Modern Kitchen

Radio Record, 29 July 1938, Page 37

Modern Kitchen

ERE Tis surprising .the. number of..women who are ashamed of their kitchens. When dining with a . friend the other evening; I noticed how pointedly she kept the door of her kitchen shut, and promptly Jed me in the opposite direction when ! asked her if 1 might see over her house. The hous. is new and the rooms that I was allowed to see were charmingly furnished. But why not her kitchen? A kitchen should he an-exciting place-bright au: airy with gleaming pots and pans tocatch the eye. It is here that you try out that new recipe you picked up. you prepare the important dinner for husband’s manager, you have your first ‘shot’ at making coconut ice, you experiment with the washing of that cute little blouse you bought in town the other day. Why spend your working hourg in a room that is drab and uninteresting? Let us consider your walls and ceiling first. The best treatment is to have them painted with enamel in a bright sunny colour. This is better than either wallpaper or distemper, because its hard,

glossy surface does not hold the dirt; it is easily cleaned, and is not affected by steam. If the kitchen is lofty, the ceiling should be a_ shade darker than the walls. Tf on tho other hand. the

nt fr, eee well ceiling is a low one, have it enamelled a shade lighter than. the walls, Have your floor covered with either squared linoleum or rubber or cork flooring. Don’t lay down an assortment of mats-one small one, made of coconnt matting, thut can be shaken daily is much more suitable. _ Perhaps your chairs are looking chipped and shabby? A eoat of sixpenny varnish would work wonders on them. Treat the legs of your table in the same way, and cover the top with American cloth. This can be fixed very neatly with drawing pins, and any marks or spots can so easily be removed with a damp cloth. Make your window as airy as ,possible. Don’t obstruct the light with limp blinds or ‘stand anything cumbersome in front of it. Make your curtains of bright washable material; but if yours is a kitchenette where washing and cooking have to be done, then have curtains of oiled silk, which does not

become discoloured and bedraggled in steam. It is slightly more expensive than the ustial curtain materials, but: it remains bright and fresh for a long time. JVW[OST housewives are very particular about the colour schemes for their lounge and dining-rooms, but aren’t so careful of their kitchen’s complexion. Yet a gay colour scheme in the kitchen does make such a difference. — , Pale green and primrose,. blue and white, and red and white are three attractive combinations.. Have your tins for tea, coffee and cereals all to match, Of course. no kitchen, however polished and shining it really is, will look its best if it is untidy. Keep all your dusters neatly in a drawer-don’t leave them lying about. Have the drawer divided into two compartments -one side for freshly laundered dusters, and the other side for those that are partly soiled and can be used again. Keep all your brushes and brooms and mops in one place. and if you have no cupboard

tnen have one ittea into corner of the room. Your local carpenter would do the job at quite a reasonable cost. The fitment should be taken right up to the ceiling, so that no dust collects on

the top, and divided into two cupboards, making the lower one twice as tall as the upper. In the lower cupboard, keep all your brooms and brushes; and in the top all cleaning materials, polishes and rags. Be careful to keep on the dresser only the crockery which is frequently used and therefore frequently washed. Keep those very large dishes and the best tea service in a cupboard-they will only get dusty if left on the open shelves all the time when they are not in use. Now look at your kitchen again! How delightfully fresh it looks-how cheerful and bright after the drab, worn-out appearance of its former self. No longer will vou hide your kitchen away from the critical eres.of your friends-yes, I mean critical! Every housewife is judged by the appevrance of her home, and though the other rooms are important, it is your kitchen, the "back-stage" of your home, that reflects your true personality. . {Continued on page 45.)

: No Cindetella Room

Modern Kitchen ROOM TO LIVE IN

{Continued from page 37.) HAT disposes of the appearance of your kitchen, but what about its conveniences? Nowadays electricity is within reach of the average purse, and in time it is possible to make your kitchen "all electrie" at scarcely more expenditure than that of average replacements. An electric range used regularly for eooking food in an average household of, say, five persons, will use about one unit of electricity a person a day. For a-larger family the cost will not be increased proportionately; the actual amount varies, naturally, with the class of cooking practised. There will be no waste where electricity is used-the user has complete eontrol of the heat, and knows beforehand exactly how long it will take to eook any meal. There is no preparation for use: turn on the switch, and you know after a few trials how many minutes must be allowed by the clock for oven or to reach cooking temperature, or the temperature is shown in the thermo: meter supplied with the oven. Roasting and baking of meat, poultry, pies, cakes or pastry in the electric oven give "perfect results" every fime without excessive attention or any anxiety. In a definite time. after switching on, the oven will be at the right heat, and can be kept so as long as needed. More meals from a roast can be obtained with electric cookery. In roasting there is always some loss of weight. In the electric oven this can be kept down to 140z. to 240z. in the lb. of raw weight; with most other methods of cookery this loss is as much as 80z. to 5oz. in the Ib. Electricity is clean, simple, healthy and economical; it is easily regulated, produces such perfectly reliable results, and is practically automatic: there is no need to eat cold or stale food to avoid the inconvenience of cooking. All parts of the range-oven, grill, boiling plates-are independent of one another, and can be used separately or all together. Jrons and immersion heaters and refrigerators are electrically operated appliances too well known to need my praise, but there are other conveniences that you might do well to consider installing as the purse permits. For special uses, such as afternoon teas, ete., the electric teapot is a dejightful utensil. Water and tea can be put in all ready, and when the water boils just release a knob and the tea drops into the boiling water, and tea is ready for use. The electric teapot ean be switched on and the tea boiled without the hostess leaving her guests. Strong little heating plates are made for use on a table or for standing on legs. They are very handy for cooking breakfast, heating baby’s food ete,, and are economical in consumption and retain heat a long time. Particularly they are convenient in homes with small children. Nowadays you can also obtain electrie kettles, dishwashers, egg-bhenters, jroning, machines, and floor polishers. Who'd like an "all electric" kitchen!