Oil Used — Petroleum is in its crude state a thick
brown fluid, and principally comes from America,
though Eastern Russia is found to be rich in mineral
oil. It is now refined and purified to such an extent
that much of the most inflammable part of it is dis-
tilled away. These products include petrol, benzoline,
naphtha, and their terrible inflammability is too well
INSTRUCTION IN COOKERY
H
known to need description. It is safe to infer that the
cheaper oils are more dangerous than the expensive,
but no oil with a lower flash-point than ioo° F. is allowed
to be sold as lamp oil for burning purposes, though —
and it seems a contradiction — naphtha is used for little
hand lamps.
The refined oil or petroleum, after these processes,
is a safe article to be kept in the house. The best
known are rock oil, crystal oil, and kerosene, and the
best and safest makes are Alexandra Oil, Stranze’s
A i Crystal, Pratt’s Astral, Royal Daylight, and White
Rose Oil. These are all of much higher flash-point
than the Government standard, and are cleaner and
more economical in use than those of lower grades.
The estimated cost of each burner of such a stove as
is described above is about five-sixths of a penny an
hour. In many of the big stoves the waste heat is
utilized in heating a tubular boiler, which costs about
£i extra. This is of great use for washing up in a
class-room, where there is probably no hot water
laid on.
There is on the market an oil stove which is wickless.
It is largely used in the open air, and for expeditions
such as Nansen’s. It is of Norwegian origin, and is
called the Primus stove; many large ironmongers
stock it.
This stove does not consume oil, but the vapour of
oil mixed with air. The result is a blue smokeless
flame, intensely hot.
The principle of this stove is as follows :
A container ( b ) filled with paraffin is fitted with a
pump {a). By means of this pump the paraffin oil is
forced into the tubular part, here indicated (c).
The tubular part stands in a cup over which a little
STOVES
15
methylated spirit is poured. This heats the paraffin
to the point of giving off gas. This gas ignites at the
point D, and unites with the atmospheric air, and a big
rose jet bursts into flame at the top. The methylated
spirit, being exhausted, goes out, and the heat generated
by the flame now ignited continues to supply the
necessary heat for the production of the gas. The
pump at a has to be worked occasionally, and the more
it is worked the hotter the flame.
This stove has been supplied with an oven, and it is
one of the quickest boiling stoves in the market. Some
people consider the smell of the gas as rather a draw-
back to indoor use.
Another excellent make of oil stove with a blue flame
i6
INSTRUCTION IN COOKERY
is that called the Perfection oil stove. The oven,
which is detachable, is heated by two large lamps with
round wicks about 2 inches in circumference, allowing a
free passage of air up the centre. This makes the flame
as hot as a Bunsen flame is. It is consequently better
than an ordinary flame, and much cleaner, and can be
used for baking quite large batches of bread or cakes.
A GRILLER FOR USE WITH A PRIMUS STOVE
A chapter on stoves would not be quite complete
without some mention of the Norwegian or Swiss idea
STOVES
J7
Page 7
Presented as published in 1908. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Oil Used — Petroleum is in its crude state a thick brown fluid, and principally comes from America, though Eastern Russia is found to be rich in mineral oil. It is now refined and purified to such an extent that much of the most inflammable part of it is distilled away. These products include petrol, benzoline, naphtha, and their terrible inflammability is too well
H
known to need description. It is safe to infer that the cheaper oils are more dangerous than the expensive, but no oil with a lower flash-point than ioo° F. is allowed to be sold as lamp oil for burning purposes, though — and it seems a contradiction — naphtha is used for little hand lamps.
The refined oil or petroleum, after these processes, is a safe article to be kept in the house. The best known are rock oil, crystal oil, and kerosene, and the best and safest makes are Alexandra Oil, Stranze’s A i Crystal, Pratt’s Astral, Royal Daylight, and White Rose Oil. These are all of much higher flash-point than the Government standard, and are cleaner and more economical in use than those of lower grades.
The estimated cost of each burner of such a stove as is described above is about five-sixths of a penny an hour. In many of the big stoves the waste heat is utilized in heating a tubular boiler, which costs about £i extra. This is of great use for washing up in a class-room, where there is probably no hot water laid on.
There is on the market an oil stove which is wickless. It is largely used in the open air, and for expeditions such as Nansen’s. It is of Norwegian origin, and is called the Primus stove; many large ironmongers stock it.
This stove does not consume oil, but the vapour of oil mixed with air. The result is a blue smokeless flame, intensely hot.
The principle of this stove is as follows :
A container ( b ) filled with paraffin is fitted with a pump {a). By means of this pump the paraffin oil is forced into the tubular part, here indicated (c).
The tubular part stands in a cup over which a little
methylated spirit is poured. This heats the paraffin to the point of giving off gas. This gas ignites at the point D, and unites with the atmospheric air, and a big rose jet bursts into flame at the top. The methylated spirit, being exhausted, goes out, and the heat generated by the flame now ignited continues to supply the necessary heat for the production of the gas. The
pump at a has to be worked occasionally, and the more it is worked the hotter the flame.
This stove has been supplied with an oven, and it is one of the quickest boiling stoves in the market. Some people consider the smell of the gas as rather a drawback to indoor use.
Another excellent make of oil stove with a blue flame
is that called the Perfection oil stove. The oven, which is detachable, is heated by two large lamps with round wicks about 2 inches in circumference, allowing a
free passage of air up the centre. This makes the flame as hot as a Bunsen flame is. It is consequently better than an ordinary flame, and much cleaner, and can be used for baking quite large batches of bread or cakes.
A GRILLER FOR USE WITH A PRIMUS STOVE
A chapter on stoves would not be quite complete without some mention of the Norwegian or Swiss idea
J7