ELECTRIC STOVES

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 3, 5 August 1927, Unnumbered Page

ELECTRIC STOVES

HINT ABOUT USE

Some interesting points on the use and sanagement of the electric cooker were sét forth by Miss Mildred Trent (who is in charge of Beath’s Tearooms, Christchurch) in a recent talk "on the air’ from 38YA. She maintained that the heat produced by electricity was the anost perfect of any for cooking purposes. The electric range (says Miss Trent) in the ordinary household size has a roomy oven equal to, if not larger, than the oven of a range or gas cooker, and this oven is heated by two elements, ene for the top and the other for the bottom. Each element has three heats, H-M--I,, and the heat in use is plain. ly shown by means of a disc; each ele‘ment works independently of the other, and each is put into action hv turning aknob, The oven is fitted with a thermometer which does away with all uncertainty, since if, say, a heat of 450 degrees is necessary, it is at once possible by just glancing at the thermometer to see that degree has been attained | before beginning to use the oven. Distribution of Heat. The heat is evenly distributd, so that things are evenly browned, consequent

ly cakes, scones, meat, etc., never have to be turned round, and when cooked can be taken ont ot the oven without ever having been moyed. Care, however, wust be taken to ensure this even browning by not putting the top shelf too near the top element, about five yrooves trom the bottom gives: the best result. Slip trays, that is, trays slightly smaller than the oven, should be used, as they more quickly slip in and out and give the best results. For cooking meat an ordinary baking tin, the one that the housewife has always used, is all that is required. Vor the purpose ot toasting or grilling a bright tray is provided with the range. Thig tray must be kept bright, so that the heat is reflected, and not absorbed, and it should never be used for any other purpose. Methods of Cooking. The toasting and grilling is done by tixing the top element of the oven only, Tarn the current on about 10 minutes beforehand, put the things to be toasted or grilled on the bright tray, and put it in the oven fairly near the element end turn when necessary. For boiling, stewing, steaming, frying, in fact for all other methods which are usually done either on the top of the range or on a yas ring, elements are used varying in number, size, and material according to the size and make of the stove Each of these elements is separately controlled by its own nob, and like the oven elements has three heats-high, medium, and low. Economising Current. The "medium" uses half the amount of current than the high, and the low half the amount of current of the medium. . It will therefore be realised that the more the heat can be used on "low"? the less will be the bill for current, and J should like to say here and now that the cost of rune ning the range is entirely de: pendent on the one using it, "I heard of one consumer who was most pleased st the result of his wife’s cooking by electricity until the bill came in, and then there were fireworks! The meter was tested, the range was tested, and as a last resource the wite was asked to explain how she nsed it. "Ob," she said, ‘it’s very easy. I just turn the elements on to full and leave them on till the things are cooked!" Thereby, of course, nsing three times more current than necessary. There are many ways of economising current, some of which are: (1) Seeing that all the seucepans used completely cover the element, so that all the electricity centrahsed in that element is utilised: (2) by doing a quantitv of baking the same day instead of heating the oven for perhaps one batch of scones; (3) by using triangular saucepans, three of which fit on the one element, and once bronght to the boil can be kept simmering at ‘low’ as long as necessary. Your Questions Answered. "Now to answer some of the questions I invariably get asked. What would I do if the current went off? To this there is only one answer"Do without ;" for without current the stove is useless, but as a consolation I would tell you that in the nine years we have been using it in the cake kitchen at Beaths only once, and that during the snowstorm’ of 1918, have we been inconvenienced by this happening. Take a mOral from the story Of the old man who, when he was dying, called his children round him and said to them, ‘‘In my long life I’ve had many troubles-most of Which never happened." "Then again I get asked-‘Is it as hot as coal or gas?’ Quite, once the elements get hot, but it does take a little longer on a cold element, but certainly not as long as waiting to light a fire and get the stove going, and then boiling the kettle. Yor really quick boiling a separate utensil in the shape of a jug which will boil one pint in two minutes, three pints in 6 minutes, can be procured, and | nothing could be quicker than that.

Service and Reliability. "Wilectricity, I may tell you, is the best servant possible. It has no méods, is willing and ready to work any time of the day or night, never answers back, and always does its work quietly and consistently. "If anything boils-over will the element be spoilt? Certainly not! Tf you have the saucepan covering the element, as you should do, anything boiling over will merely boil on to the top of the stove, whence it can easily be wiped off, but even if some did go on the element the only inconvenience would be the nasty smell. "There are no products of combustion to clean off the saucepans, the heat is evenly distributed over the element so that no part of the pan is getting more heat than the other, and therefore the saucepans wear eyenly and of course any sort of saucepans can be used as long as fhey are large enough to cover the elements, — "There is no smell, no and a perfectly clean unvitiated atmosphere for the cook to work in, and best of all the range is not affected by draughts, so that in summer all doors and windows can be left open while cooking is going on. They say ‘a woman is as old as she looks,’ but # ghe has electricity for her servant there is no need for her ever to look ola,