758 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of rubbing a useless waste of power. And 

 now, as the latest and most important ad- 

 dition to the resources of the house-keeper, 

 we have a device which, going under the 

 name of the " Warren Cooker," accom- 

 plishes an even greater reduction in the la- 

 bor, expense, and care of the culinary de- 

 partment of the household. 



This implement was but recently intro- 

 duced into this country, and, though widely 

 commended, is comparatively unknown ; we 

 cannot, therefore, do our readers a better 

 service than to give them a brief account of 

 its advantages. The article is an applica- 

 tion of the principle that cooking is best 

 done at a low, uniform heat, or a heat that, 

 in the case of meats, will neither coagulate 

 their juices nor harden their fibre. By 

 Warren's plan both meat and vegetables are 

 cooked at the same time, though in separate 

 compartments and in different ways. When 

 the " Cooker " is in operation, the meat is 

 enclosed in a tight chamber, the bottom of 

 which rests in boiling water, while a large 

 portion of the sides is surrounded by steam, 

 the remaining or upper portion of the sides 

 being exposed to the outer air. No water 

 or steam is permitted to enter the chamber, 

 which, by the above-described arrangement, 

 is kept at a uniform temperature of about 

 210 Fahr. The juices of the meat, and 

 consequently its flavor, are thus wholly re- 

 tained without dilution or impairment, and 

 at the end of the process both fibre and 

 juices are left in a condition most favorable 

 to the work of digestion, none of the hard- 

 ness or stringiness of baked or roasted meats 

 being in the least degree perceptible. 



Vegetables are cooked by steam, which 

 in its exit is made to traverse a chamber 

 divided into compartments for the reception 

 of different sorts. Dumplings, or any thing 

 else permitting the direct contact of steam, 

 may also be cooked in this part of the ap- 

 paratus. 



We have had the implement in almost 

 daily use for upward of six months, cooking 

 with it the meat, fish, and poultry, ordina- 

 rily employed for the table, and its general 

 performance has been in the highest degree 

 satisfactory. It saves all round, and might 

 very appropriately have been named the 

 "Economical Cooker." Compact and simple 

 in arrangement, it is easily and quickly got 



into operation. Unable to go wrong when 

 once properly started, it does away with the 

 worry and care incident to ordinary cooking. 

 Run by any contrivance that will boil water, 

 it makes possible a great saving of fuel. 

 Cooking the meat in a closed pot, without 

 access of either water or steam, it saves 

 over the old way a large percentage of 

 material ; and, always turning out an evenly- 

 cooked, juicy, and never overdone joint, it 

 above all saves the feelings of the entire 

 family. 



To this strong indorsement of the imple- 

 ment, it is our duty to add a word of cau- 

 tion, for the benefit of those who are just 

 commencing its use. The circulars of the 

 manufacturer state the time per pound re- 

 quired for cooking various meats. Rigidly 

 adhering to these directions when we first 

 began to use the " Cooker," underdone din- 

 ners were the frequent result ; and it was 

 soon learned that from three to five minutes 

 additional per pound were required to make 

 the process complete. 



Not the least of the advantages that will 

 follow the general adoption of this mode 

 of cooking will be, the encouragement of 

 simplicity in the preparation of food ; for, 

 inasmuch as the contrivance preseves the 

 natural flavor of the articles cooked in it, 

 there will be no need of adding all sorts of 

 rich and indigestible sauces to replace the 

 losses which occur in cooking by the meth- 

 ods now commonly employed. 



Venomous Spiders in New Zealand. 



Until recently it was supposed that New 

 Zealand contained no venomous reptiles or 

 noxious animals of any kind, and it was 

 only so late as the year 1856 that the first 

 scientific notice appeared of a poisonous 

 spider, a native of that country. This no- 

 tice was communicated to the British Lin- 

 najan society by Dr. Ralph, and contained a 

 brief description of the katipo {night-sting- 

 er), giving an account of its nesting habits 

 and of the potency of its sting. A writer 

 in the Field, who has closely studied this 

 animal in its native habitat, cites numer- 

 ous instances showing that the katipo's 

 bite is occasionally fatal, and invariably 

 very painful. Like many other venomous 

 creatures, the katipo is not aggressive, and 

 stings only when he is molested and greatly 



