A HINT TO HOUSEWIVES.
ITO THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR."3
Sia,—As -a belated but much interested reader of the series of articles on "Living in a Converted House," I cannot resist the temptation to draw attention to one of the greatest household aids, apparently still unknown in Great Britain. I refer to the steam pressure cooker, a utensil which, while its use reduces the cost of fuel for cooking by one-half or even two-thirds, effects a great economy in time for the cook, and, if desired, enables cheap cuts of moat, old fowls, or elderly vegetables to be utilized to great advantage at a minimum of expense in cooking. These claims are based upon a daily experience of over six years and are substantiated by the following facts. A well- flavoured stew of meat and mixed vegetables is ready to serve forty minutes after being placed in the pressure cooker; fresh green peas are cooked to a turn in five minutes, carrots in six minutes, potatoes in about twelve or fifteen minutes. beetroots in twenty minutes. Rolled oats or macaroni are cooked in about twelve minutes; dried fruits, such as prunes, are ready in ten minutes, well flavoured and tender. Dried peas or beans aro prepared in forty minutes, and a five-pound joint of meat is cooked in about the same length of time. Suet or fruit puddings are steamed in about one hour, as against three hours in an ordinary steamer; while for bottling fruit, vegetables, fish or poultry, the pressure cooker is invaluable, the process being inconceivably shortened, of which one excellent result is the almost fresh taste of the products, even after many months' storage. This result is due to the short time of exposure to high temperatures. The utensil is made, preferably, of moulded aluminium, with walls of sufficient thickness to resist pressure up to thirty-five or forty pounds. The cover clamps on in such a way as to close the vessel hermetically, and is furnished with a pressure gauge, of which the dial registers up to thirty pounds, a safety valve which acts automatically when the pres- sure of steam reaches this figure, and a steam cock for the release of the compressed steam when the cooking process is complete. It takes but a few minutes to understand the use of these fittings. The method employed is to place a very small quantity of boiling water at the bottom of the pressure cooker with the materials to be cooked, clamp down the cover and place on the fire. This water is rapidly converted into steam, which cannot escape; the resultant high pressure and high temperature combine to rapid yet thorough cooking of the con- tents with results as appetising as they are nutritious and digestible. Tests and experiments conducted with great care over several years confirm these statements. Several kinds of food can be cooked at the same time, if desired, without any mixture of flavour& There are several forms of steam pressure cookers upon the American market for domestic, hotel, or institutional use. Somewhat expensive in the first instance (about £5 for the family size at present prices), the utensil soon repays its first cost in saving of fuel alone, and is no further source of expense. My own has never cost a cent for repairs, though in daily use for over six years. It can be used with equal success over all forms of fuel—wood, coke, coal, gas, oil, or electricity— once the pressure of steam is raised to the desired amount (five,
ten, fifteen, or twenty pounds as the case may be), a process which takes from two to fifteen minutes according to the quantity and temperature of the food within, but a very small degree of heat is necessary to maintain this pressure the length of time desired. From every point of view—economy in time and fuel, well-flavoured and nutritious food—the steam pressure cooker is invaluable to the modern housewife.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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