The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-26

II you are already familiar with fire
less cooking, 1t viii not be surprise
10 hear that II is an unusually good
method for canning fruits and vege-
tables, says an article in the July num-
Der OF Good Housekeeping Magazine
For the woman in the country who has
heretofore given up her whole day TO
gathering the fruit and cooking 1t before
1t spells the fireless cooker has the ad-
vantage of making it easy to do little
at a time Odd moments may be en-
ployed in gathering what viii fill two or
three cans; then. while the other work is
going on, these can be cooking without
further attention. The season when ber-
-ies and most fruits are available is just
the season when standing over roaring
fire is to be dreaded and the delightful
Immunity from hours spent in a hot
kitchen is most to be desired
A special gain is found in canning
fruit. where the process is simple, rather
than in making richer preserves, which
must have a supplementary cooking over
the fire to boil them down to the right
consistency, although there is a gain
with fruits which require a long cooking,
such as ounces. pineapples. figs. oranges,
and the like. The fiTeless cooker is adapt
ed also to the preliminary cooking OF
fruit TO be used for jelly, since there is
no danger of its burning. and 1t can be-
come very soft without losing the fresh
flavor which boiling viii surely alter.
1t Is customary to apply boiling tenn
perature for some time, perhaps twenty
minutes, in order to sterilize fruits SUI
ficiantly to keep well. much longer
and repeated boiling would be necessary
TO make them completely sterilized. but
experience has shown this 10 be unneces-
sary in most cases. In f1reless cooking
a lower temperature than 212 degrees
Fahrenheit is used, and the time Tor
cooking must, therefore, be increased.
The old way Of boiling the fruit to
sterilize 1t often destroys It's natural form
and alters It's flavor. This Is the great
drawback with ordinary canned products
The delicate bouquet OF fruits, that evan
escent fragrance and flavor which dis
appears so rapidly even In uncooked
fruits, can, It seems, be kept best, and
perhaps only, when the cooking Is done
at lower temperature than 2l2 degrees,
and in tightly closed vessels, as is the
case in fireless cooking. II is certain
IllAI the lIeSn HaNci OF Nne Gruit Is I'M
usually well preserved when the fireless
cooker is used, and this is undoubtedly
one OF the strongest arguments In favor
OF It.
The fact that fruit loses flavor, even
when uncooked. makes IL desirable TO Sc
lect fruit that Is as freshly gathered as
possible. Every hour after il is picked
makes a difference. One woman who
realizes this takes the cans 10 the gar
dens and picks berries directly into them.
The city housekeeper must make the best
OF a bad situation in this respect, but
there Is a great difference In the fresh
ness even OF city fruit Unripe fruit, in
which the sugar is not developed, offers
| little encouragement TO the growth OF
germ life. but is lacking In flavor Over
ripe fruit, Of which the protecting skin is
very tender, falls quick prey to these
organisms, upon which they multiply with
enormous rapidity. making the problem
Of destroying them very difficult Firm.
unspotted fruit that is ripe, is the kind
most suitable foE canning.