Step Saving Kitchen

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A Step-saving U Kitchen 1951--

Thye, Lenore Sater, Housing Specialist

Plans byDodge, Robert J., Architect

Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home EconomicsAgricultural Research AdministrationHome and Garden Bulletin 14, USDA, 1951

Issued November 1951

Archive copy of publication, do not use for current recommendations.

The PDF file was provided courtesy of the National Agricultural Library.

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Kitchen

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREHome and Garden Bulletin No. 14

Formerly Miscellaneous Publication No. 646


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Steft -Designed byLenore S a fer Thye, housing special ist . Plans by J. Robert Dodge, architect*Maximum convenience for the home-maker at her work is the aim of thisstep-saving kitchen, planned primarilyfor the farm home. It was designed inhousing and household equipment lab-oratories of the Bureau of HumanNutrition and Home Economics.

Basic plan.The unbroken U shapewas chosen for arranging equipmentbecause it forms a compact dead-endwork center through which householdtraffic cannot pass. It also allows thedining corner to be planned and deco-rated as a separate center.

As shown on the plan (opposite),the three key pieces of equipment arebrought within easy reach of eachothersink at center of U, refrigera-tor and range at ends. Other arrange-ments of these pieces in a U or an Lmight be equally convenient.

The U as shown here, while compact,is large enough to give two women com-fortable working space. There is alsoample storage to accompany the activi-ties usually carried on in a fa rm kitchenwhen there is a separate laundry andworkroom.

Smooth production line.Thiskitchen is planned to cut walking, stoop-ing, and stretching to a minimum inaccordance with modern work-simpli-fication ideas. It is planned so jobscan progress smoothly f rom one workcenter to the next. The productionline is from right to left, as preferredby most right-handed women.

Comfortable work heights.Counters are 36 inches f rom the floorthe height used by manufacturers formost cabinet counters and gas and elec-tric ranges. If this height is not com-fortable, it can be adjus ted an inch ortw o by changing the height of the toespace. The pull-out lapboard has atop 26 inches f rom the floor. Testsshow that this is a comfortable level forseated work.

Handy storage.To save time andenergy, storage is provided for suppliesand equipment near the places wherethey are first used. Articles in con-stant use are near at hand; those seldomused are farthest off. Cabinets havebeen designed especially to hold thevarious kinds of kitchen articles.

Corner space in cupboards and oncounters is often wasted, for it is hardto reach. Revolving cupboards incorners of the U are a good solution.

Light and air.A broad windowover the sink and its counters and an-other in the dining corner provide goodnatural light and cross ventilation. Afan built in the wall above the refrig-erator helps to ventilate and carry offcooking odors.

Semi-indirect artificial light illumi-nates the work surfaces with a minimumof glare and shadow. The fixture is aU-shaped wooden trough with four 40-watt fluorescent tubular bulbs mountedon it. The dining corner has a semi-indirect incandescent fixture.

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Mixing jobs go quickly whensupplies and utensils are with-in easy reach and the workspace is adequate, as in thismixing center. The refrig-erator is conveniently placedat the right end of the workcounter.

Corner cupboards with re-volving shelves above andbelow counter level tie in withthe mixing center.

Generous counter space.Of allfood-prepara t ion jobs, making cookiesand bread requires the most counterspace. Allowing for this, a mixingcounter should be at least 36 incheslong, with 42 inches more desirable, theBureau's research has shown. In thiskitchen 44 inches is provided.

Double-deck flour bins.Keepingf lour handy is a problem in fa rm kitch-ens where much baking is done. Inthis kitchen, replenishing the smallcontainer is easy.

A small metal bin above the mixingcounter replaces the flour canister,which usually takes up counter space.

Directly above is a big bin for about40 pounds of f lour. Pull out a metalshutter in the bottom of the bigbin . . . and flour feeds into the smallbin just below.

More bins in a row.Next to thesmall bin is a bin for granulated sugar ,and beyond is one for other sugar,meal , or flour. ' The small bins arer em ovab le for easy cleaning.

