In fact, the kitchen worked out so well that when we recently purchased a new, old (1780) house, I reached into my files and started reading Don's book again. Our latest kitchen is now under construction and I am sure it will be as fine as the first. I must have read all the kitchen books available and, in my opinion, this is the best resource on the market today for anyone who cooks and wants to create a kitchen that will meet their needs and highlight their culinary skills. Thanks to Don, cooking is the pleasure it should be.

As an engineer, I was despairing of ever finding a book that would base kitchen design on the true needs and requirements of a very active cook who also enjoys diverse company.

The short opuscule by Don Silvers turned out to meet all my expectations (it does not have beautiful photographs). I found myself nodding, grinning and applauding as I turned page after page and discovered that common sense had finally triumphed in kitchen design. As an example, Silvers recommends the use of 30-inch countertops providing ample elbow room and space for tools and small appliances. While nearly all laboratory cabinets have a 24-inch depth (for the same historical reasons than kitchen cabinets), the tops are always a minimum of 30 inches. It is unfortunate that many of his brilliant ideas will probably never be implemented because the kitchen industry has set standards that will be difficult to change. For example, the narrow depth of nearly all residential ranges and cooktops prohibit the use of several large pots and pans at the same time.

I will incorporate many of Silvers' design concepts in my new kitchen. I actually think that I will also generate my own cabinet lay-out as well as lighting and electrical schemes.

Bravo!

We used his principles to design a 224 sq ft kitchen, incorporating preparation and cleanup areas with proper entrance and egress to and from the dining room. The results are spectacular. Yes, guests still congregate in the kitchen, but this becomes one of the design parameters.

When I received the book, I opened it from front and back working toward the middle, as you should with any new book. Then I sat down to absorb the information. By the time I was half way through the book, pages were falling out. When my wife got her turn at the book, it was a collection of loose pages inside of the cover, not my idea of a quality publication.

As the saying goes, "you can't tell a book by its cover," and that is certainly true here. Despite my dissatisfaction with the small number of pages and the deplorable binding, the book was worth the price to my wife and me. In particular, the rationale behind putting the traditional kitchen triangle in the corner dustbin was particularly insightful. Another significant bit of information was to plan the kitchen so that there is not a traffic jam between someone carrying food to the eating area and bringing dirty dishes into the kitchen. It would take a kitchen much larger than in the average home to segregate those activities completely, but Mr. Silver gives some common sense tips on how to layout the kitchen to maximize efficiency and minimize conflict. For example, everyone knows that pots and pans, cooking implements like spatulas and spoons, and spices and other seasonings should be in ready proximity to the cooking surface, but are there some guidelines in regards to where these and other activity specific things should be?

Interesting, but not particularly helpful to the amateur designing his/her own kitchen, was Mr. Silver's standard operating practice of preparing a gourmet meal for the homeowner when the kitchen is complete. When I asked the certified kitchen designer here in KC if he would do that, he gave forth with a guffaw that would rattle windows. I took it from his response that this is not a common practice in the industry. That is unfortunate to say the least.

Although the book is less than ten years old, I could not shake the feeling that it was dated in regards to its content. Perhaps that had more to do with the author's style than content, because some of the kitchen devices he discusses are still hot gift items. Information wise, the book's biggest deficiency was the lack of more detailed problem solving examples and guidelines for the placement of specialized cabinets or other items in the kitchen.

If you are into cooking or planning a new or remodeled kitchen, there are some other books that you might find of interest. In particular are the easy to read, exceptionally well-written, informative books by Roy Andries de Groot. They are all out of print, so you will have to find them in a library or through the used book section of Amazon.com or some of the other used book dealers on line like abebooks.com. The best of Mr. de Groot's books are:

1. Esquire's Handbook for Hosts;
2. Feasts for All Seasons, and
3. Revolutionizing French Cooking.

The first two contain lots of practical information about kitchen equipment and segregating activities into work centers in the kitchen. They also have some excellent recipes with detailed instructions. The third could be titled "Getting the Fat out of French Cooking while Retaining the Flavor."

His "Cooking with the Cuisinart Food Processor" is dated, but if you can fined it for $2.00 like the one I did, it is worth getting just to read the account how our kitchens became blessed with the Cuisinart. Another book that I found both interesting and useful was "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook and Guide to Kitchenware" by Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams.

One final note, If you are really into high quality pots and pans, i.e., copper, but the price tag on those items gives you a severe case of sticker shock, there is a possible solution. If you like to travel and are planning a visit to Paris, E. Dehillerin (www.e-dehillerin.fr) is nestled in a cozy corner just two blocks from the Chtelet/Les Halles mtro/RER station. Although they do not have a complete collection of the Mauviel copper cookware line, their inventory is impressive, and their prices are significantly less than you will find either online or in your local gourmet kitchen shop. For example a 6L "Dutch Oven" (more properly bassine ragout) is $260 here in the US and 147.29 in Paris after the VAT rebate. They have been in business since 1820, and, in case "vous ne parlez pas de tout franais," the sales clerks speak excellent english.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your kitchen.

Bob

The photographs and illustrations have been extremely helpful in planning our layout...plus everything from start to finish was covered. My husband and I debated over cabinetry, appliances, and finishes. The book has guided us to agree upon our decisions. This book is a gem!