One early record of a kitchen is found in the 1648 inventory of the estate of a John Porter of Windsor, Connecticut. In Connecticut, as in other colonies of New England during Colonial America, kitchens were often built as separate rooms and were located behind the parlor and keeping room or dining room. Kitchen interior, circa 1565 Colonial America Few medieval kitchens survive as they were 'notoriously ephemeral structures'. The kitchen might be separate from the great hall due to the smoke from cooking fires and the chance the fires may get out of control. The kitchens were divided based on the types of food prepared in them. In some homes, there were upwards of three kitchens. In wealthy homes, there was typically more than one kitchen. The 'kitchen area' was between the entrance and the fireplace. History Middle Ages The roasting spit in this European Renaissance kitchen was driven automatically by a propeller-the black cloverleaf-like structure in the upper leftĮarly medieval European longhouses had an open fire under the highest point of the building. They are inspected periodically by public-health officials, and forced to close if they do not meet hygienic requirements mandated by law. In developed countries, commercial kitchens are generally subject to public health laws. In some instances, commercial kitchen equipment such as commercial sinks is used in household settings as it offers ease of use for food preparation and high durability. For example, a large restaurant may have a huge walk-in refrigerator and a large commercial dishwasher machine.

These kitchens are generally larger and equipped with bigger and more heavy-duty equipment than a residential kitchen. The design and construction of kitchens is a huge market all over the world.Ĭommercial kitchens are found in restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, hospitals, educational and workplace facilities, army barracks, and similar establishments. The room or area may also be used for dining (or small meals such as breakfast), entertaining and laundry. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food (and to complete related tasks such as dishwashing). Many households have a microwave oven, a dishwasher, and other electric appliances. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, and worktops and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. For other uses, see Kitchen (disambiguation).Īn early-20th century Art Nouveau-style kitchen in RigaĪ kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment.

Simple restaurant kitchen layout