House & Garden 
COOKING WITH RETAINED HEAT 
A Clear Explanation op the Purposes and 
Use af the Fireless Cooker 
EVA NAGEL WOLF 
I F thrift will produce such 
cooks as the French, cer¬ 
tainly the Americans can 
hope, because of the war, to 
compete with their cousins 
over seas. It has been our 
pleasure, in these grim war 
days, to vie with one another 
in matters of economy. Rich 
and poor alike have used 
every possible means to ac¬ 
complish the desired results. 
And that which was done for 
the sake of peace, with such 
remarkable results, has come 
to stay—with peace. 
The Saving 
It is amazing how much we 
saved! Every woman has had 
her turn in the kitchen. In 
the days when servants were 
not to be had, the mistress 
donned a business-like apron, 
rolled up her dainty sleeves 
and assumed charge. She 
worked systematically, she 
used every labor saver, time 
saver and money saver. She 
found that among other 
things she could cut her gas 
bill by the use of the fireless 
cooker. So the fireless 
cooker has become a 
kitchen necessity. It 
will be used hence¬ 
forth by Bridget when 
she condescends to 
leave the munition 
factory or the trolleys - 
to return to the 
kitchen. 
But when she does 
return she will find 
that Madame, among 
other things, will ini¬ 
tiate her in the uses of 
“that quar little box” 
that cooks with no 
visible fire. Bridget 
will be amazed to find 
that not only will it 
cook, but that it will 
cook the biscuits, the 
vegetables, the roast 
and the dessert at one 
and the same time 
and that all will be 
ready to serve with no 
attention from her 
after once they are 
shut up in the box. 
Modern Cookers 
The modem fireless 
cooker must not suffer 
from the faults of the 
A time clock and automatic heat adjuster is a necessary accessory for the fireless cooker. The 
electricity is turned off when the required heat is reached. Courtesy of the Edison Company 
old-fashioned one. No long¬ 
er is food allowed to remain 
in the cooker after it has been 
thoroughly cooked. The 
method of cooking in the 
modern cooker differs from 
that of the old one. Former¬ 
ly all food had to be cooked 
in liquids. The temperature 
was always below the boiling 
point, hence the quantity of 
liquid depended upon the 
length of the cooking process. 
A greater quantity of liquid 
was required for a lengthened 
cooking period. 
The constmction differs 
also from that of the modern 
one. They could be made 
with a tighter seal, conse¬ 
quently the food remained at 
a higher temperature for a 
greater length of time than 
in the modern invention. 
However, the modem cooker 
is safer and more sanitary 
than the other. It can, 
when heated, radiate a tem¬ 
perature equal to that of any 
range oven, therefore must 
be constmcted so that any 
danger of an explosion from 
compressed steam 
cannot occur. The 
steam escapes by 
means of safety valves 
in the outside covers. 
Another arrangement 
entirely different but 
quite as effective is 
the plunger-like cover 
of other cookers to 
allow the steam to 
pass off. 
Cylinder Construction 
Another important 
part of the construc¬ 
tion of the fireless 
cooker is the cylinder. 
The most expensive 
are seamless, the less 
expensive have one 
seam. If there is the 
slightest opening or 
gap in this seam the 
cooker is practically 
worthless. To pre¬ 
vent any escape of 
steam the wise cook 
keeps this seam thor¬ 
oughly rubbed with 
olive oil or any salt¬ 
less grease. Alumi¬ 
num is chosen for 
forming the cylinder 
{Continued on p. 54) 
