SCIENCE NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 13 February 1913, Page 7

SCIENCE NOTES

CO.OKING WITHOUT JriKJi

Ever.- person concerned in the cooking of food knows how much time is spent [in waTching the food, and guarding against burning, boiling over, and un-der-cooking or over-cooking. If the claim of the inventors of too "Reonocooker" is to be .relied on, all this lime .spent in supervision is so much time wasted. During the last two months London has been witnessing exhibitions of a verv novel method of cooking. Experts who doubted have become strong partisans of the new method. The apparatus hv which this automatic cooking is made possible consists of a tray on to which is put a large bell-shaped cover. Underneath this cover, on the tray, are placed the pots and pans m which the cooking is to be done. A piece ot cast iron heated by whatever means is most convenient—a. e as ring, a fire, or a stove, and the heat thus obtained does the wor'k. The tray and the cover are made, of a special material, which conserves the heat inside for several hours—how manv hours we do not know, but much longer than is required. After the cover has been put on, no fuel is being used, no attention whatever is necessary, the cooking goes on quite by itself, and- so we are relieved of all _ the trouble and worry of "looking after" things. For roasting or or anything which is actually oven cooking, two pieces of iron are used, one above and one below. The immense convenience of such a method of cooking is very great. The meal is left alone, either for the minimum time which it to coo : k (approximately the same as with present methods), or as much longer as desired, because no over-cook in or takes place, and cooling does not became evident for several'hours. Many people have been much interested, and amongst the medical profession the opinion has been expressed that this new cooking is scientifically perfect, and that meals so cooked are considerably, more digestible than by present methods. To those, who wisely study economy, this apparatus offers considerable attraction, because fuel is only used for a few minutes, and meat loses'almost nothing in weight. The Edinburgh School of Cookery has been carrying out experiments with the "Econocooker," and it is understood that the cooks there have satisfied, themselves that, it is a practical apparatus, and capable of doing what is claimed for it.—"Scotsman." A REMARKABLE INSTRUMENT. What is probably the most accurate measuring instrument in existence (says the' "Daily Mail") is now in constant use at the Standards Department of the Board of Trade. The instrument was designed by Dr A. E. H. Tutton, the eminent. British scientist, and. its ordinary unit of measurement is the eightmillionth part of an inch, though it is susceptible of even greater accuracy. Measurements by it are made in wave lengths of light. It may be stated that the generally-accepted .theory is that light consists of vibrations in the socalled ether which pervades the entire universe, these vibrations striking the eye and giving rise to the sensation .of light. Light vibrations or waves of different length give the sensations of dilferent colours. The length of a light wave is extremely small. The unit of measurement of the instrument is based on the length of the red light .wave emitted by the glowing vapour of the metal cadmium. This length, which is invariable, is approximately one-forty thousandth of an inch. The instrument, which is of a complicated nature, can be used to measure the minute difference between two official standards of the same unit of length—for example, the. yard. TToreover, if by any accident, the official standards were to be destroyed, it would be possible to reconstruct them accurately with the aid of the'-in-strument, for its unit of measurement is invariable. -^

ROLLING THUNDER.

The prolonged roll of thunder is readily- explained by comparison with ii volley fired along a line of troops. Suppose troops to be drawn np in a- line in such numbers as to extend for a "mile and ordered, by a signal that all could see to fire at once. One standing at, the end of the line would hear the report of the musket nearest him instantly. He would hear the others successively. Thus a report. 550 feet away would come to him in half a.second l , and he would not hear. the' last report for five or six seconds after the gun had been fired. This would produce a. sort of roll, which would gradually increase in intensity. If the listener stood exactly midway between the two ends of the line, the reports from both ends would- reach him at once, and the sound would be but half as long in reaching- him as if. he had stood as one extremity. If the soldiers formed a circle there would be one sharp explosion. Flashes of lightning may be considered as representing three lines of ti'oops alonsj which the explosions occur, at the same time. Consider the variety of distance and position of the listener and we account for the. variety of sound in thunder. In mountainous regions the rolling is augmented bv reverberations or echoes.

SYNTHETIC STEAKS. Synthetic milk has already been produced, and now we hear of the possibility of the synthetic steak and other articles of food. Laboratory-made foodstuffs having as their bases.-many of the waste products of present-day culinary routine are-promised by experts. These foodstuffs may not reveal any of the physical characteristics of their components, but will nevertheless contain in concentrated form all the nutriments that are necessary for bodily ' health. The synthetic preparation of rubber has led many persons to assume that foodstuffs may be eventually prepared by purely chemical means, without the incorporation of even a small proportion of the natural article; the' idea being that even meat, although of course lacking in physical resemblance, might be made by the direct combination of the several elements of which it is known to be composed. .This development, ;however, is discounted'to-day as uneconomical and unnecessary. A Belgian chemist (M. Effent), who has been conducting research, claims to have prepared a paste three times as nourishing as meat, and of similar taste, entirely from restaurant waste. This waste is sterilised to free it from any injurious germs and then treated chemically. The result is stated to be a product perfectly adapted to . human consumption. Professor W. H. Perkin, of Manchester University, whose svnthetic preparation of rubber startled- the world last spring, discussing the possibility of synthetic foodstuffs with one of our representatives, stated : "It is difficult to see how chemistry can economically supply substances to compete with starch (in the form of maize, potatoes, and other cereals) or with meat, but verv probably r c w methods will be found for dealing with waste products from food production and enable them to be brought into a state fit for human consumption.

There is ho doubt that the- trend of modern- research is in the .direction of synthetic ih<- object being to de-viso' insthodr- in the kLciY.toiv and oubr-cquc-ni'ily in the -.vcri" far rh--> synthetic _ .i -p eduction of :üb:taii.-.'-••- nor: c'trciui-.c'd 'frnvn plants and oti..>r r..iturn! ■.. It ic probable that almost. aJI su. !i -.roi h.-tciu ~cs as nitric acid, ammonia, ind.aiaiii.fr. natural dye stuffs, and part: -ularly a..-;a----loids and ctii.r iiatiir-il'; •■i-riiiT:ng .s.di stances employed i-\ r.■■:■.:'. -in-' will -.'vi'iibe made synthetically, in many cases at a price which will enable them to compete successfully with natural product--."—London 'Standard."