The ingenious woman can adapt the utensils in her pantry to the new uses required by this method of cookery. Porcelain, granite-ware, aluminum, crockery, and stone-ware are all excellent. Tin rusts and should be avoided in steaming. However, tin pans or lids already on hand may be safely used if coated with clear drippings or cottolene and baked. This will darken the tin but not injure it and will prolong its usefulness.

The most serious problem is to secure tight, non-rusting lids. Aluminum covers are already to be obtained in the large cities. Granite jelly pans and pie pans make excellent covers, because they do not rust, and have no hole in the center. Every hole invites defeat. But the ideal cover fits down in an inch or more, or over on the outside as much, and must not be of tin.

Stone jars are quite perfect because they hold heat so well. With care they may be used instead of kettles over a flame.

It is a good plan to have three or four pans, varying in depth, which fit into and upon the big steaming kettles. These pans may hold vegetables, fruits, escalloped foods and puddings, double boiler fashion, with a hot pan or the hot lid of the kettle for a cover; and if the food is to brown, a hot soapstone griddle should be placed above it.

Casseroles and other tasteful forms of baking dishes, and brown ware for steaming and baking puddings and escalloped foods, suitable to be placed on the dining table, may be used since they are not in danger of cracking from too intense heat. A saving in the number of dishes used may thus be effected.

A sheet iron or granite roaster with its own cover is invaluable for roasting in the insulated oven. Heat it and its contents and cover while it is over the flame, and then lock it in the oven with some hot soapstones or fire brick.

Have several wire tea stands, baskets of different sizes, some wire toasting frames, and perforated pans to protect the delicate ware from direct contact with very hot soapstone. These are also useful to support closed dishes in the big steaming kettles permitting the use of more water. A wire basket inverted over food will support a soap-stone griddle very close to the food to make a brown crust. A meringue is quickly browned in this way on a table, without heating the oven at all.

For the large boilers and for all the kettles used to enclose smaller vessels there should be a rack of some sort to allow a free circulation of water underneath the dishes containing the food. The rack may be of wire; several tea stands may be placed side by side in a wide kettle; perforated tin or even wood may be used. We had a rack made of the cover of a lard can perforated with three-quarter inch holes. You will be able to work out these details as the need arises.