PIRBLBSS COOKER RECIPES FIRBLESS COOKER RECIPES by L. H. WINSHIP li Copyright 1909 by L. II. WINSHIP WINNETKA, III.. jCIa 24 t909 ^^ FIRELESS COOKER may be made in a shirtwaist box, an old trunk, tub, wash-boiler, ice box, or just a common grocery box. Use granite ware pails, with granite covers, to cook in. If the box is large enough for 3 pails, 2, 4 and 8 quarts are good sizes for an ordinary family. Pack hay or excelsior firmly in the bottom of the box about three inches deep, then set the pails in posi- tion and pack the hay around each pail to the tops of the pails. Lift the pails out and cover the hay with cheese cloth, tucking it in around the edges and into the holes where the pails go. This keeps the hay from be- coming disarranged, and may be removed and washed when necessary. Make a pad, to fit over all, of cotton batting and newspapers, covered with old woolen material, if, you have it, tacked like a comforter. A bag filled with hay, an old quilt folded, or a pillow may be used until a pad can be made. Cook the food in pail on ordinary stove from 5 to 30 minutes, according to the length of time required by the usual method, THEN COVER TIGHTLY TO GET PAIL FULL OF STEAM, AND TRANSFER Q[ T TCK- LY TO COOKER TO FINISH COOKING. The Cooker must not be far from the stove, as all the heat must be retained to keep up the process of cook- ing. To keep the Cooker sanitary the outside of the pail must be clean and dry. Food should be kept in the Cooker about twice the length of time required over the fire by the old way, but the food is not harnled in the least if left in hours lom>- or, if it is not disturbed until wanted for use, though some may be removed and the rest at once put back to keep for a later comer, with no harm done. If the box is only large enough for one pail, choose a large one, then any small amount of food, as rice, can be cooked in a small pail, and set inside the large one to finish, in the Cooker, putting boiling water in the larger one. The drudgery of cooking is largely eliminated by the use of a tireless cooker. One needs only a few days' experience to feel entirely at home in using it, and there is no boiling dry, sticking, stirring, burning, odor, steam or waste of any kind ; saving from half to three-quarters on the fuel bill, to say nothing of the cook being free to rest or to do other work while the Cooker attends to the cooking. In cooking rice or cereals none is wasted by stick- ing to the vessels in which they are cooked, besides be- ing so much more thoroughly cooked than by the old way. Think of cooking onions, cabbage, or turnips, and not having the smell all through. the house! Then, one can put the dinner in the Cooker and be gone from home till a few minutes before dinner-time, and the meal will be ready to serve. Hot water may be kept in Cooker for future use. The "time for boiling" in the recipes given means, in every case, from the time the food begins to boil, and not when it is put over the fire. TESTED RECIPES FOR FIRELESS COOKER CEREALS. Oatmeal — 1 part oatmeal to 2 14 parts boiling salt- ed water. Boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker overnight. Cream of Wheat — % cup Cream of Wheat, 1 tea- spoon of salt, stirred into 1 quart boiling water. Cook slowly 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour, or overnight. Boiled Rice — Three tablespoons of rice, well washed, put into cold water, let come to boiling, drain off water and put on 2 cups boiling water, salt to taste; boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours. Season with butter and serve. Part or all milk may be used in cook- ing in place of 2 cups water. Corn Meal Mush — I cup corn meal, -i to 5 cups boiling water, salt to taste. Stir meal slowly into the boiling water, boil 10 minutes, place in Cooker 5 hours or longer. SOUPS. Bean Soup — 1 cup navy beans, 1 onion, 2 stalks cel- ery, a piece of salt pork, about Vi lb., or 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper to taste. Soak beans over night, drain, add 2 qts. cold water, bring to boiling, add celery and onion, chopped pork and seasoning. Boil slowly 10 minutes, place in Cooker 5 hours, rub through sieve (add butter, if no pork was used) and serve hot. Baked Bean Soup — Add 1 qt. water to 2 cups cold beans, bring to boiling, then add 1 slice onion and 1 stalk celery chopped fine and 4 tablespoons tomato juice. Mix well, boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours, rub through sieve, add 2 tablespoons flour stirred up in a little cold water, also salt and pepper to taste, and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Mutton Broth — 2 lbs. lean mutton; remove all skin, cut in pieces, cover