Principle of fireless cooking. "The principle of fireless cooking is merely retaining the heat by insulation, just as cold is retained in ice box or refrigerator by insulation. Ordinarily we heat food to the boiling point and then leave it over the fire or in the oven to keep it at a cooking degree of heat, and to do this, on account of radiation, we must keep on supplying heat.

When cooking in a fireless cooker, the insulation retains all the heat, thus maintaining a cooking temperature without adding more heat. Herein lies the economy of fuel. For things requiring long cooking, a fireless will save three fourths of the gas, wood or coal used in a kitchen range."

Advantages of fireless cooking. Economy of fuel, space on stove, effort, utensils, food materials and flavor. It takes away the necessity of staying in kitchen to watch fire or food, food can be prepared hours before serving and still be hot without being dried up. Utensils are easier to clean because does not dry or burn on them. Absence of heat and odors in kitchen are another advantage.

Buying a fireless. If possible, buy cooker of good make, with closely fitted lids, and provided with tubes or valves for escape of steam. With fireless be sure to get Book of Directions for that particular make and Recipe Book.

Home made fireless. A good fireless may be made at home out of a milk or soap box, one or two pails or kettles with tight covers, and some hay or excelsior. An old ice box, if not too large, is very good. Put cover on hinges and add a hasp to keep cover tight. The box should be from two to five inches larger in every dimension than the utensil used. For packing use excelsior, hay, straw, paper, wool, cork, sawdust or any good nonconductor. Line box with several thicknesses of newspaper, pack bottom with firm layer of insulating material not less than three or four inches. Set utensil in middle of space and pack around it, very tightly, until level with top of kettle. Make a cushion, like a small mattress, four inches thick and large enough to fill up of box. The packing will retain its shape better if a cylinder that loosely fits the utensil is made of pliable cardboard. Make a cloth lining of heavy unbleached muslin, one piece one inch or more larger than top of box, with hole in center one inch less than diameter of vessel, second piece an inch more in width than the vessel is high and long enough to make cylinder around vessel; third piece round and an inch greater in diameter than vessel used. Form cylinder of straight piece, and stitch; add bottom round piece and fit other end of cylinder to center hole of top piece. This lining should fit snugly to packing; turn in edges and tack to box, about four inches below top, so that when cushion is placed on top of vessel, the cover fits tightly.

General Directions for Use.

Clean and dry cooker carefully after each use, air it in sun often.

Metal radiators heat more quickly than soapstone and also cool more quickly.

A small amount of food cools more quickly than a large amount.

Radiators should be hot enough to brown a sprinkle of flour.

Food is put in vessel and cover fastened tightly until thoroughly heated thro, then placed in tireless with hot radiators without being opened.

THE COLD-PACK METHOD OF CANNING.

The cold-pack method is considered better than the hot-pack method and is being used in most domestic science schools and in the homes of progressive housekeepers in the United States. In the hot-pack method there is always danger that germs may be introduced on spoons, in jars or through exposure to the air. If such germs are introduced the result is spoilage through working. Such vegetables as corn, peas, and beans are very difficult to keep by the hot-pack method.

A home made outfit for cold-pack canning: -

A vessel to hold the jars or cans. This vessel should have a tight-fitting cover. Provide a false bottom of wood or a wire rack to allow a free circulation of water under the jars. The wood bottom may be of perforated boards or of strips of bamboo woven together. This cold-pack process consists mainly of subjecting the filled jars to the heat or steam of boiling water for a prescribed length of time. The process of removing the jars from the sterilizer may be made less difficult by using a jar lifter. A very convenient lifter may be made from a pan-cake turner. Bend the blade until it is at right angle to the handle. The upturned portion of the blade should be about seven centimeters long. To use, slip the upturned blade under the bottom of the jar and lift straight up.

Jars. - All types of jars that seal perfectly may be used. Glass jars may be used indefinitely, but new rubbers should be used each time. Be sure that no jar is defective.. Test jars, using the same methods that was used in the hot-pack method.

Blanching. - Blanching is important with vegetables and many fruits. It consists of plunging them into boiling water for a short time. Spinach and other greens should be blanched in steam. To do this place them in an ordinary steamer, or suspend them in a tightly closed vessel above boiling water.

Blanching should be followed by the cold dip or plunging into cold water after removal from the hot water. Blanching removes strong flavors and odors. It also causes shrinkage so that a larger quantity may be packed in a jar. Cold dipping hardens the pulp and causes retention of original coloring. After blanching and cold dipping, the surface moisture should be removed by placing the vegetables or fruits between two clean cloths or by exposure to the sun.

Directions for Cold-pack Method.

1. Select sound vegetables and fruits. (If possible can them the same day they are picked.) Wash, clean and prepare them.

2. Have ready on the stove a kettle of boiling water.

3. Have ready on the stove a kettle of boiling water, dipping and blanching them in the boiling water.

4. Put them into the boiling water. (See timetable for blanching.) After the water begins to boil begin to count the blanching time.

5. The blanching time varies from two to twenty minutes. When the blanching is complete, remove the vegetables or fruit from the boiling water and plunge them a number of times into cold water to harden the pulp and check the flow of coloring matter. Do not let them stand in cold water.

6. The jars should be thoroughly clean. It is not necessary to sterilize them in boiling water before filling them for the reason that in the cold-pack process both the inside of the jars and the contents are sterilized. Heat the jars slightly before filling them to avoid breakage.

