New-York tribune., 1905-07-09
II NEW COOK STOVE.
THE Hay Boz Prepares Food scith
Very Little Fire.
Written for The Tribune by George I'll. Murphy, OF
the American Consular Service.

The hay box. or, as it is sometimes called. the
cooking box, is a comparatively new article of
Kitchen furniture which has successfully stood
the test of everyday use in the German Father
land, where it is rapidly being adopted by rich
s.d poor alike
Cooking without fire? Not exactly, perhaps.
but with very little fire. There is magic about
it. is the system dependent for success
upon some recently discovered secret of nature.
On the contrary, the hay box is simple and
Inexpensive that it is within the reach of every
woman, no matter how poor she may be.
Yearly every knows two things about
cooling, namely that heat is required and that
water Will not ordinarily boil until its tempera-
tIre has risen to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, but
there are two other facts which are apparently
Unknown to many, namely, that no matter how
ionG raging fire is kept up by wasting costly
hel. the temperature of boiling water cannot be
faised above PIP degrees Fahrenheit, and, sec
bnd,y that it is not necessary to maintain this
6eGree OF heat in completing the process of
cooking. All that is Indispensable in the prepara-
zion Of a large class of materials is long con-
tnUcd exposure to the distintegrating influence
Of a high degree of heat If, therefore, an ap-
y ratUs can be found capable of preventing the
Escape or the too rapid wasting of heat previ-
ously secured by means of fire, the continued
use Of heat producing fire may advantageously
be dispensed with in the interest of economy
comfort and health.
But there is a we'll known and convenient
way Of accomplishing the imprisonment of heat
namely, by surrounding it with materials which
are bad heat conductors, such clean hay,
straw, WOOL excelsior or newspapers. and by
using in addition covering as nearly alright
as possible This needed apparatus is provided
by the hay box, In the perfection of which many
years of experimenting and have been con-
sumed in Germany.
But what is hay box? II is simply a box ca
pable Of being securely closed. filed with hay
or any other clean material which is a bad con-
ductor Of heat, In which covered pots and pans
containing intensely hot materials are nested
and allowed to complete slowly the process Of
cooking previously begun on a stove or range
The box used may be ordinary from the
grocery adapted for use by the addition of a lid
with hinges or it may be elaborate and ex-
pensiTe as desired. The wood Of which it Is
made should not be too thin, and of course,
there should be no knotholes or cracks in any
Of its six sides. Even old trunk or a heavy
paste1oard box can be made with a little care to
answer the purpose The pots used may be of
any material, though naturally some sorts hold
heat letter than others The lids of pots and
pans should, however, fit closely as possible
and these lids should never be lifted after being
taken from the fire. If a lid is raised during
the process Of cooking in the box. the pot should
at once be placed upon the fire again for few
moments for the purpose of developing more
steam to replace that which has been allowed to
escape.
IN TIE interest Of cleanliness. and a further
precaution against loss of heat, before nesting a
POT, oae may wrap it In a cloth or towel After
all the pots and pans safely in the box. they
should be snugly covered with pillow. stuffed
with feathers or hay. After this, there is moth
Ing more 10 be done except to lower the lid of
the box and fasten 1T tightly. The cook may
then, without the least anxiety, go TO church or
attend TO her marketing, devote her time TO
other duties and recreatons. relying upon the
hay box. without any danger of scorching or
burning to thoroughly cook the food intrusted