with cold water, add salt, bring- slowly to boiling, skim, simmer 10 minutes, place in Cooker 5 hours. Strain and season to taste. If barley or rice is desired add, boil 5 minutes and return to Cooker for 2 hours. Tomato Soup — Add 2 cups water to 1 can tomatoes, slice 1 small onion, dice 1 carrot, add these and 1 small bay leaf, salt and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours. Strain and add 1 qt. soup stock, re-heat and serve. Vegetable Soup — Boil soup bone 10 minutes, skim, place in Cooker 5 hours. Chop 1 onion, 1 potato, 2 car- rots, 1 parsnip, 1 stalk celery, 1 turnip ; strain soup, add vegetables; also half a can tomatoes, a spoonful rice, peas and green beans if you wish and have them, salt and pepper to taste, boil 5 minutes, return to Cooker 2 hours. Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley just before serving. Any of these vegetables may be omitted — us- ing such as are liked or at hand. Turkey Soup — Break bones left from cold turkey, cover with cold water, let stand 1 hour, then put over fire. When boiling, add 1 small onion, 1 turnip, 1 carrot and a piece of celery, all chopped fine. Boil 10 minutes. Place in Cooker 5 hours, strain, re-heat and serve. MEATS. Beef Pot Roast — Wash roast, put in kettle, cover with boiling water, boil 30 minutes, add salt, let kettle get full of steam, place in Cooker 4 hours or longer ac- cording to size of roast; before serving brown well in frying pan in hot beef suet or half butter and half drippings, making gravy from same afterwards, using liquor meat was boiled in. Vegetables may be boiled with the roast if desired, putting them in after the roast has boiled 20 minutes. The water the meat was cooked in makes excellent soup, chopping and adding such vegetables as desired or convenient ; boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours. Corned Beef — Put into cold water, bring to boiling, boil 30 minutes, place in Cooker all day or overnight. If it is to be served cold, allow to cool in liquor. Corned Beef and Cabbage — Put beef into cold wa- ter, bring to the boil, boil 20 minutes, add cabbage cut into quarters, bring to boiling, boil 10 minutes, place in Cooker 6 hours. Carrots, turnips, potatoes or onions may be added with cabbage if desired to make a boiled dinner. Fricasse of Chicken — Clean and singe chicken, wash in water in which 1 teaspoon baking soda has been dissolved, then cut into pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons but- ter and 1 tablespoon lard in frying pan. Roll chicken in flour, brown well in frying pan, place in kettle, add 2 cups boiling water to frying pan, boil and pour over chicken, add salt, boil 10 minutes, place in Cooker 6 or S hours. Thicken liquor for gravy. If preferred chicken may be browned after cooking. Chicken and Tomatoes — Cut up chicken as for fri- cassee; add a few slices salt pork and a small onion sliced; cover them with boiling water, add 4 medium- sized tomatoes peeled and sliced, a little salt and pepper, let simmer 10 minutes, cover pail and get full of steam, place in Cooker 6 or 8 hours. Arrange the chicken on platter with toasted crackers, pour the broth over all and serve. Boiled Ham — Wash and scrape ham thoroughly in warm water containing a little baking soda, then rinse in a little cold water, put in kettle, skin side up, cover well with cold water. After coming to boiling let boil 30 to 45 minutes, according to size, and place in Cooker over- night. Remove skin while still hot, leaving on all the fat. Stick cloves all over fat part and put into oven to brown a little. Bread crumbs may also be sprinkled over before browning. It should be entirely cold before it is cut. Irish Stew — 2 lbs. mutton, a few onions and pota- toes sliced. Remove skin from meat, add 2 cups boiling- water, boil slowly 10 minutes, add prepared vegetables and seasoning, boil 5 minutes more, place in Cooker 4 hours, thicken with flour, cook over fire a few minutes and serve. Boiled Tongue — If the tongue is salted soak 1 hour in plenty of cold water; if it is fresh soak in cold water in which is dissolved a handful of salt. Put over the fire with enough cold water to cover it, boil 15 minutes, place in Cooker overnight. Skin while warm. If it is to be served cold allow to cool in liquor. Veal Pot Roast — Melt 2 tablespoons butter and 2 of lard in frying pan, brown veal well on all sides after rubbing it over with salt and pepper and dredging with flour. Place roast in kettle, put about 2 cups boiling water in frying pan, boil and pour over roast, add enough boiling water to cover roast, also salt and pep- per. Boil 20 to 30 minutes, place in Cooker 6 to 8 hours. Brown after cooking, if