Modern Kitchens

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1007, 25 June 1930, Page 6

Modern Kitchens

NO UNNECESSARY LABOUR

Fittings Made to Please

THE modern kitchen is undoubtedly a far more pleasant •l place in which to work than the old-fashioned one, where ease of cleaning and convenience of working were as often considered of little or no importance. Now that really efficient domestic labour is the exception rather than the rule, it is obviously of tremendous importance to devote time and thought to the question of kitchen furniture and equipment generally, for the mistress in countless middle-class householdjs spends several hours daily in her kitchen. There can be little doubt that a well-arranged and well-planned kitchen can in itself lighten the work considerably, while the small space at the disposal of most people makes careful selection and arrangement absolutely necessary, there being no room for a single superfluous article.

The question of lighting is of great importance, and wherever possible there should be sufficient window space to light the room adequately even in dull weather. Curtains should be chosen with a view to excluding as little light as possible, and should, of course, be easily washable. Oiled silk is ideal for the purpose, as it can be washed with a minimum of time and trouble. The kitchen should be lighted from a central light enclosed, so that It gives a diffused iight producing no shadows. In addition to this, small bracket lights are desirable over the sink or at any point where work is done facing the wall. Here, again, diffused light is preferable to any other. When fittings come to be considered, the sink is of first importance. The modern sink being, as a rule, a deep one, is suitable both for washing up and home laundry work. In the modern kitchen it is no longer placed in the darkest corner, but, wherever possible, a -well-lighted position under a window is selected. It is important to have a draining board with sufficient slant to allow for the water to run away easily, a plate rack for drying just above, and the taps set in high enough so that the washerup has no chance of knocking them with the dishes. In order to save steps as far as possible, slatted shelves for saucepans should be fitted over the sink, or if this is inconvenient, a saucepan stand should be provided and placed as near the sink as possible. SAVING STEPS Now that the most Important positions have been decided, the rest of the space must be carefully planned to hold equipment, shelves, and so on with a view to step and spacesaving as far as possible. Cupboards for china and glass should be placed near the sink or near the diningroom. If there is a spot that will combine both so much the better. There is no point in carrying things

about unnecessarily. If a built-in dresser is already in the kitchen it is a good plan to have sliding doors fitted to protect everything from dust. Where no dresser is already fitted a i special china cupboard of an easily ! portable variety is the best. The upper section should have sliding glass doors, and the lower wooden ones. If it is not too cumbersome it can easily be moved from one house to another. All dry stores and cooking utensils should obviously be kept as close together as possible, and the easiest way of doing so is to install a kitchen cabinet. These cabinets are made in varying sizes, and being so compact are ideal for a small kitchen or even kitchenette, Everything is to hand and everything is thought of. The ideal cabinet has glass containers for stores placed on narrow shelves, which takes the jar and no more—hence there is no waste space. Deeper shelves above will hold a variety of tins, and there are deep drawers at the sides, tin-lined for bread and cakes, a baize lined drawer for table silver, a flour bin with rotary sifter. The flap of the cabinet when let down makes a pastry board, and on the .inside of the upper doors are memoranda sheets for orders and a board for making notes. A pull-out tray holds cards for orders j for the tradesmen, and some of these cabinets even have a folding skirt board for ironing attached. In a small kitchen, or where the family is only a small one, the cooking table of the cabinet may prove sufficiently large, possibly in conjunction with a flap table. Where more storage room is needed a table fitted with three drawers of varying depths on the right-liand side is useful, and it has a revolving stool attached to the left, leg. ITiis is a great convenience when doing such work as preparing fruit or shelling peas, and when not required may be conveniently pushed under the table. Chairs can also be bought which are adjustable and can be suited to the requirements of the user.