VICTORIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 April 1937, Page 3

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE.

SABAH AI-fl-TS BHODES FELLOWSHIP v;: HOME SC'IEI'TOE DO YOU HAVE TBOUBLE j WITH BAKING '1 'f you are foriunate enough to own i a new insulated range, do not think I- lhat the temperature control is inaccurate if you cannot follow exactly the time and ten;peruture given in your cookery book and obtain desirable results. The temperature is given merely as a guide. The exact temperature is iaipossibie to give, as the material in the baking dish, the load of the oven a.ml the height of the dish, as well as t.lie type of ingredients in the baked product, all enter into affecting the time and temperature. Even with accurate regulators, beautiful modern stoves are not fool proof. Common sense is still a necessary accessory. With a new stove it is a good plan to look in occasn oually until you find the correct temperature, for your type of dishes. We have often wondered why Mrs Smith’s cake was a ‘failure when -Sirs Jones used the same recipe and made a most delicious creation? Or why Airs. Brown could not bake good bread with her new range when she was using the same recipe she had used for years. And scores of other similar complaints which were usually blamed upon the new range, but which, upon investigation, were found to be really due to a change in the type of ingredients, or the type of utensil. Some of the complaints might be: ‘‘l’ve never been able to bake a good pie in that oven, it does not bake on the bottom.’’ “All my tarts burn up at the temperature where I used to bake them—my regular must be too hot. ’’ ‘‘l’ve never been able to brown scones in our new oven.” If the ovens are tested for temperatures and found correct, then there must, naturally, be some other cause I for the unsatisfactory results. In a wood stove we are dealing with radiant heat, the same as we are in our modei-ri insulated ovens. Granite and pyrex absorb radiant boat and so are excellent foi pie making, as a quickset bottom crust is desirable to prevent sogginess. Aluminium and bright tin are reflective, so are not desirable for pies, but are excellent for richer mixtures such as large and small cakes, j These tend to burn when baked on a material -which absorbs heat. Alumiiir imii, because of its even heat distribution, makes a more level cake and more delicately browned small cakes. It ; s also the most desirable for meringues and kisses.

Experiments ha\ T o been made using four pie dishes of equal size and height but made of granite, pyrex, light tin and aluminium. Three times apple pics Avore baked at the same time in the sae oven and the bottom crusts Avere compared Avith the folloAving results each time; — Granite dish—very Avell browned, nasoaked. Pyrex dish—Avell browned, flaky, unsoaked. Light tin—not aa t ell browned or flaky, slightly soaked. Aluminium —not Avell browned oi flaky, soaked. The pyrex dish, being a sloAver eouducter of heat, would not set the crust quite so quickly as the granite dish. No difference Avas found when using a dark grey or a Avhite enamel dish. The pie in an aluminium dish was tiled at a higher temperature, but still gave a soaked crust. The answer to the problem of the biscuits or scones not browning may be found in the type of dish being used. In' a high side light aluminium dish the biscuits AA T ill not broAA 7 n, but in a iow side aluminium sheet they bake perfectly. In a high side tin there is both deflection and reflection. When the cooking of cakes in blacU and bright tins was compared, it was found that there aa t us no temperature where the cakes in the dark tin baked pgi-fecfiv. When a desirable colour on top they were too broAvn on the bottom. Aluminium or light tin baked the satisfactory cakes. Definite conclusions are not possible as long as we have different types of ovens with varying types of heat. About all avc can do at is ;o learn our owm OA 7 en and the leaction or heat on our own lurking mateiials.