preferred. FISH. Boiled Salmon — Sew up in cheesecloth, place in kettle, cover with hot (not boiling) salted water, allow- ing 1 tablespoon salt to each quart of water, and 1 table- spoon vinegar to each 2 quarts of water. Boil 10 min- utes, place in Cooker V/ 2 hours ; garnish with sliced lem- on or tomato sauce. Boiled White Fish — Clean, bone and sew fish in cheesecloth, place in kettle, back down, cover with hot salted water, add vinegar or lemon juice to water as for boiled salmon, boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour. If fish weighs over 2 lbs. boil 10 minutes. The skin may be peeled easily from the fish. Serve with tomato sauce. TABLE FOR MEATS. Boil, Hours in minutes. Cooker. Beef, 2 lbs. 15 3 Chicken, 1 year 30 1 Chicken, spring 15 3 Beef, 3 lbs 30 1 Fish, 2 lbs 15 2 Pork, 2 lbs 30 1 Pork, 3 lbs 45 1 Veal, 2 lbs 15 3 Ham, 3 lbs. (soak all night or all day) 30 All day or all night. Corned Beef (soak all night or all day) 30 " VEGETABLES. Asparagus — Wash, tie in bunches, stand on end in kettle of boiling salted water, leaving the tips above wa- ter, boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour. Serve whole, seasoning with salt, pepper and butter. Aspara- gus may be broken in short pieces to cook, discarding tough ends, seasoning as above, or with a cream dress- ing. Baked Beans — Soak 1 pt. navy beans in cold water over night, drain off water, add boiling water to cover beans, % lb. salt pork, add 1 tablespoon molasses, a level teaspoon salt, a little pepper, 1 teaspoon moistened mustard and a pinch of soda. Boil until beans peel slightly when blown upon when taken up in a spoon. Place in Cooker 8 to 10 hours. Put beans in crock with the pork on top and brown well in oven. Fresh Lima Beans — Wash, cover with boiling wa- ter boil 10 minutes, add salt and a pinch of soda, put in Cooker 3 hours. Pour off water, season to taste with salt, pepper, butter and cream. Heat and serve. String, or Wax Beans — Wash, break in pieces, re- moving strings, if any; cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes, add salt, place in Cooker 2 hours. Pour off wa- ter, season with salt, pepper and butter; also hot milk, if liked. Dried Lima Beans — Soak Beans in cold water over night, drain, cover with boiling water, add butter, salt, and a pinch of soda, and allow to simmer 15 minutes; place in Cooker 6 hours. Salt pork may be used in place of butter. Boiled Beets — Wash thoroughly, leaving on roots and 1 inch of tops, to prevent losing color; cover with boiling water, boil 15 minutes, place in Cooker 2 to 6 hours, according to size and age, put into cold water a minute, rub off skins, slice, season with butter, salt, sugar, pepper and heated vinegar. Boiled Cabbage — Cut cabbage into quarters, remove hard center, cover with boiling salted water, allow to boil 10 minutes with cover off. Cover, allowing kettle to get full of steam, place in Cooker 2 hours. Season with white sauce or with salt, pepper, butter, and serve with vinegar. If liked, salt pork may be cooked with it in place of using butter. Boiled Carrots — Wash, scrape, cut into strips, put in kettle, cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes, add salt and a little butter, place in Cooker 2 or 3 hours, drain and serve with cream sauce or melted butter. Creamed Celery — Wash clean and cut in small pieces, cover with boiling* salted water, boil 5 minutes, put in Cooker 2 hours. Drain, serve with white sauce. Cauliflower — Remove leaves and put into cold salt- ed water y 2 hour. Place in kettle, cover with boiling- salted water, boil slowly 5 minutes, put in Cooker 1 hour. Drain and serve with cream sauce, or salt, pep- per, butter, and serve with vinegar. Green Corn, Boiled — Remove husks and silks, cov- er with boiling salted water, bring to boil, let boil 5 min- utes, place in Cooker 45 minutes to 1 hour. Greens, Beet — Wash and pick over, removing roots, add V-2 as much boiling salted water as greens, boil slow- ly 10 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours, drain well, add salt, pepper and butter, cut across several times with knife, re-heat and serve. A piece of salt pork or bacon may be cooked with greens, omitting the butter. Garnish with sliced hard-boiled eggs. For Dandelion Greens, parboil once or twice to re- move bitter taste, then proceed as for Beet Greens. For Spinach, proceed as for Beet Greens. Kitchen shears are convenient to use for cutting off roots. Onions, Boiled — If large, cut in half after removing skins, cover with boiling, salted water, boil slowly 10 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour, serve with salt, pepper and butter, or white sauce. Peas — Shell, cover with