The safety valve lets off steam. It works automatically, making the utensil safe. To keep it in order, loosen the valve when not in use so the moisture will not corrode it. If it leaks steam, a good cleaning, scouring and oiling of all the parts is needed. When the cooking begins, the safety valve must be closed. The cooker must always contain water when it is heated or it may crack or bulge. Usually 1/4 cupful of water is suffi- cient. After the food has been cooked long enough, the lid must not be opened until the steam has been let out through the pet- cock. Since most cookers have two pans which fit into them, different kinds of foods may be cooked at the same time. For instance, meat might be placed in the bottom of the cooker and the two pans, one holding a vegetable and the other rice pudding, could be cooking above. If one wishes to have the meat browned, it can be seared in the bottom of the cooker in a little fat before water is added and the lid is adjusted. Potatoes can be cooked with the meat. It takes from 30 to 40 minutes to cook a meat stew in the cooker while 3 hours are required for the same process on top of the stove. There is a saving of time comparable to this in cooking all foods. Even Boston Baked Beans may be prepared in 50 minutes. The beans are cooked in the pressure cooker 25 minutes and then they are browned in a hot oven the other 25 minutes. 252 THE FARM COOK AND RULE BOOK Entire meals may be cooked in the pressure cooker. Here are some of the combinations which may be cooked at the same time : fried chicken, steamed potatoes and buttered carrots; Swiss steak, steamed squash and potatoes; ham stew and rice pudding; and baked beans, steamed brown bread and apple sauce. Fireless Cookers The fireless cooker is a device for conserving the heat of cooking foods; therefore it saves fuel. It also is economical of the homemaker's time and energy. Using it in the summer helps to keep the kitchen cool. This appliance consists of one or more cooking compartments fitted with utensils and insulated to retain the heat of foods introduced, thus finishing their cooking in their own heat. It is not difficult to manage a fireless cooker because the foods do not spoil if over-cooked with the constantly lowering tem- perature. If the food should be underdone, it may be reheated and placed in the cooker again. Less water is used in this type of cookery, since there is little evaporation after the food is placed in the fireless. The radiators of soapstone or metal are heated on the stove and placed in the cooker, then the heated food is added and the lid is closed. Frequently a heated radiator is placed on top of the container holding the food ; this is always done when baking. The insulated walls retain the heat of the food and the radiators so that the foods within cook slowly. A Homemade Fireless A fireless cooker of considerable merit can be made in the home. A tin lard can, wood candy box, any tightly built box or an old trunk may be used for the outer container in which insulation and a utensil for holding the food are placed. A tin or agate bucket with straight sides and a tightly fitting cover is suitable for holding the food to be cooked.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The safety valve lets off steam. It works automatically, making the utensil safe. To keep it in order, loosen the valve when not in use so the moisture will not corrode it. If it leaks steam, a good cleaning, scouring and oiling of all the parts is needed. When the cooking begins, the safety valve must be closed. The cooker must always contain water when it is heated or it may crack or bulge. Usually 1/4 cupful of water is sufficient. After the food has been cooked long enough, the lid must not be opened until the steam has been let out through the petcock. Since most cookers have two pans which fit into them, different kinds of foods may be cooked at the same time. For instance, meat might be placed in the bottom of the cooker and the two pans, one holding a vegetable and the other rice pudding, could be cooking above. If one wishes to have the meat browned, it can be seared in the bottom of the cooker in a little fat before water is added and the lid is adjusted. Potatoes can be cooked with the meat. It takes from 30 to 40 minutes to cook a meat stew in the cooker while 3 hours are required for the same process on top of the stove. There is a saving of time comparable to this in cooking all foods. Even Boston Baked Beans may be prepared in 50 minutes. The beans are cooked in the pressure cooker 25 minutes and then they are browned in a hot oven the other 25 minutes. Entire meals may be cooked in the pressure cooker. Here are some of the combinations which may be cooked at the same time : fried chicken, steamed potatoes and buttered carrots; Swiss steak, steamed squash and potatoes; ham stew and rice pudding; and baked beans, steamed brown bread and apple sauce. Fireless Cookers The fireless cooker is a device for conserving the heat of cooking foods; therefore it saves fuel. It also is economical of the homemaker's time and energy. Using it in the summer helps to keep the kitchen cool. This appliance consists of one or more cooking compartments fitted with utensils and insulated to retain the heat of foods introduced, thus finishing their cooking in their own heat. It is not difficult to manage a fireless cooker because the foods do not spoil if over-cooked with the constantly lowering temperature. If the food should be underdone, it may be reheated and placed in the cooker again. Less water is used in this type of cookery, since there is little evaporation after the food is placed in the fireless. The radiators of soapstone or metal are heated on the stove and placed in the cooker, then the heated food is added and the lid is closed. Frequently a heated radiator is placed on top of the container holding the food ; this is always done when baking. The insulated walls retain the heat of the food and the radiators so that the foods within cook slowly. A Homemade Fireless A fireless cooker of considerable merit can be made in the home. A tin lard can, wood candy box, any tightly built box or an old trunk may be used for the outer container in which insulation and a utensil for holding the food are placed. A tin or agate bucket with straight sides and a tightly fitting cover is suitable for holding the food to be cooked.

The farm cook & rule book