business without a proper breakfast, because the kettle bat not boiled in time, or damp wood and coal refused to do their work, whilst even the most unsophisticated man. can boil a kettle, an egg, and perhaps even fry a rasher of bacon, in an emergency, with the aid of a gas range. In the hands of an experienced cook, a dinner of several courses can, be cooked within a couple of hours. Last, but by no means least. There ia no doubt that gas is the most economical fuel, if properly managed, the expense only going on when necessary ; and while it is impossible to put a coal-fire out and in at will, it is not so with a gaa range, which can be raised to the required heat in a few minutes, and the gas extinguished directly the cooking is done. I have heard objections, some of them rather amusing, to the use of gas for cooking, one of them being that it is not so cheerful as a fire. Without denying this, I cannot see in it an argument against the method : cheerfulness in this case is an expensive luxury. Another is, that gas gives the food a taste. This is a pure fallacy, as with the hygienic burners now used in all good stoves it is impossible that any taste can be imparted to the food. This idea has arisen entirely from want of cleanli- ness. All stoves require cleaning. I have dined in houses where gas was unknown, and yet wheie all the dinner from first to last tasted more- of burnt dripping and soot than anything else, and this because the ovens were dirty. Ovens, whether heated by gas or coal, should be washed thoroughly at least once a week with hot water and soda, a precaution which, to my surprise, I find seldom taken, and which is absolutely essential Of course there are many places where gas is not obtainable, and many admirable ranges by which cooking is, and can be, admirably and economically conducted. Yet I would like it to bo clearly understood that I have no bias what- ever in the matter, though, personally speaking, I have an ob- jection to getting my face and hands scorched before a large coal-fire, an objection which I fancy is largely shared by many hdiea anxioua to cook, and often deters taem ixom <ta\\^*&. AD VEBTISEMENTS. 37 HI6HE8T AWARDS, INCLUDING 12 GOLD MEDALS. PATENT UP-TO-DATE QOLD MEDAL GAS COOKING STOVES, ROAST, BAKE, BOIL, 0«ILL, Perfectly and Economically. THE GAS LIGHT AND COKE COMPANY, LONDON, Let the "WILSON" GAS COOKERS ON HIRE lt » Sizes Ranging from 2s., 2s. 6d„ 3s. to 3s. Bd. per quarter C. WILSON & SONS, Carlton Work*, Loedn, W Showroom, 76, Queen Street, ChcapsV&e, VJdWlWS. ADVERTISEMENTS. Bill's Latest improved Patent Porcelain Enamelled 'ACME' QAS COOKER Designed, Paten tod, and Manufactured only l-y ARDEN HILL <& CO., Gas E n gi neers » B il,rnin 9ha Tr '- i LIST OF VARIOUS ARTICLES IN SEASON IN DIFFERENT MONTHS. January, Meat. — Beef, mutton, house-lamb, veal, Poultry. — Pheasants, partridges, hares, rabbits, wood- cooks, snipes, turkeys, capons, pullets, fowls, chickens, tame pigeons, larks. Fish. — Carp, tench, perch, lampreys, eels, cray-fish, cod, smelts, whiting, lobsters, crabs^ prawns, oysters, herrings, scallops, turbot, sturgeon. Vegetables. — Cabbage, savoys, colewort, sprouts, leeks, onions, beet, sorrel, chervil, endive, spinach, celery, garlic, scorzonera, potatoes, parsnips, turnipe, broc- coli, white and purple; shalots, lettuces, cresses, mustard, rape, salsify, herbs of all sorts, dry — and some green; cucum- hersi asparagus, and mushrooms, to be had, though not in season. Fruit.— Apples, pears, nuts, walnuts, medlars, grapes, oranges, bananas, chestnuts, dates, and figs. February and March.. Meat. — Fowls and game, as in January, with addition of duckUng and chicken, which last are to be bought in London, most, if not all, of the year, but very dear.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

business without a proper breakfast, because the kettle had not boiled in time, or damp wood and coal refused to do their work, whilst even the most unsophisticated man. can boil a kettle, an egg, and perhaps even fry a rasher of bacon, in an emergency, with the aid of a gas range. In the hands of an experienced cook, a dinner of several courses can, be cooked within a couple of hours. Last, but by no means least. There ia no doubt that gas is the most economical fuel, if properly managed, the expense only going on when necessary ; and while it is impossible to put a coal-fire out and in at will, it is not so with a gaa range, which can be raised to the required heat in a few minutes, and the gas extinguished directly the cooking is done. I have heard objections, some of them rather amusing, to the use of gas for cooking, one of them being that it is not so cheerful as a fire. Without denying this, I cannot see in it an argument against the method : cheerfulness in this case is an expensive luxury. Another is, that gas gives the food a taste. This is a pure fallacy, as with the hygienic burners now used in all good stoves it is impossible that any taste can be imparted to the food. This idea has arisen entirely from want of cleanliness. All stoves require cleaning. I have dined in houses where gas was unknown, and yet wheie all the dinner from first to last tasted more- of burnt dripping and soot than anything else, and this because the ovens were dirty. Ovens, whether heated by gas or coal, should be washed thoroughly at least once a week with hot water and soda, a precaution which, to my surprise, I find seldom taken, and which is absolutely essential. Of course there are many places where gas is not obtainable, and many admirable ranges by which cooking is, and can be, admirably and economically conducted. Yet I would like it to bo clearly understood that I have no bias whatever in the matter, though, personally speaking, I have an objection to getting my face and hands scorched before a large coal-fire, an objection which I fancy is largely shared by many ladies anxious to cook, and often deters them from attempting. 37 HI6HE8T AWARDS, INCLUDING 12 GOLD MEDALS. PATENT UP-TO-DATE QOLD MEDAL GAS COOKING STOVES, ROAST, BAKE, BOIL, 0«ILL, Perfectly and Economically. THE GAS LIGHT AND COKE COMPANY, LONDON, Let the "WILSON" GAS COOKERS ON HIRE lt » Sizes Ranging from 2s., 2s. 6d„ 3s. to 3s. Bd. per quarter C. WILSON & SONS, Carlton Work*, Loedn, W Showroom, 76, Queen Street, ChcapsV&e, VJdWlWS. Bill's Latest improved Patent Porcelain Enamelled 'ACME' QAS COOKER Designed, Paten tod, and Manufactured only l-y ARDEN HILL <& CO., Gas E n gi neers » B il,rnin 9ha Tr '- LIST OF VARIOUS ARTICLES IN SEASON IN DIFFERENT MONTHS. January, Meat. — Beef, mutton, house-lamb, veal, Poultry. — Pheasants, partridges, hares, rabbits, woodcooks, snipes, turkeys, capons, pullets, fowls, chickens, tame pigeons, larks. Fish. — Carp, tench, perch, lampreys, eels, cray-fish, cod, smelts, whiting, lobsters, crabs^ prawns, oysters, herrings, scallops, turbot, sturgeon. Vegetables. — Cabbage, savoys, colewort, sprouts, leeks, onions, beet, sorrel, chervil, endive, spinach, celery, garlic, scorzonera, potatoes, parsnips, turnipe, broccoli, white and purple; shalots, lettuces, cresses, mustard, rape, salsify, herbs of all sorts, dry — and some green; cucumhersi asparagus, and mushrooms, to be had, though not in season. Fruit.— Apples, pears, nuts, walnuts, medlars, grapes, oranges, bananas, chestnuts, dates, and figs. February and March.. Meat. — Fowls and game, as in January, with addition of duckUng and chicken, which last are to be bought in London, most, if not all, of the year, but very dear.

Miss Cameron's cookery book