Right-corner Lazy Susan.Thewall cupboard with revolving shelvesat right bend of the U is part of them ixing center . It is big enough so thatstaples in daily use can occupy theouter part of the shelves and yet leave


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Double-deckf lour bins


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room near the center lor reserves.These shelves are extended down to thecounter, providing storage at workinglevel for the heaviest and most often-used staples.

The base revolving cupboard is forthe larger mixing bowls, baking uten-sils not stored elsewhere, a large jug ofvinegar, saucepans. The top three-quarter shelf is just right for storingsaucepans with long handles. The toe-board under the corner base cabinets isremovable, to allow for brushing outunder the shelves.

Utensils above mixing coun-ter.Since the Lazy Susan holds themany staples used at the mixing center,cupboards above the counter are leftfor equipment and supplies usuallystored below the counter or in moreout-of-the-way places.

The wall cabinet above the mixingcenter has shelves for mixing bowls,measuring spoons and cups, casseroles,custard cups. The top shelf is fittedwith dividers to file the pie, cake, muffin,and bread pans, and similar pieces.Above the big flour bin, is a small verti-cal file for such articles as the puddingpan, tube cakepan, salad mold.

Recipes at eye level.A rack in-side the right-hand door of the wallcabinet (shown at right) holds a recipecard or an open cookbook.

Pull-out boards that lock.Thetw o pull-out boards under the mixingcounter lock into place, and can bepushed back when the gravity stopunder the board is released. Thesmaller board makes a sturdy base forattaching a food grinder. It also ishandy for chopping small quantities ofvegetables. The larger board is foruse with larger quantities of food.

Drawers close to counter.Belowthe pul l -out boards are three drawers:One just deep enough for spoons, spat-ulas, and other mixing tools; a slightlydeeper drawer for such things as a handegg beater, can opener, graters; a deepdrawer for refrigerator dishes and cov-ers. All of these drawers can beopenedwithout stooping.

A place for seated work.A pull-out lapboard, shown on page 16, is in-cluded in this center.

Lower drawersBelow the lap-board are two tiers of drawers, withtw o drawers in each tier:

Left tier: Top drawer for the chil-dren's lunch-basket supplies, and picnicthings. Bottom drawer for seldom-usedodds and ends of equipment, whichmost kitchens inevitably include.

Right tier: Top drawer for recipebooks. Bottom drawer has dividersfor filing large, seldom-used bakingutensils.


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A step-saving set-up for preparingvegetables or forscraping dishes.V e g e t a b l e binsand knife racknear counter level.Garbage hatch incounter. Utensilcupboard at right.

1 Bins for vegetables and fruit.The counter for preparing vegetablesand scraping and stacking used dishesneed not be so wide, f ron t to back, as amixing counter . By taking off 3 inchesand using as much depth as possible inthe outside wall, fou r bins are builtunder the windows.

The big bin at the vegetab le-prepara-tion counter holds about 20 pounds ofpotatoes. Next is a 10-pound bin foronions. Sim ilar bins to left of sink arefor other vegetables and f ru i t .

Made of metal and wood, th e binsare easily rem oved for cleaning. Themetal-lined compartments into whichthey fit are also easy to clean.

Garbage short-cut.In this step-saving kitchen it is no trouble to savegarbage for hogsa problem chore inm a n y f a rm households.

C o m m o n practice is to peel vege-tables and f ru i t into a pan or sink

strainer . . . then pour the peelingsinto a garbage pail . . . then stoop toput pail under sink, or lift it to a tablewhere it takes up work space.

Here, the garbage pail is in a metal-lined com par tm ent under the counter atright of sink. Vegetables and f ru i tcan be peeledand plates scrapeddirectly into the pail thro ug h an oblongopening in the coun ter. C ounter open-ing and lid are metal-lined for easycleaning.

The filled pail can be removed f romthe yard side through an insulated doorin the back wall. The pail can betaken out to be washed, through a dooropening on the kitchen side.

