THE HOUSEHOLD CHORES 145 



are canned in sugar syrup. The other is that in 

 kitchens employing some form of gas or other con- 

 trolled heat, pressure-cooking permits a great sav- 

 ing in fuel. Once the desired temperature is 

 reached inside the cooker the fire under it can be 

 turned down and down almost to extinction; a 

 saving not only in fuel but also in wear and tear 

 on the human frame, since the temperature of a 

 summer canning kitchen can be something fero- 

 cious. 



A decided disadvantage of the pressure-cooker 

 is that it needs watching. Those of us born in the 

 age of steam still have a wholesome respect for 

 boilers; the modern housewife may be able to go 

 about her business and leave the cooker running, 

 but not me. Even though the safety valve, pressure 

 gauge, and thermometer are not apt to go out of 

 action simultaneously, I still am taking no re- 

 motest chance of being blown to kingdom come by 

 a piece of flying metal; I definitely gave all that 

 up in November, 1918. And there is another good 

 reason for keeping an eagle eye on the doings, 

 whatever one's regard for life and limb: once the 

 desired pressure has been reached it must be main- 

 tained evenly. Wide fluctuations spoil the batch. 

 With the steadiest heat in the world this can only 

 be done by keeping an eye on the gauge and a 

 hand on the throttle. Hence, while the cooker is 

 in operation the canner must either drop entirely 



