Kitchens : the New Zealand kitchen in the 20th century / Helen Leach.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. 1900: cookery for the new century: The importance of kitchens ; Menus, meals, dishes ; The structure of the book -- 2. 1900-1909: Scullery sinks and kitchen tables: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 3. 1910-1919: The advent of stainless steel and ovenproof glass: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 4. 1920-1929: Electricity challenges gas: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 5. 1930-1939: Refrigerators for the rich, compact kitchens for the rest: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 6. 1940-1949: Rationing, Ranzware and other wartime restrictions: Food rationing and shortages ; Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 7. 1950-1959: A "fridge" (and pressure cooker) in every kitchen: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 8. 1960-1969: Supermarkets, electric frypans and "international" dishes: New foods ; Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 9. 1970-1979: Metrics, ceramics and pyromatics: Metrication and food trends ; Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout -- 10. 1980-1989: Restructuring, inside and outside the kitchen: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout and design -- 11. 1990-1999: Small households and super-sized appliances: Menus, meals, dishes ; Kitchen equipment ; Kitchen layout and design -- 12. 2000: The 20th-century New Zealand kitchen.

This engrossing history of the domestic kitchen covers 10 decades that saw our culinary traditions accommodate extraordinary changes in technology and the irresistible process of globalisation. Each chapter surveys the external influences on households and their kitchens, samples the dishes prepared during the decade, and discusses the structure of meals. A study of kitchen equipment and design then closes each chapter, cumulatively revealing more innovation in these aspects than in what we ate. Kitchens is the culmination of a 10-year research and writing project by anthropologist Helen Leach, supported by the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand, focusing on the material culture of cooking by New Zealanders living in the past two centuries. The project has led to the publication of From Kai to Kiwi Kitchen (2010), The Pavlova Story (with Mary Browne, 2008), The Twelve Cakes of Christmas (with Mary Browne and Raelene Inglis, 2011) and this book.