Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-06-16
Observe These Ten Rules for
Saving Gas.


culate for yourself the cost of the
: fuel that cooks your meals.
Light the flame just as it is to
be used.
Turn the gas off as soon as the
cooking is done.
Use a short, stiff, clear, blue
flame.
Use the simmerer whenever pos
sible.
Always turn the burner down
after the kettle starts to boil.
Use the utensil which has hot
tom of the right size to utilize the
heat most effectively.
Keep the burner clean.
Use small oven whenever pos
sible.
When range oven is used be sure
that all Of it's heat is utilized
Are you acquainted with your gas
range? If you are not, it will pay you
well to take time to learn more about it.
Many experiments are being tried on
gas ranges in the experimental kitchen
of the Office of home economics, United
States department of agriculi..re,S and
interesting results are being obtained.
You will find it worth while to try some
Of the same experiments with your
stove; others will probably suggest
themselves, and your acquaintance with
the stove will increase accordingly.
How much gas do you use when you
are getting the Sunday dinner? You
can find out by reading the gas meter
before the cooking starts and after the
cooking is done. II you do not remem-
her just how to read it, ask the gas man
to explain it to you when he comes
around the next time. The habit of
reading the meter once a week and
comparing amounts used will help to
keep gas saving in mind and make it
possible to calculate your gas bill.
In the preparation Of that dinner
count the ways by which you could save
gas. If you are one Of the many who
light the gas before the teakettle is
filed and who forget to turn off the
heat the minute the pie is baked, you
will find those are good times to begin
to save.
If you test the heat given by various
kinds of flames, you will find that the
short, stiff, clear, blue flame brings best
results. 1t is waste OF time and gas
to use the high, smoking, yellow flame,
which results when too much air is
mixed with the gas and which you can
prevent by partially closing the air
shutter: Never turn the flame so high
that it is brought up close to the kettle
and flares around it, for this wastes
gas, makes the flame less hot and
blackens the kettle.
Many gas stoves have at least four
kinds of burners-includihg giant
burner and simmerer-and a large part
of gas economy consists in knowing
which one to use, and when.
Try the Simmerer.
If you consider the little simmerer
burner on your range a mere ornament
a nj ~ M rool ,,co vn,, 4, ~, ,,nIarro tiny
its value. 1t uses from one-fifth to
one-sixth as much gas as the other top
burners and will keep kettle boiling
after 1t has been brought to the boil on
one of the other top burners. The
giant burner uses from three to six
cubic feet an hour more than the other
top burners, so it should be used only
when absolutely necessary As soon as
a kettle bOils, see how far you can turn
the gas down and still keep it boiling.
The experimental kitchen has found
that it will continue to boil with the
burner turned down from one-half to
One-third. Also, if that pan or kettle is
&
large bottOmed, the gas will be better
utilized than if it is smaller than the
burner.
Keep the Burners Clean.
The easiest way to keep burners
clean, of course, is by the ounce-of-pre-
vention method. Never allowing boil
ing over is the best way of keeping the
burners clean, but if the accident should
happen the burners can be removed
easily and scrubbed in soap and water.
A wire will assist in cleaning the holes
il they still remain clogged.
The range oven requires much more
gas an hour than one top burner does,
so it must be used carefully if the gas
bill is to be reduced. If you do much
baking in small quantities You can save
gas with a small removable oven to be
used on the top of the stove. Tests
showed great difference when one
egg cakes were baked for one hour at
the same temperatures in the small and
range ovens. In the small oven the
cake required seven cubic feet of gas