The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-31
SCIENTIFIC COOKING.
SOME ACCOUNT OF MIR. ATKINsoN's
WONDERFUL DEVICES.

SOME ACCOUNT OF MIR. ATKINsON's
WONDERFUL DEVICES.
Whereby Millions of Dollars May be An.
nually Saved in Preparing Our Daily
Food.
Contemplating the enormous wastes
involved in the preparation of food for
the human animal in the United States,
Mr.. Edward Atkinson of Boston has set
his wits at works, and invented means
of partial prevention. He has discovered
1.-The missing science" of knowing how
to cook.
The first device, which he has named
"The Aladdin Cooker" is a box made of
pine wood and lined throughout with
copper. A space between the lining and
the outside is closely packed with saw
dust, which Is a good non conductor of
heat, as is also the pine wood. The heat
is thus retained within the box, where
it Is wanted. An inner cover, in inch
thick, fits tightly over the top, exclud-
ing all air aud preventing the escape of
odors. Outside and near the lower part
Of the front are two cone shaped heaters
enclosing a copper cone and connecting
by small pipes with the inside of the box.
The heat is carried by column of water
circulating through the pipes and cone.
A lamp. with large circular wick ~
inches in diameter, is placed 80 that the
chimney comes directly under the cone !;
the water is thus heated. Uncooked
food is placed in covered Jars made of
porcelain china or stone ware (tin dishes
are sometimes used, though they are not
held in much favor) then set in the box,
and the hot water rises about them till
it reaches the lids. On movable shelf,
filled with holes, fitted midway in the
cooker, dishes, the contents of which
require only steamlng, are placed. One
lamp of considerable power will soon
bring the water 10 the boiling point, and
the steam formed couks the food on the
shelf, VIII le the meats in the lower jars
simmer. There can be no danger of ex-
plosiOn from the steam generated, for
the cover, though fitting very tightly, is
not fastened down. The front of the
cooker as well as the stand on which it
rests should be protected by tin. The
best lamps should invariably be used !;
lamps with central draft so that per-
feet combustion of oil t,kes place. A
pure Oil VI uOl lCSS tlldll lOO haoh
test is recommended. The most useful
form of the Aladdin cooker has an in
side measurement of 1Oxl0 inches by 20
inches deep. The price of a cooker of
this size, as fixed by the manufacturers,
is $lS. This sum includes the packing
case, in which it must be packed if sent
long distance. There is also a smaller
cooker of the same pattern, inside meas
urement, l2x12x10, the cost of which is
S16. This smaller apparatus is especially
useful, for by Its aid and that of a com
mon hand lamp, with a wick one inch
wide, materials for the next mornings 3
breakfast slowly simmer all night, and
at the usual hour a hot, nutritious and
palatable meal is served. Slow cooking
is desirable, as the flavor of meats and
vegetables is thereby very much i'm
proved.
Several different styles of ovens have
also been constructed for Mr.. Atkinson,
but the one most perfect and best recon-
mended is called The Aladdin Oven"
The cover or door in front is made of pa
per pulp. The oven is double-the outer
case is made of paper pulp of two thick
nesses, packed solid with magnesia IA
non-conducling substance), 80 that heat
will be retained. The outer case incloses
a sheet-iron oven with movable shelves.
Through the open space between hot air
circula,es. In the middle of the under
eide of the outer oven is a large hole, in
which the chimney Of lamp standing
underneath nearly fits. The heat, pass
ing through this hole, is communicated
to the space between the outer and inner
oven, As there is no opening in the bot
tom of the inner oven there is no direct
communication between the inner oven
and the lamp, p,consequently if any smoke
OF SCOT should arise (there will never be
any such annoyance If lamp lie proper
ly uimmed) the food will not be affected
by it. The principle upon which both
the Aladdin Oven and Aladdin Cooker
are constructed is "fiI ST catch your heat
and then keep it within walls of nom
conducting material" The price of the
Aladdin Oven-inside measurements,
twelve inches high, twelve inches deep,
and twenty inches wide-is now $25,
without the lamp, (boxed and ready for
delivery to express or railway These
ovens are now a luxury, being made by
hand. 1t is to be hoped that at some fu-
ture day, with an increased demand for
them, the prices of the oven will be SO
moderate that all who desire their aid
can have it. Especially will they be to
the wives and mothers of workiDgmen.
The guage OF an Aladdin oven, dimen.
sions 12x12x20 inches, is IL pounds OF
bread at one time, also from 10 to 20
pounds each of fish, meat and vegeta-
bles, making four successful charges
weighing 60 pounds or more. The heat
is supplied by a Rochester, Niagara OF
any lamp of approved pattern which
consumes one quart of oil IN eight hours
Cost of oil per quart at barrel price is
cents. The Jizs of an oven must be
guaged to the power Of the lamp which
is to heat it. BY the use Of such a lamp
as has been referred to heat of 300 tC
400 degrees F. will be impaired to the
oven, and this uniform degree of heat
can be maintained for several hours
without altering the temperature, which
would, of course, affect the cooking.
The difference between the Aladdin
Oven and the Aladdin Cooker is a well.
defined one. In the oven food is cooked
by the circulation Of hot air between the
two ovens-in the cooker by the circu-
lation of hot water around the outside
OF the covered dishes. There may be q
fear in the minds of some people that
harm may arise from leaving lamp
burning all day or all night without its
being watched. With pure oil and a
good lamp there is little cause for alarm
To guard against any accident 1t is well
to enclose the lamp in a metal box, well
ventilated, to which it is fastened; then
should an explosion occur, little damage,
outside the box, is done. The work Of
the cooker is 10 stew simmer and steam
With the exception of stesming, the
over performs the same good offices, and
in addition, bakes and roasts. Conse
quently it is not necessary, though Il
may be convenient, that one should bt
the happy possessor OF both these usefu
| ln.AsnIn. H. AlnLIir. O,rn.a III IA. fii %.