The morning call., 1895-02-09
UP TO DATE IDEAS.

The following is from last Sundays Brooklyn
IN. W Eagle
coal hres and stoves are doomed. They Will
soon meet the late of spinning wheels, mint
lock muskets and other articles that have De-
come memories of the past The result is
that electricity is going to do the cooking ana
heatlng IN the household of the future Inc
twentieth century housekeeper will De re-
leased from the despotie rule of King Coal,
the uncertain, the unclean, the veXatous, ana
to that extent home duties Will cease to be
burden.
All this is proved in the residence OF Mr.
George Peabody, % Monroe place, where cook
ing heaung, lighting and laundrylng is all
done by the swift and tireless electric current
The Peabody house is the only one in Brook
Ign or New York in which electricity broils the
chops and bakes the bread and boils the coftee
but the companies are putting the electrical
cooking apparatus on the market and its gen
eral adoption seems to be matter of only
little time
Although the apparatus was first manufac-
tured several years ago the inventors have
only recently been able to overcome objections
to It's use by the Board of Fire Underwriters on
the ground that the heated utensils would be
likely to set surrounding woodwork on fre.
Each utensil is now on q little stand which
isolates it, and the wires are so arranged that
they will become detached and the current
cease If the utensil is knocked over. AS the
result OF these Improvements the apparatus
now has the entire approval of the under
writer's and is being rapidly brought to public
attention. The big ocean-liners are now heated
by the electric currents, and their owners are
seriously contemplating its adoption in their
culinary departments as is prominent hotel.
The sayory smell of good things cooking
came up the stair from the Peabody kitchen
when the Eagle reporter was invited to see for
himself how the silent current sets the water
bubbling and makes the turkey sizzle and
turns the pies golden brown. He didn't
quite understand how the electricity does
these things and expected to see at least
little fire. But there was no sign OF it. In the
place where the range once stood was big
table upon which was teakettle, two or three
saucepans and long utensil that looked like
griddle. These articles were very similar to
the ordinary utensils except that each had at
tached to 1t wire which came out OF the wall
behind the table.
whenever anybody will listen l am ready to
talk about electricity in the Kitchen said Mrs.
Peabody's cook. 81 have plenty of time for it.
Yor will understand this when | tell you that
can cook g. dinner now in just one-third of
the time it took me when 1 used coal. can
boil water in four minutes. Think of building
length of time on a range. And then it is so
much easier. / don't have TO get down on my
knees now to rake and scrape fire. All that
is necessary is to turn the little screw here on
the switchboard. piece of meat that would
require at least three hours cooking in an Or
binary oven will be done to a turn in an hour
and quarter in the electric oven. And what
is more, you can hardly help cooking it per-
fectly. II you want the heat in any particular
place-on the top, the bottom or sides-you can
have it there by turn of the wrist. And you
may have more or less heat, just as you please.
Besides its quickness the great advantage of
the oven is its even and easily regulated heat"
A great square box lined with asbestos is this
electric oven. The means by which the cleo
tricity is made to do the baking and roasting is
simplicity itself About the sides OF the oven
and in the bottom are coils of wire which offer
a strong resistance to the electricity When
the screw on the switchboard is turned, the
current, brought into the kitchen by a wire at
tached to the electric light main wire in the
street, darts through the oven coils, whose re-
sistance causes the generation of the heat
which does the cooking. On the same princi-
pie the broilers and frying pans, the tea kettles
and coffee pots do their work. There are also
little electric stoves the size and shape of ordi
nary stoyelids. They are heated by wires in
the bottom, and the usual utensils may be used
on them.
The oven, with its shining nickel mountings,
is ornamental and at the same time exceedingly
convenient. No heat is lost by the opening of
the door. There is glass window in 'front.'
and within is q tiny incandescent lamp which
Eliminates the interior when required.
The great obstacle at present to the use of
electricity by any but wealthy families is the
expense of the current. This however, with
improved dynamos and machinery, is gradually
becoming less. If the attempts, which are now
being made to utilize the waters of Niagara
Falls to run dynamos which will send the
electricity along the wires to Brooklyn, are
successful, the current will at once be greatly
cheapened and within the reach of people in
moderate circumstances.