A Brief History of the Modern Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the home. Since its establishment I has been a place to relax, cook and enjoy family occasions. Have you ever wondered about the history of how the kitchen came about? Well this is a brief history…

The birth of the kitchen as we know it today has been traced back to the 18th century when the invention of cooking equipment such as the stove as well as the development of water infrastructure meant that there was a supply of water into people homes. Before this water was brought in from outdoor sources such as wells and pumps. It as these innovations that began to shape the kitchen as we know it today.

However we can go as far back as Ancient Greece where the wealthy used to have kitchens within the home in a separate room next door to the bathroom. In the Roman Empire however people had to cook in large public kitchens as they did not have the privilege of owning their own. Within these public kitchens were small stoves which allows fires to be lit for cooking food. Like with that of Ancient Greece only the wealthy had their own separate kitchens within their homes which were operated by slaves.

Fast forward to the middle ages in Europe and the kitchen really began to take shape. Typically the kitchen area were between the entrance and the fireplace and it was not uncommon for wealthy people to have more than one kitchen and these kitchens were divided by the types of food that is prepared in them. In some larger homes in Europe the kitchen was sometimes situated in a sunken floor to prevent the rest of the house from smoke plumes.

Throughout the middle ages the kitchen layout did not change much. Open fires still remained the sole method of heating food and due to this kitchens appeared dark due to the amount of smoke and soot. However with the invention of the chimney all was about to change as open fires were now able to be placed near the wall instead of the middle of the room. Due to this the first brick hearths were developed which allowed the storage of wood and a more control over the fire. This changed that face of the kitchen and the ay we cook as pots –which used to be made from pottery- started to be made from highly conductive copper, iron and bronze. The temperature of the fire was able to be controlled by hanging the pots a desired height away from the fire.

Any history lesson would not be complete without Leonardo da Vinci getting a mention and it was his invention of a rotating spit for spit-roasting that propeller that turned by itself. This invention is one of the earliest innovations in cooking and one that we still use today.

In the late Middle Ages kitchens in Europe began to lose their home heating function as they began to move kitchens to separate rooms. The living room was now heated by tiled stoves which were operated from the kitchen and offered the advantage of not filling the room with smoke. Freed from smoke and dirt, the living room began to serve as an area for social functions and becoming a showcase for the owner's wealth.

Probably the biggest movement in the history of the kitchen and one which really begins to shape the kitchen to how we know it today is the period of industrialisation. Technological advances such as iron stoves which completely enclosed the fire allowed for much better control and efficient cooking as they allowed the heating of multiple pots.
Then in 1825 the first patent for the Gas stove was granted meaning that gas can be used for cooking. In early 19th century these began to be used in the majority of western homes.

In the second half of the 19th century more changes occurred which further shaped the modern kitchen as we know it. Water distribution and sewers for wasted water were created. As the 20th century dawned electricity began to establish itself as a good alternative to gas and in the 1930s the electric stove was released.

In 1892 German kitchen brand Poggenpohl introduced ergonomic worktops and storage. Then further developments –initially still for higher classes – such as cooking machines with flue pipes connected to chimneys, storage cupboards and tiles really revolutionized the modern kitchen even further Then Poppenpohl began to innovate further kitchen equipment such as hot and cold water taps, kitchens sinks and the oven. Later on the refrigerator became a common kitchen item. The Swedish kitchen design then took grasp and it was from here that the use of drawers became popular.
Modern kitchen design then began to experiment with different materials such as stainless steel which is still widely used today and more open plan kitchen designs were implemented.

Today there is such as huge array of design out there and you can really appreciate how far we have come and the little innovations that complete the kitchen as it is today. There is a lot more history to it than has been written about in this article however this is only a brief history.