The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-01-16
THE ELECTRICAL COOKING STOVE.

Things were stesming and sputter:
ing, and the dinner required the
whole attention of the cook, so I took
my departure to other parts Of the
house. Down into the cellar long,
funnel like structure of wood conducts
the air from the street into big pipe
to the top of the house, where the
warm air is distributed through other
pipes. On the inside surface of all
of the pipes are coils Of wire, over
which the current flows, heating the
metal, which in turn gives warmth to
the air on its way to the various apart
ments. The apparatus is, OF course,
separated from the woodwork by
non-conductor of heat. In some OF
the rooms are portable electric heat
ers, which are obviously better adapt
ed to general use than the expansive
system of pipes they supplement in
the Peabody House. The principle of
heating is, however, exactly the same
in both. The air of the room enters
the heater from below, passes over the
hot surface and flows out at the top.
It had grown dark by the time both
the cooking and heating apparatus
had been passed in review. "The
lights, Mary" came voice down the
stairs, and the gloom is dispelled by
little incandescent lamps, which shone
from cozy hooks and cleaned softly
everywhere through the house.
A prominent cooking teacher was
asked about cooking by electricity.
seYou have come to an enthusiast"
she said. t'Electricityis grand. The
heat doesn't go up the chimney; it
doesn't radiate into the kitchen--lt
stays Just where you want it, and you
can control it with turn of the wrist.
It is true economy of fuel, and
economy is the soul Of cookery.
There is another point. The
quicker a joint of meat is cooked
the less will be the loss in weight and
fiaycr. There is economy again. VI
course We cannot overlook the vastly
better cooking which even scientlh-
cally regulated heat and utensils un.
soiled by SCOT and coal dust will lead
to; nor the easier, daintier cooking
which the absence of fires and ashes
will permit. When electricity comes
into general use ladies will attend to
their cooking personally, inst@i OF
leaving this most importantelement IN
domestic happiness to incompetent
servants, and then there will be cul-
mary art in fact as well as in name.
"But," continued the teacher, with
a smile, "there is one thing to be
feared from the introduction .of elee-
tricity. Bachelors could cook dainty
breakfasts in their own rooms with
such delightful ease that they wouldn't
think of marriage. The young man
would need only two or three utensils
indeed, chatting dish would do 1t
all. When he arose in the morning
he could put on his electric stove
whatever he chose, turn on the cur
rent and before the completion OF his
toilet breakfast would be waiting.
The ladies will naturally think twice
bsfore allowing bachelorhood any such
ease and charm as that.
The drawback to the general
adoption of electricity in the house.
hold is the expense of the current At
present only families of wealth can af-
ford it. With improved machinery
and dynamos, electricity is, however,
slowly but inevitably becoming cheap
er. 1t cannot be many years before
the electrical kitchen will be within
the reach of any family Of very mod
crate means. Already along streets
where trolley cars run electricity Is
used for sewing machines and even for
pumping. With the electrical utensils
herewith shown almost any household
may do away with the oil or gas stove.