Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 149, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1919 — HOUSEKEEPER WHO FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS CAN MAKE CONVENIENT FIRELESS COOKER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOUSEKEEPER WHO FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS CAN MAKE CONVENIENT FIRELESS COOKER

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) If you use a fireless cooker, you will save time, for the food can be cooking while you are doing some other work about the house. If you use a fireless cooker, you will be able to serve better food. Many foods cooked at a low temperature for a long time have a much better flavor, and- breakfast cereals so cooked are often considered more wholesome. If you use a tireless cooker you will save fuel and your kitchen will be a much more comfortable place in which to work, especially In hot weather.

Materials You Will Need. These materials plus a -few hours’ work plus ordinary common sense will produce the fireless cookeryou want and need In your kitchen: I tightly-built wooden box or lard firkin, large enough to allow at least four inches packing around the "well” or inside pai1.........10c tolSc 1 metal pail without handles and with tight-fitting cover. Cover . preferably fits inside pail. If tin is used, care must be taken to avoid rusting ... 50c to $1 Excelsior, crumpled newspaper, sawdust, ground c0rk..... No cost Asbestos paper, % inch thickness.€oc to 85c Cardboard collar No cost Plaster paris or asbestos collar...loc White paint 100 Round “pillow” of old cotton material and excelsior made to fit snugly in the top No cost 2 soapstones to fit into pail or well $1 to $1.20 Buttonhook to lift soapstones No cost Total cost of material $2.20 to $3.40 To make the Use of the flreless cpoker easier there are some additional conveniences which may be used if you so desire. The duplicate or triplicate kettles purchased to fit the well of your cooker are not absolutely necessary if you own other pans which fit, but they are much more convenient and aid in making the cooker more efficient. If it is necessary that the cooker be moved, casters will make this easily done. The following directions for making a cooker are given by the states relations service, United States department of agriculture. If you follow them closely, you will be able to show your efficient flreless cooker with pride

to the next neighbor who comes in. It will give you an enviable feeling to be able to say, “I made that myself. It cost very little and does good work.” Try It and see. How to Make the Cooker. Scour firkin, let it dry thoroughly, and put In casters. Line with several thicknesses of newspaper tacked to sides; * Put in sblld layer of excelsior about 2 inches thick. This should be at least 2 Inches thick, but might well be more if the firkin is deep enough to permit. Fit asbestos around pail and "Wire or tie it firmly. Cut circle of asbestos a little larger than the size of the pall andlflace on top of the 2-lnch layer of excelsior. Set pall on top of this and weight before starting to pack around it in order to avoid having the pail move out of-place. Put in small amount of excelsior around pail, distributing It evenly. Pound down with handle of hammer or something else heavy. Continue packing excelsior and pounding dowti until it is about onehalf inch from rim of bucket. The more solidly the excelsior is packed, the more efficient will be the ’tireless cooker. Cut cardboard collar to fit between Inside well (or pall) and outside the wood • container and set in place. Cover this with mixture of plaster parts—i part plaster paris to 2 parts of water. In putting on mixture avoid having layer come up above rim of pail. If not thin enough to put on smoothly, rub down with fingers or with knife blade. Paint after plaster of paris has dried thoroughly. Fill pillow full enough to make it fit snugly between well top and lid. Fasten lid with hinges if box is used. Definite directions for using the flreless cooker and some recipes for dishes which can be successfully cooked In it can be procured from your state agricultural college or your home demonstration agent. Have your cooker ready for the recipes they will send you on request.

Inexpensive Material and a Little Work Plus Common Sense Will Produce This Fireless Cooker.