7. Pack the product into the jars leaving about one half centimeter space at the top.

8. With vegetables, add one level teaspoon of salt to each quart jar and fill with boiling water. With fruits use syrups. (See syrup proportions for cold-pack method.)

9. With glass jars use new rubbers. Fit on the rubber and put the lid in place. If the jar has a screw top do not screw up as tight as possible, but use only the thumb and little finger in tightening it. This makes it possible for steam generated within to escape and prevent breakage. If a glass top jar is used, snap the top bail only, leaving the lower bail loose during sterilization. Tin cans should be completely sealed.

10. Place the filled and capped jars on the rack in the sterilizer. Enough water should be in the sterilizer to come at least two centimeters above the jars, and the water in boiling out should never be allowed to drop to the level of these tops. Begin to count processing time when the water begins to boil.

11. Consult the table for the sterilizing period. At the end of this period remove the jars from the sterilizer. Fasten covers on tightly at once, turn the jars upside down to test for leakage, leave in this position until cold then store in a cool, dry, dark place. Be sure that no draft is allowed to blow on the jars while cooling, as it may cause breakage.

Vegetable Canning in Cold-pack.

Vegetable Greens.- - Spinach, all other leaves used for greens, and cabbage should be carefully sorted, and trimmed, the old leaves and coarse stems removed, and the greens then blanched in steam from fifteen to twenty minutes. After blanching, they should be plunged into cold water. They are then packed tight in cans. Add hot water to fill up the crevices and sterilize two hours.

Boot or Tuber Vegetables. - This class includes carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, and sweet potatoes. After being thoroughly washed and scrubbed, they should be scalded long enough to loosen the skin. Plunge them immediately into cold water for a moment then scrape or pare off the skin. They may be packed in the jars whole or cut into cubes. Fill the jars with boiling water, adding one teaspoon of salt to the quart. Screw on the tops lightly and sterilize for ninety minutes. Remove from the sterilizing kettle, fasten covers tightly, cool, and store.

Tomatoes. - Scald the tomatoes enough to loosen the skin. Then plunge them into cold water, core and skin them and pack them whole. Do not put any hot water in the jars, but add one teaspoon of salt to each quart jar. Loosely seal and sterilize thirty minutes. Tighten covers, invert jars to cool and test, store.

Com off the cob. - After blanching, slice the corn from the cob with a thin sharp knife. Pack the sliced corn in jars, add a teaspoon of salt to each quart, fill with hot water and sterilize for three hours.

Squash. - Cut squash into small pieces, blanch for ten minutes, dip into cold water, pack in jars, fill each jar with boiling water and add one teaspoon salt to each quart. Sterilize for ninety minutes.

Pod Vegetables. - Such vegetables as lima beans, string beans, peas, and okra should be blanched in boiling water from two to five minutes, plunged into cold water and packed. Fill jars with boiling water, adding a teaspoon of salt to each quart. Sterilize two hours. Remove from kettle, screw on tops securely, invert jars to cool and test, then store.

Fruit-canning in cold-pack.

Fruits may also be canned by this method. Not all fruits are blanched. Sugar syrups are poured over the fruits instead of hot water. Different grades of syrups are mentioned in the directions. In making these syrups use three cups of sugar to two cups of water, the various densities being gained by shorter or longer boiling.

Thin syrup is sugar and water boiled so that all the sugar is dissolved but the syrup is not sticky.

Medim thin syrup is that which has begun to thicken and is sticky when cooled on a spoon.

Fruit-canning Directions for the Cold-pack Method. Soft Fruits. These are fruits such as ripe mangoes, pineapples, lanzones, and Benguet strawberries. Pare, peel, seed or stem as the case requires and pack them immediately in jars. Then fill with boiling thin syrup and screw covers on lightly. Sterilize sixteen minutes, remove from the sterilizing kettle, tighten covers, invert jars, to cool and test for leakage, wrap in paper and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Note. - Remove the outside skin of lanzones, separate the fruit into sections, remove all membrane and seeds.

Hard fruits, santols, Chinese pears, and other hard fruits should be blanched for two minutes. Plunge them quickly into cold water, core, pit or remove skins as necessary and put them up quartered or sliced. Fill the cans with boiling medium thin syrup. Put on tops and sterilize twenty minutes, remove, tighten covers, invert to cool and test, wrap in paper and store.

Sliced oranges. - Divide into natural sections or slice with a knife. Do not blanch. Pack jars closely and fill with boiling thin syrup. Sterilze the partially sealed jar ten minutes. Remove, tighten covers, invert to cool and test, wrap in paper and store.

Some Precautions. Care must be used in sealing. Mold is apt to develop if the sealing is defective. It is unsafe to keep jars in a damp place where the rubbers may decompose. Another thing to guard against is improper or inadequate blanching and cold dipping. Care should be taken to follow the instruction on this point.

Careless packing should be avoided. Vegetables and fruits should be packed closely in jars and after this has been done, the jars should be filled with hot salted water in the case of vegetables and syrup in the case of fruit. If the packing is not carefully done shrinkage may take place during sterilization.

In canning green vegetables like spinach, it is important that the mineral salts and volatile oils should not be lost. For this reason the greens should never be blanched in hot water. The blanching must be in steam.

It is important that vegetables and fruits should not be allowed to remain too long in the sterilizer. If sterilization is allowed to continue too long the product will shrink. Watch the time and follow the schedule as given in the table.