This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007) For people named Kitchen, see Kitchen (surname). For the Banana Yashimoto novel see Kitchen (novel) A kitchen, is a room or part of a room (sometimes called "kitchen area" or a "kitchenette") used for food preparation including cooking, and sometimes also for eating and entertaining guests, if the kitchen is large enough and has a table and chairs. Sometimes, the kitchen is the most comforting room in a house, where family and visitors tend to congregate. In this respect a large modern kitchen is still the psychological "hearth" of the home. A modern western kitchen offers a stove, sink, and cabinets among other amenities. Contents 1 The evolution of the kitchen 1.1 Ancient history 1.2 Middle Ages 1.3 Colonial American kitchens 1.4 Industrialization 1.5 Rationalization 1.6 Technicalization 1.7 Free for all 2 Domestic kitchen planning 3 Other