The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-07-06
.HowBTo. BUILD AND USE A FIRE
IEQQ CnnKER

Prineipie-The principle Of the fire.
less cooker Is to retain the heat OBJ
tanned by first boiling the food for a
few minutes. It is then placed in the
cooker which does not allow the heat
to escape. The food must be heated
In the same vessel put In the cooker.
This vessel must have very tight cover
and be moved from stove TO cooker as
quickly as possible. Otherwise, heat
will be lost.
Advantases-I. Time saving; while
food Is cooking the housekeeper may
be occupied with some other duties
without fear OF Its burning.
Q Better foods; many foods thus
cooked for q longer time at a lower
temperature have finer flavor and are
more wholesome than II cooked on a
stove at q higher temperature.
3. Comfort saves cooking In hot
kitchen, keeping up fire, watching
food
Z. Fuel saving: fire kept up just
long enough to make food boiling hot
before putting In cooker.
Building the cooksr-Select tight.
Iya built wooden box, old trunk, bar.
rel, large lard tub or tin lard can for
outside contained. This must be large
enough to allow at least four inches
OF packing around the nest. A box
long enough to contain two compart.
rnents may be secured. II this done
there must be at least six inches of
packing between the two nests and
two cushions to cover each nest sep
arately SO that one vessel may i've re-
moved without disturbing the other.
Next select the pan which you expect
TO put the food In to be cooked, and
make a pasteboard container to Ut
# closely. This will be the nest.
Then. for the packing between the
nest and the outside contained, use
some material through which the hea.
will not pass quickly. First line tho
bucket, or other container. with layers
ofspaperi to keep out air. Lint cotton.
wool, shredded newspaper. Spanish
moss and excelsior are good for pack
ing. The packing should be placed
in the outside container to depth OF
four inches then packed tightly around
card board nest, belng careful not 10
get nest out Of shape. When this mas
reached the top OF the nest cut Il
piece Of cardboard to fit the space.
cutting out circle to open the nest.
This cardboard, cover should be fas.
tened securely by pasted strips OF
cloth or heavy paper. The space be-
tween the top OF the nest and the lid
OF the outside contained must be filled
byla cushion or a pad. Make this the
exact size of the space and fill it with
the packing material. 1t should be at
least four inches thick and should ut
against the top tightly enough to
cause "a pressure when the lid is fas-
tened. 10 a. box Is used the lid should
be on hinges with hook to fasten It
down.. II q wooden container Is used,
Il will be more slightly II painted a
dull, dark brown or green. The cook
erSwill be, complete when castors have
been placed on the bottom to make
iteasily moved.
Using the Homemade cooker-Ef.
ficient cooking will depend upon re.
tention OF heat. A small quantity OF
food will not hold as much heat as
D larger one and will therefore con-
tlnue cooking for shorter time. The
more nearly full the vessel Is Of food,
the better will the heat be retained.
In heating the soapstone, be careful