The Washington times., 1894-03-20
Electricity a
Kitchen Ideal.

1t is not impossible, says the Bazar, that
with all the other great things which are ex-
pected OF il in the future electricity will ac-
compllsh one marvel as great as the greatest
it will solve the servant girl question. Two
thirds of the trouble in relation to the diff
Guilty OF providing manageable and intelligent
help is in the fact that people of delicate
tastes and refined habits hate the smoke and
smut and general soil of the chimney place,
the polishing of stoves. the building Of fires,
the lifting ami carrying and handling of coal,
the sitting and enptyinG Of ashes, with its fly
ing dust and all the smOotch and smear of
that part of the work. But now it is said
that we are close upon an era that is to do
away with everything of the sort. Indeed,
the possibility has already arrived OF cooking
by electricity, the stoves and ovens and ap-
paratus all being fit for use, and the whole
thing waiting only for its general adoption
the time when matters shall have reached the
point where the woodworking fluid can be
supplied to every house as gas and water are,
even in many country towns.
This varied apparatus bakes, boils and
brois. and that with a nicely and perfection
unknown 10 the smoky blaze. The aladdin
oven' is, to all who know it, a great boon
with its kerosene sub-blazes; but when, in
stead of those, electricity is supplied to it, as
it can be, and that with automatic action, so
that the heat can be turned on or off at
given time, it becomes a tenfold blessing.
One of the ovens of this electrical apparatus
has thermometer which registers the amount
of heat and is lighted within so that the
whole operation of the cooking is visible from
the start. and there is no anxious opening of
doors at the very moment when the touch of
the cold air makes the light souffle fail. Any
quartty of heat can be applied, and the cur
rent is insulated so that the oven is nothot
enough outside TO scOrch the apron; and even
if it were not insulated, the necessary number
OF volts to the current are too few to be of
any danger.
Many people can remember the general re-
monstrance that was made to the introduc-
ton of stoves in the place of the open Chin
ney with crane and pothooks and skillets,
and the rest OF its rude paraphernalia: Eand
many Of the people of the generation just pass
ing refused to have their beef baked in an
oven. convinced that so all flavor and juice
were destroyed insisting on the .'tin kitchen
before an open fire TO the last. Probably the
same class of people will resist the electrical
cooking apparatus when it has become posi-
hle 10 adapt it to comIHon use. But just rs pos
sinly it will in time be accepted wherever it can
advantagaously be used. For although women
are conservative yet when they once see for
themselves that a new thing is the best thing,
they will have it. and they are very likely to
declare for that which is to ease work of every
description and is to do away with that which
is to most Of them worse than work. the dis
gust ot dirt. When. cooking being done by
electricity, the back-breaking part of the labor
is immensely lightened and great portion of
the soiling part is taking away, then girls of
al entirely different class from that of the or
dinary scullion may be willing to come into