Kitchen Evolution

March 2025

I am generally the cook in my household and have been for the entirety of my adult life.  It’s never been a burden.  I consider it a hobby and thoroughly enjoy most of my moments in the kitchen. The other day, I was considering my own kitchen and reflecting on the kitchens I have known.  Mainly my Mother’s and Grandmother’s, and how different they were from my own.  This made me ponder the history and evolution of the kitchen itself, as well as the set up and appliances that have come and gone. Or evolved. I found this a captivating and enjoyable mental exercise.  Now I am going to share it with you.

When you start to think about it, the kitchen of today is a very different place than the kitchen of the past. In its own way, it has turned from a purely functional entity to an essential component of our contemporary lives. Today’s kitchen often seems to be the natural place we congregate in our homes, especially when entertaining. Instead of welcoming guests into the living room, as was done in the past, the kitchen is now the place we tend to gather.

Because of this, modern homeowners are insisting on larger kitchens with plenty of space.  It’s amazing to think that not long ago, kitchens were one of the least desirable rooms in the home. One often sealed away from the rest of the house.  Not anymore!  It’s obvious that the kitchen has undergone many technological and social changes over the decades. But what might not be so obvious is why these changes occurred, or what created the kitchen we know and love today.

Much of the change was stimulated by a renewed interest in home cooking.  There has also been a stylistic change in kitchen devices. By the 2000’s, the idea of a completely open kitchen, with appliances designed to show off, came into being. Thus, the trophy kitchen was born.  This has altered everything, from big appliances to small counter-top items.  They are now intended to have both function and form, often meant to be on display and make a fashion statement.

So, the kitchen has become a source not just for culinary craftmanship, but for displaying designer implements and being the hub for social activity. But let me tell you, that is not how I grew up!  Probably not how most of us grew up, if you happened to be doing so in the 1960’s and 70’s.  Which is when I came of age.  Even now, I can close my eyes and see the kitchens of my youth.  Both my grandmother’s and my mother’s early ones. Pretty much the standards of that period.  Sadly, my first recollection is of the ghastly wallpaper! 

My grandmother’s kitchen was a farmhouse kitchen. It featured simple, built-in cabinets, many of them without doors. They sat above tile countertops. The floor was linoleum checkerboard, with many stains from decades of drips and spills.  There was a freestanding stove along the back wall, that had evolved from a woodstove. A basic refrigerator was a new addition, as she would have had an icebox as late as the 1940’s. The sink was deep and formerly had to be filled from a pump that was outside of the house. But indoor plumbing came in the 1950’s.

The overall aesthetic was purely about practicality and functionality. On the countertops were a few modern conveniences; a toaster, a hand-cranked meat grinder, a hand mixer, and an early model electric coffee percolator.  She did almost everything by hand.  Many chickens or pheasants had been plucked on a stool over a bucket of hot water.  Rabbits or squirrels skinned.  Whatever it might be, it would later become the centerpiece of a memorable Sunday dinner.

My grandparents farm had what was called a “Michigan Cellar” in the barn, which was cool and damp and where everything fresh was stored.  Her kitchen was rudimentary even for the 1960’s. But she spun out some amazing meals from that little corner of the house.  Impactful enough to motivate a little boy to want to watch and learn.  Creating memories of techniques and tastes I’ll never likely forget. 

To stay focused, I will concentrate on my mother’s kitchen.  One that was a part of the evolution I am pondering and most of my formative years.  The one where I learned to cook.  Notice, I say my “mother’s”, as my dad did very little or no cooking.  Beyond simmering the occasional beef tongue or heart.  Offal was a delicacy for him and my mom would bail the minute he started to cook one of these.

Of course, there was the deep sink, one that her children and most of her grandchildren had taken their first baths in. At some point, we got a garbage disposal.  Before that, my mom flushed that stuff down the toilet. If you think that sounds gross, you should have seen her doing it!  Yuck!   Thankfully, we didn’t make much waste. Generally, leftovers fed the dogs.

The very simple stove was electric, which was an innovation in the 1970’s.  We always had a refrigerator/freezer. Ice trays made ice cubes, and we were all happy with that.  They generally tasted like whatever my mom had in the freezer.  Our counter tops were ancient and vinyl.  They were stained and cracked, as was the linoleum flooring. The cabinets were wooden and stained light brown.  Thankfully they had doors as they were always jammed full, and a mess. The corner drawer held all of our sweets.  Something my friends went directly to when they came over to the house for a visit.  Quickly shuffled out of the kitchen if my mom was cooking.

