Caring for Julia Child's Kitchen

In January 2012, staff and volunteers at the National Museum of American History began packing up Julia Child's legendary kitchen in preparation for its move to a new exhibition focusing on food and wine in America. The kitchen and most of its implements were originally collected from Child's Cambridge, Mass., home in 2001, and put on display at the Museum. In this video, project staff explain the careful process of examining, cleaning, moving, and storing the many parts of this complex artifact. More about the Museum: americanhistory.si.edu.
This video was created by Areeb Zuaiter, in partnership with the American University School of Communication.

[@lonebeagle]

What's so extraordinary about Julia Child's kitchen is that it is so ordinary. Today every celebrity chef and cooking show has nothing but high end designer pots and pans and implements. In other words, food is now entertainment and full of status while J.C.'s cooking world was that of an ordinary person. She called herself a cook, not a chef which is true and in no way diminishes her "status" as a true cultural pioneer. Her friend Jacques Pepin was a chef but as Pepin has said, those are two different jobs.

[@SmithsonianAmHistory]

Thanks! Our #foodhistory exhibition just opened last week. It includes Julia Child's kitchen as well as many other artifacts and stories. It is titled "Transforming the American Table: 1950-2000."

[@SmithsonianAmHistory]

Thanks, Ronald.

[@Celestina4urluv]

I can't wait to go there

[@VintageTech1]

@4:30 and @5:57 the black box timer hanging up is around around 1940s-50s GE Interval Timer, max 120 minutes. Can also be used for dark room photo development. I use mine for cooking still very reliable.

[@ronj9448]

Links are bad

[@seriousmindedness]

I would love to go there it would be awesome to see in person but just another hopeful dream of mine

[@ronaldm.hickman9750]

Great video! Quite interesting, too.

[@sitaramdeen4922]

Would like to visit Julia Child kitchen would be an experience

[@curiousentertainment3008]

The thing I don’t understand is why they handle pots and pans like they’ll fall apart with a sneeze.

[@Jennaye17]

Because they are literally Irreplaceable and if they mess them up or scratch them they will probably lose their job

[@jojojojo4332]

Because they have to control the amount of dust, damage, scratches, and other small things. Its annoying to do.

[@robertknight4672]

It's a good thing a KitchenAid is a dark color. They are notorious for leaking grease especially they sit unused. If I were them I would very carefully take it apart and remove the grease permanently since it's never going to be used again.

[@caseface5494]

I've been trying to find a print of the artichoke painting on the back wall, but I can't find anything on it.

[@foxspurplelolli4318]

1 person’s taste buds was ruined by their meth pipe🤣🤣🤣