Tour through a Chinese kitchen
"Cookery is become an art,
a noble science; cooks are gentlemen."
(Robert Burton, 1576 - 1640)
What is your dream kitchen like? Do you envision a sparkling, immaculate room loaded with all the latest modern gadgetry and appliances? Or do you dream of a country style kitchen, complete with wall-to-wall cubboards and solid wood furniture, topped with an overhead hanging rail for the pots?
My own vision of the ideal kitchen is a little different. As a left-hander, I'll settle for having the refrigerator on the left-hand side of the room and the dishwasher on the right, allowing you to move in a clockwise fashion as you prepare and cook the food, and clean up afterward. Of course, since this is opposite of the way most kitchens are laid out, my dream room is going to have to wait until I can afford to hire a contractor to do the job.
But apart from personal preferences, the appearance of your kitchen will depend somewhat on where you live and the type of cuisine you normally prepare. Take Chinese cuisine, for example. Chinese cooking has always fascinated westerners with its sophistication and innovative techniques. Experts will argue whether China or France has developed the world's greatest cuisine. And yet the typical Chinese kitchen is a model of simplicity.
When it comes to cooking equipment, the most essential feature in any Chinese kitchen is a wok. The distinctive bowl-shaped pan is used for everything from stir-frying to deep frying and making sauces. Nearly the only thing you don't use the wok for is to prepare rice.
Historical influences have probably played a role in the style and shape of the wok. At various times throughout Chinese history, such as during periods of famine, the ability to conserve food and eat well but cheaply has been important. The shape of the wok ensures that the cooking oil is distributed evenly, which means that less oil needs to be used. Also, the food falls back into the pan and not over the edge during stir-frying.
When it comes to appliances, there are some notable differences between Chinese and western kitchens. Even today, in China most homes don't have an oven. The origin of the oven is lost to history, although we do know that the Sumerians were using clay ovens by the third century BC. However, in China mouthwatering dishes such as roast duck are normally available only in restaurants and specialty shops, where cooks use wood-fired ovens.
It's a different story with stoves. It is possible that the Chinese invented the cast-iron stove. One of the earliest cast iron stoves discovered in China dates back to sometime between the first and third century B.C. Horseshoe-shaped, it has a chimney at the end of the horseshoe, five cooking holes, and elephant-shaped feet. By contrast, the Europeans had difficulty producing quality cast-iron stoves until the fifteenth century, while stove production in the British Isles didn't begin until the 1700's.
As this photo illustrates, cast iron stoves are still used in many rural Chinese homes today, along with many other types of stoves. Since a gas flame gives greater control over heat than other heating methods, many homes have a gas burner.
Until recently, many Chinese homes also lacked a refrigerator. Not that the technique of refrigeration was unknown - like the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese have been using ice to freeze food since ancient times. (Ice cellars are mentioned in the ShiJing, or Book of Odes). But while Jacob Perkins patented the forerunner to the modern refrigerator in 1834, they have only recently been introduced on a large scale into Chinese homes. It remains to be seen what impact this has on a Chinese tradition - the daily trip to the food market.
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