I started by thinking of strange uses of architectural spaces like making a fort out of chairs and blankets.
Or just using the sink to turn the faucet on and off.
Then I wanted to make something since I'm too short to reach the shelves on the cabinets so I need to climb on the counter. Since that wasn't specific enough, I looked at what I was getting from the cabinets that was so high. It was usually something to bake with. I made different diagrams of materials I could use to create something and aspects of baking that happen with the counter rather than the cabinet.
This shows what a basswood dowel looks like.
This shows what a sheet of basswood would look like.
And a 20x12" piece of chipboard.
This is an interaction of someone cracking an egg on the counter. I thought this was a very extreme use of the counter.
An interaction between the counter and scooping flour from the bag wasn't extremely interesting but I kept that idea.
Using a knife to cut something was another extreme use and I kept that in mind as well.
Pouring milk was another of my ideas.
Using a mixer.
Using a mixing bowl.
A rolling pin was one of the other extreme uses.
Sitting on the counter.
This was similar to the climbing on the counter but this was standing on the counter to reach something on top of the cabinets. At home, my mom put vases and other objects above the cabinets to make it more interesting.
Using a toaster.
Pouring vegetable oil was similar to the milk but it was different.
I decided to go with the cracking of an egg since that seemed the most interesting to me. This is the movement of cracking an egg.
For almost every interaction with the counter the line of sight wouldn't change but I thought it would be helpful to my process.
~~Research-Baking and Cracking an Egg
-legend says the fold’s in a chef hat represented the number of ways they knew how to cook an egg
Different ways to crack an egg
-smack on counter -crack on side of bowl
*-use knife (scientifically proven best method)
-slice top off, fat end up
-hit shell with knuckles
-drop egg from height
-smack one egg against another, only one cracks
-depending on what the egg is used for the egg must be cracked in a certain way
Baking
(Cultural/Religious significance)
-baked good served at parties and events
-main component in tea parties
-Matzo (Jewish baked product) used for religious and ritual significance
-Christians: bread must be baked to be used as an essential component of Eucharist
Events that occur in baking
• Fats melt
• Gases form and expand
• Microorganisms die
•Sugar dissolves
• Egg and gluten proteins coagulate
• Starches gelatinize
• Gases evaporate
• Caramelization and malliard browning occur
• Enzymes are inactivated
• Changes occur to nutrients
• Pectin break down
Definition: process of cooking by dry heat, especially in some kind of oven, probably the oldest cooking method
History of Baking
• Earliest processing of cereal grains probably involved parching or dry roasting of collected grain seeds
• Flavor, texture, digestibility was later improved by baking with water
• Baking techniques improved with the development of an enclosed baking utensil and then ovens
• Fermentation was first observed when dough or gruels held for several hours before baking caused by yeast
• Brewing and baking were closely connected in early civilizations
• Thick fermentation of gruel resulted in dough for baking, thinner mash produced beer
POV: People need a way to crack an egg against the counter without getting raw egg on the counter because raw egg can make people very sick.
Just to start off, I thought of a mat as something simple to keep the raw egg off the counter.
As an extension of the body, I drew cuffs around the wrists with a mat jutting out. This could be removed and washed but it seemed too simple.
This is what it would look like when a person wears it.
This was another mat but a belt attached to it and wrapped around the waist. To make sure the mat would stay parallel with the counter it had boards that would rest against the legs.
What it would look like being worn.
This one is also a cuff but just for one arm and it reaches from the elbow to the wrist. A small mat juts out also but is strong enough to hold it's own weight.
what it would look like with it on
This was more elaborate. It rests on one's shoulders with a funnel attached to a board. An egg is cracked against the board and you can drop the whole thing the shell stays in the funnel and the egg runs down the tube into the bowl.
The main part of my final prototype is a PVC pipe with blade at the bottom. Due to physics the egg gets enough force to drop down and crack the egg. The shell remains inside while the egg exits into the bowl. The blade is removable so the shell can be removed also.
This is the final prototype. It started as a ramp from the fridge. There's a crank on the end that needs to be turned while the egg runs down the ramp. It will roll into the mini ferris wheel and turn until it hits the conveiyer belt and drops into the final cracker.
There are many things I would like to change now and also maybe do a completely different prototype. The farther the project got the better I understood things and wanted to start with something new and maybe more exciting.
