Cooking Up an American Kitchen

One of the most commonly used rooms in the American household is the kitchen. As a place for storing, cooking, cooling, and preserving, it is easy to assume the primary theme of the American kitchen is food. Yet, from early colonial days the kitchen was looked at as more than just a place to cook, but as an essential living space that allowed family and friends to gather and connect. The question is how did this come to be?

Cooking Up the American Kitchen encompasses how the kitchen has changed through inventions and fundamental guidelines.  Early settlers cooked with an iron pot hanging over a fire or fireplace in a main room. They brought their individual customs and traditions with them to America.  As the kitchen grew into a separate space, it also defined gender roles in society. Early recipes were created and shared primarily by women among families. From toasted bread to extravagant lamb liver, these recipes represented a measure of culture and status.

The development of stovetops in the early 18th century had a huge impact on societal roles and responsibilities. Further appliance advancements such as wood and coal burning ovens also had a large significance to the creation of the kitchen, forcing the trivet upon us. In addition to these implements, modes of organization were created to maximize success and time management. Built-in cabinets did not appear until the 20th century, as a modification for types of storage. Workspaces as well as new kitchenalia continued to be made from copper, iron, and wood, along with many other materials. While many antique cooking tools have been discarded, the fundamental designs, like the spoon and fork, have persevered.

 The definition of the American kitchen was created through both physical elements as well as actions that took place in the kitchen. Through cookbooks, magazines, and directories this exhibition pulls forward the foundational elements for the first American kitchens and documents their evolution over time.