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i 





' ' FUICT COOKntG CUTLETS lUID FRTIKG 
PAKCAXES WITH CAPTtTRBD UGHTImiO t 
IT KBALLT SEEMS TRBHEBDOUS . . , 
TOCr WOULD HAVB FALLEN IN LOVB WITH 
THE EXQUISITE CLEAITLinESS OF THB 
.'•—Trali. 



ELECTRIC COOKING 
HEATING, CLEANING 

ETC. 

BEING 

A MANUAL OF 

ELECTRICITY IN THE SERVICE OF 

THE HOME 



BY 

> » 



"HOUSEWIFE 

(Maud Lancaster) 



EDITED BY 

E. W. LANCASTER, A.M.Inst.C.E., M.Inst.E.E. 



, : ;:^ » - • • ^ =• > 

J J -J -" •" 

■J J 3 J ■ »'o^"'»-'J<-'-'-' 



LONDON 

CONSTABLE & COMPANY LTD 

lo ORANGE STREET LEICESTER SQUARE WC 

1914 






\? 



Copyright m the United States 

D. Van Nostrand Company, 
New York. 



• • • ^ 



• • • • • • 



•• • • *. • -» • • • 



. • J . . • • 






/ 



Introduction 

Important Notes 

Ei^cTRiciTY — A Bru!p Explanation from a Woman's Point op View. 

Historical sketch 

Dr. William Gilbert's discoveries 

Dr. Benjamin Franklin's Researches 

Electricity a silent and valuable help 

How Electricity gives light 

How Electricity gives heal in Cooking 

How Electricity is uaed in Heating 

Electricity as applied to Ventilation 

Cleaning by Electricity 

Electricity for bedroom use 

Electricity for sundry domestic purposes 

Wrong Impressions of Electricity 

Electricity as a means of cooking food 

Converiang Electricity into Light, Heat and Power 

Cost or Electricity 

One penny or two cents' worth of electricity; what it will do. . , . 

What Eijictmcity Can Do in the Home 

Time Now Ripe por the Use of Elbctricitt for au, Domestic 



Commercial Aspect of Electric Cooking. Duty or Central 

Station Engineers , , 23 

Why Electric Cooking li Ideai. and Best 29 

Table control of hght cookery .... 29 

Ease of operation. 30 

Concentrated and constant heat 30 

Comparison with gas cooker 30 

Cool kitchen 31 

Clean kitchen 31 

Having of labour. . . , 31 

Saving in cost '6X 



418437 



vi CONTENTS 

SAGE 

Increased value 31 

Other cookery objects improved 31 

Scientific Opinions on Correct Method of Cooking 33 

A Short Historical Sketch of Progress and Experiments in 

Cookery 34 

Cooking by Heat storage analagous to electric cookery 34 

Modern Cookery 40 

Why We Cook 42 

A brief outline of the chemistry of cooking 42 

Roasting or baking 43 

Boiling 43 

Stewing 44 

Frying 44 

Frittering 44 

Vegetables 45 

Food a non-conductor of heat 45 

Short Account of Electric Heating and Cooking from 1890 to 1914 46 

Progress during past few years 56 

Electric Cooking 57 

The ideal to be aimed at 57 

Hints on Electric Cooking 61 

Electric cookery chart, roasting and baking 60 

Electric cookery chart, boiling and stewing 62 

Electric cooking of meats, time taken 64 

Meat losses 65 

Diagrams of comparative losses 66 

Comparative Losses of Meats Cooked with Coal, Gas and 

Electricity 67 

Types of Heating Elements 69 

Electric Cooking in Schools 76 

School kitchen 76 

Electric Cookery at the Table 82 

Examples of small portable apparatus 82 

B. T-H. Radiant grill 84 

Heetorboil food warmer 85 

Just-for-two table cooker 85 

Combination breakfast set 86 

Pygmy Heater 87 

Toasters 87 

Coffee percolators 89 

Tea samovar 90 

The electric chafing dish 90 

Kettles and self-contained portable water heaters 91 

Water jugs and milk boilers 95 

Milk sterilisers 96 



CONTENTS vii 

PAGE 

Electric Ovens and Kitchen Cookers 97 

Hot plates and Boiling discs 98 

Plexsim Combination Outfit 100 

Venner silver grill 101 

Plexsim oven 103 

Credenda oven 104 

General Electric Company's Magnet Cooker 106 

Berkeley Automatic cooker 106 

Dowsing's cooker and grill 108 

Lightning oven 108 

No-Kaire cooker HO 

Kelvin oven and hot plate HI 

Electroyl portable oven 112 

Bastian oven 113 

Hot-point oven 115 

Gilbert cooker 116 

Franklin cooker 117 

Newton cooker 117 

Tricity Cooker 118 

Ferranti ovens and cookers 120 

Belling Cookers 124 

Falkirk Domestic Cooker 126 

Electrical Company's New Cooker 128 

Oven Efficiencies 131 

Oven heat curves 132 

Electric Cookers 136 

General Electric cooker 136 

Copeman cooker 138 

British Prometheus Cooker 139 

Hughes cooker 141 

Simplex cooker 142 

British General Electric Cooker 143 

Nightingall Oven 144 

Large Plexsim Cooker 145 

Carron cookers 146 

EcUpse cookers 149 

Jackson cookers 150 

Electroyl Cookers 153 

Examples of Weekly Cooking Operations in a Small Family with 

Electric Cooker, and Costs 156 

Examples of Large Cooking Plant for Hotels, etc 162 

Falkirk Grill 162 

Large Electroyl Toaster and Grill 163 

Vegetable steamer 165 

Fish and Potato fryer 165 



viii CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Benham Electric Bread Baking Oven 167 

Benham Bread and Pastry Baking Oven 168 

Electric Baker's" oven and all electric bakery 168 

Benham Electric hot closet and serving table 170 

Examples of Large Electric Kitchens. 173 

B. & K. Restaurant 173 

Debenham & Freebody 178 

Torquay Pavilion 179 

Polytechnic Restaurant 182 

Tricity House 183 

Middlesex Guildhall 185 

Stanley Hotel, " An All-electric " Hotel 188 

Old Ship Hotel 190 

Empire Hospital, Westminster 193 

Pier Restaurant, Cape Town 195 

Romano's Restaurant 196 

Electric Cooking at the Bank of England 199 

Electric Heating of Water 201 

Efficiency 202 

Useful tables 204 

Belenus water heater 205 

Losles " ^ ' 208 

'' 206 

" 210 

'' 213 

'' 214 

'' 215 

Fuller geyser water heater 216 

Jackson rapid '' "■ 218 

Simplex '' '' '' 219 

Electric Heating 220 

Amount of heat required for warming a room 223 

Luminous radiators 224 

Convectors 232 

Radio-convectors 235 

Bed warming 242 

Foot warmers 245 

Ventilation and Air Purification 246 

Ventilation 246 

Air purifiers 248 

Vohr Ozone generator 249 

Ozonair generator 249 

Electricity for Medical Purposes 252 

Radiant Heat baths 253 

Electric vibrators 255 



Cooper 

Therol 

Ferranti 

Ellsee 

Bankside 



CONTENTS ix 

PAGR 

Sundries 256 

Hair drying by electricity 256 

Hair curlers 256 

Electric Cleaning 258 

Sweeping and Dusting 258 

Permanent installations 259 

Semi-Portable Cleaners 260 

British Electric Vacuum cleaner 260 

Wizard Electric Suction cleaner 261 

Santo '' '' '' 262 

Bissell '' :' '' 262 

Portable Cleaners 263 

Frantz electric cleaner 263 

Magic '' '' 264 

Diamond '' '' : 264 

Some Domestic Electric Accessories 265 

Your sewing machine driven electrically 265 

Simplex sewing machine .- 266 

Singer sewing machine 266 

Bissell '' '' 267 

Electricity in the scullery and wash-house 268 

Maytag clothes washer 268 

Federal *' '' 270 

Apex '' '' 271 

Ironing by electricity 271 

Coffee grinding and food chopping 278 

Coffee roasting 278 

Plate and dish washing 280 

Maid-of-all-work 282 

Boot-cleaning 283 

Knife Cleaning 283 

Polishing Silver Goods 284 

Potato peelers .' 285 

Ice-making and refrigeration 287 

Electric Glue Pots and Sealing-wax heaters 287 

Soldering irons 289 

Some Special Heat Applications of Electricity for Industrial 

Uses 290 

Three Years' Experience in Cooking and Heating in an All- 

Eletric Home with Examples of Monthly Cooking Costs. 291 
Other Examples of Electric Homes 299 

Some Technical Terms Simply Explained 301 

Ampere 301 

Broiler 301 

Circuit (parallel, series, D.C. and A.C.) 301 

h 



CutHsut 303 

Earthing 304 

Electric motive force 304 

Electrical ene^y 304 

Element 304 

Flexible 301 

Fuse or cutout 306 

Grill or broiler 306 

Heating element 306 

Hot cupboard 309 

Hot plate 307 

Kelvin 307 

Kilowatt 307 

Kilowatt-hour 307 

Pilot lamp 307 

Resistance 308 

Short circuit 309 

Switch 309 

Unit or Kelvin - 310 

Volts 310 

Watt 311 

Watt-hours 311 

Wall-socket 312 

.icEB Charged in Great Bhitain and the United States of 

AUBBICA FOR ELECTBlClTr FOR HeATINQ, COOKINQ AND PowER 313 



INTRODUCTION 



The following pages are feeble efforts of mine to help my 
" sisters in distress," and to convince them of the wonderful 
blessings provided for us by nature's gift of Electricity which, 
aided by scientific research and inventions, is capable of doing 
so much towards bettering the home life. 

Electric cooking and heating are by no means new, early 
attempts having been made so long ago as 1890, but partly on 
account of imperfect apparatus, but more by reason of the high 
prices which, until recently, were asked for electrical energy 
used for such purposes, their development and adoption have been 
slow. 

Now, however, that apparatus has been perfected and specially 
favourable rates are available in most districts, there is nothing 
to hinder the widespread adoption of electricity, not only for 
cooking and heating, but for many purposes in the home at 
present carried out more or less successfully by hand. Once 
the simplicity, efficiency and perfection of electrical operation 
are realised, I am absolutely convinced that it will be adopted 
in every " real " home. 

Having been housekeeping for many, many years (too many 
to announce), I have unfortunately bought my experience and 



• • 



•I • • 



• • • • • 



• • 



• • • 

• • • 







paid for it dearly, but "as all things come 
/"^-^ to those that wait " I now revel in the bliss 

i J ' KS^ of an Electric Kitchen and electricity through- 

out the house generally. My home life, 
therefore, is much more easy, agreeable and 
healthful, both for my family, and my maids, 
and as servants or helps are like ourselves, " human beings,^' 
and good servants or helps are few, it is of the utmost impor- 
tance to do all we can to make things healthful and easy for 
them, if we wish to ensure a placid and serene existence in our 
homes. 

The advantage of Electric Lighting is now fully established 
and beyond question, but when its possibilities are more fully 
understood and applied. Electricity will be used for purposes 
imthought or undreamt of at present. Its use in cookingy heating j 
ventilating^ air purification and cleaning marks the commence- 
ment of the electrical age, and I am convinced that it will 
soon become established in general use for these and many 
other purposes, and be looked upon as one of the greatest 
blessings in daily life in providing the home with economic 
labour- and dirt-saving service — making existence for every wife 
and every maid or help more comfortable, more enjoyable and 
more healthful. 

The hard-working husband also will find that things have 
changed for the better — for instead of finding on his return 
home, a " neurotic " wife, worn out with the worries of house- 
keeping and domestic troubles, he will be welcomed by a loving 
woman, bubbling over with mirth and joy, a sure antidote for 
all the worries and trials which each man, more or less, has 
daily to encounter in this strenuous and competitive age. 

Then, too, our little ones will be the happier, for we are 

apt to be so irritable, even with them, if 
our domestic arrangements are all upside 
down! 

I do so wish to impress upon my 
readers the vast importance of our food 
being properly cooked. Good health is 
such a big " factor " in the happiness of 




A. 



INTRODUCTION 




life, and it is wrong of us to neglect it! Diges- 
tion is impaired and mined by overlooking 
this important fact, and I am convinced that if 
we, as " housewives" (for, in spite of " advanced 
ideas," true housewives do still exist) will only 
devote a little time to the preparation of food 
for the sake of our own health and that of those around us, 
we shall save many of those dear ones from being semi-invalids, 
and aid in securing a race of more healthy and robust people. 

In order to convince my readers that " Electric Cooking " 
is the " ideal method " and is likely to revolutionize all other 
systems, I have searched through various records of Ancient 
and Modem Cookery, and I cannot better substantiate my views 
than to quote from some of the reliable and scientific sources 
that have given me the data upon which I have worked with 
such great success! Generally there is no doubt that proper 
Cooking is slow cooking, and carried out electrically is absolutely 
less cosUy than by other means, apart from the great saving of 
labour, the absence of dirt, and the better sanitary and hygienic 
conditions which accompany electrical operation! 

Some of my readers may say. What have these historical 
facts, and the Chemistry of Cookery, to do with Electric Cookingt 
To these I say " Everything." These facts prove that it has 
been known for thousands of years that moderate, uniform alnd 
constant heat are the chief requirements in cooking. Those whom 
I shall name later on have been vainly trying to teach these 
principles, and others have been vainly trying to obtain from 
apparatus heated with coal, gas and other combustible materials, 
a constant cooking temperature. Owing to many causes, such 
as attention to fire, varying draughts, constant watching and 
turning of the article to be cooked, it has been impossible in an 
ordinary household to obtain the conditions necessary for this 
proper and hygienic form of cooking. 

In this volume I deal chiefly with the 
application of such electrically operated 
appliances for use in the ordinary household 
as come chiefly under the sphere of woman's 
work. B 2 




4 INTRODUCTION 

Throughout all my interviews and demonstrations, which have 
been most instructive and helpful, I have kept absolutely to 
facts and statistics. May this little work, which is but a sketch 
of & most interesting and important subject, accomplish the 
end I have in view! Then I shall have the joy of knowing 
my efforts have not been in vain. 

M. Lancaster, 
17 Hbene Terrace, 
Worthing, 
AND Eliot Bank, London, S. E 
England. 



Electricity a Silent and Valuable lidp. 



IMPORTANT NOTES 



I HAVE endeavoured throughout this book to avoid the use of 
many technical terias. A simple explanation of those that are 
in general use in connection with Electric work will be found on 
pages (301-312). 

In dealing with the cost of Electricity, I have in all cases 
based my calculations upon Electricity supplied for Heat and 
Power at Id per unit in Great Britain, and 2 cents per unit in 
America, so that readjustment to prices in any district can 
readily be made. 

The cost of working the various appliances and comparisons 
are based on these figm^s throughout, 

I am indebted to the Electrical Press and my many Electri- 
cal Engineering friends for their great kindness, courtesy and 
help; to the Manufacturers in the supplying of useful information 
and blocks for illustrations, and their generous support, which 
has enabled the book to be published at a popular price. I am 
especially indebted to the British Westinghouse Company for 
their midget blocks, The Simplex Conduits, Ltd. for their excel- 
lent line blocks and the General Electric Company of America 
for many beautiful half-tone illustrations, also to Dr. Robert 
Hutchison, F.R;C.P., for his very kind permission to use extracts 
from his valuable works. I have drawn largely on his book, 
" Food and the Principles of Dietetics," ^ and the work of Count 
Eumford, also on W. Matthieu Williams' excellent book, 
"Chemistry of Cookery" which I. have been pleased to see on 
many of the noted " chef's " bookshelves. > 

'"Food and the Principles of Dietetics," by Robert Hutchison, M.D., 
Edin. F.R.C.P. Published by Edward Arnold, 4, Maddox Street, London, W. 



Electricity — the Good Fairy, 



ELECTRICITY 

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM A WOMAN'S 

POINT OF VIEW 



It is impossible for me to tell what Electricity is ! I cannot 
even learn myself from our greatest Scientists " what Electricity 
really isJ* They know how to collect it, or " generate '' it, also 
many methods of utilizing it for the benefit of mankind. 

Historical Sketch, In tracing its history, the first record 
is the attraction of Amber for light objects, which was named 
by the Greeks " Electron." Beads of Amber are known to 
have been used more than 2000 B.C. 

Pliny says, ** The Syrian women called the Amber spindle 
which they used for spinning * the clutcher ' because it attracted 
or drew the thread and lig^xfc pieces to it, when it rubbed against 
any soft material such as the garments of the person hand- 
ling it." 

The next record is the *' loadstone," or magnet, named 
after MagneSy who, as stated by the poet Nicander, in his writings 
about 800 B.C. (and also recorded by Pliny), when taking 
his flock over the slopes of Mount Ida, found that the iron ferrule 
of his staff and the nails from 
his shoes adhered to the stone. 

It is further recorded 
that the magnet was used in 
many ways to deceive people. 
Very few were acquainted 
with its mysterious force, 
which was looked upon as 
some supernatural power. 
Many centuries elapsed before 
any further reliable record was 




8 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

made. The mariner's compass was 
known during the Uth century, and 
was no doubt of North Sea origin, and 
taken across land to China by mis- 
sionaries about the 12th century. The 
North and South attractive forces 
were discovered by Peregrines in the 
13th century, but it was not until the 
16th century that Dr. William Gilbert 
first discovered and demonstrated 
their utility and made known that the 
earth was one great magnet. William 
Gilbert was really the father of 
science; he demonstrated the Electric charge and discharge and 
gave the words " Electrica " and " Electricity," Isaac Newton 
subjected Gilbert's discoveries and theories to law, and conceived 
the idea that Electricity, Magnetism, and Gravity might be the 
manifestations of the great control Hng power. 

Dr. Benjamin Franklin's Researches. The next record of 
unportance was the discovery by Dr. Benjamin Franklin of 
fhe fact that the lightning dischai:^e from the clouds, and the 
Electric discharge from Amber or an electric machine, were one 
and the same. Faraday and other great scientists added to 
the knowledge by much research work. 

The commercial or practical use of Electricity was, however, 
unknown until the 19th century, when the Electric Telegraph 
was introduced, followed by the telephone, and later by the 
Electric Light, all the commercial development being within 
hving memory — nearly all within the last 50 years. 

Electricity a Silent and Valuable Help. Electricity, like the 
force of gravitation, makes a most valuable servant, when put 
to do useful work. In its capacity as a servant, it is always at 
hand; always willing to do its allotted task and to do it per- 
fectly, silently, swiftly and without mess; never wants a day 
off; never answers back; is never laid up; never asks for a 
rise; in fact, it is often willing to work for less money; never 
gives notice and does not mind working overtime; it has no 
prejudices and is prepared to undertake any duties for which 



ELECTRICITY FROM A WOMAN'S VIEWPOINT 9 

it is adapted; it costs nothing when not actually doing useful 
work. Such Sre the merits of the housewife's new ally, a 
worthy substitute for carrying out many of the duties now done 
more or less willingly and well by the independent human 
servant or help of to-day. 

In House Lighting for instance: On entering the hall or 
a room we turn on a switch and immediately a flood of light 
is emitted from a little glass bulb suspended from the ceiling, 
or fixed in a bracket or Electrolier! But how is tliis caused? 

How Electricity Gives Light. It is simply caused by a cir- 
cuit being completed between the wires in the house conducting 
the electricity, and those in the road conveying the enei^ 
from the Supply Station, where Electricity is generated or 
produced. The Electric energy is conducted by insulated copper 
wires (carried in steel tubes or wooden casing) through the 
controlling switches to the lamp. The latter consists of a glass 
bulb containing a length of very thin carbon or rare metal 
called a "filament "; this "filament " offers a great deal of resist- 
ance to the passage of Electricity; and allows but a small 
quantity (or what b technically called a small current) of Elec- 
tricity to pass through, and this, in being forced through such 
resistance by the pressure (or what is technically called the 
voltage) at which the current is supplied, makes the filament 
white hot or incandescent and thus 
gives Light. As the glass bulb is ,' 
void of air, no combustion can take -i 
place, nor is the heat conducted to 
the glass except in a very, very small 
degree. We are thus able to get a 
large amount of light without an ap- 
preciable amount of heat. 

How Electricity Gives Heat in 
Cooking. In the apparatus for Cook- 
ing, the filament of the lamp is re- 
placed by a larger and longer wire, 
called an "Element." The Element- 
is made to give off heat without 
light and to transfer its heat (or as 



10 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

much as is possible according to the apparatus used and its 
efficiency) to the purposes required. For Baking, the heat 
Element or Elements are enclosed in a chamber and the heat 
directed to the object to be baked. For Boiling, the Elements 
are enclosed under the plate arranged ia receive the kettle, 
saucepan or other utensil contfuning the material to be " boiled " 
or " cooked." For any " self-contained " apparatus, the heat 
" Element " is enclosed in part of the apparatus and acts around 
or upon the bottom part of the substance to be heated. The 
conducting wires (in tubes or casings) are similar to those used 
for Lighting, but as more Electricity is required, they are, of 
course, larger. This also applies to the switches, etc. 

How Electrici^ is Used for Heating. Similar insulated 
wires, switches, wall plugs, etc., to those used for'Electric lighting 
and Electric cooking are installed; the switches to operate 
the Heater or Heaters may be fitted on the wall or on the heating 
appliance. 

The heating appliances may have elements in the form of 
large Electric lamps fitted into ornamental cases; or Elements 
similar to those used in some of the Cooking apparatus, but 
enclosed in a case to warm or heat the air, partly by convection 
and radiation, and slightly by conduction. 

The glass bulb heaters were the first practical form of Electric 
heating and were invented and introduced in 1890 by Mr. H. 
J. Dowsing, and supplied by the Dowsing Radiant Heat Company. 
Electricity as Applied to Ventilation. Ventilation is effected 
by drawing in fresh air and removing the impure air. Small 
electrically-driven fans are used to give frequent change of air. 
The speed is controlled by a 
regulating switch, and connec- 
tion to the source of supply is 
effected through flexible wire and 
an adapter or wall-plug in a 
similar manner to the other 
apparatus already mentioned. 
Electric ozone generators are 
now provided to purify the air 
and supply an additional 



ELECTRICITY FROM A WOMAN'S VIEWPOINT 11 

amount of oxygen where re- 
quired. Every extra atom 
ot oxygen set free attacks 
organic impurities and burns 
it up, leaving the air clean, 
sweet and invigorating. 

Cleaning by Electricity. 
For cleaning rooms it is 
simple to connect an Electric 
Vacuum cleaner to the wall 
socket provided for the 
Heaters. Simply by passing 
the nozzle over the part to 
be cleaned the dirt is im- 
mediately drawn into a bag 
or chamber to be carried to 
the dust-bins, without a 
particle escaping into the 
room. 

Electricity for Bedroom Use. The greatest comfort can be 
obtained by the use of electric Heaters in various forms; the 
Electric bed-warmer in place of the hot water bottle; a connection 
made with the wall plug to give hot water, heat an iron, dry the 
hair, give a warm pillow and to do many other useful things. 

Electricity for Sundry Domestic Purposes. Then we have, 
connected in a similar manner as the other apparatus. Carpet 
Heaters, which consist of a new form of Heat Element interwoven 
in a Heat-resisting and insulating material (such as asbestos) 
in the form of a mat or blanket. This can be put under any 
carpet or rug and imparts a pleasant warmth to the feet and to 
the surrounding air. 

There are also Electric Cushions, Electric Pillows, Heating 
bandages, Electric Hot Pads, Electric Towels, Electric Hair 
Driers, Electric Hair Curlers, and many other portable appli- 
ances which are put into operation by inserting a connecting 
cap or plug into a lamp or wall socket, the same as one would 
fit a lamp or push in a key, all of which come under the heading 
of Eleciric Heaters. 



WRONG IMPRESSIONS OF ELECTRICITY 

I would like to remove some very, very wrong impressions 
of electricity that many have, and propose to do so as briefly 
as possible, but it is important to have a clear understanding of 
the principles involved before proceeding. 

Electricity as a Means of Cooking Food. First of all let 
me point out- — In cooking, the Electricity or Electrical Energy 
does not pass through the object to be cooked, as many have erro- 
neously supposed, nor is the object acted upon by the flow of Elec- 
tricity between two points, such as lightning flashes or between 
carbons, as an Electric arc. This form is only used where ferj/ 
intense heat is required for fusing or melting metals. In the case 
of a gas stove, the hot gases do the cooking, but with Electric 
cooking, the Electrical Energy is simply used in the " Element " 
(resistance) arranged for the purpose of supplying heat. 

One often hears people say " they thought electricity or electric 
light had no heat, and how therefore can you cook by itf " The 
answer to this is that electric light, in the sense usually understood 
by the term, is not used for electric cooking and beating. It 
is not correct, of course, to say that electric light has no heat. 
There cannot be light without heat, at least when produced arti- 
ficially, and there is a small amount of intense heat with electric 

12 



WRONG IMPRESSIONS OF ELECTRICITY 13 

light. An incandes- 
cent electric lamp 
has a filament burn- 
nii^ at a white 
heat, but the glass 
bulb remains cool 
because there is no 
air inside to conduct 
the heat away from 
the glowing wire. 

The only heat experienced outside the bulb is that produced by 
radiation, and by conduction through the wires which pass 
through the lamp cap to the filament inside. In electric cooking 
and heating apparatus, it is electrical energy that is used, not as 
light, which is only one of its many manifestations, but as an 
agent which heats specially designed materials through which 
a current is caused to Row. 

Converting Electricity into Light, Heat and Power. Elec- 
trical energy may be employed to ring a bell; to operate tele- 
phone or telegraph instruments; to deposit silver or other metals 
on plate or cutlery; to light up lamps; to ignite the charge of 
gas in a motor car engine; to propel electric tramcars or rail- 
way trains; to drive all sorts of machinery, or to cook joints 
or boil water. The same source of supply can be used for any 
or all these applications; it is merely a question of employing 
suitable appliances for converting the electrical energy into the 
desired form. Light, heat, and power can be secured at will 
wherever the supply mains are laid, and if electric light is already 
installed in the house, it is quite a simple matter to make use 
of the existing wires, or to put in additional circuits, for cooldng, 
heating, cleaning, and many other domestic purposes. 

It is true that in the case of electric luminous radiators, long 
lamps with glowing filaments are used to produce the heatii^ 
effect, and that these lamps give out a certain amount of Hght. 
The filaments in these lamps are of carbon and are both long 
and thick, being designed to absorb a large quantity of electrical 
energy. Their heatir^ effect is due to radiant emanations from 
the glowing filaments, which pass through the bulb, heating any 



14 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

solid object such as a person, furniture, or carpet 
receiving the rays, which, however, do not directly 
heat the air. A certain proportion of the energy 
given off by the filaments is available in the form of 
convected and conducted heat, convection being the 
process of warming the air through contact with a 
heated surface such as the glass bulb and metal case 
of the radiator, and conduction being the transference 
of heat through solid objects which are in direct con- 
tact with the heating surface. If a lamp with a car- 
bon filament used for lighting were so made that it 
used as much current as a radiator lamp, its heating 
Radiant effect would be equally as great, and the proportions 
Lamp. of radiant, convected and conducted heat given off, 
would vary according to the temperature at which the filament 
was running. A lamp with a metal filament gives out little 
heat, not because its filament is cooler than one made of carbon, 
for its heat is more intense, but such a lamp is designed to give 
out a maximum of light for a very low current consumption, and 
because it uses but little current, its heating effect is small. A 
carbon filament for physical reasons cannot be run at a very- 
high temperature for long periods, consequently its efficiency is 
low from an electrical point of view, but a metal filament 
formed of the refractory material known as tungsten, can safely 
operate at a high degree of incandescence and its electrical 
efficiency is increased proportionately. Hence the saving in 
electricity bills effected when the old carbon filament lamps are 
replaced by those having tungsten filaments. Such filaments 
would be unsuitable for use in heating lamps be- 
cause it is heat and not light that is required, and 
the carbon filament gives out a far greater propor- 
tion of the enei^y it absorbs as heat than light. 
Radiator lamps usually take 250 watts or j unit 
per hoiu" each, but if a tungsten lamp were so 
constructed that it took the same amount of 
power, its heating effect would l>e identical, ex- 
cept that a still higher proportion of its energy- 
Carbon Lamp, -would be given out as radiant heat, with a 



WRONG IMPRESSIONS OF ELECTRICITY 15 

corresponding decrease in convected and con- 
ducted heat. A luminous radiator gives out its 
heat the moment the switch is turned on, and 
the electrical energy waves through it, because 
the radiant energy is thrown olf as soon as the 
filament commences to glow, and as these rays 
travel through the air with the speed of light, 
without warming it, they reach and warm any 
solid objects in their path instantly. For this 
reason, the lamp radiator is the most popular 
style of electric heater for its effect is immediate Tantalum Lamp, 
and users experience a warm glow the moment they stand in 
the path of its rays. 

Convectora or non-luminous heaters, on the other hand, 
operate on a different system. In place of a lamp containing 
s glowing filament surrounded by a vacuum, there is a resistance 
strip or coil called an " Element " through which current is allowed 
to pass. This resistance unit is exposed to the air, and quickly 
becomes heated, since it is formed of a substance which is not a 
good conductor of electricity, and exhibits its reluctance to permit 
of the pass^e or current by becoming hot. This effect b employed 
to heat the surrounding air by convection and the case of the 
heater by conduction. A circulation of air takes place, the heater 
being so arranged that cold air eaters at the bottom, becomes 
heated by its passage around the " element " and leaves at the top, 
thus raising the temperature of the room. Since the only heating 
effect b obtained by warming the air, users obtain no 
benefit from such a heater until the air between them 
and the convector has been heated, and this involves 
delay, although heating begins as soon as the switch 
is turned on. Such heaters are not suitable where 
instantaneous warmth is required, but are the best 
form for warming rooms used for many hours at a i 
time, since the temperature of the whole apartment 
soon reaches a comfortable degree, sooner in fact 
than would be the case where lamp heaters are used. 

A third system of electric heater combines the Tungsten 
advantages of the luminous and convector patterns. Lamp. 



16 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

and is becoming increasingly popular. The elements used in this 
class of heater, run at a red heat, give out not only con- 
vection currents, but a large proportion of radiant heat. They 
are more cheerful in appearance than the convector, and not so 
glaring as the lamp radiator; in fact they more closely resemble 
a glowing red fire, with a similar heating effect. A compromise 
between the luminous radiator and convector can be had in the 
form of apparatus which comprises both heating lamps and non- 
luminous elements, either or both being available as required. 
The elements used in electric cookers resemble those used in 
radio-convectors, and run at a red heat, but their heating effect 
is restricted, of course, to the oven or hot-plate to which they 
are attached, although if the oven door were opened or no vessel 
placed over the hot-plate, they would act as convectors and 
raise the temperature of the surrounding air. 

