A number of experiments have been made to find the
relative cost of fuels in cooking, but they would not be
applicable to all home conditions, as many times the heat
from the fuel is required for other purposes. But the actual
cost of cooking the same dinner, including soupstock, with
coal, gas and kerosene, was found from experiments made
at the University of Chicago, to be as follows : — coal,
$.0605, gas $.0334, and kerosene $.0353. The price of coal
was $7.75 a ton, gas 85 cents per 1,000 feet, kerosene 12
cents a gallon. Compared as to quantities, one ton of hard
coal was equivalent to 5,000 cubic feet of gas, and 1,000
feet of gas to 8 gallons of kerosene.
Gasoline has nearly the same fuel value as kerosene. A
cord of dry hard wood has about the fuel value of half a ton
of coal.
Acetylene gas is sometimes used for cooking ; it has about
five times the fuel value of ordinary illuminating gas, and
costs about $1.25 per 100 cubic feet,
THE FIRELESS COOKER
Non-conduction of heat is the principle employed in the
"fireless cooker." This is obtained by a box having a pack-
ing of some non-conducting material three or four inches
thick all around, and utensils with very tight covers. It can
be of simple home construction, such as a box lined with fine
hay, feathers, ground cork, saw dust, excelsior or crumpled
paper ; or one of the many patented cookers now on the
market. Some of these cookers provide only for the reten-
tion of the heat already in the article when put into the
box. In such cases the cooking must be done in a consider-
158 LESSONS IN COOKING
able volume of water. But the later models are provided
with soapstone or iron radiators which are heated over the
stove and then transferred to the cooker. In this way
dry cooking, baking and roasting can be done successfully.
A combination gas stove and tireless cooker is one of
the latest conveniences. The oven is arranged as a tireless
cooker, the article is set in, the gas lighted, and when a
certain temperature is reached the gas is turned ofif and
the oven closing tightly becomes a fireless cooker.
Another contrivance is the electric fireless cooker in
which the current is shut off automatically.
The advantages of a fireless cooker are economy, con-
venience, and in many cases better cooked food. Their
disadvantage is that the meal must be started two or three
hours or more before it is served, which is not always
convenient.
The economy is greatest when high priced electricity or
gas are the fuels used for cooking. A twenty minute
burning of gas provides for an extended cooking of from
two to ten hours. The saving varies from three-fourths to
two-thirds.
The convenience of the cooker is greatly appreciated by
the busy housewife or one who is compelled to be away
from the home. An entire dinner can be put into the
cooker in the morning, given no attention whatever during
the day, and with lo m work is ready to serve.
The quality of the food is often improved by the long
cooking at the lower temperature. This is especially true
of meats, dried fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Page 89
Presented as published in 1912. 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
A number of experiments have been made to find the relative cost of fuels in cooking, but they would not be applicable to all home conditions, as many times the heat from the fuel is required for other purposes. But the actual cost of cooking the same dinner, including soupstock, with coal, gas and kerosene, was found from experiments made at the University of Chicago, to be as follows : — coal, $.0605, gas $.0334, and kerosene $.0353. The price of coal was $7.75 a ton, gas 85 cents per 1,000 feet, kerosene 12 cents a gallon. Compared as to quantities, one ton of hard coal was equivalent to 5,000 cubic feet of gas, and 1,000 feet of gas to 8 gallons of kerosene.
Gasoline has nearly the same fuel value as kerosene. A cord of dry hard wood has about the fuel value of half a ton of coal.
Acetylene gas is sometimes used for cooking ; it has about five times the fuel value of ordinary illuminating gas, and costs about $1.25 per 100 cubic feet,
THE FIRELESS COOKER
Non-conduction of heat is the principle employed in the "fireless cooker." This is obtained by a box having a packing of some non-conducting material three or four inches thick all around, and utensils with very tight covers. It can be of simple home construction, such as a box lined with fine hay, feathers, ground cork, saw dust, excelsior or crumpled paper ; or one of the many patented cookers now on the market. Some of these cookers provide only for the retention of the heat already in the article when put into the box. In such cases the cooking must be done in a consider-
able volume of water. But the later models are provided with soapstone or iron radiators which are heated over the stove and then transferred to the cooker. In this way dry cooking, baking and roasting can be done successfully.
A combination gas stove and fireless cooker is one of the latest conveniences. The oven is arranged as a tireless cooker, the article is set in, the gas lighted, and when a certain temperature is reached the gas is turned ofif and the oven closing tightly becomes a fireless cooker.
Another contrivance is the electric fireless cooker in which the current is shut off automatically.
The advantages of a fireless cooker are economy, convenience, and in many cases better cooked food. Their disadvantage is that the meal must be started two or three hours or more before it is served, which is not always convenient.
The economy is greatest when high priced electricity or gas are the fuels used for cooking. A twenty minute burning of gas provides for an extended cooking of from two to ten hours. The saving varies from three-fourths to two-thirds.
The convenience of the cooker is greatly appreciated by the busy housewife or one who is compelled to be away from the home. An entire dinner can be put into the cooker in the morning, given no attention whatever during the day, and with no work is ready to serve.
The quality of the food is often improved by the long cooking at the lower temperature. This is especially true of meats, dried fruits, vegetables and cereals.