From the 1920’s in the simple kitchens, some lucky enough to have maids, to the 1950’s when mothers and women were the only ones in the kitchen; times have changed from your Grandmother’s kitchen to your very own. From refrigerators to automatic soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser inventions, all the way back to microwaves there have been numerous inventions that have changed the feel of a kitchen. The modern room has been modernized into a paradise of inventions that have changed the way that people cook and work.
Women used to have to buy fresh everything and only keep it in an icebox type container for a day or two. Resources were extremely limited and during the depression era, resources were scarce and people could not have appliances for their kitchen, let alone any food or goods to fill it with. Kitchens, for those who could afford it, used to be a place for maids and butlers and staff to do all of the cooking. In slavery times, hard working black women were the ones in the kitchen cooking all of the food and often times caring for a homeowner’s child as well. The role of the cook in the kitchen has changed from a female role to a very different role, with fathers and other male figures alike.
At one time, kitchens did not have all of the expected appliances that they do now. A simple sink may have been the only amenity that you would see in a house of the 1920’s. You would have had to buy your very own icebox and sometimes you may have seen a stove, but it was powered by gas. Nowadays, sometimes gas stoves are preferred, but the move to electric stoves has been what everyone wants. Refrigerators were a thing of the future, a new and revolutionary way to store foods and good of all kinds that have to be kept cold. A new appliance like the dishwasher was unheard of back then and many people would have been lucky enough to have enough dishes to fill a dishwasher. It was not until the sixties or seventies that dishwashers had come around.
Nowadays there seems to be no brand new gadgets, only improvements in the ones that we already have. There are new smart refrigerators and ovens as well as hi-tech dishwashers and coffee makers that make your coffee for you. People have come to the general conclusion that the kitchen is a place of relaxation and a place to entertain family and other guests. The kitchen should now be decorated according to the appliances and other colors and styles within the home. Women are not the only ones in the kitchen anymore and the kitchen is not hidden behind closed doors in the home anymore.
The kitchen is a wonderful place used to celebrate family, friends, and good food. As illustrated on many food television shows and in many advertisements, the best kitchens have the best appliances and new gadgets to use in today’s modern world.
