Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-29
--ERSSNNLIa
9ai1Y - eagle
THE MISSING SCIENCE.
PROFESSOR EDWARD ATKlNSON'S
WONDERFUL COOKING BOX.

his House for $50 Year-Win Save
the People of the United States 81, oO0,-
ooO, 900 Annually, If 1t Is Really Right.
While the ordinary cookery book is deficient
In any scientific instruction, yet there is one
noted cookery book which contains famous
receipt. Mrs. Glass, in her celebrated receipt
for cooking hare, says: "You must first
catch your hare" In my instructions for
cooking L lay down the rule, "You must first
catch your heat. and then keep it where it
viii do the work In the right way"
THE NORWEGIAN COOKING BOX.
My first hint how to do this was derived
from description of the Norwegian cooking
box; had never seen one. The Norwegian
cooking apparatus consists Of box of wood
lined with hair, felt or fur, and then with
metal A smaller box made of metal, adapt
cd to receive the food, fits loosely in this out
CT case. The space around this inner box is
Tiled with boiling water, and the heat being
kept In by the remembering outer wall
does Its work upon the food, Of course at
somewhat below the boiling point. This
proves at once TO you that there is 10 neces-
sary connection between the boiling point,
which at our sea level Is 212 degs. Fahrenheit,
and the degree Of heat necessary to do the
cooking Of our food. This fact was discover
ed, by accident even, by Count Rumford,
who had thought that the way to boil meat is
to boil 1t, when, In fact, the way to spoil
meat Is to boil it. a leg of mutton was acct
dentally left by him in a drying room used
for other purposes, and exposed to heat
from about 40 degs. to $50 degs., as l re-
member the statement. In the morning, to
Count Rumford's surprise, instead of being
dried up, it was nutritiously cooked and Of
full flavor.
In order to convert the Norwegian cooking
box into @ constant cooker, all that was neces-
sary for me to do was to add q circulatory
apparatus similar to the one with which your
bath boilers are heated Into it q working
man may put the materials for hearty
breakfast, light the lamp, go to bed, and on
getting up find his breakfast ready; but with
that apparatus could only simmer and stew,
and the American people viii not be satisfied
with stews. In some Of the reports of the
lectures which l gave to the workingmen,
when put on file In the public libraries, curl
GUS comments have been made. For instance:
1--WE don't want your pigwash," "We won't
have bone soup; we want sirloin," etc.
have therefore substituted column Of heated
air for the column Of heated water in this
oven, in which you cannot only simmer and
stew, but also roast and bake There is, as
you will observe, no direct communication
between the lamp, or source of heat, and the
inside Of the inner oven, In which the food is
placed; therefore, If the lamp smokes or gives
off fumes of kerosene oil, for want of being
rightly trimmed, the food is not tainted.
have made 10 attempt to promote the
general introduction of this apparatus until
it should be completely perfected and reduced
in cost. My first experimental ovens were
wholly made Of metal, filed with non-con-
Quoting material, and were costly. We have
used this apparatus III my own family for
moro than one year, and have done at least
nine-tenths of our cooking with it. We have
been obliged to light the range to warm the
kitchen, and, it being lighted, some Of the
breakfast cooking hes been done on it. l
also light my household with kerosene oil, as
deteSt gas light Our family consists of
from ten to twelve persons. buy the best
oil by the barrel and it costs mo ten cents a
gallon. My bill for lighting and cooking for
the year has been $50.
CHEAP AND GOOD LUNCHES.
A lunch has been established for the en-
ployes IN my own office, as well as for my
self. About twenty persons are served with
a substantial midday meal every day; since
we began 4 little over 1000 meals have been
served. We ere obliged to buy our oil in small
parcels at retail prices, therefore the cost Of
fuel has been seven-tenths of q cent per meal;
1T wholesale 1t would have been one-half a
cent The plan works to the great benefit Of
the employees. whose midday lunch or dinner
costs them eighteen TO twenty cents each for
food and fuel
Astonishing as these facts are in regard to
the economy OF fuel, am of the opinion that
this is purely a secondary matter. Economy
of food is of the first Importance, coupled
with the saving of work on the part of the
cook.
l have proved, / think conclusively, that
the operation of heating room, or of heat
ing water for circulation through the house,
Is absolutely inconsistent with the true meth
DDS of cooking. Heat cannot be properly
regulated for cooking when applied to other
purposes If l were TO build again, should
make arrangements for heating the water
from the furnace with small heater set
alongside the furnace for summer use, and in
place Of the range in the kitchen l would put
q small heater, like fatiron heater, with a
place to boil water on the top. One of my
friends has built and furnished q house in
this way and is quite enthusiastic over it.
might add a grill, which is very useful i'll
any household, but my main dependence for
cooking would be upon the lamp, or Aladdin
oven.
In the development of the science of cook
ing think it will appear that there is true
degree of heat by which lavorS are developed
or actually created; for instance, if we grind
green coffee we get no good result and no
true favor; If we roast it too much we de-
strcy the favor and get an acrid and unpala- |
table residuum. If we apply the exact de-
gree of heat to roasting the berry we develop
the flavor and other qualities which are de-
sired. have lately observed that the same
rule seems to apply in the application of heat
TO meat, fish, vegetables, and meal, especially
If not cooked enough meat will /.
be sapid I'D havorless; if cooked too much, |
navorless and soggy; if cooked at the exact /
point, the finest 6avors are developed, eSpe- .
cially in fish and fruit
In order TO maintain my reputation Us a
man of figures, Will repeat again the sum
which might DO saved to the people of the /
United States. The average expense of q .
in full work Is twenty-five cents .
per day for materials of food; the measure
Of waste at a moderate computation is 20 per
cent, or five cents per day. This includes
the waste of rich and poor alike, of the first
class botel and of the factory boarding house
The consuming power of the United States
At the present time is that of over 81, Co., O0
adults counting two children Of 10 or TN
der as one adult, and the objective point Of
u