Monday, May 3, 2010

Grandma's Kitchen

By: Marta Grabowska

Most discussions about the kitchen of the future focus on the innovative technology and gadgetry that will make cooking faster and simpler. The kitchen of the future will be a “workhorse of a computer, fully integrated and at your command.” GE’s idea of the kitchen of the future is a kitchen that anticipates needs, interacts with occupants and systems in the house and is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.

While these discussions are entertaining, they miss an important trend that is already taking shape. The desire to simplify, deconstruct technology, and in a way recreate grandma’s wholesome kitchen. The kitchen of the future will incorporate elements of your grandma’s kitchen.

I. The first element of grandma’s kitchen was a freshness of ingredients. Grandma achieved this by having a garden, filled with vegetables and fruits. Pesticides and preservatives were used sparingly. Milk straight from a cow, carrots pulled from the ground, and fresh eggs, were used to cook meals. Loaves of bread were baked in an outdoor oven.

Growing your own herbs has bee a trend for a while. It has never been so easy to do so, with modern pots and herb growing systems. Designers are constantly coming up with new creative ways to bring your herb garden to the next level. The result- sleek herbs that look just as good as other house plants and heavenly flavored food. Below: Herb Pot Trio, Sagaform.

Natural Health Magazine March 2010 issue article: “Chickens go Chic” talks about the unexpected new pet craze that is good for our health: backyard chickens. It talks about the rising numbers of suburbanites as well as city dwellers that are raising chickens in their own backyards. This trend is not as much about saving money but rather providing fresh, humanely raised, nutrition packed organic eggs and adding a few new entertaining members to the family.

If something was not available, there were trips to farmer markets. Back in the day every village and small city had some form of farmer’s markets. Nowadays, due to popular demand, farmers market is becoming increasingly popular in large cities, too. Farmers have increased choice and improved the quality of fruits and vegetables for shoppers, and, perhaps most radically, they have provided farmers with a way to actually earn more money by selling food with flavor, as opposed to mainstream farmers who grow primarily for volume.
In addition to fresh produce they often offer raw honey, organic fruit jams and full grain bread.
For more info: http://www.grownyc.org/about, http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/.

II. The second element of grandma’s kitchen was the use of materials and items created by craftsman. Village artisans and craftsman were respected, valued, and supported. Kitchen utensils, pottery, linens, and furniture were all sourced locally and made by hand. Unfortunately, with the advent of mass production the craftsman’s work all but disappeared from the kitchen. Only now, after decades of products made on the assembly line, is there a renewed appreciation for the craftsman. The recent popularity of using concrete countertops in the kitchen is a great example. NAME OF J&M Lifestyles says that consumers want to see the trowel marks in the concrete. They want to see the human touch. Entire websites have been developed where consumers can connect with craftsman across many different product lines, including hand-made pottery, linens, etc. A site for all things handmade: http://www.etsy.com/.


III. The third element of grandma’s kitchen was sustainability. Everything was used in the kitchen. There was no waste, no garbage. Food that wasn’t eaten was given to farm animals. Food that wasn’t eaten by the farm animals was put in a compost heap to create fertilizer. Rain water was collected and used to wash dishes. The heat from the stove, was used not only to cook but also to heat the room.

There are studies being done about how to foster sustainability in today’s kitchen and in the future. One study by Macelester University examines the use of energy, purchasing and preserving food, and dealing with waste with the goal of finding greater efficiencies in the kitchen. http://www.macalester.edu/ecohouse/studentprojects/fosteringsustainabilityinthekitchen2009.pdf

Four practices that are key to the sustainable kitchen are composting, recycling and water conservation and using products built to last.
1. Composting converts yard waste and organic household refuse into rich soil for the garden. Composting is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of yard and organic household waste. It is a natural process that occurs when plant matter falls to the earth and decays. The decaying matter releases nutrients back into the soil, which in turn fertilizes vegetation. TerraCycle (http://www.terracycle.net) is on the forefront of creating dozens of sustainable products using ordinary trash. One such product is a composter re-using used wine barrels. You can turn composting into lifetime habit by following few simple rules ( To be added later)
2. Recycling is one of the most widespread and available mechanisms for people to practice collective sustainability. Reducing unnecessary consumption of resources is better than reusing or recycling those goods. When you do consume new goods, it reinforces the recycling loop if you purchase products that are made sustainably, made from recycled materials, and/or are recyclable themselves. Recycling glass, plastic, metal, and paper continues to be a smart move for the environment. ( There is a concept of the recycling triangle in the kitchen that I can discuss here as well as ways to make recycling easy)

3. Only 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater (the rest being saline), and most of that freshwater is frozen in icecaps and glaciers which means only 0.5% of Earth’s water is usable to us! Modern technology allows us to save water- using dishwasher makes us use less water by washing dishes in the sink. Rainwater harvesting is already being used around the world to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_harvesting) Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents and local institutions, or from specially prepared areas of ground, can make an important contribution to drinking water. In Bermuda, the law requires all new construction to include rainwater harvesting adequate for the residents.
4. There is a sense of using products built to last as part of creating a sustainable kitchen. We've all seen examples or heard stories about Grandma's cast iron cookware that's been in regular use since the Eisenhower administration or before. Long before nonstick pans (made with perfluorooctanoic Acid-or PFOA-which is a known carcinogen) became popular, cast iron provided the original nonstick cooking surface, and we've got news for you: it still works! While new nonstick pans' ability to repel sticky foods fades over time (often just a year or two), a well-seasoned cast iron pan will only get better with age, and will last you for a lifetime.

This ultimate longevity is what makes cast iron such a great, green addition to any kitchen (or a great, green cooking option, if you've already got one or more). Imagine never having to replace your cookware again. Ever. While they do require a bit more maintenance than their chemically-enhanced counterparts, it's absolutely worth your while to have a pan or set of pans that will perform at a high level, under a multitude of kitchen scenarios, for you, and, eventually, your kids, and even their kids, too. Below: Le Creuset, Set.

The theme of conservation is dominant in our culture and will be dominant in the kitchen of the future.

IV. The fourth and final element of Grandmas kitchen is spirituality. There was a sense of pride in the process of creating a meal from scratch. A feeling of purpose in getting the family together to share a home cooked meal was an institution. Relationships were strengthened, cherished, and sustained in the kitchen. Grandma knew the baker down the street and the butcher who would sell her his best pieces of meat. A simple act of shopping in the local store where the owner knows you by name and the customer keeps coming back and appreciates the product as well as the shopping experience is so rare nowadays. Most of us go to the supermarket where we pass countless strangers on our way to the cash register, and there, once we get there, we are greeted by a stranger or, more and more often, it is a self- service checkout.

As a society we are once again connecting with the idea of knowing where our food is coming from, who sold it to us and how should we prepare it so we can truly enjoy it. One example is the Slow Food Movement which aims to address the issue of 'time poverty' through making connections.

The Slow Food Movement works to reconnect people to the food they eat. Local food, and local food traditions are central to reclaiming our relationship with nature," declare the good folks at TreeHugger.com to living and life than it has been in the past. The laws of the slow food movement are:
-No fast food ( obviously)
-Eat green, organically grown produce ( good for farmers, soil, our helath and local food traditions)
- No GMOs. slow food is food no Frankenfood
- Eat slowly and savor your meals

The popularity of classes in cooking, pickling, baking, wine and beer making all prove our desire to reconnect to the food we eat and experience some measure of spirituality in doing so.

Although the kitchen of the future may include technological innovations, it will most likely transport us to a simpler time where freshness, human connection, sustainability, and spirituality provide the most nourishment.










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