COOKING WITHOUT A FIRE

Evening Star, Issue 14001, 6 March 1909, Page 11

COOKING WITHOUT A FIRE

A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION. “It is somewhat curious that the idea of keeping the teapot warm in a tea ccrecy liar, not been extended, since it is based on a scientific principle. For some thirteen years jmt Mrs Back, the wife of the director of the Industrial School at Frankfort. lias been investigating in til is direction, and recently she described before an extensive audience the results of her completely successful efforts.”

T he above was the aliening paragraph in an article read by ii Dunedin lady over twelve months ago regarding a new ’ y.-tem of cooking, largely wnhant lha aid of lire, and v. it hj a minimum of trouble. The idea took possession of her mind, and for some twelve months she has been quietly experimenting on the lines indicated bv Mrs Back.

As a result of her experimenting she came to the conclusion that the system should bo widely known, ancl a srna.il beginning was mad" ai Bluart Hull, Frederick ctreet, on Thursday afternoon, in the presence of about forty personal friends and a sprinkling of strangers, when the method uaa fully explained, and those present had the opportunity of testing the value of the method by sampling some of the dishes cooked. Th© met bod is simplicity itself: co much so that many people will be inclined lo scoff at the idea. But the ladic-; who attended the demonstration (including a teacher of cooking at the Technical School) did not scoff. They were much impressed by the splendid results obtained with such a small amount of trouble. A committee of ladies attended at Stuart Hall at 11 a.m. Tho demonstrator told them that she intended cooking five varieties of food--via., steak and onions, kingfish (with sauce), green peas, plums and rice. She boiled each variety for about two minutes in tinware, vessels, and then placed them in boxes arranged along tho iront of the platform. As each vessel or vessels were placed in a box they were tightly packed with fresh hay, a hay “pillow” was placed on the top. the lid was closed down, and the cooking, so far as Hie demonstrator was concerned, was done with until required for use.

At 2.30 the invited ladies met in the Stuart Hail, when box after box was opened, and the constuts in each care were found to be perfectly cooked, and os “ piping hot ” as if newly off a hot range or out of an oven.

The value of such a- method of cooking to hard-working mothers cannot be overestimated. As a circular of instructions, issued by the demonstrator, says, "The housewife can put her dinner in immediately after breakfast, can then give her attention to children and other household affairs, or go shopping, knowing that the dinner will be nicely cooked liv twelve o’clock, without consumption of fuel, without watching, without ‘ boiling over,’ ‘ boiling in,’ or any similar trouble.” i'hc demonstrator claims (as is also claimed by Airs Back, the originator of the method) that food cooked in the hay box is better cooked than in the ordinary way. and that the flavors arc better retained-’