New-York tribune., 1911-12-26
Seeming Trifles Make
the Difference Be-
tween s Gee SIS
and Failure.


In this final paper on my experiences WIN
NJ Sover's paper bag cookery few Woros
of caution may be in order. In COOKING Ii
paper bags, mind not your p's and as out
the simple directions for use: Namely u
grease the bags well, not TO overnH theil.
IN fold over the open end three times and
fssten the fold with wire clips, TO lay the
filled bag always qeam side up. and H. Oy
chance II breaks. 20 put II instantly H.
side another bigger bag. to finish the COOK
Ing.
Until YOU are familiar enough with nag
cooking TO feel reasonably secure of not
breaking your bags in the oven. try thls
expedient by way Of avoiding smoke. SIP
thin tin baking sheet under the broiler'
letting il rest fiat upon the solid floor o,
the oven Il will stop very little heat ana
in the event of leakage can be WithdrdWi
the instant the leak is discovered. at once
stopping the smoking and sputtering. 1t Is
imposs s.ble 20 clean off a hot oven hoOr-
grease spilled directly on 1t. not 10 name
syrup and fish stock must remain tlil
burned off, unless you put out the fire, cooI
the oven and scour away the overflow
which is troublesome TO the cook ana al
most certainly fatal TO the dinner. Lacking
= baking sheet. set a shallow pan unuer-
meath.
II is better. of course to have bags stay
whole. and the use Of trivets helps largely
10 this desirable end. Get the square foo'eu
ones. sold as bread coolers also te"
Of the smaller round ones. Half a dozen
is few enough. and a dozen Of all sorts
and sizes none too many. | have recon-
rnended the securing Of special wire mats
Tin bound and Of fine mesh. They are
worth while for some things, but II not
easily obtainabe. you can make SHIT very
well with what YOU find ready N Inc shops.
Buv clips I'm several sizes. They are
cbcap and almost everlasting. Csc them
freely In fastening up bags. They can De
pulled off before the bag IS thrown away
and used over and over.
Do not be niggardly as regards bags
Cften n is better to use two or three small
ones than a single one of medium or large
size. Keep them in full supply, 50 as to
he able always 10 make the container III
the thing contained. In the case Of a bag
broken after things in it have begun TO
cook do not try emptying the food IN
stead. grease a larger bag and slip the
loaded bag inside or course you will have
to take it from the oven 10 do this, and
must move the shelf, holding it with a
nan underneath Il YOU wish to save your
oven and your kitchen floor from being
mussed up.
Coal and wood ranges are not so well
ADAPTED 10 paper bag cooking as gas ranges.
sill. bag cooking can be done with any
Kind Of heat: the knaCk lies in the regu-
latior of IL. The theory Of paper bag cook
ing Is this cold bag put into hot oven
gets warm very quickly throughout, ana
the paper Of il Crisps wherever II touches
nothing but air This quick heat is essen
tial-it ydporizeS the liquids or the juices
'rSide the bag. and makes a medium for
softeuing and lavoring the food fibre. But
IL the heat is too long continued it destroys
the tensile strength Of the bag. makes 1t
break of itself and spill its contents Hence
the importance Of lowering heat, and quick
ly, before this destruction is accomplished.
There are several ways Of doing this.
They may be used in combination or
separately First push in the dampers.
then open the oven door and set inside
upon the oven floor a shallow pan of cold
water. Leave the oven door ajar for two
or three minutes, with d strip Of white
paper on the shelf beside the bag. If the
ncentlv reduced II il turns brown very
quickly. set the door wide, take out the
water pan and refill. after cmptyng. with
fresh, cold water, then set again upon the
oven floor. Keep the door aiar until the
test paper merely yellows. BY that time
thc hampers should have done their work
sufficiently. Close the oven door leaving
inside another strip Of clean white paper.
IN three minutes look at tiff it is brown
ing too fast. set the door again aiar but
if merely yellowing, let the door stay
closed
This regulation Of heat is vital part of
the problem but much less intricate than
It sounds 4 gas range too hot needs to
have half the flame turned of and what
remains reduced as low as is safe. 4 water
pan should be used TO help the rising OF
Cake-two of them. indeed for plum cake.
which needs very slow cooking After heat
has been reduced open the oven door as
little as possible. Time Of cooking varies a
little with each range not to say each sort
Of fuel, but, speaking generally, you may
count il that paper bags quicken cooking