Certain cooking operations, such as grilling, toasting, pastry 
work, and so forth, require radiant heat in larger proportion than 
convected heat, and an adequate percentage of this class of energy 
is not secured until the heating surface reaches a visible red. 
Low temperature cooking, i.e., stewing, water boiling, roasting, 
and 80 on, may be carried out satisfactorily with elements working 
at far below a red heat. The same elements may be used for all 
purposes, provided they are so arranged by special switch control, 
that more or less current will pass through them as may be 
desired. Their temperature may thus be varied through a wide 
range, the control being analogous to that of a gas flame, except 
that in the case of electricity, the temperatures obtained are 
definite for each switch position and that they are always iden- 
tical in any given conditions and are unaffected by draughts, 
by a neighbour's use of her cooker, or by variations in the pres- 
sure — three serious and common troubles with gas flames. 



fl 









:- fc'>?V^,*.^:XV V'TVf-*.*r*yvV 





One Penny or Two Cents' Worth of Electricity— What it Will Do. 

17 




COST OF ELECTRICITY 

The price charged for current when used for lighting varies 
from 3d. or 6 cents to 6d. or 12 cents per unit, but when cooking 
or heating apparatus is employed, a specially low rate can be 
obtained in most districts, upwards of seventeen places in Eng- 
land offering current for these purposes at Jd. per unit, and in 
America some districts charge as low as 1§ cents. In time this rate 
will be the one most generally in force; at present many under- 
takings are asking Id. and l§d. per unit except in special places 
where fuel is comparatively free of cost. At Id. in England 
and 2 to 4 cents in America electricity is most favorable from 
every point of view, but at Jd. a unit in England and 2 cents 
per unit in America it pays any householder to " live the electric 
life " and to forswear coal and gas altogether. It is important 
to remember that the " same kind of electricity " is used alike 
for Ughting and for cooking, although different prices may be 
charged for the two services. The reason for a distinction in 
price is based on, economic considerations too complicated for 
discussion here, the general idea being that as current for heat- 
ing and cooking is needed as a rule when the demand for artifi- 
cial light is least, it pays the supply undertaking to offer energy 
at such times at low rates, in order .to encourage its use at 
hours when little would otherwise be demanded, 
i It may be asked whether in these circumstances a user is 
compelled to restrict his cooking and heating operations to those 
hours when no lights are running, but as a general rule this is 
not made a condition. In some districts the time and day 
when apparatus is used affect the basis upon which the charge 
for current is made, but the modern tendency is to simplify the 
question of charges and to impose as few restrictions as possible 
upon the free use of current. The tariff question is treated in a 
later chapter and may prove of interest to those who require 
further information on the point. 

18 



WHAT ELECTRICITY CAN DO IN THE HOME 

Having briefly stated the several principles involved let us 
see what Electricity can do- 

Light the home vntkaut fumes, dirt or vitiating the air tee breathe, 
because it gives light without the consumption of oxygen from the air. 

Light up pictures, fountains, shaving mirrors and many other 
tiseful artistic, decorative and healthful methods of application 
where only Electric light can 
be adopted. 

Light cigars and ciga- 
rettes. 

Warm the fresh air as 
it enters the hotise and so 
keep the rooms warmed, 
causing a continuous 
change of air without con- 
sumption of oxygen and 
giving perfect ventilation. 

By means of fans keep 
the house cool in summer; 
produce ozone for giving a 
larger supply of oxygen to 
any room; dry and air the 
clothes. 

c-2 19 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 




Dry the hair, air and warm beds, 
etc. 

Operate a vtbro-massage machine. 

Heat any substance or Tnaterial. 

Heat irons for silks, blotises atid 
laundry work. 

Heat curling tongs and goffering 

Polish and iron silk hats. 
Heat water for cleaning purposes. 
Sterilise liquids. 

Boil water for drinking purposes. 
Cook all the food and keep it 
hot. 
Toast bread, cook eggs and other dainty dishes at the table. 
Roast and grind the coffee and prepare a delicious beverage 
from it. 

Chop and mince meats and other substances required for cooking. 
Make ices. 

Peel potatoes, apples and similar objects. Clean all the 
rooms. 

Draw all the dirt and dust from carpets, blinds, curtains, 
papers, floors, walls, windows, bedsteads, mattresses, beds, dra- 
peries and other furnishings of the home by means of Electric 
suction cleaners without driving particles of the dirt and dust 
into the air to be taken into the mouth, nose, throat and lungs or 
depositing the dust elsewhere, as ordinary sweeping does. 

Clean the knives vnth ease and simplicity by means of small 
motor. 

Clean the boots and shoes. 

Wash and mangle clothes. 
Wash up plates and dishes. 
Work motor for plate and 
silver polishing. 

Work seunng machines for 
all semng. 

Work lathe and saw. 
Work player-piano. 



ELECTRICITY IN THE HOME 21 

Drive all the clocks throughout 
the house and operate alarums for 
waking servants, etc. 

Open doors and gates from a dis- 
tance. 

Operate a fountain. 

Pump water. 

Give light or Radiant Heat hatha 
and do MANY other useful things 
for the personal comfort in the 
home. 

Flowers and plants are main- 
tained in a healthy and proper 

condition in the house where Electricity is used for domestic 
purposes. 



Comer of Waahouae, with, "Simpleic" Domestic Waafaer. 



TIME HOW RIPE FOR THE USE OF ELECTRICITY FOR ALL 
DOMESTIC PURPOSES 

Now that the charge for Electricity for cooking and heating 
has in many cases been reduced to reasonable prices and the 
manufacturers have brought many of the Electrical devices to 
a stage at which they are both reliable and efficient, the compari- 
son between Electricity and coal or gas, when properly used, 
is largely in favour of electricity. Those who were the first to 
use it for such purposes have had so many months' or years' 
advantage over others, in the enjoyment of healthier surround- 
ings — at a cost in many cases less than they had previously pmd 
for a much inferior service. 

Appliances for cooking are available for households of any 
size. There are both small and large ovens, with or without 
hot plates, for boiling or broiling and grilling. Separate heaters 
can be added at any time without great cost, if further facilities 
for cooking are needed. Ovens and hot 
plates may be-fixtures or in portable form 
for use in the kitchen or any other room 
where there is an electric supply for cook- 
ir^ or heating or other domestic purposes, 
ready for use at any time without trouble 
. and without fumes, dirt or other objection- 
able features. 

22 



THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT OF ELECTRICAL COOKING 
THE DUTY OF CENTRAL STATION ENGINEERS 

In many parts of Great Britain and America, as well as in 
Canada and the British Overseas Dominions, central station 
Engineers have realised that in electric cooking and heating 
they have a means of increasing very materially their outputs 
during the daytime, and that such additional load will form an 
attractive source of revenue, since it will be secured without 
any proportionate increase in the standing charges or running 
costs. Experience already shows that while the demand for 
units for cooking and heating purposes improves the load factor, 
it does not necessitate the provision of generating plant sufficient 
to supply the whole of the connected load. It has been found 
that the provision of plant of a capacity equal to 20 per cent of 
the kilowatts connected provides, in the case of cooking and 
heating apparatus, a sufficient margin, the diversity factor being 
such that in practice the maximum load demanded never 
exceeds this proportion of the total wattage connected to the 
mains. For the same reason, existing mains will usually be 
large enough to carry the additional load due to the cooking 
demand, the cooking and heating peak seldom if ever synchronis- 
ing with the lighting peak. The fear that heavy expenditure on 
new plant and on larger mains would follow immediately upon 
the opening of a campaign in favour of electric cooking and heat- 
ing, has up to the present caused many engineers to hesitate 
before offering current for such purposes at attractive rates, but 
the fear is groundless. When the load for cooking and heating 
has risen to such proportions that new plant must be installed 
and larger mains laid down to meet the demand, the revenue 
from that load will justify the expenditure, even at the low rates 
at which energy is supplied. I^arger outputs involve lower costs. 
Higher load factors have the same effect. The reduction in 
plant costs during the last few years has been great, and useful 

23 



24 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

economies are still being effected, so that as new sets of large 
output are needed, their cost per kilowatt will be substantially 
lower than they are even at present, while their efficiency will 
be higher, with lower running and maintenance charges. The 
demand for electrical energy for power purposes is enormous, 
and in many districts exceeds that for lighting. This load has 
been built up by offering cheap units and it has proved a profit- 
able source of revenue for supply undertakings. But, large 
as it is, it will be as nothing compared with the load furnished 
by domestic electrical requirements provided that energy be 
offered at reasonable and competitive prices so as to bring the 
advantages of electrical operation within the reach of all classes 
of society. Manufacturers will be only too glad to produce 
apparatus in large quantities at prices infinitely lower than is 
possible at present, and this will still further encourage the use 
of electrically-heated appliances. 

The introduction of the metal-filament lamp, owing to its 
lessened current consumption, caused in many districts a serious 
drop in revenue from the lighting units sold. In one of the 
London districts for example, a drop of £7,000 was recorded 
from this cause. In other areas the loss of revenue has been 
proportionately serious, and in several districts the loss has been 
made up by a greatly increased consimiption and by the addition 
of new consumers, attracted by the cheaper cost of lighting. 
In view of the smaller return from individual lighting installations, 
it has become necessary to encourage the use of devices other 
than those used for lighting, and the development of the domestic 
cooking and heating load opens up immense possibilities in this 
direction. If a householder already be a lighting consumer, no 
new service is required, and if some comprehensive system 
of charging be adopted, the need for separate circuits and extra 
meters in many cases can be avoided, so that the initial cost of 
providing for this class of business is quite small. It frequently 
does not pay to run an expensive service merely to supply a few 
tungsten lamps of low candle power, but if the consumer avails 
himself of a cooker or heater, the revenue from his installation, 
even though it be from cheaper units, is a paying proposition. 

In America comparatively high rates have been charged for 



CING 25 

igly heavy prices of gas, 
a heating and cooking 
8 14 cents per kelvin or 
1 some cases fixed at $1 
Id. or 2 cents per unit, 
tricts the rate is as low a 

of tariffs that the electric 
aer — there is the initial 
B of the wiring to supply 
rmounted by hiring and 
il wirii^ can be dealt 
meters, so that the con- 
nil at the outset for the 
ary in each locality and 
eer and tackled on their 
% of each problem in a 
he all-electric age can be 
> cultivate the domestic 

ctric Supply Company or 
his own house equipped, so 
various apparatus. Th^ 
'Company or Commitlee) 
if electricity for cooking 
rest his consumers in the 
subject. Without personal knowledge and experience, as well 
as enthusiasm, little good can be accomplished. There are many 
supply engineers who consider electric cooking and heating as 
beneath their consideration, and as not offering a paying proposi- 
tion, amply because they have not troubled to test for them- 
selves in their own homes the advantages of electrical operation 
for uses other than lighting. Let every station engineer and sales 
manager set up his ovm cooking installation and supervise the 
tests himself. If he carries out his experiments in a businesslike 
and scientific manner, he cannot fail to gain implicit confidence, 
and 80 to be in a position to impress his consumers with a belief 
in electrical operation for the kitchen, tor enthusiasm is infectious. 



26 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

and he will further be able to give first hand the results to his 
employers. No engineer should be content to wait for the demand 
for cooking and heating apparatus to come to him, but should take 
energetic steps to hasten and develop local interest in the subject, 
and this can most effectually be accomplished if he first becomes 
familiar, by personal experience, with the various domestic uses 
to which electricity may profitably be adapted. The field is 
enormous and if engineers will only take the trouble to go into 
the matter intelligently, and to study carefully electrical cooking 
requirements and the details of the various appliances on the 
market, they will realise that the golden opportunity has arrived 
and that the time is now ripe for pushing the use of electricity 
for many domestic uses undreamed of when lighting was the sole 
object of any electric supply undertaking. They must be alive 
to grasp and profit by the opportunity, realising that the wider 
applications of electricity will benefit not only their individual 
undertakings, but will alter for the good the lives of the people 
just as greatly as did the introduction of electric light and electric 
motive power. 

The electrical press, both in Great Britain and America, is 
unanimous on the question. In America the ^* Electrical World '* 
and in England the *' Electrical Times '^ have especially identified 
themselves with the subject, and have done good work in bringing 
before the Central Station Engineer the true merits of the posi- 
tion. They have rightly pointed out the duty imposed upon him 
to see to it that his consumers avail themselves of all the advan- 
tages that electrical service can supply, and that it is of primary 
importance that he should familiarise himself first of all with 
every economical application to which electrical energy can be 
put in domestic and hotel life and industrial use. It is only a 
beginning to instal lamps for lighting in a house, although an 
important step in the right direction, and what is wanted is an 
educational campaign to bring home to consumers who merely 
use their installation for lighting that the good fairy of electricity 
can do greater things than these for them. The technical press 
is doing its level best to arouse engineers to the importance of the 
subject; the manufacturers are doing all and more than can be 
expected from them, and it remains for the supply engineer to 



ELECTRICAL COOKING 27 

use the material available and cairj' out the good work in his 
own district. Ha\-ing taken off his coat to the work, he will 
have no cause to look back, and he can rely upon the cordial 
co-operation of evetjone interested. There is ample scope for 
energ>- and enterprise; and a rich har\'esl, in the shape of 
improved load factors and increased outputs, awaits those 
en^eers who have the courage to test these problems practically, 
not experimentally, and open up a campaign of combined public- 
ity, on a commercial basis in favour of electricity for lighting, 
cooking, heating and the many other uses in every hrane. 



Breakfast in the Modem Home. 
Apparatus by the General Electric Co. (England). 



WHY ELECTRIC COOKING IS IDEAL AND BEST 

Electricity gives the following advantages when used in the 
breakfast-room; 

Table Control o( Light Cookery. For breakfast and tea, 
the water for making the tea or the percolator for the coffee 
can be switched on at any time and the tea, coffee, toast and 
other light cooking can be done within a few minutes on the table, 
free from smell or dirt. 

In this way the tea, coffee and toast are delightfully fresh 
and hot. Then if an omelette or bacon is required, it can be 
cooked and served fresh and hot by the housewife without 
troublii^ the kitchen. Eggs can be placed in water just boiled 
on reaching the table, and they will be cooked to perfection in 
6 or 7 minutes, or if required harder may be left in for 10 minutes. 
It is quite unnecessary, as I have previously pointed out, to 
" boil " the water while Ike egg is in. 

The chafir^ diah is also very easily operated at the table 
and many dainty little things that have been prepared hitherto 
in the kitchen may be cooked to perfection in a few minutes 
at the table. 

The porringer for example is better heated in the room where 
the porridge is to be eaten, while tomatoes, kidneys and such 
like may be very nicely grilled at the table, and served to per- 
fection. 

All that is necessary for very economical and pleasant table 



30 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

cookery is to have a cooking and heating circuit run to the break- 
fast or dining-room and one or more connectors fitted conven- 
iently near to the table or sideboard, the devices themselves 
being supplied with current through flexible wires. 

Ease of Operation. Electricity gives the following advan- 
tages for the kitchen: — The required heat is avwlable immedi- 
ately by simply turning on the switch or switches, and the object 



Preparing Dinner with the Electric Cooker. (G. E. Co., Ei^and). 

to be cooked can be mMntained at the proper temperature through- 
out with the greatest ease. 

Concentrated and Constant Heat. The heat is concentrated 
on the cooking and not taken off by heating other parts of the 
range, or wasted in the flues as in the ease of a coal fire, or in 
beating the continual inrush of cold air as in the case of a gas 
cooker. 

Comparisons with the Present Gas Cooker. No Poisonous 
Gases. Wo bad Odours, Owing to the necessity of giving a 
supply of fresh an- to the gas burners and getting rid of the 



ELECTRIC COOKING IS IDEAL AND BEST 31 

poisonous gases and flames, it is necessary to have a large vent 
to the gas oven, through which these gases can be given oflf to 
the outside air. The oven, therefore, is turned into a flv£ and 
the cooking is done in the flue. A large part of the savoury 
juices of the meat is* thus carried away by the hot poisonous 
gases through the vent to the outside air. If there is no vent 
pipe the whole house is filled with both the fumes and the odour 
of the burnt fat and juices. 

Cool Kitchen. The heat being concentrated where it is 
required, the kitchen is not in any way heated or the air polluted, 
an advantage of the greatest value at any time from the points of 
view of health and comfort, but of supreme importance in hot 
weather, when the ordinary kitchen becomes unbearably hot 
and stuffy. 

Clean Kitchen, Saving of Dirt. There being no coal, cinders 
or other material brought into the kitchen for the cooking, there 
is therefore no dirt or dust, the electric cooker creating no dirt. 

Saving of Labour. It is obvious, therefore, that a very large 
amount of labour is saved. 

Saving in Cost. Then there is the saving in cost of food, 
because a larger joint is available after it is cooked by electricity, 
and the value of the increase in size of joint over a similar one 
cooked by the present coal or gas methods represents a substantial 
saving. At the very least 15 per cent in the weight of cooked 
meat is thus saved, and this figure is proved by the tabulated 
statements and curves which I am able to give on later pages, 
taken from actual tests. Fifteen per cent from the butcher's 
bill for the year means to a very small household, spending only 
10/- or $2.50 a week on meat, or £26.0.0 ($130) per annum, 
a mvin^ of £3.18.0 or nearly $20 a year; then there is the ease 
with which electricity can be operated and regulated, all of which 
would go towards making the cost considerably below that of 
other methods of cooking. 

Increased Value. Another important item is the increased 
value in the cooked joint, for it is always found to be more 
tender, better flavoured, and therefore more enjoyable. 

Other Cookery Objects Improved. In addition to the fore- 
going advantages, there are also considerable advantages and 



32 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

savings in the cooking ot pastries, milk puddings and many other 
thills in which the oven only serves; all these are improved, 
and cooked to perfection, with less anxiety and trouble to the 
housewife or cook. After a little practice, she will know abso- 
lutely that an object put into the oven with a given switch or 
switches turned on, will be properly done at a given time. The 
cooking can be left to the maid with instructions that the switch 
is to be turned off at a given time. In the case of a small house- 
hold where the automatic and clock-controlled cooker, which 
has recently been introduced, is installed, the cooking is started 
by the clock and controlled automatically either by the tempera- 
ture or by the clock or by both as desired. 

Last but not least it gives the mistress of a household, the 
true " housewife," a thorough grip and control of the chief domestic 
duties of her home. 



SCIENTIFIC OPINIOHS ON THE CORRECT METHOD OF 
COOKING 

That the Electric Form of Cooking is the Ideal and Best is 

demonstrated by the iiighest scientific autliorities on Food and 
the Chemistry of Cooking, sucii as Sir Henry Thompson, Dr. 
Tliudichum, Dr. R. Hutciiison, Dr. Mattliieu Williams, Dr. J. G. 
McKendrick, etc., etc. All tiiese authorities have for many years 
advocated the cooking of foods by umform moderate t^nperatures, 
and point out that the best results arc obtained when the food is 
cooked slowly with moderate and even temperature throughout. 
In the case of Roasting or grilling meats, the temperature should 
be high for the first few minutes, sufficient to seal the meat only, 
being afterwards reduced and kept at a lower temperature 
throughout. With " boiled " meat it is important that the liquid 
should be at boiling point (212° Fahr.) when the meat is put 
in, but should not be at boiling point during the cooking, but at 
a temperature of about 180° Fahr. 

It is impracticable for the ordinary housewife or cook to do 
this with a coal cooking range or gas cooker. This is proved by 
records of the many attempts of scientists and inventors to 
introduce special cooking stoves and utensils with the object 
of maintaining a uniform temperature under all conditions of 
firing, etc., during the process of cooking. 



SHORT HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PROGRESS AND EXPERI- 
MENTS IN COOKERY 

Cooking by Heat Storage analagous to Electric Cookery. 

The method of cooking in ancient days was to dig a deep hole 
in the ground and to tunnel a chamber in the form of an arched 
oven. Into this the fuel was placed and burnt until the earth 
and stones surroimding the chamber were very hot; the chamber 
was then cleared of the remains of the fuel and the objects to be 
cooked were placed in it, the opening being sealed with stones 
and earth. The heat stored in the walls of the chamber was suf- 
ficient thoroughly and properly to cook all that was required, but 
it was usual to leave the food in the oven for many hours, since, 
owing to the comparatively low and imiform temperature, there 
was no possibility of the food being burnt, or a likelihood of its 
being over-cooked. This method is in use at the present day in 
some uncivilized parts of the world, and even in our own country 
by gipsies and military camps, the food being better cooked than 
is possible with any other system, except electricity. 

On a visit to Pompeii, I was most interested to find the bakery 
and some cooking chambers still in perfect condition. The method 
of cooking employed by the Romans over 2,000 years ago must 
have given results similar to the ideal methods suggested by Count 
Rumford and others. The baking oven employed and now visible 
at Pompeii consists of a chamber built of earthenware slabs, 
and shaped very much like the bakers' brick ovens seen in country 
places in England. It has a flat bottom and an arched top, 
the bottom built of square earthenware slabs and the sides and 
top of smaller pieces, filled in with fire-clay. The chamber was 
heated by wood or charcoal put into the oven itself, and in a 
furnace beneath the chamber, the whole chamber being heated 
uniformly. Small objects were cooked first quickly and the 
larger objects later, when they could be left in the uniform heat 
for a long time. 

34 



PROGRESS AND EXPERIMENTS IN COOKERY 35 

Count Rumford, a most remarkable man, was no doubt the 
first scientific and practical cook. He was, as Benjamin 
Thompson, an apprentice boy in Massachusetts (U. S. A.), and 
became a School-master; then a Diplomat and British soldier 
as Colonel Sir Benjamin Thompson; then the Military Dictator 
of Bavaria as Count Rumford; afterwards the Philosopher and 
Founder of " The Royal Institution," London. In his " Essays " 
on " The Feeding of the Poor of Munich and the Bavarian Army," 
he states: — " I constantly foimd that the richness or quality 
of soup depended more on the proper choice of ingredients and the 
proper management of the fire in the combination of these ingre- 
dients than upon the quality of solid nutritious matter employed. 




Sketch of Roman Cooker and Bakery at Pompeii. 

Much more depended upon the art and skill of the cook than upon 
the sums laid out in the market.*' It is clear that he referred to 
the art of slow cooking with uniform temperature. In describing 
the cooking of a shoulder of mutton he states:*—" I had long 
suspected that it could hardly be possible that precisely 212° 
(temperature of Boiling water)- should be the best adapted for 
cooking^ all sorts of foods; but it was the unexpected results of 
an experiment that I made, with another view, which made me 
particularly attentive to this subject. Desirous of finding out 
whether it would be possible to roast meat in a machine that I 
had contrived for drying potatoes, I fitted it up in the kitchen in 
the * House of Industry ' at Munich. I put a shoulder of mutton 
into it, and after attending to the experiment for 3 hours, and 

D 2 



36 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

finding it shewed no signs of being done, I concluded that the 
heat was not sufficiently intense, and despairing of success I 
went home and abandoned my shoulder of mutton to the cook- 
maids. It being late in the evening and the cookmaids, thinking 
perhaps that the meat would be as safe in the drying machine 
as anywhere else, left it there all night. When they came in 
next morning to take it away, intending to cook it for their 
dinner, they were much surprised at finding it already cooked 
and not merely eatable but perfectly well done and most singularly 
well tasted. This appeared to them the more miraculous as the 
fire under the machine was quite gone out before they left the 
kitchen to go to bed, and they had locked up the kitchen when 
they left and taken away the key! 

" This wonderful shoulder of mutton was immediately brought 
to me in triumph, and though I was at no great loss to account 
for what had happened, yet it was quite unexpected, and when 
I tasted the meat, I was very much surprised indeed to find it 
very diff^ent, both in taste and flavour, from any / had ever 
tasted. It wa>s perfectly * tender,' It did not appear to be the 
least sodden or insipid; on the contrary, it was unconmionly 
savoury and high flavoured." 

That Count Rumford was a very practical man is shown 
by the incident of his feeding the poor of Munich, how he organized 
the capture of all the beggars of Munich on January 1st, 1790, 
when they were just about to inflict their usual New Year's Day 
bladcmail upon the most thrifty and industrious of the popula- 
tion; having captured them how he trained them into becoming 
good citizens by kindness and good feeding. He made them 
happy, first by giving them food properly cooked, clean quarters 
and kind words — virtuous afterwards, by making them self- 
supporting. The returns state that a net profit of 100,000 florins 
was made during this experiment after expenses of every kind 
had been deducted. 

A Rector of a midland parish with whom I stayed as paying 
guest for some few weeks many years ago, insisted on every mem- 
ber of his household going to Church morning and evening on 
Sundays. Yet he deUghted in having hot meals. The cook, 
therefore, under the supervision of the Rector's wife, had all the 



S. 



PROGRESS AND EXPERIMENTS IN COOKERY 37 




^:rn^::~:: 



^•1? 



lS 



i 

/ 



-/ 



Sketch of Count Rumford's Cooker. 



cooking preparations 
completed either on the 
Saturday or early on the 
Sunday, and immediately 
after breakfast, the cook- 
ing for dinner was com- 
menced, and the heat 
moderated. Meat, vege- 
tables and puddings were 
afterwards left on the hoi 
coal stove for two hours to 
" cook themselves j'* and it 
was remarkable that on 
Sundays the food was al- 
ways better cooked and 
of better flavour than 
the usual week-day meal, 

when the cook kept everything at a high temperature and con- 
tinual inspection. 

Referring again to the work of Count Rumford, during 1803, 
about the time he was founding the Royal Institution, he was 
busily engaged in experimenting with a neij\r form of oven 
he had , invented. He pointed out the fallacy of roasting 
meat on a spit in front of a hot fire, which burnt the joint on 
one side and chilled it on the other. He proved by his new 
oven that food cooked in uniform heat was better in every way 
than that cooked by the extravagant method in front of the fire. 
His oven was the predecessor of the present coal cooking range, 
although many important details in design for uniform and 
moderate temperature have been overlooked and neglected. The 
economical and satisfactory results obtained by Count Rumford 
were produced by uniform heat. 

Mr. Matthieu Williams, in his book '^ The Chemistry of 
Cookery," gives several additional interesting accounts of Count 
Rimiford's work, which are well worth reading. He also gives 
us the following: — 

" The Boiling of Water: Next to the boiling of water for 
its own sake, comes the boiling of water as a medium for cooking 



38 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

other things. Here, at the outset, I have to correct an error 
of language which, as too often happens, leads by continual sug- 
gestion to false ideas. When we speak of ' boiled beef,' ' boiled 
mutton,' 'boiled eggs,' ' boiled potatoes ' we talk nonsense, 
we are merely uang an elUptical expression as when we say 
' the kettle boils,' which we all understand to mean the contents 
of the kettle, but we are expounding a false theory of what has 
happened to the beef, etc., as false as though we should describe 
the material of the kettle that has held boiling water as boiled 
copper or boiled iron. No boiling of the food takes place in any 
such cases as the above-named — it is merely heated by immersion 
in boiling water; the changes that actually take place in the 
food are essentially different from those of ebullition. Even 
the water cont^ned in the meat is not boiled in ordinary cases, 
as its boihng-point is higher than that of the .surrounding water, 
owing to the salts it holds in solution. 

" Thus, as a matter of chemical fact, a boiled leg of mutton is 
one that has been cooked, but not boiled, while a roasted leg of 
mutton is one that has been partially boiled! Much of the con- 
stituent water of fl^h is boiled out, fairly driven away as vapour 
during roasting or baking, and the fat on its surface is also boiled 
and more or lesg dissociated into its chemical elements, carbon 
and water, as shown by the brownir^ due to the separated 
carbon." ^ 

■"Chemistry of Cookery," by W. Matthieu Williams. Published by 
Chatto & Windus, London, 



An Electric Kitchen. (British Prometheus Co.) 




MODERN COOKERY 

As regards good cooking, we certainly are not improving 
either in Great Britain or America. The general conception 
of cooking is reaching a lower level, not a higher one. And 
why? We want our cooking to be accompUshed in the same 
madrlike rush in which we do everything else! And what is 
the result? Impaired digestions, bad health and chronic 
dyspepsia! 

A reformation must take place amongst housewives and cooks! 
and it will not be accomplished in a day. " More haste is less 
speed," and when we have learned to realise that ^* slow Cooking " 
is absolutely the very best, and really takes less time in the end, 
we shall refuse to taste food cooked in the style of the present 
day. How often we find good beef and mutton overdone or hard 
through over-heat in cooking! 

A celebrated chef, who is one of the Judges at cookery ex- 
hibitions and Consulting Chef to several of the best hotels, said 
to me a little time ago: — ** I do not understand how it is that 
Ekiglish and American housewives cook their meats so badly. 
In England and America they have the best meats in the world, 
yet it is usually very badly cooked; not only is roast meat over- 
done, but ' boiled ' and stewed meats are over-' boiled j^ while 
on the continent, where the meat is .dear and bad, they cook 
the meat slowly, economically and to perfection." 

I have said that cooking is deteriorating in the English- 
speaking nations, and in no dish is the decadence of cooking 
more palpably shewn than in soups. The tasteless, watery 
liquids made up for soups are a disgrace to us. 

For instance: — ^A " consomme " according to French culinary 
art is a strong liquid obtained by stewing vegetables and meat 
and concentrating the extract until it browns slightly — it is 

40 



MODERN COOKING 41 

then strtuned and clarified. Do we trouble to extract, or clarify? 
No! The example I have given is one of many soups, for which 
French cooking has become noted. Only rarely does one taste 
a good " purfe." 

In " Ragouts," we have made no progress — yet most dainty 
and nutritious dishes can he made economically. In soups, 
ragouts, and similar dishes (in fact, in all good cooking) the basis 
is " Savour." Yet we are all losing it in our mad rush and low 
tastes. 

Again, the good old English puddings are gradually dis- 
appearing from our so-called high-class cooking; except in private 
houses with old traditions — yet they are positively invaluable 
to a!l young, growing people. 

Omelettes we hardly know how to make. Pancakes are 
almost a lost art, for instead of Ijeing very thin, light brown and 
crbp, they are thick and heavy. Roast meats, on the whole, 
are about the sam6, and as I have already stated — too often is 
the leg or shoulder of mutton underdone, and the good old 
Roast Beef done too much. I wish to impress this thoroughly 
upon my readers, because, to make use of Ekdridty in the beat 
possible mamter is to put it to the perfection of work. How 
shall we get this perfection? Let us first see the reason for all 
this cooking. 



WHY WE COOK 

A Brief Outline of the Chemistry of Cooking. Food is 
cooked mainly for a twofold purpose: — Aesthetically to bring 
out new flavours and make it of pleasing and appetising appear- 
ance for the table, and Hygienically to enable it to be kept for 
a longer time in a somewliat sterilized condition. 

