The so-called "hay-stove" or fireless cooker has now become so popular and its advantages so well known that it is hardly necessary to call attention to them. One serious drawback to its general use, however, is the fact that the food to be cooked must first be heated up to the boiling point on a stove of some kind before it is placed in the cooker. This is not only inconvenient, but in warm weather it goes far to defeat one of the important objects of the fireless cooker, namely, the elimination of heat from the kitchen.

Wherever there is a supply of electric current available it is quite feasible to combine the electric heating and fireless cooker principles in such manner that the food may he placed in the cooker cold and the current be turned on for about fifteen minutes to heat it up, for which time the cost for electric power will be only about three cents.

In its general construction such an electrical fireless cooker may he made as shown in the sectional view, where A is an ordinary stone crock with cover, imbedded in a suitable heat-insulating packing, B, such as mineral wool, and covered with a mattress, C, of the same material, the whole being contained in the wood box, D, having a hinged cover, E. For an average-sized cooker an ordinary four-gallon stone crock, which measures 10 1/2 inches in diameter inside by about the same in height, will be found to be well adapted to the purpose.

To make the electrical heating element suitable for use on a circuit of about no volts, procure 70 feet of bare No. 18 "30-per-cent nickel" German-silver wire. Such a piece of wire should have a resistance of about 12 ohms, so that when connected to the mains about 9 amperes will pass, and the heater will thus consume about 1,000 watts. As 70 feet of the wire will weigh only 1/3 of a pound and cost but a few cents, it is advisable to buy a pound of it, so as to have a couple of extra pieces on hand to use when repairs become necessary.

To form the heating coil, first anneal the wire by heating it to a dull red (but not white) heat in a suitable fire or gas flame, and after allowing it to cool form it into a helix by winding it closely on a metallic rod 5/16 inch in diameter and about 36 inches long. (See Fig. 273, G.) It is best to do this winding in a lathe if possible, as hand work is not only tedious, but the coil is likely to be uneven. After winding slip the helix off the rod, take hold of one end in each hand and stretch it to a length of about five feet. This will separate the individual turns of wire-so that they look something like Fig. 273, H.

The support for the heating coil, Fig. 274, A, should be made of a piece of asbestos board or magnesia board 1/4 inch thick and of such a diameter as to fit easily in the bottom of the crock - in this case about 10 1/4 inches. If the asbestos or magnesia boards cannot be obtained, a good substitute may be found in slate, or in a disk of 1/16 inch thick sheet iron covered on top with several thickness of asbestos building paper. Then porcelain insulators, each about 1 inch in diameter by 1 inch high and having a shallow groove near its upper end, should be fastened to the base with flat-head stove bolts in the positions shown. When stretched on these insulators zigzag fashion, the heating coil will be retained in the grooves by its own elasticity. For the electrical connection to the heater use two pieces of No. 14 white asbestos-covered copper wire, each about two feet long.

Fig.273 - Section of the electric cooker and method of making the heating coil.

Attach these to the German-silver wire by twisting the ends, and tie them securely to the end insulators with wire. Place the heater in the bottom of the crock and bend the terminal wires close up against the inside of the latter and over the edge, so as to be out of the way of the cooking vessels that are to stand on the porcelains. The outer ends may be attached to a double-pole knife-switch mounted on the side of the cooker.

The electrical connections to the house circuit must be of a substantial character. Do not try to connect the cooker to a lamp socket or with small lamp cord - neither will carry the current safely. If no baseboard receptacle has been provided in the kitchen, wire all the way back to the panelboard with No. 14 rubbercovered wire and provide a pair of inclosed 10-ampere fuses. It is well to remember that it will be necessary to move the cooker occasionally, so that it is worth while to make provision fur easily disconnecting it.

Fig. 274 - Arrangement of the heating element.

The operation of a cooker made as described is very simple. The prepared food is put in a covered tin vessel of suitable size and placed on the heater in the bottom of the crock, after which everything is closed up tightly. The current is then turned on for ten to twenty minutes, depending on the quantity and kind of food to be cooked, after which the cooker will keep hot for several hours. A little experience soon teaches one how long to keep the current on, and then the whole operation becomes as easy as the boiling of an egg in the old-fashioned way. In the cooking of roast meats it is well to apply the current a second time for two or three minutes after an hour has elapsed.

No clanger of fire is to be anticipated from a cooker made and installed as described, but it is almost self-evident that if one were to forget to turn off the current both the food and the heating coil would soon be destroyed, since the heat is generated very rapidly and has no means of escape. To guard against such a mishap, procure about a foot of 1/8 inch brass or copper tubing and a very small whistle. Arrange the tube so that one end opens into the crock alongside of one of the connecting wires while the other end passes out through the wood case. To the outer end solder the whistle in such a manner that it will be blown by steam escaping from the crock. With this device in working order, if the current be left on too long, the steam escaping from the food will sound the alarm in good time.