The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-25
OF INTEREST TOWOMEN
A TIP TO THE HOUSEWIFE
Who Wishes to EcOnOmixe on Her
Gas Bill.

Who Wishes to EcOnOmixe On Her
Gas Bill.
A problem which has long confronted
the housekeeper is that of baking small
preparations. Under present household
conditions the baking of a cheap pudding
requires an ovenful of heat. A pan of
biscuits containing cents worth of raw
materials may require 10 cents worth
of gas in it's baking. The baking of so
cheap a dish as macaroni is often fore
gone because it involves the heating Of
an oven. And this is not to be wondered
at. Gas bills are far from welcome, to
say nothing of hot kitchens and over
heated housewives.
Were manufacturers to waste the same
proportionate energy i'm their plants as
is wasted in the average kitchen. the
eXorbitant prices that we now pay for
necessities would be nominal in COMPARE
son with what would otherwise confront
us. The difference between business
economy and kitchen economy is too
striking to he overlooked in trying TO
solve the problem of high prices. 1t is
this difference that has led me to under
take some interesting experiments in
household business. for I consider that
management of a household quite as
much business proposition as the man
agement of store or a factory. In
these experiments ! have met with far
greater success than my fondest hopes
had led me to expect, says writer in
Good Housekeeping.
MY first attention was given to the
kitchen oven. inasmuch as there are
countless articles of cheap food that be
come nutritious and delicious if baked.
NV idea was to secure small oven
which would heat quickly and evenly
with n minimum of gas. Inquiry at stores
handling kitchen utensils revealed wide
variety of ovens. from the mammoth
fOur-hurner affair to the tiny warming
oven. The more expensive ones We're
out of the question. for economy in
money and work was the point to he
gained. The cheaper ones all possessed
the serious objection that the OpeninG
of the oven door. for testing purposes. al
lowed the accumulated heat to escape.
resulting in loss of baking energy and
danger Of chilling of the article within.
Then happy thought came to me.
There are fireleSS cookers. Why not an
ovenless baker? The principle OF baking
is to keep an even degree Of heat about
the article.
] purchased "A hot plate. of which there
are Il number of kinds on the markets
The one I use is made of three pieces OiS
heavy. cheap iron riveted together. the
two outer pieces being separated from
the inner one by Il quarter-inch space
the whole forming a sort of a drum
which retains heat for considerable
time.
Armed with the hot plate heavy
granite pan, and twO-burner gas stove
undertook my first experiment. chOos-
ing potatoes as the simplest article to
bake: | laid the potatoes on top OF the !
Mate fharn mill
and lighted the gas. taking care not TO
turn the flame high enough to burn them |
In far less time than il takes to bake |
them in the oven and with less than half
me gas. the potatoes were ready for the !
liable. They proved meaiy and dry and |
were thoroughly delicious.
Next | tried pan of spaghetti. This |
was prepared in the usual way. placed |
on the hot plate, covered with an in !
rerted pan. and allowed to bake. When |
sufficiently done il was placed uncov-
ered beneath the flame the hot plate |
throwing the heat down and browning
t as prettily as could be done in the best |
wen ever made
1t is only a step from potatoes and |
spaghetti to a multitude OF baked dishes, |
such as apples. custards. meat loaves.
,ies. biscuits, and corn bread
The principles of baking without an
wen are the same. whatever article |
$ selected Care must always be used /
o keep the baking article well covered
md to prevent burning. II is best to
'eCin with the simplest things. such
IS potaties with the jackets on. and then
graduate into the more complex like pies
nd buildings. There is no mystery what
yer connected with the process and no
involved details to be followed.
Two things only are to be particularly
DO not turn the gas too
Ugh: and wherever possible. especially
With pastries. use heavy iron skillet !
n addition to the hot plate. this re-
aims the heat with little danger of burn.
ng. /