Cooking also enables the right foods to combine in their proper 
proportions for tlie needs of the body, renders mastication easy, 
and hastens digestion; eliminates harmful foreign elements, 
and makes certain substancec more nutritious. 

The ordinary process of cooking is to apply heat in some 
form to the different chemical constituents of food. 

I'roteids of food coagulate at a temperature of 170° Fahr. 
Carbohydrates of food gelatinise at a temperature of from 140° 
to 190° Fahr. It will be seen that the change takes place below 
212° (the boiling point of water). 

I'^e starch in the food is converted by the heat into a soluble 
form and ultimately into dextrine. This change partly occurs 
in the crust of bread and in making toast. Sugar is partially 
converted into caramel, and thus the flavour of the food is im- 
proved by the cooking. 

In the cooking of meats — the main idea b to decompose the 
(haemoglobin) red colouring matter, and to remove the raw 
appearance, but this should be done without overcoagulating 



WHY WE COOK 43 

the solid proteids or removing the (extractives) flavouring ingre- 
dients. This requires some care, and high temperatures should 
be avoided. 

Roasting or Baking. In this form of Cooking the meat is 
usually subjected to the direct radiation of heat, so that the 
proteids coagulate. High temperatures should be avoided 
except at the first exposure, when a sufficiently high temperature, 
250° to 300° (Fahrenheit) should be maintained for five or ten 
minutes to coagulate the surface and so to seal it and prevent 
the escape of the water vapom* produced in the fluids. With 
a thin piece of meat the high temperature to which it should be 
first exposed not only seals the surface, but coagulates the pro- 
teid throughout and practically cooks the meat at once. When 
a chop or steak is cooked by grilling, the completeness of the 
sealing may be seen by the fact that the meat assumes a puflfy 
form, showing that the water vapour produced from the fluids 
in the meat is unable to escape, and therefore expands. This 
causes the puffy appearance which is so pleasing to the expert 
cook as a sign of good cooking. 

Large joints require exposure to a lower temperature for a 
longer time — ^the time varying according to the size. Roasting 
or Baking, if performed as directed, not only prevents the escape 
of the natural flavours of the meat, but develops them, making 
them more palatable. This is due to a change which it brings 
about in the extractives analogous to the alteration which sugar 
undergoes in its conversion into caramel. 

Boiling. The immersion of meat into Boiling water, 212° 
Fahr., and subjecting it to a constant temperature of about 
180° Fahr. is wrongly termed " Boiled " meat. The sudden 
immersion seals the surface of the meat in a similar manner as 
indicated with roast or baked meat, but as the red colouring 
matter is decomposed and rendered brown at a considerably 
lower temperature than that of boiling water, the continuance 
of the boiling after sealing tends to harden the meat by over- 
coagulation of its proteids. It is. very desirable in all cooking, 
as before indicated, to retain and preserve all flavouring con- 
stituents of the meat. This demands some care, as the extract- 
ives and salts giving the flavour are readily dissolved by water. 



44 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

It is necessary, therefore, to see that the water is maintained 
at a fairly constant temperature of about 180^ Fahr. during 
the rest of the time needed to complete the cooking, unless the 
water in which the meat is cooked is to be consumed in the form 
of broth or soup, in which case the flavouring ingredients need 
to be extracted, and the water should not be boiling when the meat 
is first put in. 

When the meat itself only is to be consumed, the water should 
be sufficient just to cover the meat. The water should be boiling 
when the meat is first immersed, but soon afterwards the tempera- 
ture of the water should be lowered by reducing the current 
passing through the heating elements, easily effected by means 
of the regulating switches attached. 

The cooking should then be continued slowly. 

Stewing. For retaining all the flavouring ingredients, this is 
the best method of cooking, and should be very slow, with a 
temperature not exceeding 180° F. The prolonged action of heat 
and moisture converts most of the connective tissues into gela- 
tine, so that the fibres readily fall apart, and the meat becomes 
very tender. Success is attained only by maintaining a moderate 
temperature as indicated. 

Frying. Frying is the subjecting of a small piece of meat or 
fish to a high temperature in a shallow pan, which has the effect 
of producing an immediate coagulation of the proteids right 
through. It is, however, a very unsatisfactory method of cook' 
ing, and may with advantage be replaced by griUing, broiling 
or by the chafing dish. 

Frittering (often mistaken for Frying, or vice versa). Frit- 
tering is the sudden immersion of the object to be cooked (such 
as meat, cutlets, fish, etc.) into liquid fat or oil at a high tempera- 
ture, 300°-350° F. This, like the roasting or baking, has the 
effect of producing an instantaneous coagulation of the proteids 
on the surface, and a slight degree of charring. The soluble 
substances in the meat or fish are prevented from escaping, and 
owing to the complete immersion at the high temperature, the 
food is cooked throughout almost instantaneously. 

The pan should of course, be deep enough to allow ample 
oil or fat to cover the article to be cooked. The sudden plunging 



J 



WHY WE COOK 45 

into the hot fat or oil causes a good deal of spluttering, due to 
the immediate conversion of the surface moisture into steam. 
When the spluttering has ceased, the cooking will be complete. 

Vegetables. The objects to be accomplished in the cooking 
of vegetable foods are. the softening and breaking up of the 
cellulose and the gelatinisation of its starch so as to render it 
more digestible and palatable, and therefore somewhat different 
treatment is required from that of meat. Green vegetables 
should be plui^ed into boiling water and kept at that temperature 
until they are cooked; potatoes and cereals require to be cooked 
slowly, at less than boiling point, as they gelatinise at from 149" 
to 190° Fahr. 

Food, a Non-conductor d Heat It may be, perhaps, better 
understood when it is pointed out that Food is a very bad con- 
ductor of heat, hence the heat travels into it very slowly. Sir 
Henry Thompson, in his experiments on the temperature inside 
pieces of meat, found that after a leg of mutton had been kept 
in boiling water for some hours, the temperature of the meat 
inside near the bone never exceeded 187° Fahr. The same result 
was found in the case of a leg of mutton roasted. The interior 
of a piece of meat varies from 160° to 195° according to size. 

With this brief outline of the principles of the Chemistry of 
Cooking let us now see how electricity will help us and what 
apparatus there is available. 



Dowsing's Electric Heating ADparatus, 1B94. 



Short Account of Electiic Heating and Cooking from 1890 to 
1914. It may interest my readers to know that experimentally, 
the fact that electricity could be applied to cooking operations 
was demonstrated by Franklin so long ago as 1749, simple opera- 
tions being carried out with currents furnished by extremely 
primitive means; more than a century before the invention of 
the dynamo for generating electricity on a commercial scale. 
In 1891 Mr. H, J. Dowsing, M. I. E. E., one of the pioneers of 
Heating and Cooking and founder of the Dowsing Radiant Heat 
Company, had a stand at the Crystal Palace Electrical Exhibition 
at which were shown Electric Cookers and heaters. He cer- 
tainly had far-seeing ideas. I am not going to advocate that the 
hot plate at top of the electric cooker, and that other apparatus 
shown should be now made in the forms they were at that 
Exhibition, but certainly Messrs. Crompton, who were respon- 
sible for the manufacture of these articles, fully grasped the 
possibilities of Electricity being applied for perfect cooking in 
the future! I, alas! had not the pleasure of being a guest at the 
first Electric Banquet given to the Lord Mayor of London at 

46 



EMaillglllllllglUlllllglllglglllEIMMMaig 



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'^ht Citg of l0nit0n (Btonc Itigbttng 



fc*W»** ■■■w^^^^lM"!^ ■ 



-•««*■«<— >A» 



Banquet gooked by Elegtrigity 



AT THE 



CANNON STREET HOTEL, 



ON 



^xA^ax^y ^^K^ Bm^uc. 1894. 



Sir DAVID L. SALOMONS, Bart., M.A., A.lnst.C.E., 
( Vice-President of the Institution of Electrical En^in^ers) 

IN THE CHAIR. 



]§tr£ctara : 

The Right Hon. The Earl of SUFFOLK ft BERKSHIRE. 
JOSEPH BEVAN BRAITHWAITE, Esq., M;Inst.E.E. 
Colonel B. H. MARTINDALE.'C.B. 
F. W. REYNOLDS. Esq. 
EDWARD LUCAS, Esq. 

(Bn^ixizzx and iSamtjjnT 

DAVID COOK, Esq., M.Inst.C.E., M.Inst.E.E. 

f^tZXtitiXl^ : 
JOSEPH CECIL BULL, Esq., A.Inst.E.E.. F.I.S. 

HoUcitar : 
WILLIAM MORRIS, Jr., Esq. 

donstdlin^ Utaff: 

Professor A. B. W. XlENNEDY, F.R.S., M.Inst.C.E. 
Professor S. P. THOMPSON, D.Sc, F.R.S. 
Professor J. A. FLEMING, D.Sc, F.R.S. 
Colonel H. C. SEDDON, R.E. (Retd.) 




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47 



48 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

the Cannon Street Hotel, with Sir David L. Salomons in the 
chair, on June 15, 1894, but I give you a copy of the original 
Menu (kindly lent me by Mr. Dowsing), and he assures me that 
the Banquet, which was cooked entirely by electricity, was quite 
a success. 

* 



Hors jyCEuvres, 
Clear Turtle, Thick Turtle. 



Fillets of Soles Cardinal, 

Salmon and Hollandaise Sauce, 

Whitebait, 

(Btttrwa. 

Cailles en Caisses Perigeux. 
Ris de Veau aux Petits Pois. 

York Hanty Madeira Sauce, 



latttt. 

fore Quarter of JLamb. 
Peas, New Potatoes. 



Ducklings, Chips. Salad. 

Asparagus Sauce Mouseline. 

Windsor Pudding. 

Charlotte Russe, Liqueur Jelly. 

Ice Pudding. 

§eaBert. 
(Kafc laoir. 



HEATING AND COOKING, 1890 TO 1914 49 

Six large ovens and a number of smaller utensils were fitted 
up in one of the outer rooms near the dining-room where the 
dinner was served. 

Visitors were enabled to see the cooking operations in progress 
and to note particularly that owing to the absence of smoke, 
dust and fumes, there was little objection to the cooking being 
carried out even in the dining-room itself. 

In 1895, Colonel R. E. Crompton read a paper before the 
Society of Arts on the use of Electricity for Cooking purposes 
and a large variety of cooking appliances was then shown in use. 

The year 1890 may, however, be taken as the date at whicn 
the first practical attempt was made to introduce electrically 
heated cooking apparatus. During the last decade of the 19th 
century, much progress was made in the design of cooking uten- 
sils, and so far as their construction went, they were already 
{Practicable though not very reliable. I have already referred to 
the pioneer work of Mr. Dowsing, on behalf of Messrs. Crompton, 
and their enterprizing ideas materialised in the production of 
serviceable hot plates, self-contained water heaters, frying pans, 
and so forth, from which all present day cookers have been 
evolved. Col. Crompton is worthy of special mention for his 
early labours in electric lighting, heating and cooking. The 
enterprize of inventors and manufactiu*ers, however, received 
little encouragement for many years, for electricity was only 
supplied in those days at prices which made electric cooking and 
heating prohibitive, except in special circimastances. Current 
could not be obtained more cheaply than 8d. per unit for many 
years, and the general public naturally felt little interest in cook- 
ing and heating appliances which cost many times as much to 
use as those with which it was familiar, to say nothing of the heavy 
initial charge made for the utensils themselves. It was only 
when it had been proved by the results of many years' working 
that it was possible commercially to supply energy at cheap rates 
for power purposes, that engineers thought it worth while to 
adopt a similar system of charging for current used for cooking 
and heating. 

As I have already stated, there are quite a number of districts 
in which current can be obtained for ^d. or 1 cent per unit in 

E 



60 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

England and 3 cents in America and many others in which Id. 
and 5 cents respectively is charged, and at these figures the operat- 
ing costs of electric cookers and heaters will bear favourable 
comparison with coal and gas. When it is considered that there 
were persons who so appreciated the advantages of electrical 
operation that they were willing to pay 8d. per unit for current 
used by radiators and cookers, it is not surprising that the public 
as a whole is becoming keenly interested in the more eflScient 
and reliable apparatus now on the market, which will afford all 
the advantages of the earlier types at prices very considerably 
less, and can be operated at an eighth and even at a sixteenth 
of the cost involved ten or fifteen years ago. In this connection 
it is important to bear in mind that even the low prices available 
to-day do not represent the final minimum, for as the number of 
users increases, and still larger supply stations are erected, the 
charge made per unit may be reduced yet fmther. There are 
indeed competent authorities who say that within a reasonable 
period we shall only have to pay in some districts .25d. or § a cent 
per unit for our electricity, whether it be used for lighting, for 
power, for cooking, heating or any other purpose. Needless to 
say that at such a price, or anything approaching it, it would not 
pay any householder, from the artisan at £l a week to the largest 
hotel proprietor, to employ anything but electricity for every 
purpose to which it could be adapted. 

In the early days, there were many technical difficulties to be 
surmounted by pioneers in electric cooking and heating. The 
greatest trouble was to obtain a suitable resistance material to 
serve as the heating element. At first platinum wire was tried, 
but this, although satisfactory in many respects, was too costly 
for commercial application. Alloys of iron in the form of wire 
were found to be more convenient and infinitely cheaper, but 
they oxidised by contact with air and moisture and quickly burnt 
out when this occurred, while they could not safely be operated 
at temperatures high enough for many cooking operations. In 
order to protect them from atmospheric influences, manufacturers 
embedded their spirals of vnre alloy in a special enamel, and this 
proved fairly satisfactory, although the difference in the rate of 
expansion of the metal and its surrounding enamel caused the 



HEATING AND COOKING, 1890 TO 1914 61 

latter to fracture and so to admit air and moisture, with consequent 
early failure of the heating unit. Improvements were made, how- 
ever and a wire introduced which, while not embedded in enamel, 
was to a great extent proof against oxidisation and chemical 
action, and such wires are still employed in some systems, sup- 
ported on insulators and exposed to the air. They are used more 
particularly for grills and ovens, but many kettles and other 
self-contained utensils, fitted with heating elements of plain 
wire in which iron is the principal ingredient, are still giving 
satisfactory service. A great advance, and one which hac prac- 
tically revolutionised the industry, was the introduction of 
nickel wire and of an alloy of nickel and chromium, known as 
nichrome. This remarkable wire can be run at a bright red 
heat for long periods without any deterioration taking place; it 
is to a great extent proof against chemical action and oxidisation; 
it is imafifected by the frequent switching on and off and by 
violent fluctuations in temperature and is quite cheap. Practi- 
cally every maker of cooking and heating apparatus employs 
this wire, or one of similar nature, and its adoption has made 
possible the production of devices which are low in first cost, 
reliable in operation, and most eflScient in current consumption. 
There are several other types of heating element on the market 
(to which reference is made at the section explaining technical 
terms, and under the heading " heating elements "), and I have 
heard of others which are about to be introduced, but the heating 
unit of to-day is a thoroughly sound and satisfactory part of the 
electric cooker and heater and gives little trouble. In the event 
of a breakdown it can be replaced at small cost and with little 
trouble, by the aid of a screwdriver and common sense, most 
makers providing for easy replacements when designing their 

cookers. 

ft 

The following illustrations are reproductions of some of the 
cooking and heating devices shown at the Crystal Palace Exhibi- 
tion of 1891 by Messrs. Crompton & Co. It will be seen that the 
designs of the heaters were most elegant. A range of electrically- 
heated appliances was placed on the market in 1894. Some of 
these are shown in the accompanying illustrations, and their 
appearance strikes one as being far from primitive, when com- 

E 2 



52 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

pared with those available to-day. They gave good results in 
practice, although the high rates charged for current at that time 
prevented their wide adoption. The General Electric Co. of Great 
Britain and the General Electric Co. of America, both, however, 



Electric Kettle and Chafing Dish of 1 



Electric Radiator of 1891. 



HEATING AND COOKING, 



Dowsing's Electric Kitchen of 1894. 

realised that in time electric heating and cooking would develop 
into one of the most important branches of the industry, and they 
have continuously experimented with new apparatus which prom- 
ised improvement upon existing types, and have ever kept abreast 
of the times. Another firm which entered early into the cooking 
and beating business was the British Prometheus Co., which 
since its foundation about 1892, has been engaged exclusively 
in the manufacture of electrically-heated appliances. Prometheus 
heaters and cookers have long established a reputation for relia- 
bility and efficiency, and the Company's extensive works at 
Birmii^am are turnii^ out kettles, irons, grills, toasters, ovens, 
cooking ranges and similar goods at an ever-increasing rate. 
The Phoenix Electric Heating Co. was, I believe, the next to 
launch out into the business, and since then this firm has done 
a great deal to develop electric heaters and cookers. 

Perhaps the most familiar name to those interested in electric 
cookii^ is that of " Tricity." It was in 1908, I think, that 
Mr. A. F. Berry first placed on the British market the " Tricity " 
cooker. At that time there were very few electric cookers in 
general use, and Mr. Berry's device was a great advance upon 
existing designs. In its original form it could only be used on 
alternating current supplies, but the " Tricity " cooker of to-day 
can be used wherever a supply of current is available. Essentially 



54 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

it consists of a circular hot plate of cast iron, with its working 
surface ground perfectly flat. On this disc, ordinary flat-bot- 
tomed vessels may be placed, but the makers advocate the use 
of special utensils with flanged bottoms, which give a higher 
efficiency. Attachments for use with the boiling ring include a 
silver grill, airing frame, large and small ovens, and many special 
devices, a second or extension ring being provided for use on the 
top of the oven and for heating additional utensils. Many 
thousands of " Tricity " cookers are now in daily service, and are 
giving satisfaction. To Mr. Berry is due the conception of the 
idea of developing the cooking business by giving practical 
demonstrations in public, and in conjunction with Messrs. 
Gillespie and Beales, the British Selling Agents for " Tricity '' 
cookers, lectures have been given in hundreds of districts. 
These have aroused intense interest and have led not only 
to the adoption of electric cooking by many of those who 
witnessed the operations carried out so quickly and effectively 
with the beautifully clean " Tricity " cooker, but to the intro- 
duction of lower prices for electricity in a nimaber of districts 
and to the inauguration of hiring-out facilities. Users in such 
districts can hire an electric cooker for a few shillings a quarter, 
exactly as they formerly did for a gas cooker. 

During the last four or five years many other firms, already 
well known and respected in the electrical industry, have opened 
special departments for electric cooking and heating. In Great 
Britain these include The Armorduct Manufacturing Co., Ltd.; 
Benham & Sons, Ltd.; The Carron Co.; Eastman & Warne; 
The Electric & Ordnance Accessories Co.; The Electrical Co., 
Ltd.; The Falkirk Iron Co., Ltd.; Ferranti, Ltd.; The Jackson 
Electric Stove Co., Ltd.; Purcell & Nobbs; Simplex Conduits, 
Ltd.; Spagnoletti, Ltd.; and The British Thomson-Houston Co., 
Ltd., Bertram Thomas, while there are many others who have 
lately gone into the business and whose apparatus promises to 
give equal results to that supplied by firms who have been 
associated with this particular branch of the industry for a 
longer time. I am giving illustrations and details of some of 
the apparatus manufactured by the firms mentioned, and al- 
though the designs of many may be superseded in a few years. 



?v 



HEATING AND COOKING, 1890 TO 1914 55 

the principle involved will be the same, and while there may- 
appear very little difference in types they differ in several details. 
The demand at present on some of the makers is greater than 
they can supply. In Great Britain the tall gas cooker type will 
be largely replaced by the double-oven Elettric Cooker proper, 
as it is quite unnecessary to copy the errors of gas or coal cooker 
practice. 

In America the progress of Electric Heating and Cooking 
has been retarded by the same causes as in Great Britain, but 
within the last five years the benefits of Electricity have been 
realised and American Engineers and Manufacturers have as 
usual risen to the occasion and there are now on the American 
market new types of Electric cooking apparatus, some of which 
are quite novel in conception and design, while others have fol- 
lowed gas practice, but these will soon be superseded. The 
Electric heat storage system has caught on in some States, and 
very useful and eflScient apparatus are being sold. Among the 
chief makers are: The General Electric Co., The Simplex Elec- 
tric Heating Co., The Copeman Electric Stove Co., The Cook 
Stove Co., The Berkeley Electric Cooker Co., The Westinghouse 
Electric Co., The Hot-Point Electric Heating Appliances, The 
Prometheus Electric Co., The Western Electric Co., The Vulcan 
Electric Heating Co., The Hughes Electric Stove Co. 

Illustrations and particulars of some of the various types of 
apparatus are given under their respective headings: Table 
Cookery, Cookers, Heaters, Water Heaters and other domestic 
appliances. 




66 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Progress During the Past Few Years. It is very gratifying 
to see the enormous progress that has been made by British and 
American Electrical Manufacturers and Contractors during the 
past Jew years. Complete equipments have been fitted in palaces, 
mansions, hotels, hospitals, colleges, convents, schools, clubs, 
banks, restaurants, and other large establishments in Great 
Britain, America, Africa, Australia, and other countries; several of 
the railways have adopted electric heating and cooking in addition 
to lighting, and some of the largest steamships and war vessels 
have been fitted with Electric Cooking and Heating apparatus, 
including the Royal yacht of H. M. King George. 

It is also pleasing to note that some of the installations are 
very extensive and of great historical interest, such as the Bank 
of England, where 4 kitchens will provide for upwards of 2,000 
persons daily, and Grosvenor House, for the Duke of Westminster. 
Old kitchens which have provided banquets for Kings are being 
equipped with Electric Cooking appliances. I am only able to 
give brief details of a few of the installations, chiefly choosing 
those where photographs of the equipment have been obtainable, 
such as The Old Ship Hotel, Brighton; The All-electric Hotel, 
Colorado, U. S. A.; The All -electric Restaurant, Torquay; The 
Polytechnic, London; Middlesex Guildhall, Westminster, Lon- 
don; Debenham's, London; St. Cyprian's School, Eastbourne; 
Pier Pavilion, Cape Town; The Empire Hospital, Westminster, 
London; Romano's Restaurant, Strand, London; B. & K. Res- 
taurant, Earls Court Rd., London br.; Bunting's Restaurant, 
Norwich; Harvey NichoPs Restaurant, Kensington; Blackpool 
Tower Restam-ant; Cavendish Restaurant, Derby. 

In one small district in London there are nearly 300 complete 
electric cooking equipments in regular daily use, chiefly in 
private houses, also many in nursing homes and boarding houses, 
as well as flats. In another English town about 70 electric cookers 
are installed in private houses, many of these being occupied 
by artisans, while in a Sussex village of less than 1,000 inhab- 
itants, cooking is carried out electrically in 38 households, many 
installations being in thatched cottages built 200 years ago. 

Several English railway companies are now providing electric 
grills and cookers for the use of their employees whilst on dutj'. 



ELECTRIC COOKING 

The Ideal to be Aimed at. The oven and hot plates 
should attain the highest temperature required in the shortest 
possible time, and with the least possible amount of Electricity. 
The heat given ofif should be stored or conserved as long as pos- 
sible. The low heat " Element '' or '' Elements '' should be able 
to maintain the temperature required for the average cooking 
to which the apparatus may be subjected, or for which it is 
constructed. 

The most perfect arrangement for the oven is an equal heat 
all over, coming from the sides, controlled by two or more switches, 
so that on the oven attaining the requisite temperature for the 
cooking required, the heat can be maintained by not more than 
a quarter or a third of the current needed to raise it to the requisite 
degree in the first instance. 

The oven may be provided with means to see the progress of 
cooking without opening the door, lifting the heat cover, or 
allowing the heat to escape. A heat indicator or thermometer 
may be provided reading up to 600° Fahr. and a pilot or current 
indicator in the form of a drop red flag or a glow lamp may 
indicate that electricity is being used in the oven or any other 
apparatus. A glow lamp may indicate whether high, medium 
or low heat is being used. 

Electric Cookers are the combination of oven and hot plates 
and really take the place of the *' coal range." The Cooker 
may be made up of portable parts, comprising a chamber for 
baking, which, together with a boiling plate, may make up the 
oven, and this may be supplemented by one or more separate hot 
or boiling plates connected to the original cooker or detached; 
these together make up all the parts of the cooker. In other 
cases, the oven and hot plates may be combined in one apparatus 
similar to a gas cooker. Several of these are illustrated on pages 
102 to 144. 

67 



58 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Cookers either portable or fixed may be obtained suitable 
for cooking for any number of persons, from the lonely lady or 
bachelor to the " baker's dozen *' or more. 

The Cooker specially suitable for a small family may not be 
suitable for a large one, and indeed seldom is so. 

It is absolutely necessary to have some standard form of 
cooker that will be suitable for the requirements of the locality 
and class of people catered for by the Supply Company, so as to 
facilitate the adoption of electric cooking without too great a 
contrast in the arrangement of the apparatus. For instance: 
in London, the low oven and small range is most general; in Leeds 
and Bradford, the Yorkshire or high oven is most in use; whilst 
in Manchester and Liverpool, the Lancashire form or medixun 
height is generally used. The latter practice is also general in 
America. 

For small families where the cooker has to be purchased out- 
right or on the ** hire purchase system," there is no doubt the 
portable sets have much to commend them. The hot plates can 
be used daily, whilst the oven need only be brought out when 
required for use. Plate warming can be very conveniently 
done in a small hot-cupboard, which takes a much smaller 
amount of electricity than is absorbed in an oven. Soups, 
stews, vegetables and boiled puddings can be done on the boiling 
plates. In this way a considerable saving can be ejffected; the 
oven only being used two or three days a week when baking or 
roasting is required. Owing to the storage of heat in the oven, 
cakes and other things needing a greater and quicker heat 
can be done in it to perfection. 

For large families: it is best to purchase or " hire " a large 
outfit. The electric connections can be made so conveniently 
that the cookers need not be fixed in one position, but can be 
made so that the stove can. be moved on wheels to any convenient 
part of the room, according to the requirements of the household 
or local conditions. 

With very little extra cost, whilst the wiring is being done, 
additional connections can be fixed on the walls or other con- 
venient places. 

Where the cooking has to be left to the care of servants, a 



ELECTRIC COOKING 59 

heavier tj"pe of cooker is necessary so as to provide for rough 
handling — a strong design is essential, and in these cEises, the 
oven should be protected by some form of heat-insulating material. 
In this case, it is preferable to have the oven designed in such a 
manner that if any liquid is spilt or vapour arises in or on the 
oven, it can in no way get to the material used in lagging the 
oven. 

For this reason, the object at which all makers are aiming, 
or should aim, is to provide {at the least possible cost) an oven 
which can be quickly heated and will retain or store the heat 
given to it for as long as possible. The heating elements should 
be strong and easily replaced, and well protected from any 
possible contact with anything that may be put into the oven or 
with anyone operating it. Every part of the wiring, switches, 
fuses and plug connections should be protected from any possi- 
bility of contact with the person operating and from being 
touched by any knife, fork or other implement or utensil likely 
to cause a fault or short circuit. Many of the present apparatus 
both fixed and portable have terminals exposed to accidental 
contact and short circuit. These should he amended without 
delay. This applies to all apparatus on Electric supply circuits 
both portable and fixed. 



"Eclipse" Breakfast Grill Toaster and Hot Plate. 



Electric Cookery Chart 



Cen t pFah'' 



Meats 

Ot/en 




Idoasfirfgr orJBakiffff' 



Fah''^ Cent 




3dc 
370 

360 

3SC 

340 
350 
dBO 
310 

300 
zsc 
eac 
270 

260 
zsc 



■^iO 

"Sot 



'i90 



9k 



ZOO 
t9S 
190 
165 

teo 

170 

165 

l€0 

ISS 

150 

145 

MO 

I3S 

190 

Its 

/to 

1/5 
110 

ms 
mo 
95 

90 

OS 



Time oifo¥^ed . Per/b 

Fork . .iO.yn^ri^. /- 

Beef . . /•T . .«. - . 
L^mb ; /;2 . . ^« • * 
Fav/try.fX ... 

Qame /Z 



rt 



/> 



The temperature indicated must be at the joint and the time allowed is 
after taking 20 minutes required for the first heat to seal the meat. 



60 



S. 



fflNTS ON ELECTRIC COOKING 

Roasting Oven. The left-hand thermometer on the Electric 
Cookery chart indicates the temperature at which the oven 
should be when the joint is put in. The proper temperature is 
usually attained in an electric oven by putting the switches all 
on at high for about 15 to 25 minutes according to the size and 
make of apparatus. After the joint has been in about 15 minutes, 
sufficient to seal the meat the switches should be turned to low, 
this usually being sufficient to allow the temperature of the oven 
to drop to between 212° and 190° and to maintain it at that 
temperature as shown by the right-hand thermometer. The 
time for cooking various meats is given on the chart, and curves 
showing the time taken are given on pages 60> 62 and 64. 

Baking. For baking Bread, Cakes and Pastries. The oven 
should be raised to between 350° and 400° by the switches being 
full on at AigA and -maintained at between 350° and 380° by the 
switches being at medium. 

Electric " Boiling " and " Stewing.'* In cooking all meats, 
except salt meats, by immersion into boiling water see that the 
water is only sufficient to cover the meat. Plunge the meat in 
while water is boiling, then turn switch down to " medium " or 
*' low,'' according to size of joint and apparatus. Keep the water 
just under boiling until cooked. The time to be allowed for 
cooking for joints about 2 lbs. is roughly one hour, and 15 minutes 
for each pound above up to 12 lbs., and 10 minutes per lb. above 
12 lbs. Thus: 2 lbs. beef will require 1 hour; 4 lbs., 1 hr. 30 min.; 
8 lbs., 2 hrs.; 12 lbs., 3 hrs.; 14 lbs., 3 hrs. 20 min.; 16 lbs., 3 hrs. 
40 mins. 

Ham, Bacon and Salt Beef should be put into cold water and 
brought to boiling, then the switch turned to *' low ''; the time 
must be taken after the water has boiled, as for other meats 
cooked in liquids. 

Stewing, For stewing, meats should be put into the stew-pot 

61 



Electric CooKERy Chart 
Meatus 
Saucepan or Boiler 
J Bo'tlt-nf^ or Ste^riwi ^ 



too 



The temperature indicated is that of the hquid in which the joint is 
immersed and the time allowed after taking 20 minutes for the first 
sealing or bringing up to boiling point. 



HINTS ON ELECTRIC COOKING 63 

and just covered with cold water. The switch should be turned 
to high for about 20 minutes for small stews, and 30 minutes 
for large stews, to allow contents of pot to come to near the 
boiling point; then down to '* mediimi " or *' low," care being 
taken that the liquid never boils, but keeps at a temperature of 
180° to 200° Fahr. Vegetables should be cooked separately and 
added to stew when cooked if required. 