boiling salted water, bring to boil, add a pinch of soda, boil slowly 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour, drain, season with salt, pepper, butter, sugar and cream. Parsnips — Wash (scrub well), cover with boiling- salted water, boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 2 to 3 hours, according to size; remove, put into cold water and rub the skins off, then slice lengthwise and brown in but- ter in frying* pan, or season with butter, salt and pepper or with white sauce. Potatoes, Mashed — Wash, peel, cut into pieces of uniform size. Cover with boiling salted water, boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour, drain, mash well, sea- son with salt, pepper, milk and plenty of butter. Beat well over the tire and serve hot. Potatoes, Sweet — Select those of even size, wash r cut out spots, cover with boiling salted water, boil 10 minutes, place in Cooker 2 hours. Drain, peel, cut into lengthwise slices, put on hot buttered tin in hot oven to dry. Squash, Summer — Cut in small pieces. It is not necessary to remove skin or seeds. Add slightly salted boiling water almost to cover, .boil 5 minutes, place in Cooker 1 hour. Drain well, mash and stir on stove to Jet water dry out, season with butter, salt and a little pepper. Tomatoes, Boiled — Scald and peel, cut into thick slices, cover with cold salted water, bring to boil, boil 5 minutes, add pepper, butter and a little sugar, if liked; cover and let pail get full of steam, place in Cooker 1 hour; add crushed crackers if liked, and serve hot. Turnips, White — Wash, pare, cut into pieces, cover with boiling salted water, boil 10 minutes, put into Cook- er '2 to 3 hours, according to age. Drain, mash and sea- son as mashed potatoes, or season with salt, pepper and butter, chop quickly and put into the oven to heat before serving. Very young turnips may be seasoned and served whole. Yellow Turnips should be in Cooker 4 or 5 hours. TABLE FOR VEGETABLES. Boil, Hours in minutes. Cooker. Beet Greens 15 2 Cabbage 10 2 Peas, Green 5 2 Corn, Green 5 1 Potatoes, Irish 5 1 Potatoes, Sweet 5 1 Beans, String 10 2 Turnips 15 3 Tomatoes 5 1 Onions 10 1 Lima Beans, Dried (soak over night) 10 5 DRIED FRUITS. Afples, Apricots — Wash, soak a few hours or over night in cold water, cook in same water. Boil slowly 10 minutes; for apricots add sugar; for apples, add sugar, lemon and spices to taste. Let pail get full of steam. Place in Cooker 4 hours. Prunes, Peaches — Wash well, soak over night in cold water, cook in same water 5 minutes, add sugar, let pail get full of steam. Place in Cooker 4 hours or longer. SAUCES. Apple Sauce — Peel, quarter and core tart apples, cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes, add sugar, cov- er to get pail full of steam. Place in Cooker 1 hour. Cranberry Sauce — Wash and almost cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes, add y 2 as much sugar as berries, let pail get full of steam. Place in Cooker 1 hour. PUDDINGS. Suet Pudding — 1 cup finely chopped suet, 1 cup sour milk, 1 cup molasses, 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 level teaspoon soda, y 2 teaspoon each cloves and allspice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, y 2 cup raisins. Mix and sift flour, salt and spices, stir soda into a little boiling water and add enough sour milk to make 1 cupful; mix milk, molasses and suet and add to the flour. Flour the rai- sins and add, mixing well. Put into buttered molds, (baking powder cans are good) and put into kettle, al- lowing water to come almost to top of cans. Boil 15 minutes. Place in Cooker 4 hours. One-half cup butter may be used in place of suet. Serve with liquid sauce. Cherry or Berry Pudding — Cream y 2 cup butter, add 1 cup sugar gradually, sift 4 level teaspoons baking- powder with 2 1-3 cups flour, add y 2 cup milk and flour alternately; add 1 cup berries and fold in whites of 4 eggs well beaten. Pour mixture into buttered mold, place in kettle, add water almost to top of mold, boil 15 minutes. Place in Cooker 2 hours. Hard sauce. Apple Sauce with Dumplings — Pare, quarter and core 4 tart apples, cover with boiling water and put over fire. When well boiling drop on top dumplings made as follows : Sift together 1 pt. flour, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, a level teaspoon of sugar and salt each, chop cold water into the flour (stirring as little as possi- ble) to make a stiff batter, sweeten apple sauce and when boiling drop dumplings from spoon in on top. Boil slowly 5 minutes with cover nearly tight, then put cover tight, let pail get full of steam, put into Cooker 1 hour. Serve with sweetened cream seasoned with nutmeg or