Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 285 



dripping-pan too much, and caused the water in it to 

 be soon evaporated ; it likewise caused them to warp, 

 and sometimes prevented their doors from closing them 

 with that precision which is necessary. 



If the hot air in a roaster be permitted to escape by 

 the crevices of its door, or, what is still worse and more 

 likely to happen, if cold air be permitted to enter the 

 roaster by those openings, it is quite impossible that the 

 process of roasting can go on well. 



As cold air will always tend to press into the body of 

 the roaster by every passage that is left open, whenever, 

 the roaster being hot, the damper of its steam-tube is 

 open, this shows how necessary it is, in roasting meat, 

 not to leave that damper open at any time when it ought 

 to be kept closed. 



As iron doors for confining heat are very liable to 

 be warped by the expansion of the metal, they should 

 never be made to shut into grooves, but they should be 

 made to close tight by causing the flat surface of the 

 inside of the door to lie against and touch in all parts 

 the front edge of the door frame, which front edge 

 must of course be made to be perfectly level, and as 

 smooth as possible. 



When the body of the roaster is made cylindrical, it 

 will be easier to make the front of it, against which its 

 door closes, level, than if it were of any other form ; 

 and when the door is circular, by making it a little 

 dishing, it will not be liable to be warped, especially 

 when it is made double. 



If the front end of the cylinder of sheet iron which 

 forms the body of the roaster be turned outwards over 

 a very stout iron wire (about one third of an inch in 

 diameter, for instance), this will strengthen the roaster 



