48 
House & Garden 
A fully equipped electric kitchen with range, table-covered dishwasher and electric refrigerator. The fan 
makes an easy dehydrator for fruit and vegetables. The combination table and dishwasher is priced at $80 
and the refrigerator at $500. Courtesy of the N. Y. Edison Co. 
COOKING DE LUXE in AN ELECTRIC KITCHEN 
A Survey of the Necessary Equipment—What It Costs and How It Should Be Used 
S CIENCE, now the dictator of warfare, 
forced its way into our kitchens and set us 
to work anew. Its gentle taps, for the past ten 
years, have been unheeded except by the few 
who made domestic science a profession. Food, 
important as munitions for the maintenance of 
war, its raising, its substitutes, and its prepara¬ 
tion, have become a subject for earnest study. 
So, through war and patriotism, science, ten 
years ahead of its time, at last is being warmly 
welcomed in the realm of the kitchen. Not only 
is science called upon to assist us in preparing 
nourishing and appetizing meals but to produce 
them with the least possible expenditure of 
time, labor and money. 
To accomplish this electricity, the fuel of the 
future, has been subjugated to the simple pres¬ 
sure of thumb and forefinger. Drudgery, today, 
is merely a matter of push the button or turn on 
the switch. 
The modern kitchen is now as sanitary as 
the best hospital, supplied with equipment that 
EVA NAGEL WOLFE 
is operated with the least effort, and as easily 
kept in order as it is operated. 
After the experiences of last winter, one 
might say that electricity is the only depend¬ 
able fuel for heating and lighting. The ques¬ 
tion naturally arises: Is electricity practical 
from an economical standpoint? 
The Cost of Electricity 
The locality in which one resides answers 
this question. Throughout the Middle West 
electricity is cheaper than gas, while in the 
East, with few exceptions, it is higher. Each 
must answer the question for herself. 
The cost of the current is the only objection 
that can be raised against electricity. It has 
been found that at 3 cents per kilowatt hour, 
cooking by electricity will be equally as low as 
gas at $1 per 1000. Intelligent use of electricity 
at 5 cents per kilowatt hour will be economical 
but a higher rate makes only the use of the 
lamp socket devices practical. 
While the initial cost of an electric range 
may be considered high ($100 to $140) it must 
be taken into account, however, that such a 
range will last a lifetime. There is little or 
no loss of heat with electricity, for the heat 
generated is applied directly to the cooking sur¬ 
face. It is best to have flat bottomed utensils 
for surface cooking and only those that exactly 
fit the heating element, if one would receive the 
maximum amount of heat. The bulk of the 
baking or roasting operation may be accom¬ 
plished on retained heat, as all electric range 
ovens are insulated, (on the same principle as 
the fireless cooker). As soon as the oven is 
thoroughly heated the current may be turned 
off. In many of the electric ranges this is not 
necessary as the heat is controlled automatically 
by a thermostat. This arrangement gives a 
perfect control of temperature which makes for 
perfect results in cooking and more economical 
operation. 
The fact that little or no heat is wasted 