For tools and paper.Below thegarbage compartment are two drawers.The shallow top drawer is for hammer,pliers, nails, and so on. The deepbottom drawer is a file for paper sacksand wrapping paper.


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Cleared dishes progress to the lef t : Washed in shallow sink bowl . . . drained

S Two-level sink.The sink for thiskitchen was designed and constructedin the laboratory. No sinks like it areon the market.

The right bowl, 5 inches deep, per-mits dishwashing at a comfortableheight. In so shallow a bowl, the drainmust be directly under the faucet toprevent excessive splashing f r o m run-ning water.

The left bowl, 8 inches deep, iscon-venient for draining dishes or washing

vegetables. The sink is wide enough,f r o n t to back, for a medium-sized dishdrainer to rest on the rims, supportedwell above the sink floor. Space atside of the drainer allows liquids tobe poured down the sink or pans to beemptied without contact with thedraining dishes.

For cleaning supplies.A wallcompartment at the back of the sink isfor soap, brushes, and scouring and

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in deep bowl . . . everyday dishes and silver stored near counter level.

soap powders. A compartment underthe sink, shown on page 10, holds extracleaning supplies.

Four drawers.Below the counterat left of the sink are f o u r drawersfor tea towels, for cake and cookies (ametal-lined drawer), for aprons, andfor miscellaneous articles.

Left-corner Lazy Susan.At theleft bend of the U, a wall cupboard withrevolving shelves is for everyday dishes.Heavy dishes and those most often usedare on the lowest shelves. The topshelf is for ready-to-eat cereals. Steps

are saved when cereal and bowls are inone cupboard.

The revolving shelves below holdskillets, roaster, and other utensilsused at the range. Shelves and open-ings are large enough to take, in addi-tion, big pieces of equipment such asthe pressure canner.

A large coffeepot is here, as well asthe percolator used daily, and also thecoffeeall handy to the cold water atth e sink. If a hot -water coffee makeris used, a shelf over the range givesmore convenient storage for coffee andcoffee maker.

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"Under-sink storage.Thestorage compar tment under thesink provides a place for tempo-rary storage of empty cans, jars,and bottles, as well as for extracleaning supplies.

The wastepaper basket ismounted on the left door of theunder-sink cupboard; also a rollof paper towels. On the rightdoor are hooks for the dishdrainer and a rack for the dish-cloth.

Tea-towel pull-out rack.A pull-out rack at the right of therange is for drying tea towels.

To meet safety requirements,there is asbestos board on theside of the rack next to the range.To ventilate the rack, the asbestosboard and the toeboard are bothperforated.

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Shelves at range.Shallow openshelves are provided for foods in fre-quent use at the range.

The lower shelf is for such suppliesas flour, sugar, salt, pepper, tea, cocoa.The upper, for such staples as break-fast cereals that require cooking, riceand corn meal.

These shelves extend only a littlew ay over the range, but, even so, forsafety 's sake there is asbestos liningunder them.

Cabinet above.The wall cabinetis 24 inches above the range. The

lowest shelf allows just enough spacefor meat platters. The shelf above ismostly a vertical file for pot lids andvegetable dishes. This leaves one-f o u r t h of the shelf for additional staplesused at the range. The top shelf is forextra packages of all foods stored at therange, and for dry breakfast cerealreserves.

Double-fold doors.The cabine t*above the range, and also the cabinetabove the serving counter, have double-fold doors, hinged to fold back flat forconvenience and safety.

Shelves and cupboards over the range save many steps. They shouldbe protected from fire hazard by asbestos board under them.

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5,B The serving counter is next to therange and handy to the dining corner.

Sliding doors.To speed dining-room service and save many steps, slid-ing doors (shown at right) are backof the serving counter. When thesedoors are opened, dishes may be takenf rom the wall cupboards on the dining-room side. The doors also open up apassway through which food is servedf rom the kitchen counter to the dining-room sideboard.

