A Complete Guide to Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind

by Donald E. Silvers

Book Overview

This book is the first guide to kitchen design from a cooking perspective. As the only book for the homeowner who wants a kitchen that is beautiful and that cooks beautifully, it takes the most... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0932767044
• ISBN13: 9780932767042
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: Designs by Silver
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Want a functional kitchen? Get this book.

I'll make it simple. Yes, the book is a little short and a little dated. It's not as detailed as I would like. But read the book. Put it down. Pick it up again a week or two later and read it again. After a couple of readings, the subtle ideas Don is trying to impart start coming across. If you are serious about cooking, and are designing a kitchen to cook in, you NEED this book. For example, one subtle theme is that the kitchen should be divided into three work zones: Prep, cooking, and cleaning. Each should have it own tools and appliances available where they are needed. And each should be able to operate without interfering with the other zones. As a professional chef, I can assure that this is the basic division that well designed professional kitchens use. But it is a revelation for home cooks. How many kitchen designers have the skill and guts to cook a meal for you in your new kitchen after it's built to demonstrate how well it functions? None that I have even heard of, except Don. After having talked to a bunch of Certified Kitchen Designers (CKD) after reading this book, I have decided that most CKD's are `wanna-be architects' who never bothered to get an architecture degree (because it's too hard?), and wouldn't know the difference between a sauté pan and a fry pan if it hit them in the head. I don't believe some of the negative reviews this book has received. One reviewer blamed Don/this book because the plumbing leaks, the drawers stick, and the circuit breakers keep tripping in her new kitchen. This is like trying to blame the designer of the Titanic for that catastrophe, because the steel was of poor quality, the captain was an idiot for wanting to set a speed record in April, there were no binoculars for the lookouts, there were no red flares aboard, (only the white practice ones), and the shipping line removed most of the lifeboats to make the ship look better. None of it was the designers fault. Another reviewer complained that there was still a `kitchen triangle' in the kitchens pictured in the book. The ultimate DUH is awarded to this reviewer. Why? The `kitchen triangle' is an area that is described by the fridge, sink, and range. Last time I checked my 8th grade geometry class, anytime you have three items, they HAVE to be in a triangular relationship, unless they are all in a straight line! As I said, if you like to cook, and are remodeling or building a new kitchen, get this book. It's not perfect, but it is money well spent.

Finally a design manual for the amateur chef

Nearly all the books and magazines I read on kitchen design as I was planning my own renovation seemed to only address aesthetic issues -- they do show beautiful photographs of elegant kitchens--with a smidgen of design ideas anchored on the sacred magic "triangle."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!

I Came Back For More

I first used 'Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind' in 1987 when we restored a house in South Carolina. The book with it's step-by-step logic made the process of designing a kitchen truly a pleasure and painless, too. I can't think of any aspect of kitchen design that is not covered in an easy to understand manner. The completed kitchen is extraordinarily efficient. We never said "if only" or "we should have"- we enjoyed it and it met our needs. 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.

Just the facts...

This is not a pretty book; you wouldn't want it on a coffee table, but if you are interested in redoing your kitchen, or making one from scratch, this is the book to get. It has pages of ugly little drawings which actually show you how things work and how they're set up. The text is written plainly too, with no flourishes and no attitude. No name dropping, posing, no preening. It is full of nice tips too, like how to clean the porcelain finish on a char-broiler in a self-cleaning oven. This alone is worth the price of the book. If you want information, buy this book. Oh, and I think that this fellow actually cooks. Real food.

Simple, yet very sophisticated book

I purchased this book 3 years ago while planning our "dream" home, to be built in 2000. It has been not only an outstanding resource, but through it I contracted with the author to design our kitchen in our new home. We have just completed those plans and they are FANTASTIC. The kitchen is well laid-out for not only my wife and I, but we also entertain quite frequently with guests who love to help in the kitchen. If you contact the author (or visit his website at donsilvers.com), he will tell you his preferences on appliances. By and large, he distains any equipment from the major manufacturers (GE, Whirlpool, etc.) because they are prone to breakdown. He prefers Wolf, DCS, Dynasty, Sub-Zero, and Miele. The char-grill he mentions in the book is no longer made by Thermador, but several of the manufacturers listed above have built-in BBQ grills in their ranges and cooktops. We are very happy to have found this book and worked with Don Silvers. Bon Appetit!