FIRELESS COOKERY
The Fireless Cooker has become an important factor in the home. The principle employed is the preservation of heat by the use of non-conducting materials. The device ordinarily used is a rectangular box lined on all sides with some substance which will prevent escape of heat, with spaces or wells for stone or metal discs or radiators, and vessels containing food to be cooked.
The advantages of this method are: the improvement in flavor occasioned by the slower cooking with little opportunity for evaporation, the improved appearance of food that is subject to shrinkage when cooked by ordinary methods; the saving in labor and time, as the cooking practically takes care of itself. Dinner may be prepared in the morning, placed in the cooker, and without further attention be ready to serve after 3 or 4 hours. While the time required for cooking is somewhat longer than in the usual methods, the actual time consumed in preparation of a meal is considerably reduced.
General Directions
Prepare food for cooking as usual. Place in special vessel, designed to fit into wells of Fireless Cooker, and heat on range or over gas flame until ordinary cooking temperature is reached. Put into cooker with one or more radiators which have been heated for 10 or 15 minutes over hot fire. For roasting, radiator should be hot enough to brown a pinch of flour immediately. Close cover, fasten lightly so that the steam may escape and allow cooking to proceed for time specified in recipes.
For baking cake, apples, etc., proceed as for roasting. The time required for baking is slightly longer than that specified for regular ovens. For cake ordinarily baked in a moderate oven, heat radiators hot enough to brown a pinch of flour in half a minute.
CEREALS
Prepare cereal for cooking in double boiler as usual. Boil over fire for 5 minutes; place in larger vessel of boiling water in cooker, and allow it to remain 4 or 5 hours or longer. If placed in cooker at night it should remain warm enough to serve for breakfast.
STEAMING
For recipes see "Boston Brown Bread," "Poor Man's Pudding," "Christmas Plum Pudding," etc. Prepare and mix ingredients as directed. Put into greased molds and place in shallow pan of boiling water over very hot radiator in cooker. Fasten cover tight and cook for 5 to 6 hours.
SOUPS
For ingredients and preparation of soups see pages 29 and 30.
Place ingredients in a vessel; cover with cold water; bring to boil over free flame and boil 5 minutes. Fasten cover and transfer to cooker, using one hot radiator in bottom of well. Cook 4 or 5 hours, season and serve.
BOILED OR STEWED MEATS
Prepare meat for cooking as usual, searing in frying pan if desired brown. Place in large vessel and cover or partly cover with boiling water, boiling with cover fastened tight for 10 or 15 minutes over free flame. Transfer to cooker, using one hot radiator underneath. Cook 2 or 3 hours, season and serve.
ROAST MEATS
Prepare and season meat in usual way. Place in large dry vessel; put very hot radiator in bottom of cooker well; place vessel containing roast on radiator, and place another very hot radiator on top. Close cooker and fasten. Allow it to remain about one-half hour per pound of meat.
The roast may be browned in a very hot oven before putting into cooker or just before serving.
VEGETABLES
Prepare vegetables as usual. Place in vessel with small quantity of boiling water. As there is little evaporation in tireless cookers, allowance does not have to be made for loss by evaporation. Boil over free flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cooker, using one radiator in bottom of well. Cook 3 or 4 hours, remove from cooker, season and serve.