The oven should be kept clean, of course. Although under the new cookery it is un- necessary ever to have the sides of the in- terior covered with grease and fat, dust is al- ways about, and if the bag is to be absolutely above the slightest contact with the outer world of microbes, the oven should be well and regularly dusted. Before placing the bag with its contents into a gas oven, the gas should be lighted at least eight minutes beforehand. The average oven heat should not be less than 200 degs. Fahr., and when the bag is put into the oven this ought to be reduced in eight minutes after to 170 degs. To find out the correct degree a thermometer, of course, is the most accurate method; but experience will soon teach the cook what is required, and the color assumed by a piece of paper placed in the oven will at once tell whether it is too hot or too cold. In the case of coal-heated stoves with solid shelves a wire broiler should be used. This SOYER’S PAPER-BAG COOKERY 23 should be placed on the shelf with the bag containing the food. It is necessary to em- phasize the fact that, except in the case of pies, no dish should be used. Some people have failed to obtain the right result, and when inquiries have been made it has been found that the food has been placed in a dish, and the dish placed in the bag, and the bag placed on the broiler! Another important detail is the distance that the bag should be from the gas jet in the case of a gas stove. Generally it should be about an inch above the flame. Order of Articles in the Oven. — As a general rule the order should be as follows : — Roasts and entrees on the lower shelf, fish on the middle, and pastry, etc., on the top, where the heat is most intense. How to Know When the Food is Cooked. — If the time-table is adhered to, the bag may be taken out of the oven in confidence that the food is well cooked. But if from any cause the heat declines, it is very easy to find out whether the food is properly cooked. Except in the case of vegetables, a little hole can be made in the bag by which 24 SOYER’S PAPER-BAG COOKERY the food can be seen and judged as to whether it is cooked or not. This will not militate against the cooking of the food in the slight- est. In many articles, however, a slight touch of the bag will indicate to an ordinary cook whether the bag is ready to be served. A prick with a needle is another method that may be adopted. But a peculiarly favorable feature of Paper-Bag Cookery is that if the food is left five or ten minutes in the bag in the oven longer than the specified time on my table, the food will not be spoiled. There is little chance of over-cooking. Dangers to be Avoided. — Cooking gener- ally has its dangers, like other occupations. It is the beauty of this system that the dan- gers are reduced to a minimum. One does not require every now and then to open the oven door “to see how the roast is getting on.” The oven is doing its work, because the whole force of the heat is playing upon the bag and ensuring every part of the food being properly penetrated. Nevertheless, care should be exercised when opening the oven. A draught from an open door or window may cause a gas flame to ignite a bag. When such SOYER’S PAPER-BAG COOKERY 25

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The oven should be kept clean, of course. Although under the new cookery it is unnecessary ever to have the sides of the interior covered with grease and fat, dust is always about, and if the bag is to be absolutely above the slightest contact with the outer world of microbes, the oven should be well and regularly dusted. Before placing the bag with its contents into a gas oven, the gas should be lighted at least eight minutes beforehand. The average oven heat should not be less than 200 degs. Fahr., and when the bag is put into the oven this ought to be reduced in eight minutes after to 170 degs. To find out the correct degree a thermometer, of course, is the most accurate method; but experience will soon teach the cook what is required, and the color assumed by a piece of paper placed in the oven will at once tell whether it is too hot or too cold. In the case of coal-heated stoves with solid shelves a wire broiler should be used. This should be placed on the shelf with the bag containing the food. It is necessary to emphasize the fact that, except in the case of pies, no dish should be used. Some people have failed to obtain the right result, and when inquiries have been made it has been found that the food has been placed in a dish, and the dish placed in the bag, and the bag placed on the broiler! Another important detail is the distance that the bag should be from the gas jet in the case of a gas stove. Generally it should be about an inch above the flame. Order of Articles in the Oven. — As a general rule the order should be as follows : — Roasts and entrees on the lower shelf, fish on the middle, and pastry, etc., on the top, where the heat is most intense. How to Know When the Food is Cooked. — If the time-table is adhered to, the bag may be taken out of the oven in confidence that the food is well cooked. But if from any cause the heat declines, it is very easy to find out whether the food is properly cooked. Except in the case of vegetables, a little hole can be made in the bag by which the food can be seen and judged as to whether it is cooked or not. This will not militate against the cooking of the food in the slightest. In many articles, however, a slight touch of the bag will indicate to an ordinary cook whether the bag is ready to be served. A prick with a needle is another method that may be adopted. But a peculiarly favorable feature of Paper-Bag Cookery is that if the food is left five or ten minutes in the bag in the oven longer than the specified time on my table, the food will not be spoiled. There is little chance of over-cooking. Dangers to be Avoided. — Cooking generally has its dangers, like other occupations. It is the beauty of this system that the dangers are reduced to a minimum. One does not require every now and then to open the oven door “to see how the roast is getting on.” The oven is doing its work, because the whole force of the heat is playing upon the bag and ensuring every part of the food being properly penetrated. Nevertheless, care should be exercised when opening the oven. A draught from an open door or window may cause a gas flame to ignite a bag. When such

Paper-bag cookery