For company dishes.Above theserving counter is a 44-inch cabinet forstoring good dishes. Farm familiesusually serve in fami ly style. So spaceis allowed here, near the range, formeat platters and vegetable dishes ofthe company set.

For silver and such.Four smalldrawers under the right end of the long

wal l cabinet are for articles used whensetting the table for everyday mealssilver, table hot pads, paper napkins.

Under the serving counter.Thebase cabinet is fitted with

Alarge bread board . . . A drawer for small utensils used

at the range: Meat forks, bastingspoons, potato masher, other pieces . . .

A metal-lined bread box bigenough for fou r loaves and a pan ortwo of rolls . . .

A filecupboard for trays, coolingracks, turkey platter, other large itemsconveniently stored upright.

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Thedining corner is large enough toseat six com fortab ly. With the tablepushed to one side of the dining areaor set with the long side against thewindow, there is room f or a baby's playpen.

A 6-foot window looks out on theyard and drive. It also provides forcross ventilation with the window overth e sink. Harm onizing colors of cur-tains, walls, and dishes help make thecorner cheerful and attractive.

Under the window a radiator isflanked by open shelves where thetoaster and waffle iron may be kept.There is room here for magaz ines andbooks at left and children's toys atth e right. The top shelf provides aplace for potted plants or flowers andalso serves as a counter for convenientuse of electrical equipment. Conven-ience outlets directly below eliminatereaching or stooping to m a k e con-nections.

Dining corner, large enough for chairs rather than benches. There isample space for pushing back chair and passing behind seated person.

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A useful step saver is a desk atwhichto plan meals, telephone, and make outm arket orders. This kitchen desk is adrop-leaf table on casters. A shallowdrawer holds pencils, pads, grocerybills. Placed next to the cooking cen-ter, the desk provides a convenientplace to work while the m eal is cooking.

Desk used as table.With leavesraised, the desk makes a 48-inch table.It can be easily moved where wantedfor use in food preservation or for set-ting up salads or desserts when servinga group. It can also serve as a tea

cart, or it will seat two extra personscomfortably for meals.With a fluorescent light directlyoverhead, the table is a good place for

a child to study.Wall shelf.A 6-inch-deep shelfextends back into the wall, making aplace for a recipe book or two, telephone

book, a kitchen radio.Mirror for last look.Homemak-ers say that when someone is at thedoor or when they join guests they liketo see that they are presentable. Amirror above the desk meets this need.

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" Storage closet.Near the doorsOand out of the way of meal preparationis this closet for the kitchen cleaningequipment. Besides such things asbroom, brushes, and dustpan, the lowersection can hold the step stool. Thereis a hook for aprons. A rack on thedoor provides storage for first-aidsupplies.

The upper section is reserved for aselected supply of canned foodssav-ing trips to food-storage room.Revolving shelves. Revolvingcorner-cabinet shelves turn easily andsmoothly on a ball-be aring pivot. Tokeep them from turning, a catch placedbeyond the reach of young children is

a wise precaution against accidents. Ametal rim keeps utensils from slidingo f f the shelves.

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Putt-OutB The pull-out lapboard in the food-preparation center provides a comfort-able place to sit for long and tiresomejobs, such as m aking sandwiches, shell-in g peas, or preparing foods for can-ning and freezing. It is planned for

use with a kitchen chair which allowsth e worker to sit comfortably, with agood back rest and with her feet flat onth e floor. Food supplies and utensilstaken out for use can be placed on thecounter abo ve within easy reach.

B U R E A U OF HUMAN NUTRITION AND HOME ECONOMICSAgr icu l tu ra l Researdjs$Kitrfmistration ,.^i|J|^^"

Uni ted States Deparfi|ient pf,/Vsri(jiSlMilrV 1''"Washington, D. C. \ . Issued November^951

U. S . G O V E R N M E N T P R I N T I N G O F F I C E : 1 9 5 1

Step Saving Kitchen

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