Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-11-10
Cooking Without Fire

T'bc idc.; o, co',kiiI" without fire has
snyl;n= into sudden popularity in
..iner.ta The idea il self is pr IeW
thing. ri:-elt = .o'Nery la, been prec-
It's ia NcrWa; and other ports OF tht
world for :. great many Years. All
primitive "oInnu,lities, prot ably, cook
ed tlcir fnod III hot aanrs or in ovens
iron Mhi.h the tIrt WAS l'aked before
the food was put in anu campers still
use IL. latter neti"d -: cooking. with
an oven u5 neat d Stones. But fireless
noil. ~ iwan innovation in the modern
Air, ricar ll,;.... :,il., the iireltSS cook
II as Nc know it to-day bears little re-
SSmbiaIc.. TO the slNagt'S bed of hct
door y. Ell.
TIE shops ;,re full ut these cookers,
.;uu t.r'y are said t. and ally do per-
-uu.:l E.ar,"lS, Some o.' thtm @rtA ar
.n., / lu. r.;.> ting and baking IS we |!
; ior .stcWiu". ':'hcsc have two soap
stone plates, Y, N,hich can b. heated and
,ltitt. urdrr auI over III" ut"nsii
o:.taini,lg TIL" roast. The cheapest
uokeri :.ave only enc cavity, While the
..ui'" cNp"!.si." have three or four,
Tith :o"ps,nl,e plates. pie racks and
Ill sortS al caaVt.ucnceS. There are
Usually two racks for the baking of
yics. These are placed on standards.
resting between the hot plates All
he cookers are heavily packed with
lon-~onductiEg material incios,d III
aluminium or some kind of metal. The
lrttles that come with them are~made
| 10 fr Z aSactlN and :, thick
hood tits lown over the kettles. SC
that, they are not exposed to the air.
Some Of the cookers have aluminun
utensils, others have agate or pcrce-
lain lined ware Some of them have
pals within pals, so that steamlnS
can be done, or two foods can cook II
once in the same cavity. In fact, there
is big variety TO choose from, and,
Of course the saving in fuel more than
pays. the price Of the cooker.
Recipe books come with the different
makes of cookers and tell just no" to
can, bake, stew, steam and roast al
most any food one may fancy. the
manufacturers of some OF the cookers
declare that foods can be fried and
Groiled in their machines, but unless
they a1e connected with burners that
can heat the SoapStOne plates whlle IN
the cookers there can be little or no
economy in broiling or frying in this
fashion. as Otherwise the plates must
be heated on an ordinary stove, ana
tn. troiling and frying can be gener-
ali.' done on the stove i'll the same
time it would take to heat the plates.
But Tor roasting 4; big piece of beef
ti.it REQUIRES = long time much fuel
can lie saved, and while the plates are
heating the roast can get i Sood start
IT, the oven. Care is needed in the
,nanasenent of a ''tireless," and some
housewives say that they are unable
to avoid burning. but if the directions
dat accompany the cookers are care
fully followed there will probably pc
little OF no trouble.
once the art of managing the cook
er has been mastered its advantages;
Will be found to b" many. Food cook
ed in this way is generally believed to
be more savory and appetiZinG than
when cooked DER fire. Pots ana Net-
ties do net h!ack.n with smoke, there
are no unpleasant ,,dnrS and no, neat
from the kitchen. and, best OF ali. t.
most people. no money. worth Spt az
ing Of is spent ,'or fuel. With the
"freIcss' il has often becn, found nee
essary 70 use Il gas or oil stove for a
few minutes in the early morning. ~
cept for tea and coffee. Thus it is a
means "l great saving in fuel
IT is generally conceded that it
takes about half as iong again t" cook
in a ''fireless" as on a stove, but the
makers or some Of the cooEerS declare
thai ii takes only one-fourt.i IS long
again ana son.. of them say that it
takes no luEger. W!th-tiir hnt soap
stone plates, to roast foods in fire
less" than it does n an ordinary oven.
.,nn Of the advantages of the tire
less is that tie question OF getting an
carly breakfast is solved ii cooked
cGreas are. used. The oatmeal or
similar cereal can De started on the
cook stove at hight and cooked till
morning in the 'frelcSS." Soup. meat
rice ana vegetables can be prepared
early in the day. started on the tire and
t. en- left to cook slowly in the fire
less" Foods that are difficult to cook
should he taken out when their time is
half up and rcheated on an ordinary
stove. then put back and finished in
the "tireless.' This is unnecessary if
they nave been previously half cooked.
Theories on these matters however,
are not of much value, as fireless cook
ers vary somcwhaf. and there is such
tremendous difference in foods. EX-
cCllent cookbooks can be easily Oh
tained that treat the subject thorough
ly. and their instructions should J."