Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-09
ELECTRICITY IN THE KITCHEN.
A Survey Of What Has Been Practical
" Accomplished Thus Far

A Survey of What Has Been Practical
~ a Accomplished Thus Far.
Electric cooking is now coming into a
commercial stage, sage the Electrical
Review. We must, of course, in electric
heating, allow for all the waste in con-
verting the coal at the central station
into heat and the heat into steam and
the steam into current, and the inciden-
tai heat losses of line transmission But
I let us suppose we are waiting for Il
simple breakfast, and score down the
items rolled up on our accounts current
by Chloe, in the kitchen, while she is
converting the raw material OF the
butcher and grocer into manufactured
product that viii meet the appreciation
of our palates.
First, let us suppose she is operating
the coal range. Item: One bundle Of
kidding to start her fire, 2 cents; item
One-half of daily coal OutgO Zone ton per
month";, 10 cents; total, u cents. Let us
j thrust out of view for the present why
uses so much coal, remembering only
the cardinal and imperiOus facts that she
gets away with one ton Of coal in one
month to operate her range, for which
our good cash falls with a cold dull
PUNK into the pockets of the coal bar
Ons Now let us use electric utensils
for the same work. We are having
chops, soft-boiled eggs, griddle cakes,
and coffee-a simple, wholesome, and
frugal diet if Chloe can cut down the
heat tariff. We will first heat two
quarts of water, which will fix matters
for the coffee and the eggs. Item, 4
ampereS at 40 volts, 10 minutes, 1 1-3
cents; item, chops, Z ampereS at 10
volts for 10 minutes, cents; item, Is
gI-iddlecakeS, amperes at 10 volts
for 10 minutes, 1 1-3 cents, making the
aggregate cost for heat 4 % cents, at
the end Of which time off goes the cur
rent and the expense stops
! The figures here used are based on the
use OF the cOffeep0t, boiler, and griddle-
electric utenSilS-and are substantially
correct. Their import is simply this
that there are two sides which must be
considered in the matter Of electric heat
ing.
! There are wastes, of course-bUt
i where in human experience are there
n0t?-but they are offset by cores
pOnding wastes under an yOther system
Of heating. Our kitchen range sends
much Of its heat uD the chimney; that
is a necessary waste for which Chloe
is not to blame. But the range fire
takes time to get under way; it requires
l.
mount in outlay thereto; it must be
maintained practically all day land
sometimes all night, and then Chloe
drops in with her personal equation as
uncomfortable as characteristic, and for
easy management keeps q roaring fire
! all day and keeps the janitor busy at
the coal bin. So that we must look at
/ the matter as a question Of ail-day or
all-Week efficiency, or, rather, inefiicien-
cy, andhere is where electric heating
gets in its fine work. 1t does its work
! quickly and well. The key is turned,
! when, presto! things begin to sizzle, so
j that its wastes are active only while
/ the cooking operations are in full blast.
| 1t is common for some people to cry
! down gas as an expensive fuel For
| some purposes it is, but with Chloe
at the throttle it can discount coal by a
| liberal margin, and electricity can fol-
! low as a close second, while in the
! matter OF convenience the latter stands
head and shoulders above all other.
methods. Other incidental offsets might
be noted, such as the contradiction of
the heat at the exact spot where it is
wanted, no wastes in heating up a
! brobdignagian outfit, such as Il range,
where q small one will do as well. The
oven described viii furnish for 9 cents
! the heat necessary to send to the table
Il tive-pound roast of beef III thirty-five
minutes, or q underground turkey in
f0rty-tiye minutes; that is to say, the
current is flowing for those periods; the
actual baking or roasting goes on longer,
because, after the oven is heated to
800 degrees or more, as required, the
current may be cut off and the process
of cooking will continue until the roast
is done
1t is not safe to turn electric heating
down. Give it a chance by all means
and. in spite of the numerous losses
with which it is charged, it may after
al prove a good domestic handmaiden