Fish. For boiling cutlets of fish, let the water be just sufficient 
to cover fish. Bring it to the boil; put fish in while boiling, 
and let it boil for 6 minutes for thin cutlets and 8 to 10 minutes 
for thick. The fish is done if it will come easily from the bone. 

Electric Frittering. This is a process of cooking which is not 
sufficiently understood by the English-speaking housewife or 
cook. So many little dainty appetising dishes can be served up 
by this really very simple (when once understood) method of 
cooking. How often is the sole or plaice, or other fried fish or 
cutlets, sent to one^s table reeking in unappetising fat, of an 
inartistic dark brown color, instead of being pale brown, crisp, 
and devoid of any appearance of fat? 

The secret of frittering is a deep pan, and sufficient fat or oil 
in the pan thoroughly to cover .the article to be frittered. It is 
essential that the fat should be heated to a temperature of 300- 
350° F. before the food is immersed in it, and a convenient 
method of testing the temperature is by dropping in a very 
small piece of bread. If it bubbles and remains at the top, one 
can gauge safely that the temperature is right. A great mistake 
is made by putting only a small amount of fat into the pan. 
Although it may appear extravagant to start frittering with say 
2 lbs. or more of fat or oil, yet it is much more economical in the 
long run. One should always keep 3 frittering pans. One for 
fish, one for cutlets and savouries, and a smaller one for fruits 
and sweets. The same fat can be used over and over again; it 
should be clarified in the following simple manner: 

Heat the fat, then pour it into hot water. Stand until cold, 
when the fat should be removed. 

Always have some finely crushed and sifted bread-crumbs of 
a palish brown colour in an air-tight tin. 

Any odd crusts or pieces of dry bread can be used for this 




: 1- c<5 si < 

Tvme taken/ vrv Coom/n^ 



K ^ I 

» ■§ i 
•5 o 



■S? - 

4 S 



HINTS ON ELECTRIC COOKING 



65 



purpose by placing them in a " slow " oven until they become a 
pale brown. They should then be crushed with a rolling-pin, 
and passed through a very fine sieve. The following method 
should be followed when preparing a sole, fillet of plaice, cod 
steak, or other piece of fish for frittering: — Thoroughly dry the 
fish, sprinkle flour over the centre of a cloth, put the fish in same; 
gather the four corners of cloth in your hand and well shake. 
Then with a small hair brush paint the fish over with the yolk 
of an egg, dip the painted fish while wet in bread-crumbs. It 
is then ready to immerse in the hot fat in the frittering pan. The 
hot fat will cook the fish in a few minutes without soaking into 
it, as owing to its yolk of egg, and to the moisture in the fish 
being converted into steam by an intense heat, the fat cannot 
possibly enter. As soon as the coating has become a nice pale 
brown and the bubbles have ceased, the fish is done and should be 
immediately taken out with a drainer or draining basket, allow- 
ing all the fat to drain off. The fish then should be placed on a 
piece of blotting paper, and finally on to the hot plate or dish, 
provided with a white drying paper and served to table. 

MEAT LOSSES 

In Cooking by coal or gas it has hitherto been the practice 
for meat to lose from a quarter to a third of its weight. This 
is given on the authority of Mrs. Beeton and others. The losses 
according to Dr. Lethely Wm. Pavey are as follows: 





Percentage of Loss. 




Boiling. 


Baking. 

• 


Roasting. 


Beef 


20 
20 
20 
24 
30 
25 


29 
31 
32 
32 
33 
32 


31 


Mutton 


35 


Lee of Mutton 


33 


Shoulder of Aiutton 

Loin of Mutton 


34 
36 


Neck 


34 






Average 


23% 


31% . 


34% 





The following diagrams give comparative losses in roasting 
meats: 



i 






/5J 



wiiA CoaZfvre , Gas JSrJSlecirUih/ 




f 2 3 4 s 6 7 e 9 io n fB /3 M /s fe ly ta /9 20 
tVeiffhf of Meats Uncooked m lbs 



Comparafive Losses in Meats 

Cooked by Coaf Gas and Elecfricif 'y 




^Udttic^J 



f B 3 ^ ^ e / SB fO H /8 i3 m /5 ^6 /J ^^ /9 BQ 

Weight of Join f uncooked in Ihs. 

Losses Due to the Manner of Applying the Heat. 

66 



COMPARATIVE LOSSES IN MEATS COOKED WITH COAL, 

GAS AND ELECTRICITY 

The losses plotted on these two diagrams are from the results 
of tests during the ordinary methods of Cooking with coal, gas 
and electricity; higher eflBciency results for Electric cooking 
than shown have been obtained, the losses recorded being in 
several cases 8 per cent only, but greater care has been taken in 
carrying out these tests than is usually exercised in ordinary 
cooking. 

It is, of course, understood that this higher efficiency in cook- 
ing of meats is obtainable more from the fact that the meat is 
cooked slowly in its own juice, and in a uniform temperature, 
without th6 juices being carried off, as they are with the present 
coal and gas cooker, than from the class of fuel suppljdng the 
heat. I have already pointed out that Count Rumford, over 
100 years ago, obtained almost the same high efficiencies with a 
specially constructed coal fire cooker, but the expensive con- 
struction prevented its commercial adoption, although it was 
the pioneer of the coal fire range. 

The paper bag cookery, enclosed " roasters,'' paper-lined bas- 
kets, and the heat storage cookers lately brought into use has 
proved what can be done in getting equally high efficiency with 
coaly gas and other means, by uniform heat with extra care, but 
it was electric cooking which first brought to light the deficiencies 
of the ordinary coal and gas methods, and it is the easy and sure 
means of application by which this high efficiency can be obtained, 
also the definite knowledge of results, which make electric cooking 
in advance of all other methods, and in the same degree that 
Electric light is in advance of all other methods of artificial lighting 
for the home. 

When using an electric oven, the housewife or cook knows 
for certain that a movement of one or more switches will once 
and always produce a certain temperature, and so long as these 

JF2 67 



68 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

switches are in a given position, so long will that temperature 
be maintained. With gas or coal cooking, there can be no such 
sure and certain knowledge. It is difficult to adjust the gas 
taps twice alike, and even if this could be done, the gas pressure 
may change at any moment, or the internal oven temperature 
be affected by draughts or by several other causes. So far as 
coal is concerned, the cook is st the mercy of the fire to a great 
extent, since the oven cannot respond quickly to changes in the 
control of dampers and to poking of the fire or addition of fuel. 
The coal oven is always an uncertain quantity. One day it will 
cook satisfactorily, the next it will be too fierce, while on a third 
occasion it will be too slow. There is no nonsense of this kind 
with the electric oven, which is always alike, always ready, and 
never fails to do its work with economy, cleanliness and freedom 
from supervision. 



TYPES OF HEATING ELEMENTS 

Heating Element. This is the name given to that portion of 
a cooker or heater which gives out the heat for warming an oven 
or hot plate or raising the temperature of a room. It consists 
of some material which is more or less a bad conductor of elec- 
tricity, and when current is taken through it by makii^ it form a 
portion of an electrical circuit, it becomes hot owing to the 
resistance it sets up to the wave or flow of current. The greater 
the resistance, the more intense the heat, but great heat can be 
set up by employing an element of lower resistance and using 
more of it. if a wire is used as the heating unit, the thinner it 
is, the greater is its resistance, but much depends upon the kind of 
wire and its length. For cookers running at a high temperature, 
such as is needed in ovens and grills, a thin wire of special nickel 
alloy is usually employed, this being proof against oxidisation; 
against the action of acids in fruit, and vapours produced during 
the cooking process; and against breakdown throug 
and violent changes of temperature. The wire may 
be laid over strips of mica in the form of a close 
windii^, mica being an excellent insulator, capable 
of withstanding great heat; it may be in the form 
of a spiral threaded through tubes of quartz glass, the 
latter acting both as an insulator and as a support 
for the wires, this kind of glass beii^ proof against 
cracking by the application of water or grease even 
when red hot; or it may be wound in the form of a 
flat helix, with mica separating adjacent turns; a 
sheet of mica or of quartz being used on one or both 
sides. In other cases the wire is exposed, and wound 
in long lengths over insulating supports, or in coils 
supported by porcelain insulators fixed in the cooker 
frame. Both the length and diameter of the wire are 
adjusted for the supply pressure (voltage) with which Radiator 
the apparatus is intended to work, so as to allow the l.amp 



70 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

required amount of current to pass which will give the requisite 
temperature for the work in hand. By this means, a heating ele- 
ment can be so adjusted that it will only reach a temperature suffi- 
cient to boil water or heat plates, while another element of the same 
nature but of different length and size, will reach a temperature 
of 500° or 600° F., and may even glow at a bright red. It is not 
necessary to use a wire for a heating element, alternatives being 
an extremely thin deposit on a mica base, of an alloy of copper, 
gold and other metals having " royal " characteristics, i.e., those 
which do not rust or oxidise by exposure to moisture or at high 
temperatures; or blocks of metalliferous earth, a material which 
has lately been introduced and for which great advantages are 
claimed. It is possible, in certain circumstances, to generate 
very considerable heat by the influence of an electrical current 
passing through a coil of wire laid over strips of copper in con- 
junction with a core formed of thin plates of iron, but this 
system, while quite practicable for cookers, has been abandoned 
commercially, because it can only be adopted on alternating 
current circuits. A heating element may be formed from any 
material which offers a resistance to the passage of current, but 
its value for practical purposes depends upon many conditions, 
which have been found by prolonged experiment to be met most 
thoroughly by a wire of special nickel alloy. Granules of carbon 
have been tried and are used for one type of water heater 
on the market, the loose contact between the particles set- 
ting up sparking when current is passed through them, or at 
least becoming heated owing to the increased resistance at the 
points of partial contact. In another water-heating system, the 
resistance of the water itself is employed to heat it, the water 
being allowed to flow through perforated platinum plates con- 
nected to the supply cables. As soon as the water touches any 
two plates, it completes the electrical circuit, but does not allow 
of a ready flow of current owing to its high resistance, and it thus 
becomes heated. The heat from radiator lamps has also been 
applied to cooking, but this sj^stem has many disadvantages in 
practice, and is not likely to be adopted on any large scale. In 
one system of recent introduction, the resistance wires are 
immersed in oil, which acts not only as an excellent insulator, 



TYPES OF HEATING ELEMENTS 



71 



but by its circulation through the 
sealed chamber in which the element 
is contained, produces a very even 
heating effect over the whole cooking 
surface of the apparatus. In other 
systems, such as one of the forms em- 
ployed in the " Prometheus " elements, 
the resistance wires are coated with a 
special oxide which, while protecting 
the wire, attains a much higher tem- 
perature than the wire itself and so 
enables the element to be run at a 
greater heat without strain or risk 
than is possible without the coat- 
ing. 

vThe early electric heating ele- 
ments were made up in spiral form of 
iron, German silver, and other resist- 
ance wires and were similar in form to 
resistances used for motor and lamp 
regulation. For self-contained uten- 
sils fine German silver wire was em- 
bedded in enamel in the form shown 
in the sketch. For cigar lighters and 
other very small heaters, German silver 
wire was threaded in thin mica. 
I The Prometheus Company intro- 
duced three forms of elements, first 
their strip element, consisting of a de- 
posit of gold and platinum on strips 
of mica, then their ribbon element in 
the key pattern form used for flat 
irons, hot-plates, etc.; then oven ele- 
ments took the form of special high 
resistance wire or tape wound over 
mica, varnished and encased with thin 
steel. Sketches of the three forms are 
shown. 



*lAaAnAnnAfuinAAA/mn/] 
fiAA/uui/umMnnnnAAA 
lAjmAAAnAMAnA/winiu 



1890 




jBiBiBiEmr 




Prometheus 




Eclipse 




Calor 




Phoenix 






Hot -point 




Bellinqs 



^iiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiM 



Jockson 



Hough Sketch of Elements. 



ELECTRIC rOOKlNG AND HEATINQ 








-'WHfiiJSSIli^^^ 



Rough Sketch of Elements. 



The "Eclipse" Element consists of 
high resistance ribbon crimped to give 
greater length and free-air space, 
wound over mica strips with the ends 
connected to heavy eyelet terminals 
as in rough sketch. 

The " Calor " Element has a base 
of fireclay with grooves into which 
spirals of fine high resistance wire are 
placed. 

The "Phoenix "Element has spiral 
wire coils held lightly at short inter- 
vals by porcelain insulators mounted 
on a suitable base. 

The " Hot-point " Element is made 
up of nichrome wire or ribbon, wound 
lightly around thin strips of mica, then 
further covered with a thin mica cov- 
ering and inserted very tightly into 
grooves or slots made in the hot-plate 
or iron base to receive tlie finished 
strips. 

The " Belling " Element consists of 
a fireclay strip with spirals of nichrome 
wire stretched across the width of the 
base, notches being provided in the 
base for receiving the ends of the spi- 
ral and holding them tightly in posi- 
tion in the manner shown. 

The "Jackson" Element bas a dif- 
ferent class of fireclay base with quite 
a smooth surface, the section of the 
strips, being a fiat oval, wire or ribbon 
of nichrome, is wound tightly over the 
strip in one continuous lei^h and 
clamped between heavy terminals at 
each end. 

The " Tricity " Elements are shown 



TYPES OF HEATING ELEMENTS 73 

in pian and section of two forms. They consist of ^ 

nichrome ribbon wound over thin mica in the manner 
indicated on sketch and clamped between thin sheets 
of mica and metal. The method of winding provides 
for uniform distribution of heat at any loading. 

The Bastiaa or Quartzalite Element consists of a 
spiral of nichrome wire or ribbon ccated with a film 
of oxide insulation. The spiral is held in or on a tube 
of quartz. The turns of the spiral may be close 
together without fear of short circuit. This gives it a — 
" hot-rod " appearance. 

General Electric Company of America. Cartridge elements 
are used in the cast-iron disc stoves, grids, broilers, etc. For 110- 
volt circuits German silver is used, and for 220- 
volt circuits calorite is used. The element is one 
and one-fourth inches in diameter by five inches 
loi^; resembles a cartridge, and is usually inserted 
in a close-fitting chamber bored into a casting. It 
is a thin tape of resistor (about one-eighth inch 
wide) coiled to form a hollow cylinder. Between the turns i 
an insulating cement, which binds the whole into 
a solid tube. This cyhnder of wound calorite is 
inserted in a mica-lmed metal cartridge shell which 
in turn is inserted into the bore of the appli- 
ance. 

The encased disc heating elements are used 
in small water heaters, chafing dishes, coffee per- 
colators, teakettles and small disc stoves. 

The " resistor " is made of calorite ribbon 
wound around a thin disc of mica. (It is 
times made in the form of a grid, punched out of 

paper-thin sheet.) It is encased and clamped 

between thin metal plates, and separated from 

ithem by mica. These thin sheets of mica are 
capable of resisting 1,000 volts, but they offer 
no hindrance to the free passage of the heat to 
the casing. The encased " resistor " is mounted 
on a heat-insulating compound, in which the 



the turns is 





74 ELECTRIC COOKING AWD HEATING 

connections are imbedded and by which the terminals, are sup- 
ported. 

The leaf elements are made of calorite in shapes other than 
discs. They are used in the flatiron. The upper and lower 
sast-iron plates of the iron are bolted tightly together with the 
element clamped between and insulated from them by mica sheets. 

Spiral Coil Element. Spiral coil elements are usually applied 
to heating flat surfaces larger than six inches in diameter. In 
the water heaters, the " resistor 1" is an open helical coil laid 
spirally in a pan, each turn of the spiral being separated by a 
continuous strip of mica. The beating surface is electrically 
insulated from it by a layer of mica or other insulating compound 
designed to withstand high temperatures. 

When these " resistors " are used in grids and ovens the coils 
are arrai^ed in parallel. There is suSicient air space between 
adjacent coils to insure insulation in this type. 

The " Ferranti " Element is made up of nichrome wire coiled in 
disc form with thin insulating material between adjoining turns. 
Throughout its length an insulating disc covers top and bottom 
and the whole is tightly enclosed in a sheathing of metal. The 
illustrations show the manner of making up the disc and their 
alternate appearance in two-heat, three-heat, and grill or broiler 
oval form. 



"Ferranti Elements." 



TYPES OF HEATING APPARATUS 



75 



Dowsing's " Hot-Bar " Element is a fireclay basa with longitu- 
dinal grooves into which are tightly pressed long spirals of 
nichrome wire, which when heated has the appearance of a 

" hot-bar." 



Dowsmg's " Hot- Bar " Element. 



ELECTRIC COOKING IN SCHOOLS 

As Electricity is making such progress in domestic duties, 
our schools ought to be equipped with the latest apparatus. 
The London County Council, and other Educational Authorities, 
in England and America, have already fitted up their estab- 
lishments so that the pupils who are to be the housewives, 
helps or domestics of the future, may become fully educated 
in the proper and best methods of cooking, and other domestic 
uses. I am able to give examples of the kitchens fitted in 
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and the St. Cyprian School, 
Eastbourne. These are not the largest, others having very much 
larger equipments, but they are representative of what is being 
done. 

School Eatchen. Electricity has displaced coal for cooking 
at the large kitchen attached to St. Cyprian's School, East- 
bourne, and the equipment is shewn in the accompanying photo- 
graph. It consists entirely of " Tricity " apparatus, and has 
been supplying meals to a household of 100 daily since 
August, 1912. Current is taken from the Corporation mains 
and used at a pressure of 100 volts. The average consumption 
is 332 kelvins, or units, per week, and this works out at .48 kelvin 
per person per day — less than |d. or 1 cent per person for cooking 
all the meals during the day. 

The kitchen range has not been lighted since August, 1912, the 
reliability of the electrical apparatus rendering this unnecessary. 
Owing to the lessened work in the kitchen it has been found 
possible to reduce the staff by one member. 

The cooking outfit consists of four "Tricity" ovens, each 
measuring 19" by 14" by 16", heated by 800-watt plates beneath 
and 800-watt extension rings on top. There are four single 
cookers with 2-gallon urns for tea and coffee making, two Duplex 
and two single cookers for grilling, toasting, and boiling vegetables. 

76 



78 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Above the ovens is the lai^e plate-rack which formerly stood 
over the kitchen range, and above this is a canopy supported by 
a counterweight, the space between being used for plate-wanuii^ 
and so forth. 

A coke-fired boiler supplies water at a temperature of 150° 
for washing up and other purposes, also for the electric tea and 
coffee urns where the temperature is raised from 150° to 212°. 
The boiler is used for burning up a considerable amount of refuse. 



Twenty-oae Hughes Hot Plates, in the Domestic Science Room, Macauley 
School, EdmoDtoD, Alta. 



Ccwking with Electric Chafing Dish. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 

Examples of Small Portable Apparatus for Use at the Table. 
They are agreat boon for light work. These appliances can be 
obtained from the Electric Contractors, Electric Supply Works, 
the Chief Stores, etc. It is necessary, when ordering, to tell the 
name of the supply Company, or the voltage at which the Electric- 
ity is supplied at the place where the appliances are to be used, 

My first illustration shows a handy cooker in use on the 
breakfast table. This useful device is made by the Simplex 
Heating Company, of America. It is a completely equipped 
kitchen for your table. The smallest, most attractive and an- 
cient cooking utensil you can imagine— a stove, a kettle and a 
stew pan, and the whole of it measunng but five inches by ten, 
with a detachable cord connection for the usual lamp socket. 

The stove, mounted on a marbleised base which has rubber- 
tipped feet, is equipped with a three-heat switch, permittii^ 
economy in operation. 

The kettle and stewpan, each holding a pint and a half, are 
made of nickeled copper, with ebonised wood handles. The 
pans have grooved bases to fit on the stove. This not only 
ensures that all the heat is usefully employed for cookii^, but 
prevents any accidental overturning of the utensils. 

You can prepfu^ a whole meal if you like on the table cooker. 
In fact, you can do anything but bake or roast with it. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 83 

For breakfast it permits you to serve two or three people in 
the most dainty and appetisii^ manner. While coffee or some 
other hot drink is preparing in the kettle, your porridge or ::ggs 
or saute potatoes may be cooked in the stewpan. After this, 
you may remove the pan, keeping your coffee on the stove and 
add a little water perhaps for an additional cup, and on the 
other end brown a few slices of the delicious toast that is peculiar 
to electric cooking. If you require them, chops may be broiled 
quickly on the stove or it may be used for griddle cakes or bacon. 
With the use of a mulEn-ring the stove may be further utilbed for 
muffins, fried eggs, fish cakes, etc. The variety of breakfast dain- 
ties you have at your immediate command is surprizingly large. 

The table cooker is a kind of kitchenette, that you may 
literally carry with you where your mood dictates, from the 
breakfast^room to the drawing-room for afternoon tea, into the 
garden, or wherever your ingenuity may suggest a use, and your 
electrician a lamp socket. 

For entertaining m a novel and attractive manner, there is 
nothing that could be thought of that will meet so successfully 
the requirements of so many occasions. 

The table cooker is most convenient for gettii^ up an 
impromptu snack after the theatre and there is no more appeal- 
ing way of tempting the convalescent than by electrically pre- 
pared dishes. 

For the invalid, indeed, a cup of broth or a glass of hot milk 
may be so readily obtained, and served so hot and temptingly 
that some such apparatus as the table cooker really becomes 
essential to the nurse. 



Breakfast Cooker by the Simplex Co. of America. 



84 ELECTRIC COOKIKG AND HEATING 

As for the cost 
of operating the 
table cooker at the 
outside it is about 
l|d. or 3 cents a 
meal. 

The B. T.-H. 
Radiant Grill. An- 
other style of break- 
fast cooker has been 
introduced by the 
General Electric 
Company, of Amer- 
ica, and by the British Thomson-Houston Company, of Rugby, 
England. It is called a radiant grill and toaster, and is 
a compact nickeled table stove, especially suitable for the 
breakfast table or nursery. With a minimum amount of 
attention it may be used to grill, broil, toast, stew or fry. 
The cost of ojjeration is about .6d. per hour or just over 
1 cent. 

The heating element is contained in the upper portion of the 
stove, which is attached to the stand by a divisible hinge. This 
portion can be lifted {as shown in the illustration) to allow the 
bacon, steak, or whatever is being cooked, to be placed under- 
neath on the grid or rack. 

The heating unit consbts of a spiral coil of calorite metal 
■ supported by heat- 
resisting insulators 
and protected by a 
neat nickel-plated 
screen made from 
expanded metal. 
Calorite metal melts 
at about 2,800"' F., 
so that the heating 
element is thermally 
indestructible under 
normal conditions. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 85 

"Heetorboil" 
Food Wanner. This 
is a useful form of 
table cooker made 
by Townshend's Art 
Metal Company, of 
Birmingham, Eng- 
land. AUTownshend 
apparatus is fitted 
with "Calor" heat- 
i n g elements, i n 
which the resistance 

is mounted in various ways, which quicicly attains red heat- It 
will be seen that a divided sliding top is fitted, which uncovers 
the boiling plate, and thus gives additional useful surface. 
At full heat, boiling can go on in the middle and warming at 
each end, to say nothing of the rack below. A lower heat is 
also available. The lei^h is 21^ ins. extended and 15 ins. closed, 
and the height is 5J ins. Made both in polished copper and brass 
and in polished alimiinium, it is attractive in appearance. The 
handles and feet are non-conductors. The cost of operation 
at full heat is less than |d, per hour, or 1 cent, the current con- 
sumption being 440 watts at high and 200 watts at low heat. 

" Just-for-Two " Table Cooker. To meet the demand for 
small cookers, which may be used on the breakfast or supper 
table to prepare simple dishes, the manufacturers have designed 
several patterns 
which suit the vary- 
ing requirements of 
users. The smallest 
cooker is known as 
the "Just-for-Two," 
since its capacity is 
equal to the needs 
of two persons at 
breakfast. It will 
boil, fry, or toast, 
the cooking process 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



TownBhend's " Heeterboil " Food-warmer. 
going on above and below the heating element. Four pieces of 
toast can be made simultaneously, but if all the heat is required 
on one side a polished deflecting plate is supplied, which can be 
slid into grooves above or below the heating unit as may be 
required. A deep pan is provided for frying and grilling. The 
wire elements run at a bright red heat, and are protected by a 
grid. They are rated at 600 watts, so that the cost of operation 
is .6d. per hour, or just over 1 cent. 



■'Just-for-Two" Cooker, 
Combination Breakfast Set. The compact outfit illustrated 

comprises a hot plate for a l§-pt. square kettle, and a li-pt. 
square saucepan, mounted on a light marbleised base, all the 
metal parts being nickel-plated. For use in the saucepan, a 
wire holder for four eggs is supplied, but, of course, the veLsel 
can be used for many other purposes beyond egg boiling. The 
utensils, which have ebonised wood handles, slide over the 
hot plate, and cannot accidentally be knocked off, while the 
arrangement ensures close contact between the hot plate and 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 87 

vessels to be heated. One and a half pints of water can be 
boiled in just over 15 mins., the heating elements being rated 
at 550 watts, and thus costing just over ^d. an hour to use, or 
slightly more than 1 cent. The combination makes a neat and 
serviceable outfit of attractive appearance, which is offered at 
a reasonable price. 

In the illustration will be seen a breakfast table equipped. 
The outfit comprises a kettle, coffee percolator, toaster, egg 
boiler, chafii^ dish and grill of bacon. 

" Pygmy " Heater. This convenient and cheap table heater 
will keep your kettle boiling, fry your 
bacon on the breakfast table, boil your 
eggs, cook your griddle cakes, keep your 
toast and tea cakes hot, roast your chest- 
nuts, light your cigarettes, or warm your , » h t 
shavii^ water. It uses only about a '^™'' ^ 
unit in 8 hours, and may be used for an hour every day for 
a week for less than Id. or 2 cents. It is supplied by the 
Bastian Electric Heating Syndicate, of London, the Edison and 
Swan United Electric Light Company, Drake & Gorham, Ltd. 
and agents throughout the world. 

Toasters. Toast served smoking hot on the table is a different 
thing from that brought in hard and half cold from the kitchen. 
With an electric toaster, delightful, crisp toast, dehcately browned 
and evenly toasted all over, with no suspicion of burning, can be 
prepared on the breakfast or tea table or by the bedside, in a few 



GeaeriJ Electric Co.'a Toaster. 



88 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

moments. The toaster can be con- 
nected to any source of supply, and 
consumes less than half a unit an 
hour, costing id. or 1 cent, but the 
apparatus is only needed for a few 
minutes at a time. Startii^ from 
cold, two pieces of toast can be pre- 
pared in two minutes, both sides be- 
ing toasted evenly. There is no com- 
parison between toast made elec- 
trically and that -,. 

J J oiemen 8 Toast«r. 

made under a gas 

grill, the former is just ideal, the latter 
absorbs the flavour of the gas, may be 
burnt in one part and not 
toasted at all in another, 
• dried up or sumpy accord- 
ing to the conditions met 
"Prometheus" Toaster, '"'ith at the moment. With 

the electric toaster, the re- ^ 
suits are always alike, and always satisfactory. 
I show one or two typical designs of English "Hot Point" 
and American toasters. In the latest design Toaater. 

of the "M^net" Toaster the "elements" and connections 
are protected by a steel shield 
which prevents any possibility of 
the operator touching any part of 
an exposed circuit. 



" Universal " Toaster. " Magnet " Toaetra. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 



Coffee Percolator. " Universal " Coffee-pot. 

Coffee Percolators. It would be difficult to over-estimate 
the difference between coffee prepared in the ordinary way 
and when made in an electric percolator.' In the former case 
the coffee is usually a dark fluid with grounds at the bottom 
and never twice alike in flavour, colour or perfume; in the latter 
case it is a delightful beverage, clear in colour, absolutely free 
from deposit or grounds, always alike in strength and flavour, 
and possessing a delightful axoma. It is possible to use a 
cheaper grade of coffee and to get results equal to that of 
the more expensive berries 
when prepared in the old way, 
while the coffee goes much 
farther. A percolator is quick, 
simple to operate, pretty in 
action, free from smell and 
dirt, and is ready for use at a 
moment's notice. The exam- 
ple I illustrate shows the 
General Electric Company's 
American design. Will pre- 
pare 5 to 8 small after-dinner 
cups, or 2 large breakfast 
cups; the larger pattern holds 
sufficient for at least 12 small 
cups. Starting with the water ' 



90 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

cold, black coffee is ready to 
serve in 8 minutes with the 
small machine, and in about 12 
minutes with the larger style. 
After making coffee, the top of 
the small percolator may be re- 
moved, and the cup used for boil- 
ii^ eggs. The coet of operation is 
less than jd. or 1 cent per hour. 

Tea Samovar. A companion 
to the coffee percolator is the 
Electric Tea Samovar, which 
gives the same result as the origi- 
nal Russian Samovar without any of its inconveniences; you 
merely switch on the current and in a few minutes delicious tea 
will be ready to serve, the strength of which can be varied to suit 
the taste. The size illustrated has a capacity of 6 cups and 
uses so little current that it is hardly possible to state exactly 
the cost of making sufficient for 6 cups. 

A neat form of electrically heated Coffee-pot made by the 
Umversal Electric Company is here illustrated. 

The Electric Chafing Dish. This is a delightful accessoryappre- 
ciated fully in America, but little known in England, By its aid 
many dainty dishes may be prepared on the table in a few minutes. 
When returning from the theatre at night, a welcome little supper 
can be served piping hot with no previous preparation. Omelettes, 
eggs in various forms, cutlets and many other dishes can be pre- 
pared with the chafing dish, and when a lady has once had espcr- 
ience of its capacity, it will 
frequently for table cookery. 



General Electric Co. 's Chafing Disli. " Universal " Electric Chafing Dish. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 91 

Electric Kettles and Self-con- 
tained Portable Water-heaters. 

