-
Wow Robert - I was very impressed with your design advice. It was very enjoyable reading through your tips. Kitchen design has always been near & dear to my heart. I recently ordered a book on kitchen design that I had heard good things about - 'A Complete Guide to Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind' by Donald E. Silvers (Editor) http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...7097&x=4810802 Unfortunately I was disappointed when the book arrived. Perhaps I was expecting too much. It probably is a good book for someone with limited knowledge of kitchens. Do you have any recommended reading material? Better yet, have you written any books lately? Thanks again, Belinda
-
Happy to help...on faucets, don't buy anything with plastic components...the basr drawer cabinets are life savers, are you doing a counterdepth refrigerator ? recessed lighting be careful of placement to avoid shadowing...remember dimmers ! Halogen lighting is the best, you can use either line voltage or 12v...in a standard can with a down baffle, use black to cut glare and look at PAR lamping for online voltage. With a good sized kitchen you have space for different counter materials and it is worth conseidering one working zone in butcher block maple as your primary cutting chopping zone. Dark granite absorbs more light than lighter stones and you need to compensate but beware of glare off the stone. Have fun and send us *** !
-
Sammy D
See your point.
The original pilot was connected to the thermostat and that's why I used it. Did they have to be lit every time they were used?
-
Robert,
She likes the counter depth Kenmore Elite side by side. Consumer reports rates it tops.
-
This is for Ron Pike's question about the original oven pilot's function, and how it relates to safety system function.
With the original oven pilot configuration and no safety installed, the gas flows to both the oven burner and oven pilot whenever the gas valve (chrome handle) is open and the thermostat is set to a highter temp than the oven is currently at. So, in a cold oven, you set the temp, turn on the gas (with the chrome handle), and then light the oven burner. The pilot is lit at the same time because gas is flowing to it, and the burner flame is close enought to light it.
When the oven reaches the set temp, gas to the oven burner stops, but the pilot gas continues to flow and thus to burn. When the temp drops, the thermostat allows gas to flow to the burner again, and the pilot lights it. The pilot will burn as long as the gas valve to the oven is open, as long as everything functions properly and you lit the oven in the first place.
With a safety system:
With the safety valve in place and the pilot supply taken off the thermostat, you will need to reset the safety valve every time you use the oven. There will be no standing pilot.
In this version, you set the thermostat, turn on the gas, and light the oven. But now you have to do it at the same time you're also holding down the red button on the safety. You will need to hold it down for enough time to allow the thermocouple to heat up and be able to produce the current needed to maintain the gas safety valve in its open position. It seems like everything would work just like in the original configuration after this point. As soon as you turn off the oven gas supply, the safety will trip closed, and then you'll have to repeat the process next time you use the oven.
If your pilot supply is from the thermostat, the safety valve could not be located beneath the service cabinet floor, because you will need easy access every time you want to use the oven.
Correct me if I'm wrong, Sam, but I think this would "work" from a safety standpoint, but it might be a pain in the neck to actually use.
-jenn
-
Sorry to put that all in the middle of the design advice. This thread has two very different subtopics.
Good advice, Robert!!
-j
-
Jenn, You are so up to speed on oven safety! Right on! I haven't had a chance to get back to the do it yourself thread, but will shortly. Just a short note. I have mounted the 1800 pilot horizional in the same location as the old pilot. But you are correct, we need to get off this great Kitchen discussion thread. The kitchen discussion is Great. Lots of good information!
-
I'm glad the kitchen design thread is enjoyable reading ! No, I haven't written any books on kitchen design...it's the potential autograph sessions and groupies that put me off ! Most of the kitchen design books out there are awful. Lot's of glossy photos of pretty mundane stuff that usually promote new products which aren't so good once you have them installed. My knowledge comes from experience of 25 years in the design industry, countless lectures, seminars and more than anything else, OBSERVATIONS of how people cook. Books don'twork because each cook has his/her own methodology which much be respected. I can guide people but I can't change people and it is better to give you a kitchen you can work with within your established pattern than to change that pattern of use. I try to apply the basic fundamentals of ergonomic design and use...counter heights, cabinet heights,depths, materials, illumination, handles and then the placement of items within the cabinetry...ex: a 75 yr old baker is better off storing heavy flour in an eye level cabinet than a base cabinet. It is easier to place and move the heavier items without the need to bend and stoop...look at the old Hoosier Cabinets....everything heavy at eye level. Just like the Chambers In A Top Brolier...no dangerous bending and stooping. Someof the best kitchen designs and old designs from an era when people truly cooked. Most modern kitchen designs are for microwave experts....those like Jane Jetson who may get "fingeritis" from pushing too many buttons than sore shoulders from over kneading their dough. One component sorely missing in many contemporary kitchens is the old kitchen table...a necessary place to sit down and peel vegetables, read a recipe, even take a little break...islands, bars and such do not replace a kitchen table....and if you're making strudel dough, without a table you can walk around, well, it's almost impossible. So, to be modern, think old!
-
Robert - you bring up some good points about the uniqueness of each cook, so maybe a book is not the best source of info. But how about a programming template? Something that would prompt the cook/homeowner to consider all of the relevant issues? Belinda
-
Good thought....how to get everyone to understand all the steps in the use of a space...I think there was a movie about that...it was Cheaper By The Dozen with Clifton Webb, Jeanne Crain, Myrna Loy and everyone else who was working Hollywood those days...It was the story of the Field of Motion expert and his family, the wife and 12 kids....every activity was studied and a specific amount of time was alloted for each...that, in many ways, is what is done in primary design evaluations, how a space is used. Going back to an early suggestion, if you want to know how you use your space, setup your video cam and let it run while you work...you WILL be amazed. The idea isn't to change how you dothings, you won't change...the idea is to make each step count more. When I cook, I wash up as I go along...using a bowl, washing a bowl and putting that bowl away. So, I keep my bowls on open shelving next to the sink where I do mixing...simple things like that really work.
