The Norwegian Cooking Box or Fireless Cook Stove is described and illustrated on pages 12-13. This device has been exploited so much of late that it deserves further description. The new interest in this method of cooking is prob- ably due to the experiments made in 1905, under the direction of the Commissary-General of the War Department, and these were the result of a report from United States Consular Clerk, George H. Murphy, of Frankfort, Germany. Below is a con- densation of Mr. Murphy's report, as it appeared in Daily Consular Reports in April, 1905. "In an address to an audience of working people, Mrs. Back, wife of the director of the industrial school at Frankfort, brought to the attention of her hearers, the hay-box or fireless stove. "Every housewife knows that a pot of coffee can be kept hot for some time, without fire, simply by wrapping it in a dry towel to hinder escape of heat. The Norwegian "automatic kitchen" attracted at- tention at the Paris exposition of 1867 but failed to come into general use. Now in Berlin, Munich, and CYLINDER TYPE FIRELESS COOKER BENCH TYPE FIRELESS COOKER The "Caloric," Aluminoid Lined with Aluminum Utensils. The aluminum utensils with clamped covers can be purchased separately for home-made cookers. FIRELESS COOKER 153 other cities popular lecturers are showing the prac- tical value of this method of cooking. "Mrs Back stated that she had used the hay-box for thirteen years, thus greatly reducing the cares of housekeeping. At first she used the box merely to keep finished food warm. Discovering that the process of cooking continued, she experimented and found that she could finish, in the box, all boiled and roasted meats, sauces, fish, soup, vegetables, fruits, puddings, etc. "The box cannot be used for articles whose chief attraction lies in the crispness resulting from rapid cooking on a hot fire, but the rest of the meal may be ready and hot in the box. Patience will secure needed experience, and remove all doubts. In general, two or three minutes actual boiling on the (ire is sufficient for vegetables, while roasted meat requires twenty to thirty minutes. Most articles should remain tightly closed in the box for two or three hours, and may be left to keep hot for ten or twelve hours. "Dried legumes, fruit, etc., should be well soaked in cold water, allowed to boil two to five minutes and left for two hours in the box. Soft vegetables should be merely brought to a boil and then placed for an hour or two in the box. Soups are improved by being allowed to develop for two or three hours in the box. "Covers of pots should not be lifted when they 154 PRINCIPLES OF COOKERY are being transferred. The object is to retain the heat as long as possible when it has once been de- veloped. Too much water is better than too little. "A home-made hay-box will usually be found cheaper and more practical than those with immovable felt and upholstery. Almost any box will do, which has a tight cover. The wood should not be too thin, and there should be no knot-holes or cracks. Old trunks and valises may sometimes be used in this way.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The Norwegian Cooking Box or Fireless Cook Stove is described and illustrated on pages 12-13. This device has been exploited so much of late that it deserves further description. The new interest in this method of cooking is probably due to the experiments made in 1905, under the direction of the Commissary-General of the War Department, and these were the result of a report from United States Consular Clerk, George H. Murphy, of Frankfort, Germany. Below is a condensation of Mr. Murphy's report, as it appeared in Daily Consular Reports in April, 1905. "In an address to an audience of working people, Mrs. Back, wife of the director of the industrial school at Frankfort, brought to the attention of her hearers, the hay-box or fireless stove. "Every housewife knows that a pot of coffee can be kept hot for some time, without fire, simply by wrapping it in a dry towel to hinder escape of heat. The Norwegian "automatic kitchen" attracted attention at the Paris exposition of 1867 but failed to come into general use. Now in Berlin, Munich, and CYLINDER TYPE FIRELESS COOKER BENCH TYPE FIRELESS COOKER The "Caloric," Aluminoid Lined with Aluminum Utensils. The aluminum utensils with clamped covers can be purchased separately for home-made cookers. FIRELESS COOKER 153 other cities popular lecturers are showing the practical value of this method of cooking. "Mrs Back stated that she had used the hay-box for thirteen years, thus greatly reducing the cares of housekeeping. At first she used the box merely to keep finished food warm. Discovering that the process of cooking continued, she experimented and found that she could finish, in the box, all boiled and roasted meats, sauces, fish, soup, vegetables, fruits, puddings, etc. "The box cannot be used for articles whose chief attraction lies in the crispness resulting from rapid cooking on a hot fire, but the rest of the meal may be ready and hot in the box. Patience will secure needed experience, and remove all doubts. In general, two or three minutes actual boiling on the (ire is sufficient for vegetables, while roasted meat requires twenty to thirty minutes. Most articles should remain tightly closed in the box for two or three hours, and may be left to keep hot for ten or twelve hours. "Dried legumes, fruit, etc., should be well soaked in cold water, allowed to boil two to five minutes and left for two hours in the box. Soft vegetables should be merely brought to a boil and then placed for an hour or two in the box. Soups are improved by being allowed to develop for two or three hours in the box. "Covers of pots should not be lifted when they are being transferred. The object is to retain the heat as long as possible when it has once been developed. Too much water is better than too little. "A home-made hay-box will usually be found cheaper and more practical than those with immovable felt and upholstery. Almost any box will do, which has a tight cover. The wood should not be too thin, and there should be no knot-holes or cracks. Old trunks and valises may sometimes be used in this way.

Principles of cookery