The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-08-16
COOKING
AND ITS ADVANTAGES
TO HOUS{KEEPERS
PRINCIPLE USED CENTURIES
AGO IN OUT OF DOOR COOK
ING BY PIONEERS.
IS IMPROVING CONSTANTLY
How the Device Can Be Most Sue
cessfully used by Modern House.
wife and What 1t Is Worth to Her
in Time and Rest.
(By Margaret B. Foulks.)

has caused SO much interest all over
the land as the fireless cooker, and
perhaps none that has provoked as
much skepticism and suspicion
Many people no more than glance at
the name a 'Fireless Cooker" than
they are ready to say impossible,
there must be fire to cook" Some
drop the subject there, but others do
not, and the fireless cooker is fast
becoming one of the necessities in
every well equipped kitchen, both in
the city and country. This principle
was used centuries ago in the out of
door cooking when thee people dug
holes in the ground, lined them with
rocks, made hot fire in them and
when the fuel was burned up, placed
their food in among the stones, COW
ering it with stones and earth to re-
tain the heat until the food was done.
Among the ruins of Pompeii there
were found old stone ovens, and it
is said that the fire was built inside
of these and when the stones were
thoroughly hot it was raked out and
the food put in to bake.
A number of years ago people be-
gn trying cooking boxes" made In
various ways to retain the heat. The
German housewife found them very
successful. These were usually made
by lining the boxes with hay, setting
in covered vessel of boiling food
and covering with hay and the lid
of the box. In 1905 our own govern
ment conducted experiments along
this line and proved that it was a
practical thing. Since that time the
fireless cooker has been improvd con-
stantly until now we have them that
will not only boil food but will bake
and roast as beautifully as any
range, and without the watching,
basting, etc.
To the city woman the fireless
cooker means chiefly saving, of gas
or electricity, but to the woman in
the town and country home, this
cooker means not only a saving of
fuel but wonderful saving of time
and many hours for reading and rec
reation that before she spent over a
hot stove. It Is now not only posi-
BILE but an easy matter to feed the
average family with kerosene stove
and fireless cooker, or when using
q range, to start the dinner while
cooking breakfast, place In the fire.
less cooker and leave until dinner
time. Progressive women in our
farm homes are realizing more every
day that it is not necessary to spend
all of their time in their kitchens,
and many homes already have Install
ed this time and labor saving device
in their kitchens. And it not only
time to read, visit and sew,
but homie free from the heat of
range and also free from the odors
of meats, vegetables, etc. Few Of us
ever realize that the odor of soup,
vegetables and meats, through our
houses is just SO much flavor lost
from the food. In the alright YES
sells of a fireless cooker these iavors
are conserved and instead of hav-
ing odors of cooking food from kitch-
en- to living room, we have better
Favored, more nutritious food, and
house free from odor and heat.
One will use carefully the direc-
lions given with cooker until they
become familiar with the use of It,
they can then follow the ordinary
methods andt principles of cookery.
These cookers are not, however, as
they are often advertised, automatic
maids. The food must be prepared,
the stones properly heated, and the
cooker itself kept scrupulously clean
to be a success. This takes some
time, knowledge and work, but It
gives in return hours of freedom from
the kitchen, a house free from doors
and well cooked food, with no loss Of
flavor or nutrition. However, the
fireless cooker does not broil or fry
successfully. Food prepared that
way must depend upon flame.
One can serve full dinner very
successfully with two burner gas or
kerosene stove and three compart-
ment fireless cooker. The following
dinner menu has been prepared and
served with g one burner kerosene
stove, a three compartment lreless
cooker, with two S-quart utensils,
one triple utensil and three stones:
Cream Of corn soup, smothered chick
en-, boiled potatoes, lima beans, raisin
bread, tomato and cheese salad, may
onaise, froze ncustard and angel cake
coffee. The angel cake and bread