all-spice. Berries may be substituted for apples, and the spices omitted. Rice Puddinc — Wash 3 tablespoons rice (the broken rice is best for puddings), parboil, drain oft* water, add to rice 1 pint milk, y 2 CU P seeded raisins and 2 table- spoons sugar. Boil slowly 5 minutes, stir, then let pail get full of steam and put into Cooker for 2 hours. TABLE* FOR PUDDINGS, ETC. Steamed on Hours in Stove, minutes. Cooker. Cottage Pudding 15 3 Suet Pudding 30 4 Drop Dumplings 5 1 Fruit Dumplings 15 3 Brown Bread Heat through 4 Then bake Brown Bread % hour. INVALID DISHES. Beef Tea — Remove skin and fat, and mince 1 lb. tender beef, cover with cold water, add y 2 teaspoon salt. Let soak 2 or 3 hours, heat slowly to just below the boil- ing point. Place in Cooker 2 hours. Press out juice, season and serve hot. Arrowroot, rice or barley may be added in the cooking to make it more nourishing. Oatmeal Gruel — Soak y 2 cup oatmeal over night in 2 cups water in which is 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to boil- ing, boil 5 minutes slowly. Place in Cooker 2 hours. Strain through cheesecloth bag, add 2 cups milk, sweet- en to taste, add nutmeg if liked. Barley Water — Wash 1 cup barley, soak over night in 3 cups water, boil 5 minutes gently in same water, put into Cooker 3 hours. Strain, season with salt, sugar and U mon. Hot or cold. Laxative Drink — Add 8 or 10 chopped figs to Bar- ley Water as given above. Rice Water — Wash 2 tablespoons of rice, boil 5 minutes in 2 qts. water, place in Cooker 2 hours. Strain, sweeten and flavor with nutmeg. Very pleasant and curative in bowel troubles of children. Mutton Broth — Boil 2 lbs. lean mutton from -which the skin and all fat has been removed. Skim carefully after boiling 10 minutes, let pail get full of steam, place in Cooker 4 hours. Strain. In putting to cook cover with cold salted water. Barley or rice may be added in the cooking if desired. MISCELLANEOUS. Pumpkin for Pies — Cut into pieces, pare and re- move seeds. Put into kettle with enough water to cook without burning, boil till pumpkin is heated through. Place in Cooker over night. Drain well and rub through sieve. Macaroni and Cheese — Break % lb. macaroni in inch pieces, do not wash, boil in 2 qts. salted water for 5 minutes, put into Cooker 1 hour ; remove and drain off water, pour on cold water and drain again. Butter bak- ing dish, put in macaroni, -cheese* and white sauce alter- nately until all is used, with bread crumbs, cheese and dots of butter on top. Bake in moderate oven 20 minutes. Instead of the white sauce milk may be used, putting in enough to come to the top, using cheese, bread crumbs and butter as above, or a half can of tomatoes, or a gen- erous cup of tomato sauce may be used instead of cream sauce or milk. Season the tomatoes as for the table be- fore pouring over, removing the skins, using bread crumbs as above, baking in oven in either case 20 min- utes. White Sauce — 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour. Heat butter until it bubbles but do not brown. Add flour, y 2 teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Stir un- til smooth and add 1% cups milk. Tomato Sauce for Macaroni — Melt 1 tablespoon butter, blend with it 1 tablespoon flour, pour in 1% cups strained and seasoned tomato juice. Stir till smooth, add 3 tablespoons grated cheese. Candied Orange Peel — Peel from 4 oranges makes about 1 lb. Cut peel into strips with shears, soak 1 hour in cold water, drain off the water and put peel into boil- ing water, boil a few minutes, drain off again; put on more (use plenty of 'water to remove some of the oil) boiling water, let boil 5 minutes, put into Cooker 2 hours. Drain off water. Put peel into spider with 2 cups granu- lated sugar and about 2 tablespoons water. Let cook un- til some of the candy congeals in cold water; remove peel from syrup to platter, let cool a couple of minutes. Sprinkle well with granulated sugar and stir up until cool. Ice Cream for Two — Whip well 1 cup cream, add the well beaten white of 1 egg, also y 2 cup strawberries, red raspberries or crushed peaches put through sieve with about 3V-> to 4 tablespoons sugar stirred into the strained fruit. Put above into tin mold (baking pow- der can will do) leaving a little space for expansion in freezing. Put crushed ice in Cooker pail, put in mold and pack around it with crushed ice and coarse salt in layers. Cover pail and set in larger pail in which is a little crushed ice. Place in Cooker for 4 or 5 hours or all day. Any flavoring may be used instead of fruits named. Delicious! If any dampness gathers leave Cooker open to dry out. Memoranda Memoranda Memoranda Memoranda Memoranda Memoranda Memoranda