COOKING BY ELECTRICITY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 669, 16 May 1914, Page 3

COOKING BY ELECTRICITY.

The very term "cooking by electricity" haa a fascination for most people, which ia accounted for by the mystery which surrounds the subject chiefly on account of the fact that so little heat ia given off by the ordinary electric lamp leading to the saying "there ia no heat in electric light." For the last two years the Wellington City Corporation Electric Lighting Department has been pushing on the consumption of electricity during the dap time so that the "day load" may aa nearly as possible equal the "night load" thus having the plant working at its maximum for the greatest possible number of hours in the twenty four; it is obvious that if thd price of "current" has to be reduced from 6d per unit to one penny per unit, to get the "day load" because there is no extra expense in interest, sinking funds, etc., or labour, only the actual cost of fuel and a smal amount for wear and tear. The Wellii.gton Corporation have realized this, consequently they have a very considerable day load, and a large amount of it is used for electric cooking and heating, which is competing very well with gas for the same purpose). As to the cost in the city mentioned (luring a demonstration some time ago a dinner consisting of roast beef, roast potatoes, rice pudding, Yorkshire pudding, batch of pastry and scones, soup, cabbage, steamed potatoes, and water for tea, was cooked for twopence, electricity at twopence per unit, this was a dinner large enough for eight persons. To show those local people, pnrticularly those who have been his customers during the past twelve months, Mr Kirkwcod, electrical engineer, haa arranged to give a Beriea of demontrations of cooking by elcetricity; and although no attempt will be made to excell in the culinary art, he hopes to ba able to show the electrical consumers and prospective consumers of this town what is possible with elpctrical cooking and heating, and when the local electricity department can see its way to reduce, the price of "current" sufficiently low to warrant it 3 general adoption, no doubt this da monstration will be remembered and bo of use to those that chose to witness it. in the meantime current is quite cheap enough to enable housewives to use an elecsric iron, and a kettle, owing, to the fact that there are only oused in a casual way and thoy consume very little electricity, and already there are a considerable number of them in use here and are much appreciated by the users. The following are cooked during the demonstration, which is held in the shop in Rora street next Mr Gates every afternoon and evening until Saturday night, frying meat and various articles, grilling steak and" chops, toasting bread, roasting meat and potatoes, baking scones, pastry, and such like, also boiling water both in ordinary kettles on the "electrif. ring," and in self-contained electric kettles. Electric heater 3 and radiators for heating rooms and offices are also shown.

The whole of the appliances shown have been lent for the purpose of the demonstration by Messrs Wm. Crosher and Sons.