Atlanta Daily World

Kitchen
Relics
Making Way For
New
Appliances
Many of the conveniences home-makers take for granted today either were beyond the reach of the average family or unheard-of as late as the 1920's, the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association recalls.
Just in case you've forgotten or are too young to remember, GAMA offers some reminders of the equipment women worked with in bygone days.
It was the era of "upright" gas-ranges-on-stilts, a far cry from the modern automatic down-to-the-floor ranges with oven-heat controls, timers, griddle tops, and single-point ignition for both oven and top burners. It was the age when people kept an ice chest in the pantry, the water heater had to be lighted with a match whenever hot water was needed, and heavy-duty washboard, wash boilers and wringers were standard equipment in the laundry.
The noiseless, roomy gas refrigerator that makes ice-cubes without balky trays; the automatic gas water heater providing round-the-clock hot water at preset temperatures for dishwashing, laundering, bathing and housecleaning; the gas clothes dryer that damp-dries or fluff-dries all kinds of laundry in minutes instead of hours and eliminates the arduous wash-day routine; and the gas-fired incinerator that cuts out garbage and trash disposal problems in the home - all of these latter-day developments hadn't even occurred to the industry, let alone the homemaker.

FURNACE 'SHAKE DOWN'
Coal was the fuel for heating systems and every cellar had its bulky storage bin which had to be stocked before it could be set in. Dad "shook down" the ashes every day or so. But the real business of getting away from the hit-or-miss arrangement of kitchen equipment and co-ordinating appliances and work areas.
Having the gas range next to a work counter of the same height, replacing the old-fashioned dish closet with modern wall and floor cabinets, and working out a proper relationship of food preservation and preparation centers, as well as a proper proximity of hot-water supply to both kitchen and laundry, have had a lot to do with simplifying home management and saving wear and tear on the home manager.

LAUNDRY IN KITCHEN
Just before World War II, GAMA recollects, the kitchen in most new homes bore a close resemblance to those of today in terms of design and equipment, but it was still "pint-sized", and there was little thought of combining its functions with a laundry unit or play area for the children.
Nowadays, the emphasis is on the health, safety and convenience of the homemaker, with multi-purpose kitchens taken for granted, and the individual kitchen plan determined by the family's needs.
As for appliances, manufacturers have made greater strides in the past thirty years than the most enterprising had anticipated. There are more improvements and more new functional features being offered this year than ever before. In gas ranges alone, GAMA can account for 41 new features, and there are comparable advances in styling and operation in the rest of the gas appliance "family".
There may be other reasons for nostalgia about "the good old days," but they wouldn't have anything to do with a yearning for the kitchen relics of the Roaring Twenties!