FoodNet

A manual of home-making

1919

Page 116

Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
The cooker itself should Ik*: placed near the stove, both to prevent unneccssury loss of heat in transferring the food from the stove to the cooker and to save labor on the part of the worker. The Roapstone radiators, when not in use, nmy be kept warm on the Ijack of tlic stove or in the sun in order to reduce the length of time required to bring tliem to the dtjsired temperature ^ when they are needed. ■ The fireless cooker, like any other piece of equipment, should be used intelligently in order that the best results may be oI> tained. As previously stated, for certain cooking processes and under certain conditions, it may be no more economical ^ in fuei, time, or lal)or, than is tlic ordinary range; therefore, ■ firelcss cookeiy should l)c studied carefully liy the housewife in order that she may tlLscover its best applications. A few experiments with various kintls of foods, based on recipes adapted to the use of a fireless cooker, are necessary in order to p:ive one the desired mastery. The efficiency of insulation, the quantity of food, and the rapidity of the transfer from the stove to the cooker, influence the length of tune required for the cooking. The tem]x*raturc ■ to which the radiator is heated also determines to a certain " extent the length of time the food shouUl remain in the cooker. The period that j^ives the bc^st rc^sults is more or less definite for ench focMl. However, since individual tastes differ, definite statements in rt»gard t-o the requireil time should be verified for each household. Care should be given to correct proportions^ because there in no opportunity for the evaporation of excess moisture in the cooker. I MANUAL OF HOME-MAKING Foods, surli as pan'bakes, that roquirR rapid cooking over a hof fire, are not well suited to the firelcHs-oooker method* Biscuits may he fiaked sucrossfully in the cooker^ but since the heat roquirefl to raiso the radiators to the proper temperature will bake the bis(*uit8 in an ordinary oven, there seems to Ik* no jusfi Beat ion for its use in this ease. However, for fomls that require long cooking in order to lie ina<le more palatable and digestible, tlie tireless cooker is admirably suited. Cereals such its rolled oats, cracked wheat, atid hominy, give excel- lent results when cooketl in a sufficient quantity of water in a fireless cooker (page .^<3). The tough cuts of meM, which require long cooking at a low temperature in order to be made palatable are good when properly cooked in a fireless cooker. Steamed brcjids and puddings aiv welt adapted to this method. Hot beverages and saucers nuty Ix? .set aside in the c<x»ker to be kept hot for serving. The use of the fireless cooker for canning fruits is recom- mended by some. The juices of fruits may l>e satisfactorily extracted for jelly-making. Varif>us iMjndittons, however, do- termiiie the practicaiiih ty of its use for tliis purpose. As a means of enaljling one to have warm water at hand without keeping a fire, the firelens cooker is of use in homei* where there is no boiler connected with the range, and especi* ally when the fuel used is coal or wood, which necessitates building a fire. Tables of pmportions and hme of cooking fooils in a fireless cooker are given in Table XIV on page 219. Thermos boiiJes,