One of the mast useful acces- 
sories for domestic application is 
the electric kettle. This is suit- 
able for drawing-room, dining- 
room or bedroom use, and can 
be connected to any source of 
supply by means of a flexible cord. 
Water can quickly be boiled, 
and there is no risk of fire, no 
danger of scorching or damaging 
polished tables or their coverings, 
and no smell or dirt. For the 
early morning cup of tea, or 
afternoon tea in the drawing- 
room, they are ideal, and are so 

simple to use that a child can handle and control them. In most 
cases the heating element, formed of a fine resistance wire wound 
over mica strips, is placed in a false bottom to the kettle, but in 
some designs projecting pockets inside contain the heating unit, 
BO that the water surrounds them completely except at their 
bottom edge. This construction gives a slightly higher efficiency 
than when the element is placed flat under the inner lining of 
the kettle. There are kettles also in which the heating element 
is in the form of a band placed round the outside, with an 
external covering of polished copper. In still another form, the 
heating unit is in the form of a small cylinder attached to 
the lid, this being immersed bodily in the water. Although 

its efficiency is very high, this arrangement 

has certain disadvantages 

in practice, one of these 

being that the flexible cord 

may touch the hot sides 

of the kettle or may be 
_ wetted by steam or water, 

which would damage the 
" Simplex " Kettle, insulation and might" Simplex " Kettle, 



92 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

cause a short-circuit. Whatever the 
details of construction may be, ail elec- 
tric kettles are alike in having a high 
thermal efficiency, and most are arranged 
so that it is a simple and inexpensive 
matter to fit new heating elements, 
should the original ones give up in 
A " Simplex " Kettle, course of time. Replaceable elements 
are convenient also, if a user should remove from one district 
to another and the voltage or pressure of his supply at the new 
home should differ from that at the old address. Thus, if he has 
been using a kettle or other device on a 200-volt supply, and should 
remove to a district supplied at 100 volts, it is a simple matter 
to get new elements constructed for 100 volts, the old 200-volt 
elements being put on one side in readiness for use should a sec- 
ond removal be contemplated. It must, of course, be understood 
that an element intended for 100 volts is useless and must not 
be connected to a 200-volt supply, and vice versa, and it is impor- 
tant that before any apparatus is used, care should be taken to 
ensure that the elements are suitable. This can easily be done 
by examining the bottom of the device, which will be marked 
something like this— 200/210 V. 2.4 A. This means that the 
kettle may be used on 200, 205 or 210 volts, but at no other pres- 
sure, and that it takes 2.4 amperes of current. From these 
figures, by multiplying them together, the wattage or energy 
consumption of the kettle can be ascertained. For the kettle 
in question, the watts would be 480, a 
little less than half a unit per hour, 
since current used at the rate of ."iOO 
watts for an hour would absorb half a 
unit or 500 watt-hrs., a unit being 
1,000 watt-hrs. 

Electric kettles are made in many 
patterns, in tin, copper, nickel-plate, 
brass and aluminium, and with feet 
for use on the table or supports for 
hanging on a table or floor standard. 
The energy consumption varies also A Dowsing Kettle. 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 93 

according to the size, but for an ordinary afternoon tea kettle 
is usually about 500 watts. A 2-pint kettle at this loading will 
boil in less than 12 minutes. Most kettles are arranged for heat 
regulation, and by the use of an ingenious connecting piece or 
by changing the position of 3 loose connectors on the contact pins 
projecting from the side of the kettle, 3 or 4 heats can be secured. 
This is convenient, for the full heat will bring the contents 
quickly to the boil, while the water can be kept at boiling point 
at quarter heat. The intermediate heat is useful when boiling 
water is not needed quickly, the time taken to bring all equal 
quantity of water to boiling point being about double that taken 
with full heat. 

In selecting a kettle choose one, if for table use, which is 
mounted on heat-insulating knobs or feet, so that the heat is not 
transmitted from the kettle to the table cover. See also that the 
lid is perforated with a small hole to let out the steam, otherwise 
the water will spill over and do damage. Electric kettles can be 
bought for as low a price as 7/6 or 2 dollars, but it is better to give 
a somewhat higher price in order to get a more trustworthy 
article, and one which will stand prolonged use. Do not ever 
buy a tin kettle, although it may be cheap, for it will rust through 
long before the heating element is worn out, and as soon as it 
leaks a tin kettle is practically worthless. A copper kettle to 
hold 2 pints, if of plain design, can be bought for 12/6 — 3 dollars. 
The cheaper grades of kettle usually have only a single heat, and 
care must be exercised to see that they are switched off as soon 
as the water boils, in order to avoid damage from boiling water 
spilling over. In any electric kettle, however cheap, the element 
ought to be replaceable; it is unwise to purchase one which has 
not this desirable feature. 

I show a selection of kettle designs made by Messrs. Simplex 
Conduits, of London, but these are only a few out of the many 
which this and other firms offer. It will be acknowledged that 
even the plainest pattern is artistic in appearance, while with 
care it will last and give good service for many years. I can 
show in use to-day a copper kettle bought just ten years ago 
from the British Prometheus Company of Birmingham, Eng- 
land, and although it is a trifle battered, it works just as well as 



ELECTRIC COOKERY AT THE TABLE 



" Simplex " Milk Boiler. 

the day it was bought, and it seems likely to go on working for 
many years yet. Many excellent examples are supplied by the 
General Electric Co. of America. 

Electric Water Jugs and Milk Boilers. Of great utility are 
electric water jugs. For use in the morning for washing or 
shaving the water can be kept hot till required, or on the table 
they are convenient in place of a kettle or urn for filling up the 
tea-pot, some in earthenware as illustrated. For cocoa-making, 
or milk boiling, special jugs are supplied, and these are far 
superior to plain vessels. In the case of the milk boiler, the 
annoyance of the milk boil- 
ing over is obviated, for the 
special perforated lid entirely 
prevents such a calamity, 
even if the current be kept 
on after the milk has boiled. 
Lai^er water heaters are 
made for use when a party 
of thirsty souls want tea and 
the kettle is not large enough 
for the purpose. These are 
usually of copper and may 
be placed safely on the table, 
but take heavier currents "Magnet" Milk Boiler. 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

than a kettle and need 
larger connecting wires. They 
should therefore be conected 
to a wall socket, and not to 
the nearest lamp-holder, aa is 
permissible in the case of 
smaller vessels or toasters. 



"Magnet" Tea and Coffee Um. 
Electric Milk Sterilisers. 

The importance of sterilising ■ ^ 

milk before it is used for drink- 
ing cannot be too strongly urged. 

Milk as delivered, even from the ^ " Prometheus " Um. 

best dairy, may be infected with all sorts of germs which may 
cause consumption and other diseases. All risk is obviated if the 
milk be sterilised before use, and no more simple or satisfactory 
means can be imagined than an electric steriliser. The example 
illustrated is one supplied by the British Prometbe'is Company. 



tL 



ELECTRIC OVENS AND KITCHEN COOKERS 

Turning now to larger cooking apparatus suitable for kitchen 
use. Many designs cannot be referred to at all for lack of space, 
and the makers mentioned do not include anything like all who 
are engaged in the manufacture. The samples illustrated are 
typical of present-day designs, representative both of English and 



" Eclipse " Elecbic Frypan, ■' Eclipse " Stewpan for Jam and 

Preserve Making. 

American practice, and although they do not claim to represent 
finality, they are in every way practicable, efficient and economical 
in use, and are made in many styles to suit every likely require- 
ment for domestic and res- 
taurant service. 

Self-contained Porloble 
Appliances. Saucepans, 
stewpans, frying pans, grills 
and other useful articles in 
great variety with the heat- 
ing element in the base, are 
available for kitchen use, 
Frittering Pwi. gome of the liquid heaters 



98 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

holding as much as 5 gallons, 
and they may be more advan- 
tageously used for any pur- 
pose for which an ordinary 
article is adapted. The 
stewpans and boiling pans 
are suitable for jam-making 
■Hie "EadiBk"Boi!mg Disc. or for preparing soups and 

stews in large quantity. 
Hot Plates or Boiling Discs. Many patterns of portable 
electric boiling discs have been introduced, having the great 
advantages of cleanliness, reliability, uniform nature or results 
and absence of danger. The cost of working averages less than 
Id. or 2 cents per hour. A very successful type is the " Eadisk " 
cooker illustrated herewith. It consists of a circular cast-iron 
plate with heating elements beneath. Three degrees of heat 
can be obtained, the full heat taking 900 watts. The lower 
heats take respectively 600 and 300 watts. For rapid boiling, 
full heat is used; for slow boiling and for sunmering, medium or 
low heat suffices. The switches and also the terminals from which 
the flexible cord is taken, are protected by a metal housing to 
guard against damage from spilled liquids. It can be used with 
ordinary vessels with flat bottoms. 

Another useful boiling disc is the " Trieity," consisting of a 
7" plate with extension arm upon which is mounted a switch 
to give two degrees of heat, high and low, taking respectively 
850 and 212 watts. The " Trieity " plate stands on a detach- 
able base, and is connected to a wall socket by a wire enclosed 
in flexible metallic tubii^, the whole being " earthed." The 




"Trieity" Extensiou Boiling Disc. 



ELECTRIC OVENS AND KITCHEN COOKERS 99 

heating surface is ground perfectly flat and may be used with any 
ordinary utensil provided the latter has a flat bottom to moke 
close contact. 

Thf "Ferranti" boihng plate (p. 123) consists of a rectang- 
ular cast-iron pedestal, with polished top, havii^ a standard 
7" detachable heating unit let in flush with the surface. There 
are two switches mounted flush in the base, permitting of full 
heat (850 watts) or low heat (300 watts). The large size of the 
top plate allows of several flat-bottomed vessels to be heated 
simultaneously, or of one or more being placed over the disc or 
to one side in order to regulate the speed at which cooking 
proceeds. Provision is made for " earthing " the device, and the 
switches and connections are protected t^aiust risk of damage 
from water or grease. 



G. E. Co, 'a Twin-diac Hot Plate. 

The General Electric Co. of America and the B. T. H. of 
England make very efficient boiling discs of various sizes simi 
lap to those illustrated. Practically all the makers of Elec- 
tric Cooking Apparatus make boiling discs differii^ very little 
from the designs shown; almost all run at a dull red heat when 
full on. 




G. E, Co.'s Four-inch BoilinE Disc. G. E. Co.'b Six-inch Boiling Disc. 



"PLEXSIM" COMBIHATIOH OUTFIT 

This convenient outfit, made by Simplex Conduits, Ltd.t 
of London, is simple in its operation, and can be placed in any 
convenient position on a table whilst in use, and when not required 
can be moved out of the way. In premises where room is a 
consideration, especially in flats, this point is most important. 
The outfit primarily consists of a boilii^ plate made in cast iron. 
For use with this hot plate three utensils are designed, which fit 
closely to the surface of the hot disc, thereby minimising any 
loss of heat and ensuring the greatest efficiency in working. The 



A Compact CombinatioD Set tor Small Households. 



"PLEXSIM" COMBINATION OUTFIT 101 

first of these is a kettle made in aluminium, the next a saucepan, 
and thirdly a frypan. These utensils, with the hot plate, form a 
set which, whilst capable of carrying out a number of culinary 
operations, in themselves form a very useful addition to a standard 
electric cooking equipment. A fourth item, which makes the 
set complete, is an oven. This is constructed of highly polished 
metal; this polished surface prevents rapid loss of heat through 
radiation, and is preferable perhaps to the more usual form of 
overcoming this difficulty, viz., by lagging. In cast ovens, such 
as are used for gas cooking, this lagging very soon becomes dirty, 
owing to its absorbing various products of combustion. Lading 
therefore requires renewing at frequent intervals, although it 
is quite practicable with an electric oven so to seal the space 
occupied by the lagging that no contamination from the juices 
of cooked foods is possible. 

The oven has an aperture in the bottom, mto which the hot 
plate fits so as to form a complete heating unit. The hot plate 
takes 800 watts, the cost of working being, therefore, less than 
Id. per hour or 2 cents. 

" Venner " Silver Grill. Quite a departure from the usual 
type of electrical cooking apparatus are the " Vernier " grills, 
water heater and oven, designed by Mr, R. Venner and made 
at present by the Venner Signs Co., Cornwall Works, Kenning- 
ton, S. E. The system consists of fine resistance wire wound 
over strips of mica immersed in special oil, the heating chamber 
being hermetically sealed except for the provision of a safety 



" Venner " Grill for Household Purposea. 



102. : : .jai^GTSia /jQ0felNG AND HEATING 

vent to guard against 
undue expansion. The 
use of oil has several 
distinct advantages. 
It is not only an ex- 
cellent insulator, but 
its circulation,effected 
by the warmth from 
the heating elements, 
ensures an even and 
thorough distribution 
of the heat, so that the 
entire working surface 
"Plessim" Oven, Lid Closed. b at a uniform tem- 

perature, a very desir- 
able feature for cooking ai^ dish. The Venner grill, of which I 
jjve an illustration, is a nickel-plated vessel of oval shape, some- 
thing like a shallow entree dish. It is rated at 450 to 500 
watts, and costs therefore }d. or 1 cent per hour when in oper- 
ation. It will cook chops, steaks, fish, cutlets and any 
other small dish, very quickly and most perfectly, the tem- 
perature of the cooking surface being about 420° F, A. 3-lb. 
piece of steak was 
cooked with this 
grill to perfection in 
9} minutes, starting 
all cold, with a total 
energy consumption 
of 71.25 watt hours, 
less than -Af of a unit. 
Its remarkable econ- 
omy b a special fea- 
ture of the system, 
which has been ap- 
plied also to geysers, 
water heaters and 
ovens with marked 
success. "Plexaim " Oven, Cover Haised. 



"PLEXSIM" COMBINATION OUTFIT 103 

" Plexsim " Oven. For small households a large oven is seldom 
needed, and there is a demand for an electric oven which will cook 
say a 6-lb. joint when required, and can be used at other times for 
baking puddings, cakes or light work of a similar nature. To meet 
this requirement Messrs. Simplex Conduits have introduced the 
" Plexsim " oven for which they make the following claims: 

In many forms of electric ovens the heat losses from radiation 
and from opening the oven in order to examine the contents 
waste a large portion of the current used. In the ** Plexsim " 
oven these heat losses are avoided, so that the consumption of 
current for work done is correspondingly reduced. Food in proc- 
ess of cooking may be examined as often as desired without fear 
of loss of heat or delay in cooking. This advantage is secured 
by an ingenious arrangement whereby the act of opening the 
door creates a partial vacumn behind the heat-retaining partition 
into which the heater elements and the heated air are taken. At 
the same time the heat dissipated by the elements is also sealed 
in this chamber. Upon closing the oven both elements and hot 
air are once more in position, and cooking continues immediately. 
The illustration showing the various parts will explain the action 
of the device. 

A cooking temperature is reached within 6 minutes of switching 
on the current. A further advantage is that owing to its shape, 
heat circulation is set up, and all parts of the Overi attain an even 
temperature. The oven is constructed of polished metal, and if 
kept clean inside and polished outside there will be little loss 
from radiation. The hood of the Oven is detachable^ so that all 
parts are readily accessible. 

The elements are of the " red hot " type, and therefore 
actually roast. They are guaranteed for 12 months and are 
readily removable, so that in the event of a breakdown or acci- 
dent, new elements can be easily fitted. The work of taking 
the Oven to pieces only entails the withdrawal of two pins, whilst 
it can be reassembled in a few seconds. 

The Oven is arranged for heat regulation, and is fitted with in- 
side grids, 2 shelves and drip pan. The temperature regulation is ar- 
ranged for by means of a neat '* one-piece connector.'* The element 
is fitted with the usual three pins, the connector being so arranged 



104 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

that it is only necessary to shift its position to give reduced heat. 
At full heat, the current consumption is only 1,200 watts, the 
running cost being only a trifle more than Id, or 2 cent*' per 
hour, but as the full heat is only required for the initial warming 
up of the cooker, the actual working cost is considerably less. 

" Credenda " Oven. An example of a neat form of Oven, as 
shown, has been introduced by Credenda Conduits, Ltd., of 
England. In external appearance it follows the design supplied 
by the General Electric Company, of America, and several other 
well-known makers. 

The main feature, however, of this oven is its portable nature, 
since the sides, top and bottom, as well as the legs, can in a few 
moments be taken apart, the whole apparatus thus packii^ flat 
for transport or removal. It is a useful design for flats or small 
households, its capacity being equal to a 10-lb, joint, with a 
couple of puddings at the same time. Its framework is of cast 
iron, with polished mouldings, the sides, top and bottom being 
of nickel steel sheets, two thicknesses being employed, with the 
space between packed with heat-insulating material to reduce 
radiation losses. The outside and interior surface of the oven 
door are nickel-plated, the door hinging at the bottom and form- 
ing a shelf upon which food may be placed after being drawn 
out of the oven. 



"Credenda" Oven, showing grill and boiling discs attached. 



"CREDEWDA" AND G. E. C. OVENS 105 

The heating elements are of nichrome ribbon wound over 
mica strips, and encased in steel. They are bolted to a frame 
in groups of six, arranged so that 3 elements are in series. The 
frames supporting the elements are attached to the sides of the 
oven, a clear air space being allowed between the frame and the. 
oven side. This ensures adequate air circulation throughout 
the interior, giving uniform heat, so essential for good cooking. 
Cast-iron heating plates in front of the elements protect them 
from injury, and from causing undue local heating, these plates 
being used also to carry the grid shelves inside. 

A good feature of the oven is that there is no internal wiring, 
the ends of the resistance ribbon being taken to split-pin terminals 
projecting through the aides of the oven. Connection is made to 
these by loose connectors, and armoured flexible wires, the con- 
trol being effected at a switch and fuse panel on the wall. Each 
group of six elements is rated at 750 watts, and as there are two 
such groups, one each side of the oven, the total loading is 1,500 
watts, the cost of running at full heat being, therefore, IJd. 
or 3 cents per hour. 
The switch control 
provides for several 
lower heats than the 
maximum, with cor- 
respondingly lesser 
consumption. At full 
heat, a cooking tem- 
perature {400° F.) is 
reached within 20 
minutes from the 
moment of switching 
on. The internal 
measurements of the 
oven are 143"X Hi" 
X12". 

The makers have 
so designed the ap- 
paratus that a grill 
can be fixed below G. E. C. "Magnet" Light Cooker. 



106 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

and boiling discs hooked on at the aides. These carry their own 
heating elements, and can, of course, be operated independently. 
With these additions the device forma a complete cooking out- 
fit suitable for smalt households. 

G. E. C. " Magnet " Cooker. This is constructed of sheet 
metalj mounted on a rigid framework and finished polished 
bright. Will roast or bake, fry, grill, stew or toast. Being so 
compact it can be stowed away when not in use. Ideal for small 
flats, etc. Suitable for a family of four to six people. 

Cooking space 12"X12"X15" 

Overall size 14"X14"X22V' 

Loading, bottom 800 watts. 

Top and grill 1,400 watts. 

Total 2,200 watts. 

" Berkeley " Automatic Cooker. It is becoming the practice 
to rely for some part of the cooking upon electric cookers fitted 
with automatic control, i.e., with an attachment which maint^ns 
automatically a constant cooking temperature in the oven and 
may switch on the current and switch it off again, supplying 
current when necessary 
properly to cook the food. 
Its advantages in small 
households are obvious, 
and appeal to every user 
of cookers, for a meal can 
be prepared in advance, 
placed in the cooker and 
taken out at any desired 
time afterwards ready for 
consumption, with the 
knowledge that the food 
will have been perfectly 
cooked and will be 
smoking hot, yet not 
overcooked or spoiled by 



"BERKELEY" AUTOMATIC COOKER 107 

waiting. Automatic cookers have not yet been taken up to 
any extent in England, but they have an assured future, and 
experience of American systems proves that they are reliable 
in action and give no trouble in practice. One of the best- 
known and most useful automatic cookers is the Berkeley, of 
which I give an illustration. It consists of a cylindrical vessel 
heavily lagged inside with heat-insulating material. It has 
four cooking compartments which are of aluminium. Meat, 
cereals, puddings and vegetables can be placed in different com- 
partments and cooked to a nicety, without waste or* admixture 
of flavours. Current may be switched on by hand, or auto- 
matically by means of a clock. The automatic feature saves 
current, saves time and avoids the necessity for watching during 
the cooking process. The housewife can place the dinner in the 
cooker before going out for the day, to church or to visit friends, 
setting the clock to switch on at a certain time. When she 
reaches home the meal is perfectly cooked ready to serve. There 
is no possibility of burning, no risk of wastage in the meat, no 
fear of underdone joints or spoilt vegetables. So thorough is 
the cooking that cheaper and tougher meats can be used, the 
joints, when served, being as tender as the most expensive cuts. 
The makers guarantee the cost of cooking per pound of food not 
to exceed 100 watt hours per pound of food cooked as well as 
the materials and workmanship of the cooker itself, which they 
guarantee over a period of five years. The heating elements are 
guaranteed indefinitely. At full heat the Berkeley cooker only 
takes 500 watts or | unit per hour, costing ^d. or 1 cent, but the 
automatic control ensures that as soon as the cooking has been 
completed the current will be cut off, so that the cost of preparing 
a dinner is considerably less than would be the case with a cooker 
controlled by hand, since the personal factor is eliminated 
altogether. 

The " Berkeley " Cookers are made in one size only, with 4 
compartments, holding 12 or 14 lbs. of food. Attached to the 
flexible cord through which current is taken to the cooker, is the 
automatic time-switch by means of which current can be switched 
on at any desired time. This is not an essential feature of the 
Cooker, but may be had as an extra, and is used in conjunction 



108 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

with the automatic switch inside, the function of which is to 
maintain the cooking temperature at a constant value all the time 
that current is allowed to pass. 



Dowsing Grill. 

Dowsing Cookers and Grills. The Dowsing Radiant Heat 

Co., Ltd., of London, make various electric cooking appliances, 
and their Electric Grill and Oven is a very convenient type. 
The heating elements are made on the same principle as for the 
Hot Bar Radiators, described on a later page, the heating resist- 
ances being covered by a quartz plate, and therefore pro- 
tected from accidental contact. The 
elements are easily removable, and 
the cost of replacing them is only 
a few pence. Switches are provided 
giving two regulations. This form 
of heater is also used in hot cup- 
boards, and can be built up in ovens 
of any size. 

" Lightning " Oven. One of the 
latest electric ovens introduced to the 
English market is the " Lightning " 
oven, which was designed by Mr. 
Napier Prentice, Engineer to the Suf- 
folk Electric Supply Company, and is 
made by the Armorduct Company, of 
London. 
" lightning " Oven. The oven consists of an outer cir= 



"LIGHTNING" OVEN 109 

cular shell of polished metal, built on an inner shell of sheet 
metal, so arranged that there is a space between about Ij 
inches wide, lagged with heat-insulating material. Inside this 
double shell, and on an independent frame attached to the inner 
shell, which is also of circular shape, is wound the heating ele- 
ment, consisting simply of bare high-resistance wire. 

The whole of the outer casing, together with the frame carry- 
ing the heating elements, is arranged to slide up and down, being 
carried by three uprights, fitted with pulleys over which support- 
ing wires run to counterweights underneath. These uprights are 
supported from a base which forms the bottom of the oven. A 
triangular frame, which carries the adjustable shelves used for 
holding the food, is also fixed to the base. 

When the outer casing is raised, as will be seen in the illustra- 
tion, these shelves are accessible from every side, and as soon 
as they are loaded the outer case is pulled down over them, the 
current switched on, and the cooking process commences. 

It will be seen that as there is perfect radial heat distribution 
around the objects to be cooked, there is no possibility of any 
localised or unequal heating, the whole interior of the oven 
reaching an equably high temperature. 

There is very little shrinkage of meat during cooking, as 
there is no possibility of the escape of the moisture-laden air 
from the oven or of the entrance of cold air from the outside. 

The heat control is effected by a switch mounted on the 
front of the oven, giving three degrees of heat. Just above the 
switch is placed an indicator lamp, which glows in proportion 
to the heat being supplied to the element. At the top of the 
dome a thermometer is provided, so that the temperature of the 
oven is quickly ascertained. 

In the event of the heating element breaking down a new 
one can be wound over the supports very quickly and at small 
cost. 

The consimiption is in the neighbourhood of 1,500 watts, 
and the cost of running at full heat is, therefore, l|d. or 3 cents 
per hour. In spite of this very low consimiption, joints of beef 
up to 26 lbs. weight, in addition to other commodities, can be 
quickly and perfectly cooked with less shrinkage than is possible 



no ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

with ovens in which there is a continuous draught of cold air 
flowing through. 

"Wo-Kaire " Electric Cooker. Somewhat similar in appear- 
ance to the " Lightning " oven is the " No-Kaire " American 
cooker. It has a cylindrical outer casing which can be raised 
or lowered with the aid of balance weights. In place of 
a wire heating element wound spirally inside the outer casing, 
the " No-Kaire " cooker is heated by a circular hot plate at the 
bottom, the air circulation set up in the cylinder ensuring an even 
distribution of the heat. It is fitted with a clock time-switch, 
so that current may be switched on and off automatically at any 
pre-determined hour. Cooking by electricity is so uniform and 
always so just alike that it b quite practicable to set the clock 
for the correct number of minutes necessary to complete the 
cooking operation in hand, and very little experience will enable 
users to get perfect results with the automatic switch. It may 
interest my readers to know how such a cooker is used in practice. 
Imagine you have a 4-lb. chicken to cook. At 9.00 a.m. it would 
be placed in the roasting chamber, the current switched on and the 
clock set to 10.00 a.m. At the latter hour the current will be auto- 
matically cut off, but roasting will continue owing to the high tem- 
perature of the oven. The chicken is ready for the table at 10.30, 
but it may be left in the cooker till 1 o'clock without any further 
attention or con- 
sumption of current, 
and' will be hot, 
ready to serve 
with the vegetables 
that have been 
cooked with it. In 
preparing a meal of 
roast beef, carrots 
and potatoes, the 
carrots would first be 
■ placed in the cooker, 
as they require a 
longer time for cook- 
"Kelvin" Oven and Hot Plate. ing than potatoes. 



"KELVIN" HOT PLATE AND OVEN HI 

They will come to 
the boil in about 25 
minutes. They are 
then taken out, and 
a dish containii^ say 
4 lbs. of beef placed 
on the round disc. 
The carrots and po- 
t a t o e 8 are then 
placed on top of the 
roasting chamber, 
with the potatoea 
over the carrots. The 

beef would be cooked , . „ „ , 

, , , . . - . ' Kelvin Cooker with Small Oven and Hot Plates, 
perfectly m 45 min- 
utes, a further 10 minutes being allowed for every additional 
pound. Very little water should be used for the vegetables, 
the cooking process more nearly resembling steaming than boil- 
ing. Cakes and pastry can be baked very easily, a cake being 
baked first, then a pie, the latter needing a greater heat, which 
is a^ured when the cooker has been running some time. Stews 
take about the same time to cook as with a coal range, but 
less water is needed as there is but little evaporation. No bast- 
ing is required in the case of meat, and no water should be added, 
the shrinkage in the joint being extremely small, and the meat 
itself providing all the necessary moisture. 

" Kelvin " Hot Plate and Oven. A novel and probably the 
most useful design of light cooker for small families provides 
a long hot plate carrying 5 or more heating elements, some rectan- 
gular and some of disc shape, the rectangular shape element 
arranged to turn up at right angles, permitting the oven to be 
placed over two of the elements and thus give two side and one 
bottom heat to the oven. All the elements are provided with 
two heats, so a quickly heated oven can be obtained at a low 
expenditure of energy. The ovens are made in two sizes, 
13X13X18 high and 20X13X18 high, both fitting on to any 
size hot plate and being interchangeable. The small oven can be 
used when pies or pastry, or a small joint only is required, the 



112 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

larger one being available for larger joints and bread baking. 
The ovens are air lagged and very efficient. The door has a special 
panel of toughened glass which will withstand the heat of the 
oven and allow inspection of cooking without opening the door. 
Two or more circular boiling plates are available at the side of 
the oven. When baking or roasting is not required the oven can 
be stored away, leaving the hot plates only with the elements 
turned horizontal for use in boiling or stewing. This saves a 
considerable amount of space and work. 

All the elements are interchangeable, spare parts being readily 
fitted by the householder without trouble. 

For grilling purposes a separate attachment is provided to 
fit on the end of the hot plates. 

In another pattern of hot plate, one grill forms the centre 
portion, the elements acting for grill or oven as required. 

There are many novel features including an automatic control 
appliance. 

" Electroyl " Portable Oven. A cheap yet effective oven 
for small householders is Purcell & Nobb's " Electroyl," shown 
in the accompanyii^ illustration. It is made in three sizes. 
It is divided into two separ- 
ate compartments, one above 
the other, with the heating ele- 
ment placed between the two. 
This arrangement of the heat 
unite reduces the loss of heat 
by conduction to the casing, 
and ensures an even heat dis- 
tribution throughout the oven. 
In the upper and hotter com- 
partment baking, grilling, fry- 
ing and stewing can be carried 
out, while the lower portion 
acts as a hot closet and is suit- 
able for slow cooking, for plate 
warming, and for keeping food 
hot. Three heats are arranged 
"Eleotroyt " Light Cooker. tor, a pair of rotary indicating 



"ELECTROTL" AND "BASTIAN" OVENS 113 

switches being mounted on the outside casing, A self-basting at- 
tachment is fitted at the top, which avoids the necessity for turn- 
ing or inspecting the joint during cooking, and a ventilator is 
provided for cooling the oven when necessary. By replacing the 
baster with a casserole or stewpan, simmering and steaming can 
be carried out simultaneously with baking. There is no need to 
open the oven at all while cooking is proceeding, the system of 
heat control and the provision of the thermometer permittir^ of 
uniform and certain results in a given time. The oven is opened 
by raising the domed cover with the handles provided, the lower 
compartment being reached by taking off the upper part of the 
oven, All parts are made detachable for ease in cleaning inside 
and out. Tests of the medium-sized "Electroyl" oven, made by a 
municipal ei^neer, show that a 6-lb. joint can be well and thor- 
oughly cooked for an expenditure of 400 and an 8-lb. joint for 600 
watt-hours. Simultaneously with the baking, plates were heated 
in the hot closet below by the downward heat from the element. 
" Bastian " Oven. Another light and inexpensive oven of 
English origin is made by Bastian Electric Heating Syndicate, 
of London. It fits over a rectangular hot plate, which can also 



114 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



" Bastian " Hot Plate. 

be used as a grill, for toastii^ or for heating flat-bottomed uten- 
sils, the oven lifting off for the purpose. 

The hot plate is mounted on a cast-iron base. The grid is 
fixed on a copper cover, and when necessary can be easily and 
quickly renewed; cleaning also is a simple operation. Switches 
are provided to give two heats in the smaller sizes and four heats 
in the larger size. The maximum consumption in this case is 
3 units per hour, and that oi the smaller size 1|, costing Ijd. or 
3 cents to run at full heat. 

The overall dimensions of the smaller size are 65 inches high 
by 17 inches long and 14 inches broad. The larger size differs 
only in length, being 2 feet instead of 17 inches long. 

The heating element consists of a niunber of spirals of 
nichrome wire enclosed in small tubes of quartz glass, which 
glow to a bright red within a few moments of switching on the 
current. Being fragile, these quartz tubes are protected from 
injury by a wire guard, but they are unaffected by contact with 
water or grease, although red hot. The Bastian bot plate is a 
very satisfactory device and in conjunction with the oven makes 
a complete cooking unit for a small household. Renewals of the 
heating unit are easily carried out at home, and are by no means 
expensive. 

