The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-03-15
BACK TO TIE FIRST PRINCIPLE
fBy Roland Z Patten)


baked potatoes This decision was
not expected to involve an expert
ment but it came out that way.
commenced by turning on the but
ton for the oven of the electric stove
Then | proceeded to get couple OF
medium sized potatoes and clean them
thoroughly. CHANGING at the oven
about this time | noted that the in
Dictator had not progressed any and
then I recalled. that the electros or
heating plates had been taken out
week or two since and sent away
for repair. The oven was out of
commission; no potatoes could be
baked in that OF course my need
for potatoes was not desperate but
having started out TO have them
did not feel like being baked in just
that way. There was the hot water
heating plant. had frequently
broiled meats over the Goals in the
heater. but | did not just see how
could bring 1t into play for cooking
potatoes. There were all sorts Of
electric appliances but none of them
adaptable for baking. On the table
in~the living room was the radio out
fit but there did not seem TO be any
possibility in that for my present pur-
pose. In this same room there was
an open fire where | had frequently
popped corn. 1t came to my mind
that had my ancestors of one hundred
years ago been faced with the same
problem they would have cooked their
potatoes in the fireplace.
| have myself seen potatoes boiled
in a kettle hanging on crane over
an open fire. | have also seen bis
cults cooked in a Dutch oven set up
before fireplace. | have, too. cook
ed potatoes out -of-doors the method
being to build a fire preferably in
hollow spot and. after the ground gets
good and hot, scrape the Goals away
bury the potatoes lightly in the top
of the ground, and cover them up with
the hot Goals and ashes. By little
practice one can cook potatoes splen-
tlidly in that way much after the me-
thod of baking beans in the gnound.
1t occurred to me to follow the same
plan in the ashes of the fireplace and
! did so.
Bearing in mind the heat on my
hands and face while popping corn
/ was fearful that the potatoes
would burn without cooking, so at
first / covered them three or four
inches thick with ashes, and taking
care not to have too hot fire direct
" over them While I was expert
menting | thought | had better try
something else so | put in good
big parsnip and a fair-sized onion
with the potatoes. At the end or
an hour | found there had been prac-
tically no progress. All OF the We
getables were about as hard as when
they started. so | scraped off some of
the ashes leaving not more than half
an inch to cover them. At the end
of another hour both the potatoes
and the onion were cooked just fine
During these two hours | had built
up rather happy anticipation about
these potatoes and thought somehow
this peculiar method would give them
an unusually agreeable favor. AS
to that | am reminded of a story told
by Frenchman about how he cooked
a rabbit His first suggestion was
that you catch your rabbit and then
he went into a good many details as
to how his hide was to be removed
and the preparations for the stew
After carefully telling how much wa
ter to use, how to flavor, and how to
serve. he wound up the story by say
ing: "And when had done all this
| Just as lief have some good beef
steak" Well, it was just that way
about the potatoes. The first one
! tried was good enough but not a
bit better than | have seen baked in
an oven hundreds of times. How
ever, the novelty of it was attractive
and I shall try the experiment again.
AS to the onion, it, too, would be
covered by the rabbit story. 1t was
Just as good as an onion cooked any
other way but no better.
| conceived the notion of leaving
the parsnip ad the other potato over
night and seeing how they would come
out for breakfast. THIS experiment
could not be called successful. While
was anxious to leave them where
they would be subject to very mo-
derate heat only, while the fire was
dying out, and perhaps kept warm
for the balance of the night by the
not DrlcKS anu WdIlii dohcop tuV po'"'o
dried altogether too much and the
interior was yellowed so as to be I'M
attractive The parsnip also rather
demonstrated the fact that 1t should
be boiled in the usual manner rather
than baked think that by prac-
ticing one could cook potatoes for
breakfast in the ashes by putting
them in under just the right circum-
stances the night before. Am in
clined to think they would cook and
he nice and hot ready for the break
fast table If the thing was skillfully
done.
do not expect my experiences
will lead people to abandon the kit
chen stove or the electric range for
most culinary operations. Perhaps
| have shown, however, that II we are
ingenious we can go back to cook
ing methods of one hundred years ago
when circumstances seemed to require
IL.
-,