PAPER BAG COOKERY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1186, 22 July 1911, Page 11

PAPER BAG COOKERY.

GREAT EXCITEMENT. Australians, and" especially Australian tfonienkind (says r.n Australian paper) have had their appetites whetted by the announcement that tho novel paper bag cookery has made its appearance in demonstrational form on this side, of (ho world. Melbourne women arc apparently in raptures over.it. And, in this, they are not alone." London took it very seriously. The inventor of tho system, Jr. Nicolas. Soyor,. chef of Brooks Club, has run tho. gauntlet,of many public-.demon-strations, and ho has como out smiling every time. Tho audiences before which lie demonstrated were critics in culinary matters. The educational aspect of the "discovery" indeed seems to have been made a feature iii London. Thousands of persons saw the dapper French chef perform his wonders. Hundreds of those thousands wore sent by the London Teachers' Association, which circularised all those engaged, r.s .domestic economy instructresses . in tho County Council schools. What M. Soyer Says. ,M..Sqyer, in a letter, dealt viith tho Batter in a general way, and incidentally answered some questions that naturally arise when one thinks of tho utilisation of a paper bag as a cooking utensil, .as'a displacer of pots and pans. "Until recently," he said, /'tho culinary art. has been very conservative. Satire and hum--1 our were excited by ■ tho iSea at first."

Tien, in the humorous vein in-which he treated his critics, he said: "The man in the street no longer smiles. His only dnquiry seems to me to bo. 'When can I get a supply of bags.'" It. Soyer says that everything may be cooked in a paper bag. An awkward question that suggested itself to one of his hearers was, "What will I do if tlie bag breaks?" M. Soyer's reply was, "Mix some flour and the white of an egg till it becomes like dough, and tben repair the break." To the bachelor girl it is suggested that it will be little short of a godsend. It is also speciallv recommended to dwellers in flats and single rooms. Though there has been evolved a bag specially adapted for the purpose, it is worth aoting that M. Soyer himself prior to the evolution of "tbo bag," for many years used white foolscap paper bags, made grease-proof, according to- tie dish he was cooking, with olive oil, butter, or dripping, The "Soyer" bag Tanges in price from 2s. Sd. per 100 for bags &sin. by 4Jin., to Bs. 6d. per 100 for those. 18* in. by lliin. These are the London prices, .i How to Proceed. . ; It .is essential that the bag used should bo of the right size, sealed up, and held together by a clip., closure being effected by folding tho open end two or three time 3, and fixing a fastener at each side. The system may be applied to coal ovens, and gas stoves, and tho oven must be ■noil floated before the bag and its contents are placed in it. In a gas stove the gas may at this stage be lowered to about half-pressure. The first difficulty that suggests itself Is how to know when the contents are cooked, and on this point the advocates D-f the system say that the cook will, in the course of time, know by touch when things are "done to a turn." But a fork may be used, and it is stated that the

small holes made will not neutralise the benefit of the system. The bag must be placed on n wiro grid, and several dishes may b« cooktcl on the ouo grid at the same- time. Tho inside.of (he bag should be groased in tho cookiiiK of meat or fish, though wator may l;e used instead for fish. Tho times occupied in the process cf cooking ore set out in Iho following table:— ]{oast mutton, .dOinin. Bloaters. Mmin. Koast chicken, 'lOinin. Green peas, oflmin. &tew of mutton, ttmin. Ileal York luun, Tmin. Salmon curifcts, lL'inin. Eggs and bacon, Siniu. Turbot cutlets, 12min. Beef tea, lSinin. Pair of haddocks, lOmin. These, are a few of tho times, and may be used in comparison. Eggs can toe cooked ill tho bag; they may Jie boiled in it even. In fact, 31. Soyer hopes to perfect a bag for the making of toffee.

The advantages claimed for tho system are:— Cleanliness. Adds to the flavour of the food. Preserves its essential nutritive elements. , Does away with unpleasant fumes! Reduces the shrinkage engendered in cooking. Saves labour, as it dispenses with the need of so many utensils. Is economical both in time and in the reduction of the cost of gas or coal.