The oven is of thin sheet-metal with double sides, having an 
air space to minimise heat losses. In order that the best results 
in pastry baking may be obtained, it is advisable to use a top 
heater in addition, but for ordinary cookery the bottom heater 



"HOT-POINT" COOKER 



" Hot-point " Oven, 

is quite sufficient, and it can deal with a 6-lb. joint quite satis- 
factorily; vegetables or a pudding being cooked at the same time. 
" Hot-point " Oven. A small domestic oven for light duty 
is made by the American Hot-point Co., and is here illustrated. 
It is made of light sheet metal, with a drop-down door fitted with 
glass panel for examining food during the cooking process. The 
heating element is of special resistance wire placed at the bottom 
of the oven, and protected from injury through touching, 
or the spilling of water and grease. Three heats are pro- 
vided, a rotary indicating switch mounted in front giving the 
necessary control. The current consumption is only about 450 
watts, or less than ^ unit per hour. The cost of running at 
full heat is but ^d. or 1 cent per hour. Although taking so little 
and being so small in size, the " Hot-point " oven will accommo- 
date and cook perfectly two large loaves of bread, a couple of 



116 ELECTKIU OOOKINQ AND HEATING 

pies, a large chicken or 
' small joint. The cost of 

baking two loaves of bread, 
weighing 2 lbs, apiece, 
would be only ,35d. or less 
than 1 cent. For such an 
operation the full heat 
would be m^ntained for 
twe'nty minutes and 
medium heat for a fur- 
ther thirty minutes. 

The makers guarantee 

^.„ , „ the heating element for 

Gilbert Cooker, - .u j. j 

5 years, so that users need 

have no fear that breakdowns would he frequent or renewals 

costly. Current may be taken from any lampholder, since the 

consumption is no more than that of an electric flat iron. 

I am able to describe a series of new designs of Electric cookers 
which are quite a departure from the 
usual practice, 

"Gilbert" Cooker. This make 
of cooker has many features novel 
to British practice. There are two 
ovens, the small one for Baking and 
the larger one for Roasting, being 
heated with 2 and 3 elements re- 
spectively. Each element having a 
double control enables the operator 
to adjust the heat to any require- 
ment; the ovens are heat-insulated 
from the outer casing. The hot plate 
top is provided with 4 boiling discs 
each having 3-heat control. The 
edge of the hot plate is provided with 

a gutter which enables any liquid | 

spilt on the top to run to a back ,,„.,. ^„ „ , 

ii . A u\- * *u "Gilbert" Cooker, 

outlet and collectmg pot, thus pro- showing Hot Pkte raised and 
tecting the elements and the lower Grill folded down. 



"FRANKLIN" AND "NEWTON" COOKERS 117 

part of the cooker from injury; the sides are arranged to receive 
a grill which can be tiirned down flat when not in use or taken ofE, 
the under shelf acting as a plate or dish holder or warmer, 
The oven doors are provided with glass fronts to see how the 
cooking progresses, if required. 

Two views are given, one showing the complete cooker ready 
for use, the other showing the top lifted, exposing the switch con- 
nections and facilities for removing any boiling disc. The switches 
controlling the ovens are equally accessible, the whole wiring 
being protected from injury or chance of short-circuiting. 

The loading provided is 300 and 600 watts for the two 8" 
boiling discs; 200 and 400 for each of the 2 smaller boiling discs, 
300, 300, 600 for each oven element, and 400 and 600 for the 
grill, or a total loading of 6.4 kw. all full on; the average load- 
ing is, however, only 3 kw. — 3d. or 6 cents per hour in full work. 

"Franklin" Cooker. This follows from the same designers 
as the Gilbert Cooking oven, but is larger, the baking oven 
being on the top of the roasting instead of side by side — the heat 
insulation being the same. The hot plates, boiling discs and 
grill are fitted at the sides and are made to fold down out of the 
way or taken oft and stored 
underneath when not wanted, 
switches and plug connections 
being provided for control. 
The heat control is the same 
as with the Gilbert Cooker; 
the ovens have a larger load- 
ing, and the total being 6.4 
kw, the average working 3.2 
kw., — 33d, or 6.5 cents per 
hour for full working. 

*' Newton " Domestic 
Cooker is of equally novel 
design, the principal feature 
being that the ovens are of 
oval shape, heated uniformly 
by the elements placed round 
the outside of the inner casing "Frankliu" Cooker. 



118 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

or in pockets distributed at the sides 
so that the bottom, top, and sid^ are 
uniformly heated at high, medium or 
low heat; the top heat being under 
separate control if desired. The in- 
ternal construction is of special ma- 
terial, being both electrically and heat 
insulated, always clean and ideal for 
cooking. The connections are made 
in the back casing of the cooker and 
covered. The hot plate ia provided 
^ with one 8" and two 6" boiling discs. 
^ " (-- 1, Switches can be fitted on the cooker 

itself. In the example illustrated the 
switches are fitted on an enclosed panel on the wall at the side 
of the cooker with indicating lamp and fuses. A grill attachment 
can be hooked on at the side when required, controlled by the 
same switchboard. The loading is 300-300-600 watts for each 
oven, 300 and 600 for the 8" boiling disc, 200-400 for the 6" 
boiling disc, making a total loading of 3.3 kw. In average 
working the load is 2.1 kw., just over 2d. or 4 cents per hour 
when in full work. 

The object of the maker of these series seems to be a right 
one from an electric cooking point of view. The ovens proper 
are so constructed that they heat up very quickly with a fairly 
low loading, have no heavy metal connections to conduct the heat; 
while the heat insulation being of a ypecial character the low load- 
ing is quite sufficient to maintain the proper cooking temperature. 
"Tricity" Cooker. " Tricity " cookers are made by the 
British Electric Transformer Co., Ltd., London. Essentially 
the system comprises one or a number of circular hot plates or 
boiling discs, with two-heat control. These are made singly 
or in duplex form, the latter patterns having sockets at the ends 
to enable one or two additional discs being connected up to the 
main cooker. These extra or extension cookers may be used 
for boiling and grilling or, when inverted, for use as top heat to 
the " Tricity " oven. The latter is of polished sheet metal, with 
a circular hole at bottom and top to fit over the hot plate of the 



"TRICITY" COOKER 119 

cooJter and to take the extension disc respectively. When the 
top heater is not needed, the hole in the oven top is closed by a lid. 

The oven stands upon four legs, fits over either of the boiling 
discs of a duplex cooker, or over a single boiling disc. For 
baking meat and for high-temperature cooking, both top and 
bottom heat are necessary, the top heat, by means of a deflector, 
browning meat, cakes, and pastry and assisting in the manten- 
ance of an even temperature throughout the oven. Above the 
oven is a hinged rack upon which plates or vessels may be placed, 
the heat given out from the top of the inverted boiling disc being 
sufficient to keep them waim. This rack is also convenient for 
airing clothes. If the rack is not required it will swing back, 
and the top of the boiling disc can be used to keep casseroles 
and other vessels at simmering heat, a great convenience when 
the oven is in use. The boiling discs are quite portable and light, 
and can be lifted off or placed on the oven in a moment. 

Loss of heat is avoided by a highly polished surface all over, 
and so long as the brightness is maintained, _ so long will the 
efficiency be kept at a high level. With the oven running at a 
temperature of 400° F. it is possible to bring one's hand within 
half an inch of the side without feeling the slightest heat. The 
maximum loading for the " Tricity " oven is only 1,600, yet this 



Puplex "Tricity" Cooker, with Oven, Grill and Esteaaion Plate, 



120 ■ ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

ia suiRcient to bring to cooking heat a space measuring 19 ins. 
by 16 ins. by 14 ins., while this temperature can be maintained 
at an expenditure of 400 watts. If the oven were run at full 
heat top and bottom for an hour, the cost would work out at 
1.6d. or just over 3 cents, but in practice full heat is only required 
for about 40 minute, the cooking being completed at low heat, 
costing .4d. per hour, or less than 1 cent. 

The latest form of " Tricity " for larger households is the 
double-oven tj-pe. This is a combination of two 19 ins. by 16 
ins. ovens, each being independent so far as cooking is concerned. 
The double oven fits over the plates of a Duplex cooker, and is 
used with two extension plates for top heating. Two hot cup- 
boards are formed above, these being detachable. They are 
■ very useful for keeping cooked dishes or plates warm and take 
no additional current, the heat from the top plate being sufficient 
to maintain a suitable temperature. 

When used for boiling water, the " Tricity" hot plate is 

somewhat slow, owing to its small current consumption, and to 

meet the demand for a quick boiling disc the makers have 

increased the loading from 800 to 850 watts, which materially 

reduces the time taken to heat water and do other work. Over 

any of the hot plates a silver-plated ribbed griil with grease tray 

can be fitted, and very beautifully can bacon, eggs, tomatoes, 

chops, steaks or kidneys be grilled in this way. Any ordinary 

utensils with flat bases can be used 

over the hot plates, but in order 

to ensure absolutely fiat surfaces, 

the makers supply special vessels 

with copper bottoms, flanged so as 

to fit over the disc. 

" Ferranti " Ovens. Messrs. 
Ferranti, Ltd., of England, who are 
well known as makers of electri- 
cal plant, have designed a large 
number of electric heating and 
cooking appliances, and I am able 
to illustrate two forms of Ferranti 
"Ferranti" Sm^l Oven, ovens. The first is a type for small 



"FERRANTI" COOKERS 



" F^raoti " Small Oven, Showing Internal Arrangements. 

families and is not intended to meet the heavy cooking demands 
for which a larger oven is needed. The second is a complete 
electric cooker, suitable for large households. 

The smaller oven is of cast iron, with a polished aluminium in- 
terior, the space between being lagged with heat insulating mate- 
rial. This construction combines some of the advantiiges of the 
polished unladed type of oven with those of the heavy black pat- 
terns, losses of heat through conduction, convection and radiation 
being reduced to a very small value. The area of the oven in- 
side is just over a cubic foot, which is enough to take a 6-lh. joint 
and a Yorkshire pudding, or a somewhat heavier joint by itself. 

There is only one heating element, this being in the maker's 
standard circular hot-plate form, 7" in diameter, consuming 
850 watts, and costing ,85d. or nearly 2 cents an hour to run. 
This unit is detachable, and plugs in the bottom of the oven. 
It can be used for boiling while in position, or for toasting. Two 
heats can be arranged for, the lower heat taking 300 watts. 
There is no switch on the oven, heat control being effected at a 
separate fuse and switch panel on the wall. Although there is 
no top heat, cakes and pastry will brown quite well, a deflecting 
plate ensuring an even distribution of heat and a circulation 
of the heated air throughout the oven, A new heating element 
can be fitted in a few seconds at small cost should it be necessary, 
but this is unlikely, as all Ferranti elements are guaranteed for 



122 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



" Ferranti " DomeBtic Cooker, Wiring Arrangement. 

2 yeara. Used in conjunction with the firm's breakfast grill 
with boiling disc, an outfit is secured which will take care of the 
cooking requirements for any small household. 

The larger cooker shown in the above illustration comprises 
a complete " range " for all the cooking duty in a moderate-sized 
residence. On the hot plate are mounted two standard 7-in. 
single-heat boiling discs, rated at 850 watts; one two-heat simmer- 
ing plate, measuring 12 ins, by 8 ins., and consuming 300 to 850 
watts; and a grill, 8, ins. in diameter, with a loading of 1,500 
watts. Theoven measures 21 ins. high by 14 ins. wide, and 14 ins, 
back to front, and contains three standard 850-watt 7-in. discs. 

If the entire cooker were to be switched on and run for an hour, 
it would cost 6.6d. or 13 cents, since the total current consump- 
tion is 6,600 watts, but it is seldom that all the elements would be 
required simultaneously, and they would never be needed at 
full heat for an hour. In practice the running costs for oven 
and grill and boiling discs would be about 3d. or 6 cents an hour. 

The oven can readily be dismantled for cleaning or for the 
replacement of heating units. The polished iron top plate is 
retained in position by its weight only, so that it can be lifted 
off in a moment. A cast-iron tray is supported immediately 



"FERRANTI" COOKERS 123 

below the top plate; its side and the edges of the holes are turned 
up to prevent any grease or water spilled on the top plate, passing 
to the connections beneath. The heating units pass through the 
apertures in the plates and tray, and fit them closely. The 
cast-iron tray may be lifted out when the units are withdrawn, 
and all connections are then accessible, as shown in the side 
view with the switch box cover removed. Each unit rests on 
three studs. These studs are adjustable, and the surface of the 
heating unit may be aligned perfectly with that of the top plate. 

The oven contains, in addition to the three 7-in. discs, hinged 
shelf racks, shelves, heat distributor, and a lamp to illuminate 
the interior, an observation window being fitted in a convenient 
position. In the frame above the door is arranged a ventilator. 
The oven is lined with enamelled iron, and the space between the 
lining and the outer case is lagged to reduce heat losses. When 
the oven has been heated up, one of the three heating units is 
.sufficient to maintain the temperature required. 

The distributor prevents the heat rising in the centre of the 
oven and burning the food; it also causes the heat to ascend at 
the sides, impinge on the top, and descend on the food, thus 
cooking it equally from all sides. 

The resistance spiral which forms the basis of the heatii^ 
element is thoroughly insulated; it withstands high temperature 
for long periods and is unaffected by rapid heating and cooling. 
It is totally enclosed in a circular case which rapidly attains 
a final temperature corresponding to a dull red heat. 

The grilling element is constructed on the same lines as the 
standard heating element, and is arranged so that a maximum 
of heat is radiated downwards. In other respects it is exactly 
similar to the standard unit. 



"Ferranti" Hot Plates. 



124 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

"Belling" Cookers. So successful have the "Belling'' 
electric fires proved in use that the makers have lately adapted 
the system to cooking apparatus. The fires are described 
under the heading of radio-convectors on a later page, the 
system consisting essentially of bars of fireclay on the surface 
of which are wound small spirals of nichrome wire, which glows 
with a bright red. In the " Belhng " cooking apparatus, similar 
bars are used, except in the case of the boiling disc here illus- 
trated, in which the spirals are of larger diameter and coiled 
more openly, being wound on the ribbed surface of a circular 
fireclay base. The glowing spirals are covered by a perforated 
steel plate, through which the heat passes to any flat-bottomed 
utensil placed on top. Water or grease spilt on the surface runs 
through the elements and passes out below them, and cannot 
do any harm. The case of the boiling disc is of cast iron, and 
the connecting wires are enclosed in pliable metallic tubing, 
which is taken to a control panel on the wall near by. This ^ 
panel is provided with a rotary heat-regulating switch, indicating 
dial fuse and special socket. The whole device is earthed, so 
that shocks are impossible. An 8" disc is loaded to 1,750 watts 
at full heat, two lower beats being pro- 
vided for. It costs, therefore, 1.75d. or 
3.5 cents per hour to operate at full heat. 
The 6" disc is loaded to 1,500 watts. 
As the elements are visible and there are 
no large masses of metal to heat up, the 
disc is highly efficient, and water boils very 
quickly. The element can be replaced 
quickly and at small cost, but should last 
for at least a couple of years. 

" Belling " Radiant 
Grill. The grill shown in 
my next illustration is an 
excellent design by Belhng 
& Co., of Edmonton, 
London. The frame is 
built up of sheet iron, 
the top to which the "Belling" Boiling Disc. 




"BELLING" RADIANT GRILL 125 

heating elements are attached, being removable for exam- 
ination, cleaning or replacemfat. It will be seen that the 
heating unit is made up of the standard fire bars with spirals 
rvmning at a bright red. Each bar is independent and can be 
detached in a moment. The glowing spirals are protected 
from accidental contact by il wire mesh, and the whole device 



"Belling" Radiant Grill. 

is earthed through the flexible metallic tubing in which the con- 
necting wires are enclosed. A separate control panel on the wall 
is used for regulating the heat, three variations being possible. 
The whole of the bars may be used or only a portion, accord- 
ing to the quantity of food being grilled. At full heat the grill 
takes 2,300 watts, costing 2.3d. per hour or 4.6 cents to operate 
Owing to the fact that the elements cover the whole surface of 
the grill, very uniform heating is secured. 

" Belling " Cooker. My next illustration shows a com- 
plete cooker built up on the "Belling" System. The oven is 
of cast iron and stands on legs, making it very convenient in 
use. It is heated by the standard fire bars placed at the bottom, 
with 3-heat control, and so arranged that at all heats, the oven 
temperature is uniform throughout. It is rated at about 2,300 



126 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

watta at full heat, 
costing 2.3d. or 4.6 
cents per hour to 
operate, but of 
course, full heat is 
only needed to 
bring up the oven 
quickly to a roast- 
ing temperature. 
On top of the oven 
is a flat plate, with 
side shelves sup- 
ported on brack- 
ets. On this is 
placed a grill, 
loaded t o 2,000 
watts, and 3 boil- 
ing discs, each 
"Belling" Complete Cooker. ^a^ing 1,750 watts 

at full heat. Oven, 
grill and boiling discs have 3-heat regulation, the control being 
effected at the switch and fuse panels shown on the wall. The 
whole apparatus is earthed to avoid the possibility of shock to 
the user. It will be seen that over one of the boiling discs is an 
extension plate, flush with the upper surface. This is useful 
when it js desired to heat up simultaneously several flat-bot- 
tomed utensils, each of which is partly over the hot plate and 
partly on the extension plate. The complete cooker makes a 
compact outfit for a small household and is not expensive to buy 
or to maintain, all the elements being readily replaceable. It 
should be added that all the connections are made outside, so 
that no heat can reach them, an important consideration that 
is sometimes overlooked by deagners of electric cookers. 

" Falkirk " Domestic Cooker. The Falkirk Iron Co. are 
one of the oldest manufacturers In Great Britain of cooking 
apparatus, and they have lately designed a complete range of 
electrically-heated cookers, as well as of electric fires, using 
for the latter only register grates adapted for electric heating. 



"FALKIRK" DOMESTIC COOKER 127 

The cooker I illustrate 
is only one of a number of 
new patterns and has many 
interesting features. It is 
of east iron throughout, 
and strongly constructed 
to withstand continuous 
use in the kitchen. The 
oven has a drop-down door 
forming a convenient shelf 
when open. It is white 
enamelled throughout in- 
Mde, and measures 18" 
wide by 18|" deep by 14" 
high. It is double cased on 
all sides, and packed with 
2" of silicate of cotton. 
The heating elements are 

arranged at both sides and „^ u- , „ n .■ ^ i 

. , , ,., , . , Falkirk Domestic Cooker, 

earned by readily detach- 
able supports to allow of easy replacement when necessary. 
They are rated at 3,000 watts at full heat, costing therefore 
3d. per hour to run or 6 cents. Top heat is only -needed for 
a few minutes until the oven is hot, the lowest heat being then 
sufficient to maintain the cooking temperature. The oven door 
is fitted with a glass inspection door so that the cooking can be 
watched without opening the oven, and a ventilator is provided. 
It will be noticed that the oven stands upon detachable legs, 
11" high, a comfortable height above the floor level. The 
width and depth of the oven permit of the roasting of very 
large joints— meat or poultry weighing from 30 to 40 lbs. being 
cooked to perfection in the oven illustrated. Above the oven 
is a large grill and hot cupboard. This is rated at 1,500 watts, 
costing 1.5d. or 3 cents per hour to run at full heat. It has 
3-heat control, all the switches for controlling the cooker being 
moimted on a separate panel fixed to the wall, where they are 
convenient for use and well away from the heat. On the top 
plate or hot table are two 8" boiling discs loaded to 1,200 



128 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

watts, one 6" disc taking 750 watts and one 12" X 9" simmer- 
ing plate heated by the grill elements. All the discs have 
3-heat control. The grill, I may add, is fitted with a parallel 
rise-and-fall arrangement operated by an outside handle, so 
that the food may be placed at any required distance from the 
heating elements, which, by the way, are protected by a stout 
metal grid, the whole apparatus being earthed. All the internal 
wiring is carried to a large terminal chamber at the back 
where it can be examined and where it is free from risk of 
damage from heat or from spilling liquids or grease. 

A smaller model is made by the Falkirk Co. which measures 
over all 22" wide by 20" deep and 34" high, with an oven 
loaded to 2,000 watts, a griller-toastej and two boiling discs. 

Electrical Co.*s New Cooker. Among the many designs of 
electric cookers to which I have already referred, there is none 
that resembles the pattern lately introduced to the British 
market by the Electrical Co., Ld., Charing Cross Rd., W. C, 
an illustration of which is here given. It has been built to with- 
stand continuous usage in the kitchen, but is of artistic design, 
and has a most cleanly appearance, the sides and front being 
covered with a pure white enamel, the mountings and fittings 
being nickel plated and highly poUshed. This cooker is an 
ornament to any household, and can be kept spotlessly clean 
by the simple process of washing. 

The cooker comprises a spacious oven, with drop-down door, 
forming when open a shelf for holding plates and dishes'; sur- 
mounted by a hot-cupboard with a grill and toaster, three boiling 
discs being arranged on the top plate. The oven elements are 
quite different from those used in any other system. They 
consist of a special alloy wire wound in zig-zag fashion between 
two mica plates which in turn are enclosed between sheets of 
flat iron, held tightly together by grub screws, the edges of the 
plates being packed with asbestos to prevent the entrance of 
grease or moisture. It will be seen that the large metallic surface 
assists materially in conducting and distributing the heat uni- 
formly throughout the oven. There are two such heating plates 
in the oven, and they can be placed at varying heights to suit 
the work in hand. At the back of the plates are three projecting 



ELECTRICAL CO'S. NEW COOKER 129 

pins to which the ends of the resistance wires are taJcen. These 
pins fit into recessed sockets at the back of the oven, the flesh 
being merely pushed into position and making contact auto- 
matically. Being detachable, the shelves can be removed for 
cleaning or replacement. The total loading of the oven is 1500 
watts, costing to run at full heat, l^d. or 3 cents per hour. Two 



Electrical Co.'a Domestic Cooker. 

lower heats are arranged for, and after starting cooking at the 
high heat, the even temperature can be maintained at the third 
or low heat position. 

The grill and toaster within the hot-cupboaid has exposed 
wire elements, which are easily detachable in the same manner 
as the oven elements. They are rated at 1500 watts, with 3-heat 
regulation. Each of the three boiling discs on top is self-contained. 



130 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

the elements being wound between mica discs and fitted between 
two iron plates. They have projecting terminal pins underneath, 
fitting into sockets on the crown plate, and can readily be removed 
for cleaning or renewal. There are two 8-inch discs taking 1250 
watts apiece, and costing ijd. or 2.5 cents per hour to run at 
ic'ull heat, and a 660-watt 6-inch disc, costing .6d. or just over 
1 cent per hour. All the boiling discs are arranged for 3-heat 
regulation. 

The switches are moimted above the hot-cupboard on the 
front of the cooker, and are of the rotary pattern with black 
lever handles. They give four heat positions, ^' off,'' "low,'' 
" medium," and " high," these degrees being marked plainly 
on the white surface, so that the cook can see at some distance 
exactly what part of the cooker is being used and what degree 
of heat is being given to any disc or the oven. 

A nickel-plated rail is fitted in front of the switches, and 
this not only prevents the switches being caught by the clothes 
of the operator, but acts as a drying rail for airing clothes, towels, 
or dusters. The crown plate below the boiling discs is of white 
enamel, and has raised edges and flanged holes surrounding 
the sockets into which the 3-pin plugs of the boiling discs fit; 
thus it is practically impossible for any liquid that may have been 
spilt over, reaching the contacts. To assist the cleaning process, ' 
the whole of the top plate lifts up, hinges being fitted at the 
back. The cooker is well made and is a most interesting example 
of modern design. 




G.E.C. Hot-plate. 



OVEN EFFICIENCIES 

The accompanying Graphs are of interest as showing the high 
efficiency obtained in practice with electric ovens. Graph 1 is tab- 
ulated for an ideal oven of 2 sq. ft. capacity with temperature 
curves for high, medium and low heats. Graph 2 from a small 
Ferranti oven, similar to that illustrated on page 133, compared 
with a bright unlagged sheet-metal oven. In the former, the ad- 
vantage of the bright surface to counteract heat losses are com- 
bined with the greater mechanical strength and lasting qualities 
of cast-iron construction, a bright interior lining being surroimded 
by a heavily lagged case. Curve A is that of the lagged oven, 
curve B that of the unlagged polished oven. The former is loaded 
to 717 watts per cubic foot at high heat, and 192 watts at low heat, 
while the latter is rated at 773 and 193 watts per cubic foot at 
high and low heats respectively. In 65 mins. oven A reached a 
temperature of 516^ F., while 120 mins. were taken by oven B 
to attain this degree. After switching off, the oven A cools 
down to 217° F. in two hours, the imlagged oven to the same 
point in half that time. In 30 mins. after switching on, oven A 
reached a temperature of 370° F., which is ample for sealing the 
juices of the meat, in fact a lower temperature, such as that 
attained in 20 mins. (320° F.), is sufficient for the purpose. A 
test with a 5-lb. joint of meat showed that the total power con- 
sumption to cook the meat thoroughly was 1000 w^att-hours, 
or just a unit, costing Id. or 2 cents. The oven was first heated 
up for 30 minutes and the full heat maintained for a further 30 
minutes. The current was then switched on and off at 20-minute 
intervals until the joint was cooked. Graph 3 is taken from a 
similar Ferranti oven. Curve A shows the temperature rise 
with full loading. Curves B and C show the temperature main- 
tained by medium and low loading respectively and curve D 
shows the fall of temperature with switches off. The full load 
was switched down at point X in each case. 

k2 



132 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Fahr. 
600 



111 if 400 

K . 




^ h150 

< 

^100 



5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 

TIME IN MINUTES 

Graph 1, 
Temperature Curves of Ideal Electric Oven. 




I 



TiMfc IW MOUM. 



3i 



4i 



Graph 2. 
Temperature Curves of Lagged and Unlagged Ovens, 



1 



OVEN EFFICIENCIES 



133 













































CAA 














gL|^ 


--—^ 




♦ 


^W 




PA 


NT Xr^ 






^ CI 






400 
300 

aoQ 

lOQ 






' — ^j 


1 


_ 














— ^ 


^^^ 




1 CURVE C 













T~^ 


H 

















VV 


r 




\; 














JM^ 






\, 














•^y 






S 


fV,^ 












(^r 








^"^ r>.- 






■ 




/ 








Va 


^St/^ 










/ 










^<55^ 










/ 












"^iv,.^ 








' 












^^ 






/ 


















»»«^ 


/ 




















1 




^ 
















/ 




















/ 




















/ 




















/ 




















/ 




















L 






















1 








' 






























f^ 























1 


2 


3 


4 


» 


6 


71 


80 90 ICO 



TIME m MINUTES. 



Graph 3. 
Temperature Curves of "Ferranti" Oven. 



Fahr. 
550 

500 

^.450 

*^-400 

bJ O 

§ |350 
^ 1300 
S?250 

[:; 0)200 

5150 

^100 

50 










\ 




































«^. 




B. 


&K. C 


VEN 








Switcht 


d Off/ 


X 




2 5 


. MooEil C 
Cu. Pt. Capacity 


■ 








/ 


\ 


V 


2000 W 


ATTS FULL LOADING 








/ 




V^ 














i 


/ 






^"^--^ 


^..^^^^ 










t 


/^ 


<•• 






^ 


"* 










/^ 


















/ 


V 


















^A 




















A 


J 


1 


1 


1 


1 


1 


1 


i 


I 



5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 

TIME IN MINUTES 

Graph 4 is taken from a B. & K. Model C. cooker. The curve shows 
the temperature rise with full loading and the fall when switched off. It 
also indicates the watt hrs. per cu. ft. capacity. 



134 



ELECTRIC OOOKIKG AOT) HEATING 



Fahr, 




15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120135150165180195210225240255270285300 315 

TIME IN MINUTES 

Graph 5 has been tabulated from the reading of test with a Purcell & 
Nobbs Domestic cooker. 



Fahr; 
700 

650 
600 
550 

, c:500 

u^o* 450 

P ^400 

K|350 

2. 1 300 

•^{2 250 

g200 

150 

100 

50 



QENERXL ELEdTRIC c6mPANY 
1 " f-A t 






X 






TYPE pi OVdN 




y 








2! 
1000 


,25 Cu. fr. CapXcity 
WATTS FULL LOADING 


y 


y 
















y 
































y 


















ypise 1 


\ Tempe 


ature wi 


h 1000 \ 


/ATTS 








/ 


















/ 
















J\ 


f 
















/ 










-----'^ 








/ 






" fi^ 


pet 


u 








f 




.^^ 


feffv^^^ 































10 15 20 25 30 
TIME IN MINUTES 



35 



40 



45 



Graph 6 has been tabulated from the tests with Type R. 1. cooker of the 
General Electric Co. of America. 



S 



OVEN EFFICIENCIES 



135 



Sfic 




8SO vMart>ft 










1 

29o wo^ 














S2fi 
































400 






/ 


Vv 




























/ 


\\ 


























/ 




\ 


\ 
























/ 




\ 


A 
























/ 






\ 


K^ 


















«.. 




/ 









\ 






:iii»«^ 






• 




Q* 


i 








\ 


V 








o>«< 








£x. 










1.. 


/ 












> 
















pao 


/ 










1 


N^^ 


"^ 














■3a 


/ 
















--^ 












6e 


J 










CuRV 


L5 St- 


IFWINC 


1 Rise 


ft FALL OF 


















rtMf^tKAruKE »rM SMALL OVCN 

ivT D.MeNs 12V'' HV" 14-V 


















1 














c 


> i 


e * 


O b 


o 


a 


o « 


>k; 


ro ■« 


lO It 


M 


M Joo jao 140 MO 



Ti^ie 



Graph 7 is plotted from tests on a Ferranti small oven with low load- 
ing. The wattage at jvU load being 687 watt-hrs. per cu. ft. and at Ioxd 
load 202 watt-hrs. per cu. ft. 



700 



600 



500 



400 



300 




200 to 

11:30 12:0 
A.M. NOON 



2:0 3:0 4:0 

TIME 

Graph 8 shows curves of baker's oven. 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



General Electric Co.'s Cooker. The new type R. 1 Electric 
Cooker, of the General Electric Company, of America, contains 
many distinctive features. The height is 34|", width 33y, 
depth 26". 

All exposed surfaces have a blued steel finish, which resembles 
gunmetal, is very durable, and easily maintained in its nice 
clean appearance. A high back is provided having a 10" shelf. 
All the elements are movable and standardized, so that in case 
of any new element being required it can be readily exchanged. 

The oven measures 18"X18"X12", is heat-insulated by 
1|" in thickness of calorox, and welded steam-tight. The 
heating elements consist of two 10"X7^" encased wire brazed 
to A" plate of non-oxidizing metal, fitted in recesses at top and 
bottom. The top element also acts as a griller or broiler, and 
is held in position by means of four studs and clamps. The hot 
plate at top is provided with two cooking discs and three steam- 
ing pans. 

