying dish towels [Music] out of the way of meal preparation is this storage closet besides cleaning equipment it has a rack for first aid supplies convenient for emergencies the upper section is reserved for a few jars of canned foods saving trips to the food storage room this serving counter adjacent to the range is convenient to both the dining room and the kitchen dining table this attractive dining space has been planned to be compact but not cramped it gives ample room for a table that can be extended to seat six [Music] comfortably a ledge under the large picture window is wide enough to hold the electrical equipment used at the table shells below give convenient storage space [Music] in this kitchen that has made her task of food preparation so much lighter the housewife can share her family's enjoyment at Meal Time [Music]