| LASSETER: Refrigerator is center-point of kitchen |
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By: JEANINE LASSETER, Post Columnist
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Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2012 5:49 am
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Refrigeration is the most researched appliance our customers purchase.
Because it is so visual in kitchen design, it requires scrutiny in size, color and function.
Stainless steel has been the rage for many years and is still the most popular, but the overall function and customized features that manufacturers provide are now a valued selling point.
Water and ice in the door are common but filtered water and ice size have been added as options.
The French-door, or armoire-style, refrigerator is very popular because it has deep and wide areas for storing large items such as cakes and pizza.
Some have a small roll-out drawer for frequently used foods and all have temperature settings for storing produce versus meats and cheeses.
As designers we want the refrigerator to be as inconspicuous as possible so we suggest counter-depth units in most cases and integrated when budget permits. Integrated is when the appliance is designed to blend into the cabinetry seamlessly. Panels that match the cabinets are installed and the appliance blends so well it looks like a piece of furniture.
With all this attention to keeping food cold I sometimes wonder how in the world they did it long ago.
I remember my mother talking about the ice box and the ice man, but never really understood why he was so important.
She spoke of how the ice man would come to their house in a truck and they had a large hook on the back porch that would swing out and stick into the ice. It could then swing around and place a huge piece of ice in the ice box.
This melted slowly but kept a very limited amount of food cold.
I was discussing this with my dad the other day and he said, “shuggar, we didn’t even have that when I was growing up.”
I asked what they used.
He explained they had a root cellar, a building built into the ground, and a basement where they kept canned food and fruit, which was wrapped in newspaper. This kept the food cool enough throughout the year.
Milk, eggs and butter were eaten right away and meat was either salted or eaten fresh, thus eliminating any need to cool.
But then he told me about ice cream.
In the winter, the pond would freeze over, hard and deep, he said.
They would take a mule and a wagon out to the pond and cut as big a piece of ice as they could.
Then they would the ice to a sinkhole in the property and pack sawdust all around it very heavily.
The sinkhole acted like a cave so the ice would melt very slowly.
On the Fourth of July, they would go get what was left and make ice cream.
What a treat it was to him and his family.
He remembers those days fondly, and I so enjoy his stories.
They make such a difference in the things I put value on today that I might have taken for granted in the past. |
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