Each cooking disc or stove consists of a top plate of non- 
oxidizing metEil, with a steel shell which forms a bottom casing. 
An 8" encased wire unit is brazed against the under side of top 
plate. The outer edge is bent downwards to support the cooking 
top. The top edge of the bottgm casing is bent pvpr inside 



GENERAL ELECTRIC GO'S. (AMERICA) COOKER 137 

the edge of the hot plato, and these two 
parts are welded togetlier. The bottom 
casing is packed with calorox. There 
are three heats to each, and connection 
is made by means of stud terminals con- 
necting to terminal blocks on porcelain 
fitted on the under side of the bottom 
casing. 

The steamers are SJ" diameter and 
6ii" deep. They consist of two metal 
shells which are electrically welded to- 
gether with 1" calorox insulation be- 
tween. The inner shell is of non- 
oxidizablc metal, and the outer shell of sheet steel. Elements 
similar to the hot plates, but of smaller diameter are fitted to 
the under side of the bottom of the inner shell. Aluminium 
vessels of 3 quarts capacity each fit into the 3 steaming compart- 
ments. 

The controlling switches are placed on the cooker under the 
front part of the hot plate, and are placed at an angle so that 
the dial may be easily read when the operator is close to the 
apparatus. The cover of the switches is easily removable, 
and the switch parts replaceable from the front. A name plate 
under each switch handle indicates the elon:ent or elements it 
puts :n or out of operation. 
Movable fuses are provided for 
all elements below the switches. 
These are covered by a sheet- 
metal' flat door, and a similar 
sheet-metal plate protects the 
line wire and local terminal 
blocks. It is seen that every 
provision is made thoroughly to 
protect each element from injury 
of any kind. The high tempera- 
ture does not affect the switches, 
fuses, or the internal wiring. 
The connection to the oven 



138 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

provides for two heats to the bottom — 500 or 1000 watts, and 
one heat IIXM) watts to the top. The switches are, however, so 
arranged that the .top and bottom are not on together {unless 
specially required to get a quick heat), so the maximum rate of 
consumption may be taken as 1000 watts. 

The two hot plates have a loading of 250, 500, 1000 watts 
each. The 3 steamers have a loEtding of 200 watts and the total 
maximum loading is, therefore, 3600 watts, costing 3.6d. or 
just over 7 cents per hour. The average working of these 
cookers in practical use is given on page 149. 

" Copeman " Automatic Cooker. The special feature of 
the Copeman oven is its automatic control. A thermometer 
on the oven doors and a time-switch are provided, by means of 
which the exact heat required in the oven can be maintained 
constant or varied as desired automatically, and the current 
switched on and oft at any pre-determined hour without attention. 

The Copeman Cooker will carry out all the culinary operations 
needed by a family of from 2 to 20, according to the size of stove 
installed. It is constructed with a wooden frame, the ovens 
being of stamped aluminium with nickelled mountings, the top 



"Copeman" Automatic Cooker, 



(( 



COPEMANS" AUTOMATIC COOKER 139 



of the cooker itself, in which the hot plates are fixed, being also 
of metal. 

The heating elements, of which there is one in each com- 
partment, can be removed and attached to the top of the stove 
for frying, broiling, etc., or extra elements may be provided 
for this service, operated by separate control switches. 

The element will retain heat for a considerable length of time 
after having been removed from its compartment, is so neat and 
cleanly that it can be placed upon the table when desired, and 
when so utilized looks very similar to an electric plate-warmer 
and serves the same purpose without any expense whatsoever, 
for the heat is stored within it, and, having once been utilized 
to prepare the dish, it is now maintaining it at a proper tem- 
perature. 

The frame is of prepared wood,' the cooking compartment 
being insulated from same with heavy asbestos strips, and the 
compartments themselves are insulated from the case by one- 
half inch of dead-air space and 2^ inches of mineral wool, which 
results in a perfectly cool exterior. The stove in full operation 
radiates no more heat in a room than an incandescent lamp. 

It is possible to cook with it a whole dinner. The main 
switches are closed and the small knife switch beside the clock 
opened. The clock is then set to turn the current into the stove 
at the selected time. When the clock closes the switch, the 
current is applied just long enough to bring the foods to a proper 
temperature, sufficient for breaking down their starchy particles. 

Then the current automatically shuts off, but the dinner 
continues to cook with no further expense, the stored-up heat 
in the oven and heating element being sufficient for the purpose. 

Meals can be kept hot for hours with no expense whatsoever. 
Food cooked by this new process has a wholesomeness obtainable 
by no other means. In the early patterns the internal parts 
were made too light and fragile for rough usage; this has, I befieve, 
been remedied and the whole apparatus very much improved. 

British Prometheus Cookers. This illustration shows the 
British Prometheus Company's domestic cooker for a household 
of 8 persons. It is constructed of cast iron, with heavily-lagged 
oven, the latter supporting a hot plate with grill and boiling 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



British Prometheus Ovea. 

discs. The elements for the oven and boiling discs are of 
nichrome or similar high-resistance alloy, wound over flat strips 
of mica and enclosed in thin iron envelopes, the heatii^ wire 
being insulated, of course, from the metal casii^. Each strip is 
self-contained and independent of the others, so that in the 
unlikely event of a breakdown, only one out of the dozen strips 
used is affected, which will reduce but slightly the heat produced. 
They are protected from mechanical injury and from the action 
of the juices and grease. The strips are held in frames on both 
sides of the oven, and are controlled by switches on a panel fixed 
to the wall near the cooker. Three heats are arranged for, the 
maximum taking 3000 watts and the medium and low 2000 and 
1000 watts respectively, the running costs at the 3 heats being, 
therefore, 3d. or 6 cents, 2d. or 4 cents and Id. or 2 cents per hour. 
The grill is loaded to 1200 watts and has an exposed wire element, 
protected by a metal grid. There are 2-boiling plates, C" in 
diameter, both rated at 800 watts, with a low heat taking 250 



"HUGHES" ELECTRIC COOKER 141 

watts. These plates are flush with the 
top to allow of several flat-bottomed 
utensils stantlii^ over them at one 
tune. Internally the oven measures 
18"Xlli"Xl2"aiidthe grill 8"X6". 
" Hu^es " Electric Cooker. Sev- 
eral patterns of electric cookers are 
made by the Hughes Electric Heating 
Co., Chicago, and I illustrate two of 
the most popular models, one medium 
and one large type. In conformity 
with the usual American practice, the 
oven is raised on legs so as to be easily 
accessible to the user. The body of 
the cooker is built up of heavy gauge 
"Hu^ea" Medium Cooker. rolled steel, the legs and top being of 
cast iron with nickelled edges. The 
medium pattern oven which measures inside 18"X12"X12", is 
heavily lagged with asbestos to minimise heat losses by radia- 
tion, and is heated by two elements rated at 880 watts, or eight- 
tenths of a unit per hour at full heat. Rotary indicating switches 
above the oven permit of heat regulation, three heats being 
arranged for in the case of both oven elements and the hot plates 
above. The oven door is hinged 
at the bottom and drops down to 
form a shelf on which food may 
be placed. 

There are three circular hot 
plates above the oven, each 
taking 880, 440 and 220 watts 
at full, medium and low heat 
respectively. Thus the user can 
heat the kettles or other utensils 
rapidly or slowly as desired. 
Any ordinary vessels with fiat 
bottoms can be heated over the 
hot plates, which are flush with 
the surface, so that saucepans, "Hughes" Large Electric Cooker. 



142 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

etc., may be placed directly 
over the part at maximum 
heat or moved to one side to 
simmer slowly. The cooker 
has a sheet metal back be- 
hind the hot plate, and car- 
ries an airing and warming 
shelf on brackets. All heating 
units in the Hughes cooker 
are guaranteed for a year. 

"Simplex" Cooker. Anex- 
ceedii^fly attractive cooker of 
American design is that made 
by the Simplex Electric Heat- 
ing Co., shown in the accom- 
panying illustrations. The 

apparatus, which forms a Simplex Cooker 

complete cooking outfit, is 

built up of cast iron, the oven sides being of sheet metal, packed 
with heat-insulating material. Two heating units, one at the top 
and the other at the bottom, are used for the oven, the current 
consumption being at the rate of 1,300 watts, costing at full heat 
1.3d. or just under 3 cents per hour. Inside, the oven measures 
15"X12"X11§", but there are several larger sizes made by 
the Simplex Co. Raised above the top of the oven about 
3" on short legs, to allow of cleaning, are two disc stoves, six 
and eight inches in diameter respectively. These are intended 
for heating flat-bottomed utensils, special patterns with a simple 
lockii^ device being provided by the makers. They are of 
copper, heavily nickel-plated, and are designed to fit very closely 
to the heating surface, in order to insure the maximum efficiency. 
Each of the disc stoves and the oven elements are arranged for 
3 heats, these being controlled by rotary indicating switch^ 
mounted above the oven in front. The large disc is rated at 
735 watts, and the smaller one at 440 watts, when at fu]l heat, 
the cost of working being |d. or 1.5 cents, and .4d. or nearly 
1 cent per hour respectively. There is also a broiler or grill 
reused on short legs, and taking 1300 watts, or 1.3 units per 



BRITISH GENERAL ELECTRIC COOKER .143 



hour. The latter has a corrugated top, slanting slightly towards 
a grooved end, which receives the juice and fat from the meat 
when being grilled. A separate smooth top fits on the grill for 
making toast, griddle cakes and so forth. Simplex cookers are 
made in several sizes for families from 2 to 20, and the large 
ones for restaurant use. 

British General Electric Company's Cookers. The cooker 
I illustrate is intended for the use of families of average size, and 
is constructed of cast iron throughout, in plain but solid design. 
The interior is vitreous enamelled, and all the interior fittings 
can be removed for the purpose of cleaning. It is double-cased, 
and between the inner and outer cases is a thick layer of lagging, 
which effectively prevents heat losses. The heating elements 
are placed on each side of the oven, and are easily removable 
from the outside. They are wired so as to give one-third, two- 
thirds, and full heat, evenly distributed from both sides at once. 
The heating coils are simple in construction, fixed to substantial 
firebrick slabs. They attain a red heat, so that cooking is effected 
partly by radiant heat as before a fire. The top structure pro- 
vides a grill at left-hand ^de large enough to grill four chops 
or three steaks at once, fitted with adjustable gravy pan and 
grid, and grills by deflecting the heat downwards. At the same 
time the top of the plate is arranged for boiling. At the back 

are two boiling plates, one of which is 
provided with a graduated switch giving 
three degrees of heat, let in level with 
the surface of the top plate. Each of 
these elements is removable for replace- 
ment. A hot chamber is provided for 
keeping food warm. Control is provided 
. by rotary switches fitted on the side of 
, the oven, or by terminals mounted on 
the oven and a separate switchboard. 
The dimensions are as follows: Oven 
inside, 20"X15"; hot-plate, 18''Xl7r 
XI 2" deep. The maximum loading in 
British General Electric ^^e oven is 2500 watts, with a minimum 
Cooker. of 500, and of the hot plate 3400 watts 




144 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

with all on. The running cost of the 
oven at full heat is, therefore, 2id. 
per hour or 5 cents, and at low heat 
Jd. or 1 cent. 

" Nightiiigall " Oven. This oven, 
of which I give the illustration, is the 
only example at present of an English- 
made cooker equipped with automatic 
heat control. It is of Australian ori^n, 
and the British manufacturing rights 
have been acquired by the General 
Electric Co. of England. It has been 
designed on substantial lines to with- 
stand rough usage, and in its present 
form consists of a large oven for roast- 
ing joints, and for baiting cakes, pastry, 

and so forth. It is particularly suited for Colonial requirements, 
where the demand is for an oven of large size, little use t)eing 
found for a grill or boiling disc. To the English market, these 
will probably be added, so as to form complete cooking equip- 
ment. The heating element is arranged at the bottom, and 
consists of an iron frame 
carrj'ing grooved insula- 
tors, over which a spiral 
nichrome wire is wound. It 
is rated at 1800 watts at 
full heat, 3 lower heats 
being arranged for. The 
entire unit is detachable, the 
connections being taken to 
three projecting pins at the 
back, which fit into cor- 
responding sockets at the 
back of oven. This facili- 
tates cleaning and renewal; 
any user being able to fit 
a new spiral at small cost 
"Nightingftll" Oven, DoorOpen. and trouble. 



"PLEXSIM" AND "CARRON" COOKERS 145 

Adequate heat insulation is afforded by some 3" of slag wool 
which entirely surrounds the cooking space. The heat control 
is automatic, the rotary heat-regulating switch beii^ rated in 
degrees Fahrenheit and not in watts. A thermometer is inserted 
in the side of oven, and contains contacts which open or close the 
circuits through a magnetically-controlled dash-pot filled with 
mercury. If it is desh-ed to maintain the temperature at 400° F. 
the switch is set to this 
marking, and the ther- 
mometer ensures that this 
heat will be kept up 
within 2 or 3 d^rees, in- 
definitely. Higher heats 
give a temperature up to 
600° F., the minimum 
being about 200° F. The 
oven is somewhat slow in 
heating up, but does its 
work well, cakes, and 
bread being beautifully 
cooked and browned on 
top in spite of there being 
no top heat. This is due 
to the excellent diffusion 
of heat throughout the 
cooking space. An even 
heat being maintained all 
over. 
Large " Plexsim " Cooker. Plexsim Cooker. A 

cooker representative of 
English practice is that here illustrated, which is made by 
Simplex Conduits, Ltd., of Birmingham. 

The internal dimensions of the oven are 18 ins. by llj ins. 
by 12 ins. The top cooker consists of two 6-in. boiUng discs 
with perfectly smooth surfaces, so as to ensure even contact 
with the bottom of the utensils to be heated. The boiling plates 
consume current when at full heat at the rate of 800 watts, and at 
low heat 250 watts, the running cost being ,8d, and Jd. per hour 
respectively, or less than 2 cents and 3 cent. 



146 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

A grill 9 ins. long by 6 ins. wide is enclosed in a strong pierced 
metal case preventing accidental contact and possible damage. 
The elements comprising the grill are rigidly supported, and so 
constructed that the expansion and contraction of the ribbon- 
section resistance wire is taken up automatically, obviating any 
short circuiting between various turns. The grill is rated at 
1200 watts, and costs, therefore, 1.2d. or just over 2 cents per 
hour to run. 

The oven elements are fitted at each side, and are readily 
detachable. They are fitted in a novel manner, which provides 
an air-space between them and the actual side of the oven, giving 
an air-duct along which the hot air may rise to the top of the oven, 
maintaining a constant circulation, which has been foimd in 
practice to result in that uniformity of temperature, both at the 
top and the bottom, which is so necessary to successful culinary 
operations. In use the variation in temperature between the 
bottom of the oven and the top does not show a difference of 
more than a few degrees. At high heat the oven elements con- 
sume 3000 watts and at the low heat 1000 watts, the running cost 
being accordingly 3d. and Id. per hour, or 6 and 2 cents. 

Carron Company's Cookers. The Carron Company is one 
of the few British makers that realise the advantage of the 
raised oven, and the first illustration I give of a Carron Cooker 
shows a typical design for a small family, based upon the well- 
known Larbert coal-range model. This consists of oven for 
roasting and baking, [two hot plates for boiling, stewing, etc., 
a double grill and toaster, and a hot closet for keeping food warm, 
warming plates, or for slow cooking, and will do the cooking of 
an ordinary household. The hot plates and elements for the 
oven are each provided with three heats; thus the temperature 
can be quickly raised and afterwards maintained at any lesser 
degree with the minimum consumption of current, thereby ensur- 
ing economy. The loss of heat through outward radiation is 
reduced to a minimum by heavy lagging around the oven. 

The heating elements are so arranged that they may be 
easily replaced at small cost without returning the cooker to 
the makers. 

The oven is lined with mottled enamelled linings and hangers, 



"CARRON" COOKERS AND GRILLS 147 

with runners for shelves; two grid shelves and ont; sheet shelf. 
The oven is fitted with an inner glass oven door so that food 
can be examined while cooking, without loss of heat. Grills 
have white enamelled sides and back, and are fitted with grill 
tins. Each rai^e is provided with two switches for oven, one 
for each hot plate, each of these giving three ranges of heat. 
Separate switches are provided for grills and hot closet and two 
plugs and sockets are fitted for connecting the cooker to the 

m ftin C 



"Carron" Large Domestic Cooker. 

The oven measures 12"X18"Xl6" inside and is loaded to 
2800 watts at high heat, the low heat taking 800 watts. The 
cost of running at full heat is, therefore, 2.8d. or nearly 6 cents 
per hour, but it is not necessary to keep the oven at full heat 
for more than J hour in any circumstances, its heat being 
maintained at an expenditure of about one-third of the maxi- 
mum. The grills have only one heat, and are rated at 1500 
watts (costing therefore l|d. or 3 cents per hour to run). The 
two boiling plates are 8" in diameter and take 1000 watts at high 
heat and 500 watts at medium heat. A smaller disc is provided, 
7" in diameter, this beii^ rated at the same wattage. The hot 
closet measures 18"X9"X16" inside, and is heated indepen- 

l2 



148 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



dently by an element taku^ 
1000 and 500 watts at full 
and low heats respectively. 
Switches for controlling the 
heat are mounted at the side 
of the cooker, or may be fixed 
on a panel attached to the 
wall. As the boiling plates 
are flushwith the top surface of 
the cooker, ordinary flat-bot- 
tomed utensils may be em- 
ployed, and by moving them 
away from the hottest part, 
the rapidity of boiling or sim- 
mering may be regulated to a 
nicety. 



Small Carron Cooker. 

The larger Carron cooker for domes- 
tic use has an oven, large grill, hot closet, 
two circular boiling plates and a warm- 
ing plate. Oven and hot closet are fitted 
with mottled porcelain enamelled linings 
inside. The oven is fitted with remov- 
able hangers and grid shelves; the door 
has an inspection window, and a ther- 
mometer can be fixed but is not recom- 
mended, so that the temperature of oven 
can be ascertained without opening the 
door. The oven is double-cased and 
packed with heat insulating material, 
^ving high efficiency. The oven meas- 
CarroD Co.'s Grill and Oven ures inside 16"X21i"X15" and isloaded 
or Hot Cupboard. to 3000 watts at full heat, the grill being 



"ECLIPSE" COOKERS 149 

rated at 1300 watts, and the 
boiling plates at 800 watts. 
The heating elements are 
so arranged that when neces- 
sary they can be easily replaced 
"Eclipse" Electric Breakfast Cooker, without returning the cooker 
to the makers. 
Heat control is effected by rotary indicatii^ switches mounted 
vertically at the side of the oven, fuses beii^ provided for every 
circuit. 

In addition to domestic cookers, the Carron Company makes 
large suites for restaurant, hotel, and ship use, and has supplied 
a great number of grills, hot cupboards and other cooking and 
heating apparatus for industrial applications. 

An excellent example of grill or broiler and hot cupboard 
is here illustrated, 

" Eclipse " Cookers. One of the electric cookers best known 
in England is the " Echpse," made by the Electric & Ordnance 
Accessories Co., of Birmingham. The makers have done much 
pioneer work and have assisted to popularise electric cooking 
by giving public demonstrations at scores of places throughout 
the country. " Eclipse " cookers are similar in appearance to 
the standard English gas stoves, 
and are built up substantially 
in cast iron, with oven near the 
floor level, surmounted by boilii^ 
plates and grill. In the cooker 
illustrated, the oven measures in- 
side 2i"xl3i"X13|", and has 
its heating elements, consisting 
of nichrome wire wound over flat 
strips of mica, arranged cither 
side. These elements are rated 
at 3000 watts at full heat, and 
1000 watts at low heat, the run- 
ning cost being, therefore, 3d. 
(6 cents) and Id. (2 cents) re- 
spectively. The grill measures "EeUpse" Domestic Cooker. 



150 ELECTRIC COOKlNa AND HEATING 

10"X7f" and consumes current at the rate of 1200 watts. There 
are 2 circular boiling discs 7J" in diameter, rated at 800 and 250 
watts for full and low heat respectively. Heat control is effected 
by rotary indicating switches mounted just beneath the top 
plate on the right-hand side. In its latest cookers, the Company 
makes all the elements replaceable, so that any one which may 
break down can be exchanged for a new one without disturbing 
the remaining equipment. 

A useful companion to the complete stove is the breakfast 
cooker shown in the previous illustration. This is a portable de- 
vice for standing on a bench or table, and is equipped with two 
7|"-boiling discs, with 2 heats, and a combined hot plate and 
grill, the loadings being similar to those in the complete cooker. 
A white enamelled crown plate is provided, and the appliance is 
moimted on a substantial cast-iron base with feet. Rotary indi- 
cating switches for heat control are mounted at the side. 

"Jackson" Electric Cookers. A British firm that has shown 
great activity in the cooking and heating business is the Jackson 
Electric Stove Company of London. It has supplied a large 
number of domestic cookers to private users and has equipped 
many restaurants and staflf kitchens with electric cooking appa- 
rtus. I am able to illustrate two representative models of Jackson 
cookers, the domestic single and the double cookers. The latest 
pattern of single cooker for small families is of cast iron, with 
porcelain enamelled sides, giving a tiled effect. The oven is 
surmounted by a hot plate containing grill and boiling discs. 
Internally the oven is white-enamelled, and arranged for three 
heats, the maximum loading being 2200 watts. The running 
cost at full heat is thus 2.2d. or just over 4 cents per hour, this 
being reduced by two-thirds as soon as the oven has warmed up. 
The heating units are of special resistance wire carried in frames 
both sides of the oven, and so fixed that they can readily be 
removed for inspection or renewal, while being amply protected 
from mechanical injury. Failure in any one unit does not shut 
down the oven, for all run independently, and merely a slowing up 
of the cooking operation results, although even this is unlikely, 
since the full number of units is only needed for the initial 
warming-up, the cooking temperature being maintained at one- 



"JACKSON " COOKERS 151 

third of the full consumption. There are two 8" boiling discs 
on top, rated at 1200 watts, with three-heat control, and a 6" 
disc with a maxbnum consumption of 800 watts, also with three- 
heat control. The grill measures 11"X8", and takes 1100 
watts. Between the oven top and the hot plate is a hot cupboard 
fitted with drop-down door forming a shelf. This has no heating 
element, plates and food being kept warm by the heat escaping 



"Jackson" Domestic Cooker. 

from the grill or boilii^ rings. The oven door is fitted with a 
ventilator and glass panel, the latter being useful for watching 
the cooking process without opening the door. Overall the 
dimensions are 36" hlghX25"X21", the oven being heat- 
insulated on all sides with slag-wool lagging. The stove forms 
a complete and compact cooking outfit for a family of eight. 
Heat control is effected at a neat switch panel on the wall, with 
or without fuses and pilot lights. 



" JACKSON " AND " ELECTRO YL '' COOKERS 153 

The Jackson Double Cooker is made in four sizes, and is 
intended for large private houses or small restaurants. It con- 
sists of two domestic ovens placed side by side under one hot 
plate, and hot cupboard and boiler being arranged between the 
ovens. The range measures 5 ft. 2 ins. by 2 ft. 2 ins. Four 
8-in. boiling discs, rated at 1200 watts, and two 6-in. discs, 
rated at 800 watts, are provided on the hot plate all arranged 
for three-heat control. There is a hot cupboard between the 
top plate and oven, white enamel lined, an enamelled crown 
plate being provided under the grill, which is rated at 4J kw. 
and measures 26 ins. by 11 ins. The hot cupboard between the 
ovens has no heating imit, but receives sufficient heat from the 
ovens and boiler to keep plates and food warm. The boiler 
holds two gallons, and is heated by a separate element, rated 
at 3000 watts, with single heat control. It will give three pints 
of boiling water in four minutes, starting all cold. If desired a 
low heat can be provided to keep the water at boiling point. Both 
ovens in the cooker measure 21 ins. by 14 ins. by 13 ins. Each 
oven is rated at 3000 watts, three-heat control being arranged 
for. The smallest double cooker will carry out all the cooking 
needed by a household of twenty-four persons, while the largest 
size will cater for sixty persons. 

" Electroyl " Cookers. Messrs. Purcell & Nobbs of London 
are well known and have been long established as kitchen engi- 
neers, and since the advent of electric cooking, have specialised 
in the design of apparatus for domestic and restaurant use. I 
am able to give illustrations of two of the firm's cookers, one for 
small households and the other of higher grade for large residences. 
The small domestic cooker is made with a cast-iron frame with 
mild steel double-cased oven, and is suitable for a family of five 
to ten persons. The oven inside measures 23 ins. by 16 ins. by 
16 ins., and is rated at 3000 watts with three-heat control. At 
full heat, therefore, the oven costs 3d. or 6 cents per hour to run, 
the lower heats being proportionately less. Above the oven is 
a hot plate with two 8-in. boiling discs taking 1200 watts, one 
6-in. disc consuming 750 watts and a 1500-watt griller-toaster 
measuring 12 ins. by 9 ins. The hot closet between the oven 
and hot plate measures 16 ins. by 16 ins., and is useful for keeping 



154 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

plates and food warm. The boiling discs are flush with the 
surface of the hot plate, and are intended for use with ordinary 
flat-bottomed utensils, three-heat control being provided in 
each case. No switches are mounted on the cooker, a separate 
control panel being provided for fixing to the wall. A better 
grade of cooker in cast iron is also made with the same equipment, 
a two^allon copper water boiler with separate three-heat immer- 



A Tj^ical Domestic Cooking Equipment. 

sion-type heating element being mounted on brackets at the side. 
The boilii^ discs, grill, and oven elements are easily detachable 
for replacement. The large Electroyl cooker is of steel through- 
out with double doors to the oven, the latter being air lagged, i.e., 
it has double sides, the intervening space having no packing or 
other heat insulation beyond that formed by air. In the air 
space is a system of flat copper water pipes to absorb any heat 



"ELECTROYL" COOKERS 



AU-at«el "Electroyl" Cooker. 

escaping from the oven, a temperature ot 110° P. being readily 
obtained. The water may be further heated if required by an 
immersion element, a draw-off tap being provided under the hot 
plate, and an automatic expansion feed-water tank is usually 
recommended to ensure a constant supply. The range weighs 
only about half that of an ordinary cast-iron cooker. Provision 
is made for the renewal of elements, and all parts are accessible 
for cleaning, its capacity being equal to the needs of the largest 
family. A separate control panel with switches, fuses, and pilot 
light is provided. 

There are three boilii^ discs flush with the top plate, and a 
large grill, the discs being rated at 1200 watts and the grill at 
1800 watts. The oven elements consume 4200 watts at full 
heat, the lower heat taking about 2000 and 1000 watts respectively. 



EXAMPLE OF WEEKLY COOEING OPERATIONS IN A SMALL 
FAMILY AND COSTS 

I am able to give some interesting particulars of the practical 
cooking operations with the General Electrical Company's R- 1 
Electric Cooker as in use in America. 

The first series are heavier than those which would be used 
by the ordinary family, as a roast was included in five of the 
six days recorded. The dinners were served to 10 or 12 persons. 
The lighter menus are more representative of the cooker so 
used for an average family of 5 persons. These menus are given 
for six successive days. 

The maximum peak load is approximately two-thirds of 
the connected load. 

The operating cost with minimum consumption is approxi- 
mately $2.00 per month with a Id. or 2-cent rate. The amount 
of energy used would, of course, vary with each family and would 
be at a minimum when used by an experienced operator. For 
instance, a device such as the oven may be used to bake several 
articles in succession, thus saving the delay and expense of reheat- 
ing. Practically all the water used with the above menus was 
heated in a cast almninium tea-kettle on one of the stoves and is 
included in the total energy consumed. These tests show that 
excellent results can be obtained at a reasonable expense by the 
use of an electric cooker. 



COOKING IN A SMALL FAMILY 



157 



HEAVY DEMAND MENU— No. 1 



Breakfast: 
Pork Chops. ..... 

French Toast 

Coffee 

Dinner i 

Roast Turkey .... 
Cranberry Sauce . . 

Potatoes 

Onions 

Suet Pudding . 

Water 

Supper: 
Cold Roast Turkey 

Biscuits 

Tea 

Cranberry Sauce . . 
Pork Cake 

Total 



Amount. 



1 lb., 2 oz. 

6 Slices 

3 pts. 



lOJ lbs. 

1 qt. 
3 lbs. 

2 lbs. 
15 ozs. 

Iqt. 



1 qt. 



Mins. 


Watt-Hr. 


21 


355 


5 


86 


22 


169 


156 


2388 


25 


420 


84 


206 


85 


223 


36 


611 


10 


171 


44 


582 


10 


159 


• ■ • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



610 



4019 



741 
5370 



5370 watt-hrs. equal 5.3 units costing just over 5d. or 10 cents. 
MENU No. 1 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 

Oatmeal 

Dropped Eggs on Toast 

Toast 

Coffee 

Dinner: 

Pork Chops 

Fried Apples 

Boiled Potatoes 

French Toast 

Sauce for French Toast. 
Coffee 

Supper: 

Omelet 

Fried Potatoes 

Muffins 

Tea 

Preserves 

Total 



Amount. 



li pts. 

5 eggs 

12 slices 

1 qt. 



8 medium 

li lbs. 

2 lbs. 

10 half slices 



1 qt. 



5 eggs 



15 
1 qt. 



MinR. 


Watt-Hr. 


44 


153 


6 


209 


13 


133 


20 


162 


25 


385 


13 


197 


77 


193 


10 


171 


7 


98 


17 


175 


10 


101 


14 


248 


56 


723 


14 

• • • 


266 

• • • • 


• • • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



657 



1219 



1338 
3214 



3214 watt-hrs. equal 3.2 units, costing just over 3d. or 6 cents. 



158 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



MENU No. 2 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 
Com Flakes 
Fried Eggs . 

Toast 

Coffee 



Dinner: 

Roast Beef 

Mashed Potatoes . 
Baked Macaroni. 
Caramel Pudding 
Coffee. 



Supper: 

Creamed Codfish 

Pop Overs 

Preserves 

Tea 



Total 



Amount. 



5 eggs 

8 slices 

1 qt. 



6 lbs. 
2 lbs. 
ilb. 



1 qt. 


12 
Iqt. 



Mins. 


Watt-Hr. 


6 


114 


11 


112 


18 


. 140 


135 


1925 


68 


203 


30 


486 


20 


345 


16 


126 


• • • 


88 


44 


764 


10 


178 


• • • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



366 



3085 



1030 
4481 



4481 watt-hrs. equal nearly 4i units, costing 4Jd. or 9 cents. 



