How to Care for the Electric Range

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 14, 17 October 1930, Unnumbered Page

How to Care for the Electric Range

.. ‘A DAY or so ago I was talking to a friend whose husband is very anxious to buy her an electric range, but unfortunately she was labouring under the delusion that an electric range is a complicated and somewhat dangerous apparatus-that had to be handled with the utmost care, or els there would be a series of shocks. Immediately, of course, I set to wors to dispel this idea. All the present day articles have been thoroughly tested, and the Public Works Depart: ment take every possible precaution to See that users are properly protected. So many of our units are now practically fool-proof, and also fitted with devices. For the better care of your range and also yourself, it would be wise to follow these suggestions :- {1) Do not handle electricai appliances of any kind with wet hands, or use a Wet cloth to clean the range, un. less the power is turned off. (2) Do not tamper with electrica] Switches, fuses or any electrica] units, and be sure to place all repairs in the hands of your electrician. (3) One has a family doctor, and lawyer, why not a family electrician, with whom you could arrange to visit your home every month, to inspect all plugs, flexibles and appliances, (4) Do not attempt to clean the ele. ments with the current on. (5) Watch the thermometer to overheating, for on no occasion must it ever reach a greater temperature than 600 deg. If it overheats it will prboably destroy both elements and thermometer. (6) If your stove is new, before using for cooking purposes, turn both Oven elements on to "full" and leave until the thermometer points to 400 deg., then turn off. This rids the oven of any loose ends of straw from packing or of anything that mighi cause a smell, (7) When your oven has reached the correct temperature for cooking turn out the top element, as this is unnecessary for baking, and use stored as much as possible. (8) Arrange your menu so as to use your oven to the full advantage. (9) An automatically controlled oven saves the busy housewife a great deal of extra watching. (10) If your elements are of the open type, they must be kept clean and free from particles of food-continu-ally brush them with a soft brush not _to damage the coils, but be sure your power is turned off. { (11) The best scones, by the way, can be made if put into a cold oven and then both elements put on "full." (12) Be careful not to let liquids of . a salty or a sugary nature boil over. To overcome this use saucepans which will completely cover the elements; by this means full benefit will be received from the heat and no power wasted. (13) Do not allow anything to come to the boil on the top heating ele ments before reducing the power. otherwise the heat which is retained for some time after the current is ‘turned off is wasted, unless you have some other immediate use for it. (14) Use only flat-bottomed aluminjum ware saucepans, as iron sauce- ,

pans use too much power. (15) Economise by using stored heat wherever possible, thus reducing your account. (16) By electric oven cooking there is no waste in foodstuffs, the meat weighing practically the same when it eomes out of the oven as when it goes in. (17) For roasting. the general rule is to have the temperature about 450 deg. Leave both elements on for about ten minutes, then turn top ele ment off. I hope this does not make you feel you are back at your school desks taking down Latin grammar rules on "what to avoid doing," when writing an essay. However, these are genuine hints which I hope will be useful.Alison,