New-York tribune., 1869-01-07
SCIENTIFIC LECTURES.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE OVEN.


report Of the lecture:
LADIES GENTLEMEN: I shall occupy tho hour that
has been assigned to the lecture OF This evening In briefly
sketcbng in the first place. the history of the oven, and
In the second place, in answering the question, How
may We make good breadp Our interest in " The
Philosophy OF the oven" Is very nearly related to in
teres in the process of baknghe oldest branch Of the
art OF cooking The Of heat TO the and
dgestiby Of food is one OF the distinguishing arts OF
Domestic architecture he shares with the foxes
and the birds Of the air Engineering peculiar TO him
only in degree. The beavers build dams and eXcavate
canals and subterranean galleries. The ants have gran
aries and soldiers, and slaves. The bees have socia
organization and colonies and royal head ana REJECT
the salic law. In every department OF inferior amman
life find types OF arts which, more or less developed
in man, constitute evidence Of CIVILIZATION But the
type OF cooking belongs to Not among the
highest OF the anthroperia monkeys even, mas
one been found who attempted to increase the
palatabenoss Of his food by the OF fire.
Baking or roasting Ia then very old. In the
Winter OF 1s53-54, the surface Of Lake Zurich, In
Switzerland, greatly depressed. The water in many
places etrcaed to considerable distances from the shore
The owners the adjacent land threw up dkes TO
prevent tho return OF the water In the mud thus smell
tered heaps Of charcoal and ashes observed Intel
gence Of this discovery reached Dr. Ferdinand Keller OF
Zurich he FASTENED to find among the ashes and ehar
coal Of burned bones roasted wheat and
pieces of bread Scattered among these were implements
Of flint and BONE aud ornaments and OF bronze
The bones OF both wild and domestic animals
Aroupd the heaps of ashes found the charred sum
mts OF posts arranged in circular form These were nu
merous and In double rows like houses along streets
Taking ell the facts into account they believed to
be the romans OF what has been called lacustrian
village which had been destroyed by fire. The charred
stumps indicated in each circle tho site of dwelling
erected piles and accessible only by water thus secur
ing protection from enemies In the Of the four
FIVE years following this discovery by Dr. Keller not
similar fOund the shores
OF the Lakes Of Switzerland Caesar makes meptiOn
OF them The that dwelt there aud their habita-
lions had already been swept away In the neShDorhood
Of Salisbury. England within the last two or three
years, underground dwellings, entered each through
single hole in the top have discovered in great
bers On the floors were found piles OF ashes in which
were flint implements and burned bones. Among the
latter were found human bones scratched like the other
bones with sharp ints, and showing the use they had
subserved 10 the early Britons The period to which
these evidences Of the Of the art Of baking roast
ing refer no one has certainly preceded that of
the conquest Ganoing at them from the hight OF
has been made They enable us develop
OF race however rather than of the human fam
lily for is probable that when the ancient inhabitants
OF Salisbury Plain eannlba Ponpeii and Hereua-
nsgm were seats OF brilliant not noble eviilzation
ing practced by the aboriginal inhabitants OF our Allan
sjmnle II consisted Of n shallow hole in the ground
usually paved with small stones Upon this paved sur
nuiatcd to heat the stones. when the stones
had become sufficiently heated, the embers were
cone, in their place. and covered with, sea weed.
In contact with them the shells parted ana water noWed
out to be instantly converted into steam which In its
turn opened all the shells above, and SUI ected the
heshy parts to temperature OF 2l2' Inc lowermost
layer of clans subjected to heat which produced
penetrating the mass above communicated meat
racy flavor Of the highest accepabAy, as many Of US
which Sarah OH the plains OF Mamre took advantage,
hearth for the entertainment OF
unexpected guests. may conceive did not differ great
ly from aboriginal device. If we omit the sesweed
But there shaped cavity in the EARTH
cemented the bottom and sides, in which fire
SSls we're % itrooS as. thS d%a.sS PScparSd BY mixing
the sides This yielded sort Of Graham wafer Kind
Of wheaton hoecake of the palstableness Of which many
which the unleavened bread Of the anoents. The
elevation OF 9is hollow S structure TO convenient hight
second step in the development OF the This usually
consisted Of irregular hemsperic cavity made OF clay
or stone-brck supported platform, having door
one side the Introduction Of fuel and the dough
cape Of smoke when the interior walls of this
been heated by the flame Of dried re-wood, the embers
removed the dough placed upon the floor OF the
oven and the chimney aud door closed. leaving the
TG fird II oven was every where to be met with half
century outside the long houses Of fro1tier
uniformly given place in the chimney K,
beside the kitchen re. In considerable towns bakeries
and large ovens on the same general plan the
smaller constructed Tho Objectionable oharacteris-
tic Of this tlmehonored this from the moment
oven With cnntnuous heat we owe to Count Rumford
Ks o baS %oSS ~ as "a 5S
great distinction an inventor in the applications of
heat He IS best known the founder Of the Rumford
proessorsp In Harvard University the Rumford medal
OF the American Academy and the chief agent the
founding OF the Royal Institution Of Great Britain.
His an iron cylinder heated from without with
supply OF hot air, which might be regulated 1t may be
regarded the OF the cookngstOye and range He
conceived the idea OF accomplishing in confined Space
what previous 70 his time had only been attained before
open fire. Ho sui lecied the meat throughout TO heat
M enough TO scOrch the surface until the interior
pieces had experienced the requisite modification
heated 70 temperature that would promptly brown the
senta TO produce the Of welloasted meats The
prepared considered not inferior to the
fore open fire, and required very much less fuel
brick oven especially designed for baking bread, has
fuel and labor. will call your attention TO the plan
ago in France which surrounds The oven I Tv rnn ~
heated air, maintaining, like the Rumford iron
IT6e lecturer here explained several diSgrams pre-
pared to illustrate the operation OF Aerotherne
At the Paris Exhibition there were several mechanical
bakenesin operation. One Of them, French device had
series Of open work shelves each Of shape a
shaft by OF which the could be swung over
bed Of Goals or INTO heated space and Kept there til
the point of commencement TO be discharged Another
Of American invention, Lad the shelves suspended IN
huge open work cylinder IN which their horizontally
could be maintained while by the revolution the wheel
they could be carried the Goals baked and
returned. The Vienna is Aerotherme, to which
two important additions made admit steam
atmosphere down the few minutes Of the baking
and the other separate fire. from which radiant heat
snd soteS @ the smooth TGS the
Cracker saso sgh heated hE rnn through S5n
which an endless metallic apron made to carry con
crackers regularly discharged from one end of the
trunk the fresh crackers dough are introduced at
this direction contemplated the baking Of a sufficient
amount Of bread to supply city from single establish
you from eminent services in the art OF we'll