We got a dishwasher at some point.  A great big one! It was like a piece of furniture for the kitchen.  It was ridiculously unwieldy.  It had wheels and needed to be moved near the sink if you wanted to use it.  Both to be plugged into an outlet and to attach a hose that went to the faucet.  It also had another hose you had to put in the sink so it could drain.  I think that thing got used a dozen times or so and then it became additional counter space and storage.  A failed experiment at our house.

The countertops were always loaded with all kinds of things, many that came and went and came back again.  Often there was little workspace, and something would have to be moved if you needed more of it.  We always had a radio, which seemed to be constantly playing. There were 3 canisters that held flour, coffee and tea.  Big giant salt and pepper shakers. A butter dish that held a pound of butter. There was also a can opener, a blender, a big mixer, a toaster and of course the coffee percolator that transitioned at some point to the Mr. Coffee. A major innovation for its time.  My dad set it the night before bed, and we all would hear it start up at 6am, belching out steam and hot water. All accompanied by that unforgettably lovely aroma.

At various times the counters would also have a waffle iron, toaster oven or a bread maker.  The trendy things that often came and went from every kitchen.  There was always a porcelain cruet next to the stove that contained the fat and drippings that came off everything my mom cooked, which inevitably became an additional flavoring for something else.  Not very healthy but it sure was tasty.  Many times, we used it as a spread on toast.

There was also a big cabinet that held other essential kitchen appliances and wares.  The pressure cooker, although not an appliance per se, was widely used, especially in my mom’s kitchen. Crockpots of various sizes. A food processor, a grinder as well as all of my families canning gear and equipment, which was a significant amount of stuff.  Our kitchen often became a bit of a food processing plant. We did a lot of canning at my house. 

We got a microwave oven at some point in the 1970’s.  We weren’t the first in the neighborhood, that’s for sure.  Our initial one was massive and took up an enormous part of the kitchen.  It was frill free, with only an on/off timer, nothing else.  My dad just brought it home one day.  My mom hated it.  It was likely because she had no say in its purchase.  She didn’t really understand how to use it anyway.  She tried making hamburgers in it a few times.  They were disgusting.  Frozen pizzas were awful too.  She would try to soften butter, and it would always melt.  Which irritated her to no end.  When she tried to heat stuff in it, she would burn her hand on the bowl and the food wasn’t even hot yet. And yes, she all too frequently forgot, and put foil in it, and it would spark and snap. Scaring her to death and usually blowing a fuse.

Our kitchen had a rickety table and chairs, where every single meal was eaten except for on the holidays.  Then that table often became the “kid’s table”. We weren’t allowed to eat anywhere except the table in our house, at least until we became rebellious teenagers.  But I can’t remember a whole lot of casual socializing going on in there.  It was a workplace. If people tried to be in there while my mom was cooking, they were likely to be asked to leave. Like my friends with their hands in the candy drawer!

Nowadays, my kitchen, like so many other more modern versions, is not just a great place to cook but a hub of social activity.  It has a bar counter where people are enticed to be spectators. If I’m cooking, there are inevitably people standing in or passing through the work area.  If we are not cooking but just drinking and socializing, there are always people standing in there, usually with a glass of wine.  Mine is not the nicest kitchen I have seen, nor opulent in any way.  But it is still the hub of social activity at my house. And I can still throw some pretty solid meals together, I’m pleased to note.  Even while I’m entertaining a crowd!

I don’t have all the gadgets, but I have my share.  Coffee maker, air fryer, soda stream and lots of cabinets holding the rest.  I have ample counter space to work.  Like I said, it’s not a trophy kitchen but it is set up for me to be able to cook comfortably or stand and socialize with friends and family.  Perfect for my lifestyle. People ask when I am going to modernize it, which I laugh at.  It seems even I am falling behind the trendy kitchens of the 2020’s. I’m simply not ready to transform my kitchen into a high-tech science lab. 

There are smart appliances available now, that can provide you with inventories and generate recipes based upon what you have available. The kitchen is now more than simply preparing food, it’s about design, and of course, personalization is critical. Your kitchen can be devised to reflect your style and fit your life perfectly. If you want it to. From dishwashers that use almost no water or energy, or under-cabinet lights that turn on with a simple hand wave. Even counter tops with built in computer screens. My grandmother would faint!

The kitchen and its tools have certainly changed and will likely continue to do so. I think for the better.  Going from a place we avoided to a social mecca was a good thing.  Regardless, its main function is still to churn out the food that brings us all together and both creates and stimulates memories of our gatherings.  Which is certainly the most important attribute of a kitchen in any era.  That’s what it’s always done, and what it always should do.  Help us communicate, make memories and build the next generation of family chefs.  Carrying traditions forward. Hopefully forever.