Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-07
What Dr. George Derby. Secretary of
the State Board of Health, Thinks
nd 4
TFrrm the Medical and Surgical .JoIrn

OF IL.
From the Medical and Surgical JOIrnal.I
have recently received from England a cook
Ing APPARATUS OF simple construction, whose
operations mas been 30 satisfactory, and Alto
Lgther - surprising, that 4 think many of your
readers will ike 10 hear about it. The NOrwe-
gran cooking boxes are made OF vari0u, sizes,
lat the Que in question j. in outward APP
earance wooden box, 70 inches high, ~
vide, and lla deep, with lid at the top
ttt'ng closely with a hasp and paddock.
Raising the lid. you find tire interior neatly
Hacked with hair-feting inciUSed in a lining
OF cloth; the object being 10 make the box
complete non-cOnductOr OF heat a. possible.
Il l. IL tact mass OF feitng, except that in the
middle Is a cy lindrical cavity, like birds nest,
10 inches in diameter and 10 inches deep, fitted
Co receive various cooking utensils. These yes
sells are made OF block tin. and are intended to
hold the food To be cooked, which il either i'm
mcr>ed IN water or retained by strainer Just
above its surface Ii is only necessary TO bring
the contents of the tin vessels TO the boiling
POINT, which may be done in any convenient
way,-that is, by range, or a eOoking-stoye, or
gas stove, or over single gas-jet with Bum
zen burner, and then place tue tins in the cavity
before described and shut the box up tight, and
the heat u retained in such degree and Tor such
length OF time that the cooking process goes ON
without any further application of fire.
NV frst trial of the box was made by filing
the large cylinder which occupies the whole
cavity with water which was raised to the boil
ing point over gas stove. In II hours found
the temperature reduced from PIP to 40 degrees.
1 next tried sIrish stew" of five pounds OF
mutton, with potatoes, carrots and onions. 1t
made 10 boil by a single small gas-jet with
Bunsen burner, and imme diately placed in the
box. In three hours II was served up smoking
hot, perfectly cooked, and seeming Ia retain all
the flavor, a part of which, by the ordinary pro-
cess, would have gone up the chimney or into
the house. The box emitted no perceptible
OdOr while the cooking was going on. My next
trial was with the most refractory kind OF meat
1 could think OF. piece of corned beef
weighing X pounds placed in cold water
in the largest cylinder, raised to the boil
ing point ON the cooking range, the liquor
then skinned, the cover replaced, and the
tin Immediately put in the box, which was
locked up for the night. Twenty hours later
the box was opened, and the temperature
of the water found TO be i55 degrees. The
beef was perfectly cooked. Some DAYS after this
another trial was made with a larger piece of
coTned beef, and with an equally gOOd result. In
both cases the cook remarked with surprise that
she took out OF the cylinder as large a piece OF
meat ~ she had put in can answer for its eN-
cellent flavor, and for the thOrOughness OF the.
and vegetables, by boiling for ten minutes on the
range III somewhat less amount OF water than
II generally used, skimming, and then leaving il
in the box for . hours. No OlOr was perceived
while II was cooking, il made stiff Jelly when
cold ~ II prepared in the usual way, and the
soup proved to be excellent. Tomatoes have
several times been stewed in one OF the smaller
tins the other vessels above and below being
filled with boiling water. sailed beef7s tongue,
weighing i've pounds, was next tried, the box
being locked up for > hours At the end OF that
time the water had a temperature OF 10 degrees.
and the tongue was thoroughly cooked.
Reversing the action Of the non-conducting
box, | have tried IL as a refrigerator. A piece
Of ice weighing about eight pounds was placed
in the large cylinder. AMI the box containing il
left in room which is exposed to the sun, on
the first floor OF NV house. from SATURDAY after
noon TIL NOnGay morning. IN very hot weather.
On examination, at the end of 10 hours, the
result Uas found TO be two quarts of water and
very nearly four pounds OF ice a single quart
OF ice-cream confectionery measure) was placed
in the box one hot day without any ice, although
a. the box had been recently used for cooking.
II was hTst cooled by putting ice in the tin CYL
inder for half an hour. Five and half nogrs
later the iee-cTeam found 70 be soft through
oEt. but still retaining the solid form.
These trials are enough to show that the box
viii cook as thoroughly a. can be desired. and
that il viii keep hot things hot and cold things
cold tor long periods. As cooking-box il ha
its limitations. 70 viii neither boil nor fry, nor
roast. although the larger sizes are said to bake
~ means OF a double cylinder, or outer jacket
tiled with boiling water. While in use or cook
ilg, the cylinders cannot be opened for the al
,iuOn OF anything without spoiIing the process
thu, however, may not be great a disa,lyan
tage II II tends to simplify the preparations
For keeping things hot or cold, constant closure
OF the box would probably not be necessary. II
would be used in this respect like our reirigera-
tor.
But the positive advantages Of the apparatus
are very marked. Its economical in every way
10 saves food, fuel, and, most important OF all,
Labor PHYSICIANS know well enough the injury
to health which has been caused both by over
work and inappropriate nOuri>hment,-thel latter
al least leading directly to impaired digestion.
For such reasons believe that the practi ability
OF cooking simple and nutritious dishes by re-
tanned heat, which is made appare mt by this
simple cOntrivance OF shutting them up in 4 nom
conducting box, isOf real Importance. Atleast
twO-thirds of the people OF Massachusetts above
the age OF infancy find their chief nutriment on
one day in seven in baked beans, dish which,
when thoroughly cooked, may 10 very well for
adults in perfect health, but think all pliysi-
clans Will agree that children, and men and
women whose digestive powers are in any degree
impaired had better eat something else. A fam
ily dinner of meat and vegetables and pudding
can, by means of this box, be prepared on Sat
uTday in very few minutes, put away for -
hours, and then served hot without additional
labor. \ small cylindrical form of the non-con-
Quoting box night be used by workmen to carry
their dinHer-pail. thus giving the advantages vi
n hot dinner at noon cooked by the breakfast
IRE. Its TO the sick will be found to be
many. Beef tea may he made in the very best
way. Drinks may be kept hot. or ice may be
preserved through the night by the bedside.
The cost of the box with the cooking utensils
was y sterling in London.