MENU No. 3 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 

Oatmeal 

Meat on Toast 

Toast 

Coffee 



Dinner: 

Soup 

Steak, broiled .... 
Steamed Potatoes 
Vegetable Salad . . 
Suet Pudding .... 
Coffee 



Supper: 

Beef warmed up 
Boiled Potatoes . 

Bread 

Tea 

Cake 



Total 



Amount. 



li pts. 



10 slices 
1 qt. 



1 qt. 
3 lbs. 

2 lbs. 

10 portions 
1 qt. 



2 lbs. 
1 qt. 

lift)S. 



Mins. 


Watt-Hr. 


38 

5 

15 

18 


192 
90 

162 
137 


15 
35 
64 


180 
607 
242 


65 
18 


191 
128 


6i 
53 


96 
273 


8 
54 


139 
436 


• • • 


« 
• • • • 



Total 
.Watt-Hr. 



2875 watt-hrs. equal nearly 3 units, costing 3d. or 6 cents. 



581 



1348 



934 
2875 



COOKING IN A SMALL FAMILY 



159 



MENU No. 4 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 
Cornflakes. . 
Fried Bacon 
Fried Eggs . . 
Muflins. . . . 
Coffee 



Dinner: 

Lamb Chops 

Creamed Potatoes 

Green Peas 

Apple Pie 

Coffee 



Supper: 

Baked Beans 

Toast 

Sauce 

Tea 

Cake 



Total 



Amount. 



ilb. 
5 eggs 



} 



1 qt. 



10 
2 lbs. 
2 cups 
2 pies 

Iqt. 



2 cans 
10 slices 

1 qt. 



Min8. 


Watt-Hr. 


11 


188 


44 

18i 


620 
140 


11 
12 
11 
60 
18 


276 
167 
71 
768 
142 


30 
14J 


93 
155 


12i 

• • • 


212 

• • • • 


• • • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



948 



1424 



460 
2832 



2832 watt-hrs. equal nearly 3 units, costing 3d. or 6 cents. 
MENU No. 5 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 
Oatmeal. . 
Hash.... 

Toast 

Coffee . . . 



Dinner: 

Tomato Soup 

Fried Ham and Eggs. 



Mashed Potatoes 

Turnips 

Coffee Jelly 

Coffee 



Supper: 
Creamed Beef . 
Fried Potatoes 

Toast 

Tea 

Layer Cake . . . 



Total 



Amount. 



ipt. 

2 lbs. 
8 slices 

3 pts. 



1 qt. 
Ijft). 

7 eggs 

2 lbs. 
2 lbs. 






1 qt. 



Hb. 



8 slices 
1 qt. 



Mins. 


Watt-Hr. 


41 
15 

lU 

23 


189 
210 
121 
193 


35 


38 


25 


363 


80 
75 


241 
272 


19 


157 


14 
13 
13 
11 
36 


157 
225 
140 
195 
585 


• • • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



713 



1071 



1302 
3086 



3086 watt-hrs. equal just over 3 units, costing 3d. or 6 cents. 



160 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



MENU No. 6 FOR AVERAGE FAMILY 



Breakfast: 
Cornflakes. . 
Fried Smelts. 

Toast 

Coffee 



Dinner: 

Boiled Halibut... 
Egg Sauce ....;. 
Steamied Potatoes 
Stewed Tomatoes . 

Pie 

Coffee.. .* 



Supper: 

Scrambled Ham arid Eggs 



Cranberry Sauce 

Biscuits 

Tea 

Layer Cake .... 



Total 



Amount. 



12 ozs. 

8 slices 

1 qt. 



3i lbs. 



2 lbs. 
1 qt. 

1 qt. 



i lb. ham \ 
5 eggs / 
1 qt. 
1 pan 
1 qt. 



Minn. 


Watt-Hr. 


19 


353 


13 


136 


18 


149 


53 


726 


12 


178 


77 


193 


67 


147 


18 


149 


8 


136 


24 


297 


35 


600 


10 

• • > 


159 

• • • • 


• • • 


• • • • 



Total 
Watt-Hr. 



618 



1393 



1192 
3203 



3203 watt-hrs. equal a little over 3 imits, costing 3d. or 6 cents. 

The consumption and the maximum load from both classes 
of menus per day were as follows: 



1st day 
2nd " , 
3rd " . 
4th " , 
5th " . 
6th " . 



Avg. Kw.H. per day 



Heavy Demand Menu. 



Kw.-Hr. 



5.145 

5.296 
5.302 
6.302 
5.156 
5.370 

5.540 



Max. Load. 



2.000 
2.200 
2.400 
2.200 
2.100 
2.000 



Average Demand Menu. 



Kw.-Hr. 



3.214 
4.481 
2.873 
2.832 
3.086 
3.203 

3.281 



Max. Load. 



2.500 
2.200 
2.850 
2.450 
2.050 
2.050 



The energy consmnption will, therefore, probably be between 
5.540 Kw.H. and 3.281 Kw.H. 

Kw.-Hr. 

Minimum 3.3 

Average 4.5 

Maximum 6.6 



162 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Examples of Large Cooking Plant for Hotels, etc. For large 
residences, hotels and restaurants many types of electric cookers, 
grills, steamers and hot cupboards have been evolved, chiefly 
by English speaking makers. The cost of current in Great 
Britain is, generally, much lower for cooking and heating than 
that in America, with the result that hotel proprietors are finding 
it a paying proposition to replace gas and coal-heated apparatus 
by electric cookers, purely on the basis of runnmg costs. I am 
able to show one or two typical designs of such apparatus which 
are in constant operation at restaurants, hotels and mansions in 
England, as well as to illustrate one or two installations which have 
been running in some cases for several years under the all-electric 
regime. I am also giving some of the best American practice — 
the Stanley Hotel and other large plants being extremely suc- 
cessful. In the early part of last year (1913), the Duke of 
Westmmster gave a banquet to political friends, and his chef 
reported that the kitchen equipment at Grosvenor House 
was inadequate to deal with the exceptional requirements. 
Enquiries were set on foot, and it was made evident that nothing 
but electrical cooking apparatus could be installed in time. 
Messrs. Purcell & Nobbs of London were entrusted with the work 
and although they had only 2 days' notice, sufficient cookers, 
grills and other appliances were supplied and connected up to 
carry out the work. Everything worked so smoothly that the 
Duke, I believe, has since arranged for the entire electrification 
of his kitchen. This is only one of many recent instances which 
might be cited to show how rapidly electric cooking is super- 
seding older methods in the houses of the aristocracy and in 
hotels and restaurants. Even in restaurants where the cooking 
is carried out at present mainly by gas or coal, electric grills, 
hot cupboards' Bain Maries and carving tables have been installed, 
and these are the forerunners of an entire change over to electrical 
operation. 

'^ Falkirk " Electric Grill. Although it has for some time sup- 
plied the castings for electric cookers to manufacturers of the 
apparatus, the Falkirk Iron Company, well known for Heating 
and Cooking Apparatus, has not, until recently, made up 
electric cookers of its own, but, recognising that the future lies 



ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS 163 

with electricity, it has lately 
laid itself out to develop this 
department, and has designed 
a rai^ of electrically heated 
appliances for domestic and 
hotel use of which I am only 
able to show one example. 

This is a self-contained 
electric grill, built up on high 
legs in cast iron with mould- 
ed and polished edges. It 
has exposed wire elements 
wound over strips of mica 
-supported in a frame at the 
top, and protected from acci- 
dental contact or injury by a 
perforated grid. It is loaded 
to 41cw., and costs, therefore, 
4d. or 8 cents to run per hour. 
It is capable of cooking a 
dozen chops or steaks at one 
time, or a similar number of 
portions of fish, and is in- 
tended for mansions or hotel 
work. The elements are di- 
vided into two halves, each 
controlled by a push-and-puU 
switch mounted below the 
" Falkirk" Restaurant Grill. grill in front. An ingenious 

iever arrangement at the side 
raises the grid on which the food is placed so that its relation to 
the heating element may be varied at will. A double grill on 
simikr lines and batteries of grills are made for restaurant work. 
Large " Electroyl " Toaster and Grill. My next illustration 
shows a large " Electroyl " grill toaster and hot cupboard for 
hotels and large houses. Its capacity is sufficient for 24 pieces 
of toast per hour, and for 12 chops or steaks. . The heating 
elements are of exposed wire type, protected from mechanical 
H 2 



164 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

injury, and rated at 11 kw. with everything at full heat. Its 
running cost is thus lid. or 22 cents per hour, with the grill, 
toaster and hot closets in operation. It is built up of east iron 



" Electroyl" Toaster, Grill, and Hot-cupboitn) for Reataurants. 

with polished steel, and has 4 self-contained compartments, the 
topmost being used for plate and dish warming, the second for 
toastii^, the third for grilling and the lowest for keeping food 
warm. Heat regulation is effected by a group of push-and-pull 



ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS 166 

switches mounted be- 
tween the third and 
bottom compartments. 

Vegetable Steamer. 
The electric steamer 
here shown is suitable 
for restaurant and man- 
sion use, and is capable 
of steaming 80 lbs. of 
vegetables at one time, 
5 galvanised steel trays 
being used to hold the 
articles being steamed. 
There is a boiler at the 
bottom, supplied by an 
automatic feed from a 
cistern at the side. The 
heating unit in the boiler 
is the Electroyl immer- 
sion type, rated at 5 kw. 
or 5000 watfs, and costs 
5d, or 10 cents per hour 
at full heat. Heat con- 
trol is effected by a pair 
" Electroyl" Vegetable Steamer. of switches mounted on 

the front. A draw-off 
cock is provided, and water connections for a constant supply 
from the main. The device is built up of cast iron, supported 
on a stand with legs and a shelf for holding vegetables before 
steaming. 

Fish and Potato Fiyer. Large fish and potato fryers are 
now in use in a number of restaurants. The apparatus is shown 
in the accompanying illustration, and is a handsome device, 
with closed-in base, faced with white tiles. Its heating elements 
are of the exposed-wire type, duly protected, and rated in all 
at 6 kw. or 6000 watts, involving at full heat a running cost of 
6d. or 12 cents per hour. Heat regulation is effected by a pair 
of rotary indicating switches mounted above the grilling com- 



166 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

partment in front. A flue is provided on top, not, of course, that 
electricity-operated devices require any ventilation, for they 
create no smell, and, since there is no flame or combustion, do 
not vitiate the ^r, but in order to cany away the vapour when 
fryii^ fish and potatoes, this vapour formii^ whatever system 
of cookii^ is employed. 



" Electroyl " Fish and Potato Fryer for Refitaurant Use. 



ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS FOR HOTELS 167 



Benham & Sons Bread-baking Oven. 

"Benham & Sons " Electric Bread-baking Oven. This type 
of oven was supplied to H.M. the King for the new Royal Yacht 
" Victoria and Albert." Its overall sizes are 51 ins. wideX27 
ins. deepX6 ft. 8 ins. high. 

V The upper oven is used for Vienna bread and is specially 
constructed with arched top, sloping bottom, balanced shutter 
door, and a slight drip of water (easily controllable) for formation 
of steam when required. The lower oven is for ordinary bread. 
Both ovens are provided with special elements which give six 
variations of heat, and thermometers are fitted as shown. 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Benham & Sons Bread and Pastry Otqi. 

** Benham ft Sons " Electric Bread- and Pastry-baking Oven. 
The second type of oven shown was supplied to H.M.S. 
" Renown." Its overall dimensions are 4 ft. wideX25 ins. 
deepX3 ft. 4 ins. high. 

Electric Baker's Oven and All Electric Bakery. One of the 
most useful applications of electricity is for heating bakers' 
ovens. Runnii^ costs are reduced, time and labour are saved, 
and what is of equal if not greater importance, a very material 
saving in floor space is effected. A well-known confectioner 
in London who needed greater capacity in his kitchen, found 
that it could not be secured without rebuilding, on account of 
the prohibitive cost of acquiring adjoining premises. .The dif- 
ficulty was solved, however, by installing electric pastry and bread 
ovens, the output being increased sixfold with the existing kitchen 
accommodation, thus avoiding any structural alterations, the 



ELECTRIC COOKINa APPARATUS FOR HOTELS 169 

present coke-heated ovens being replaced by electric apparatus 
similar to the model here illustrated. 

An American all-electric bakery with similar ovens ia worked 
OS follows: 



Electric Oven for Bakeriea. 

The flour is unsacked into a bin in the cellar and elevated 
by an electric flour lifter and conveyor into the lai^e hopper 
above the dough mixer, the hopper being suspended from a lever 
connected with a scale beam so that it can be weighed at any 
time. After the dough is mixed, it passes into rising tubs, and 
from the rising tubs into the dividing machine. With each 
revolution of the wheel of this machine, four loaves of any desired 
weight aje pimched out and dropped upon a dehvery belt. An 
ingenious arrai^ement of small hoppers sifts flour into the dough 
at the proper intervals to avoid any tendency of the dough to 
stick. A minute after a loaf drops upon the belt it is delivered 
to the moulding machine, which kneads the loaves exactly as 
the old-fashioned baker did, turning them twice from end to 
end, then twice from the side, and finally rolhuK them around 



170 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

the wheel at the bottom. The loaves then roll into a pan and are 
carried to the oven, all of these operations being performed by elec- 
tric motive power, the electric current supplying the bakii^; heat. 

This particular oven works from twelve midnight until five the 
following afternoon, because it is used for pastry in the daytime. 

Ite capacity is 500 lbs. of bread per hour; its effective baking 
area is 42.5 square feet, and it takes 22 kw. when full on, costing, 
therefore, only 1/10 or 44 cents per hour to run. The floor 
space occupied is 18 square ft,, as compared with the coke oven 
of a similar capacity, which occupied 60 square ft 



Benha.m & Sons Hot Closet and ServinR Table. 

" Benham & Sons " Electtic Hot Closet and Serving Table. 
This has two compartments, each 2 ft. 10 ins. wideXl ft. 10 ins. 
deepX12 ins. high inside. There is a bright top with sliding 
doors in front. 

A very efficient hot cupboard and carvii^ table made by the 
Brompton and Kensington Accessories Co., Ltd., London. 
Its total loading is 2000 watts, with 3-heat control. 



Femuiti Stock Pot or Stew Pan, 



Hotel Cooker by Simplex Co. of America. 



I'll I 



as!*:! 






ill 
Hi 

ill 
So J 

if! 







EXAMPLES OF LARGE ELECTRIC KITCHENS 

That the Electric method of Cooking and Heating are the 
most useful and efficient for houses and flats, where a supply of 
electricity can be obtained at Id. per unit or less, has been fully 
demonstrated, and there are many instances where an all- 
electric Installation has been in practical use for a consider- 
able time; that it is commercially efficient for large houses, 
mansions, hotels, restaurants is also fully demonstrated by the 
following few examples, particulars and illustrations of which I 
am able to give. These will also serve to show how rapidly elec- 
tric cooking is being taken up in large establishments, English and 
American hotels and restaurants, etc. It would take too large a 
volume to describe adequately many of the large installations. 
The equipment and cost of working vary according to the class 
of establishment. In hotels and restaurants it has been easy 
to keep a record of costs. The consmnptlon of electricity varies 
from .25 to 1 unit per person served per day and the average is 
about .35 unit. One kitchen serving 600 persons a day consumes 
240 units or .4 unit per person per day; another quite a different 
class serving 350 fixed lunches per day consumes 140 units per 
day or also .4 unit per person served per day. 

The B. & K. Restaurant. Everyone in London interested 
in Electric Cookery should pay a visit to The B. & K. Restaurant, 
Earl's Court Road, Kensington, a few yards from Earl's Court 
Station. It is indeed a revelation of cleanliness, simplicity and 
perfection. The whole surroundings are exceedingly artistic 
to begin with. Little separate tables are so cleverly arranged 
that one has only to say '' Open Sesame,'' or in other words 
touch a switch, and your bread becomes toasted, your water 
boiled to make your own tea or coffee. Then a most delightful 
electrically cooked luncheon is served, and the great charm of it 
all is that visitors can go over the whole of the kitchen before 
luncheon, and still retain a perfect appetite for same, in fact, 

173 



174 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

one's appetite has increased after having come in contact with the 
exquisitely clean and sanitary culinary procedure. 

I had the pleasure of lunching there with friends before its 
public opening. AH were simply fascinated by the whole thing, 
and felt one could really eat in the kitchen itself, it was all so 
clean, so dtuuty, so free from any cooking smells. 



Main Dining-room of the B. & K. Electric 

Bestsurant. 

Since then I am continually taking friends there and they 
are perfectly astounded at the results of " Cookmg by Electric- 
ity." Even those who were utterly against my opinions have 
been converted to my way of thinkii^ as a result of practical 
experience and increased familiarity with electrically-cooked 
meals. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it only 
needs a visit to Earl's Court Road to convince the most sceptical 
that electric cookii^ is the ideal method, and that it is neither 
costly nor unreliable. 



LARGE ELEOTEIC KITCHENS 175 

My readers will judge of themselves by the accompanying 
illustrations as to the appearance of the restaurant and its electrical 
equipment, but a far more convincing test is to visit the place 
oneself and enjoy an electrically-cooked luncheon or dinner. 

The following details will interest those who want to know 
the class of electric cooking apparatus needed for large restau- 
rant use. 



Part of the B. & K. Hestourant Kitchen. 

The main kitchen is fitted with a large cooking suite 28 ft. 
in length by 8 ft, high, which is, I believe, the largest electric 
cooker yet built. Its maximum loading is 70 kw., and there are 
independent self-contained vessels such as turbot kettles, stock pot, 
ham boilers, etc., having an additional capacity of 20 kw. with 
connections on the hot plate. The heat control is effected by 58 
pull and push switches mounted in the framework below the hot 
plate at a convenient height. There are nine ovens of various 
sizes in the lower portion, loaded to suit the work for which they 



176 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

are intended. At the extreme right there axe two steamers for 
vegetables, fish, puddings, etc., two large ovens adjoining being 
used for baking the bread and rolls required in the restaurant. 
A large fish fryer and a grill and toaster are fitted at the left-hand 
end. On the main plate are twelve boiling rings of various sizes 
and loadings, these being mounted flush with the hot-plate sur- 
face, so that a large number of flat-bottomed utensils can be 
heated simultaneously, simmering, slow or rapid boiling being 
effected according to the position occupied by the vessel on the 
plate. Along the top of the range is a row of indicating pilot 
lamps connected to the various circuits controlled by the switches 
below, each lamp being covered by a glass with the circuit and 
degree of heat clearly marked upon it. Hot cupboards for silver, 
with sliding doors, are placed below the indicating lamps. Apart 
from the large cooking suite, the kitchen equipment comprises 
a bain-marie, fish-kettle, stock-pot, egg-boilers, electrically- 
driven meat-choppers and coffee-grinder, and an electrically- 
heated and driven coffee-roaster. Hot water for the kitchen 
and adjoining scullery is furnished by a 100-gallon '^ Cooper " 
water-heater.' 

The grill in the main restaurant is double, and comprises also 
a carving table with hot cupboards below. Throughout the 
restaurant hot plates are fitted, so that dishes may be served 
steaming hot and not luke-warm, as is so often the case in restau- 
rant practice. Hot plates are fitted even in the food lifts, so 
that no cooling effect takes place during the passage from one 
floor to another. The lifts themselves are electrically driven. 
At the back of the main dining-room is the servery, with a range 
of electrically heated urns for supplying tea, coffee, etc. In the, 
basement is a mess-room, where the restaurant staff have their 
meals cooked and served. Electricity is, of course, used here 
also, and the outfit is shown in operation to interested visitors. 

On the first floor is a model kitchen, fitted with a domestic 
pattern electric cooking range and accessories. Thus, visitors 
who desire a small domestic equipment can see what appearance 
their kitchen would have when an electric cooker was installed, 
and can be given a close estimate of the initial and running costs 
from actual experience. Those whose kitchens would need a 



LARGE ELECTRIC KITCHENS 177 

• 

more comprehensive outfit would be taken to the staff kitchen, 
which is correspondingly larger, while the equipment in the main 
kitchen appeals to those interested in restaurant and hotel practice, 
although a section of the main cooking suite would form a suitable 
unit for a large private residence or small boarding house. 

For storing meat there is a large cold chamber cooled by an 
electrically driven refrigerating plant, which also furnishes the 
ice needed in the restaurant. A perfect system of ventilation 
has been installed, the arrangements comprising ducts by which 
air is drawn from the outside, cooled in summer and warmed in 
winter, and delivered to the restaurant through gratings, being 
afterwards exhausted by means of motor-driven fans m the roof. 
An even temperature is thus secured throughout the building, 
free from draught. 

The total loading of the equipment is approximately 140 kw. 
In practice, however, the maximum usually attained is only 
one-third of the total capacity of the apparatus. The actual 
consumption of electricity for all purposes approximates to a 
little over one unit per person served. 

All the departments are connected by telephones, and every 
table has a press button, which instead of ringing a bell, lights 
up a signal lamp in the servery, this remaining alight until the 
call had been answered. Electric clocks are provided at con- 
venient points, while dust and dirt are removed by electric 
vacuum cleaners. Careful thought has been given to the lighting 
problem, and several methods are in use, direct, semi-indirect 
and concealed. While dinner is being served, the lighting of 
the main room is effected entirely by candle standards on the 
table, daintily shaded, giving a soft and warm appearance. 

Seating capacity is provided for about 100 diners at one time. 
No overcrowding is permitted, and the guests may be sure of 
enjoying well-cooked meals in comfort, with quick service. The 
main restaurant is panelled in dark oak, with arched ceiling 
decorated with frescoes. It has 8 tables, and behind, under the 
balcony, is a large grill used for cooking operations that can be 
watched by visitors. The balcony is reached by a staircase at 
the side, and here space is found for about 7 tables. This apart- 
ment overlooks the main restaurant, and a very charming spot 

N 



178 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

it is for lunch and a quiet chat. A glass door opening from the 
balcony gives access to the principal kitchen, which is open at all 
times for inspection by visitors. On the ground floor is a cosy 
tea room, which has become exceedii^y popular for social tea 
parties m the afternoon. 



Part of Debeohaui & Freebody's Kitchen. 

Kitchen of Messrs. Debenbam and Freebody. This instal- 
lation is particularly interesting, since it was one of the first 
put down for carrying out the cooking for the employees of a 
large drapery warehouse in London, meals being supplied daily 
for about 500 persons. The decision to adopt electricity was 
not due to sentiment in any way, but purely to considerations of 
economy in use, to convenience, cleanliness, and to the small 
amount of floor space needed to accommodate the equipment. 



LARGE ELECTRIC KITCHENS 179 

Meals for the 500 employees are prepared every day, the catering 
being in the hands of a firm which specialises in feeding the 
staffs of lai^e establishments, and has found by prolonged experi- 
ence that electricity offers the cheapest and most reliable means 
of carrying out the work. Starting with a decided prejudice 
against electrical operation, the manager has become an enthusi- 
astic convert to it, as a result of his own experience under com- 
mercial conditions, and no kitchen which his firm is asked to 
equip will in future contain anything but electrically-heated 
apparatus. 



Some of the Electric Cooking Apparatus at Torquay Pavilion. 

Electric Restaurant at the Torquay Pavilion. In connection 
with the Torquay Pavilion is an alt-electric restaurant, which 
was opened on August 19th, 1912. It is the property of the 
Corporation and intended to provide the residents as well as the 
numerous winter and summer visitors with an up-to-date resort 
where they may enjoy high-class orchestral and vocal concerts, 
and at the same time be able to partake of lunches, teas, dinners, 
and suppers under the same roof. 

The premises throughout are electrically lighted, and certain 
portions are electrically heated. The whole of the cooking and 
some of the water boiling is also electrical. 



180 ELECTRIC COOKING AKD HEATING 

The restaurant is provided with a kitchen and servery for 
ground'floor requirements, and a second aervery for light refresh- 
ments on the roof, which commands a fine view of Torbay, 

The kitchen outfit includes 2 steel ranges, loaded to 6 kw. 



Torquay Pavilion. Carving Table and Hot Cupboard. 



Toiquay Pavilion. Grill and Urns for CoSee and Tea. 



LARGE ELECTBIC KITCHENS 181 

each, a steel meat and fish grill taking 5 kw.; 9 hot plates with 
loadings varying between 800 and 2500 watts; one hot cupboard 
and water-bath carving table; a fish-fryer taking 6 kw.; an elec- 
trically-heated steamer for potatoes and fish; five 24-pint and 
two 6-pint stewpans; a 10-gallon stock pot; lai^e fish kettle; 
small fish fryer; bain marie on hot plate; and an electric knife 
cleaner. In the ground floor servery is a 6-kw. toaster; a 2-gallon 



Toniuay Pavilion. Electric Cooker, Grill and Toaster. 

milk um; two 3-gaUon percolators; two 2-gaHon water and coffee 
urns; an egg boiler and poacher. The upper servery has an 
identical equipment. With everything full on, the total loading 
is about 150 kw., or 150 units per hour, the' usual working load 
being about one-third of the maximum. Most of the apparatus 
was supplied by Messrs. Pureell & Nobbs, of London. The 
upper and lower serveries are connected by an electric food lift, 
electrically heated to keep the meals hot while in transit. During 



ELECTKIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Kitchen of Messrs. Harvey Nichols & Co., Kensington, London. 

the first 30 working days 17,000 persons were served, the con- 
sumptioQ of current working out at .276 of a unit per person 
served. 

The Polytechnic Restaurant. The electric restaurant in 
connection with the Regent Street (London) Polytechnic can 
fairly claim to be the first all-electric pennanent restaurant in 
England, and has now been running with unqualified success 
since the summer of 1911. It provides meals for the students 
and members of the Institute and their friends, the equipment 
including 3 ovens and 2 hot cupboards in one range, with a long 
hot cupboard nmnmg the entire length of the range. The ovens 
are 25" high, 22" wide and 20" deep, one hot cupboard measuring 
22}" high by 12}" wide and 20|" deep. The loading of ea«h 
oven is 7.5 kw., and this takes 7f units per hour, the elements 
being arranged in three equal circuits, with adequate heat regula- 



LARGE ELECTRIC KITCHENS 183 

tion by indicating turn switches mounted on wall panels at the 
back. There is also a rai^ of 6 hot plates, of various sizes 
and with different loadings; a grill taking 4 units per hour; 2 hot 
cupboards with small well and carving tables; a laige and a small 
fish fryer; an 8-gallon stock-pot; four 4^allon copper urns; two 
12-gallon cast-iron boiling- pans; three smaller pans; steamers, 
fish kettles, and a water bath. There is also a hot plate on one 
counter for keeping cooked food hot while being served. The 
two illustrations will give a good idea of the electrical equipment 
and the method of connection and heat regulation. When every- 
thing is in operation at full heat, the loading is 85 units. Most, 
if not all, the equipment was supplied by The Jackson Electric 
Stove Company, of London. 



The " Tricity House." 

" Tricity House," London. The first aU-electric restaurant 
available to the general public to be opened in London was 
" The Tricity House," in Oxford Street. As its name implies, 
the whole of the equipment consists of " Tricity" cookers and 
heaters, supplied by the British Electric Transformer Co., Ltd., 
of Hayes, Middlesex. 



184 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

As the accompanying photograph shows, " Tricity House '' 
presents a striking appearance alike from the outside and within, 
the style being old-world in character, with oak beams and 
panelling, plaster walls, oak tables, and straight-back chairs, 
the lighting arrangements harmonising with the decorations 
and consisting for the most part of Dutch design candle brackets, 
pendants and table standards. The *' Tricity " ideal of bright 
polished surfaces is realised throughout, the cooking equipment, 
canopies surmounting the ranges, and every utensil employed 
being as bright and clean as in a showroom, although in active 
service all day long. 

Since the first hour it opened its success from a commercial 
point of view was assured, and nearly 20,000 customers were 
served during the first three months — the average number of meals 
provided daily being about 420. Prices are by no means iiigh, 
and customers can be sure of well-cooked wholesome food served 
in a dainty manner, the absence of gas fumes or oppressive 
atmosphere being welcome features. 

There is accommodation for a large number of customel^ on 
the ground floor and in the West Room, a further number finding 
pleasant quarters in the East Room on the first floor. The kitchen 
— a miniature apartment measuring only 12 feet by 15 feet — 
is situated at the top of the building, communication with the 
other floors being secured by two electric lifts — one for food 
and the other for passengers. 

The equipment in the kitchen comprises a grill, with four 
1000-watt " Tricity " extension plates, and a similar number of 
discs above, so that grilling can be proceeded with on both sides 
at once. These top plates are adjustable as to height and can 
swing through a wide angle, thus permitting of just the degree 
of cooking desired by the customer for whom the dish is being 
prepared. A hot cupboard for plate warming is fitted with two 
800-watt extension units. Deep fat frying is carried out in a 
special vessel heated by a couple of 1250-watt extension units. 

There are fourteen extension plates in the kitchen, each rated 
at 900 watts, these being used for vegetables or with any flat- 
bottomed vessel. 

For roasting, two double ovens of polished tin, each measuring 



LARGE ELECTRIC KITCHENS 185 

19" X 28" X 16" are installed, the ovens being heated by four 
extension plates ' loaded to 900 watts. There is also a single 
oven heated by two extensions. 

Hot water for washing up is provided by a coke stove in the 
basement and by an 8-gallon Tricity urn in the kitchen. All the 
units in the kitchen are interchangeable. Each hot plate has a 
separate control panel with tumbler switch, dial fuse, socket for 
3-pin plug, and red indicating lamp, and is earthed through the 
metallic tubing. 

In the East Room on the first floor there are a double oven 
and two single cookers for heating water unfe or for toasting. 
The oven is used in the morning for cakes and pastry, and the 
plates later on in the day for keeping warm soup and other articles. 

Behind the demonstration counter on the ground floor are 
three ovens, with extension plates; three single cookers for urns, 
etc., and two extension discs for keeping soup warm; a 3-gallon 
and 2-gallon urn for coffee and tea making being used on the 
plates later on in the day for keeping warm soup and other articles, 
grilling, toasting, etc. 

The equipment in the West Room comprises two single ovens 
heated by extension plates; a single cooker with two extensionis 
for heating soup and in the afternoon for heating urns for tea 
and coffee making or for toasting. 

There are five convectors on each floor rated at 2.1 kw., 
thus taking 2.1 units per hour, and these maintain an even tem- 
perature throughout the day, three-heat control being provided. 

The food lift is operated by a l|-hp. B.T.H. motor and the 
passenger lift by a similar motor of 6 h.p. The total loading 
with everything in full operation is 120 units, the average 
working being about 40 units per hour. 

Middlesex Guildhall Electric EjLtchen. An interesting example 
of installations of electric cooking apparatus in public buildings 
in London is the electric kitchen attached to the new Middlesex 
Guildhall, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster. 

This kitchen is at the top of the building, and is equipped 
exclusively with '* Tricity " Apparatus, comprising a large grill 
heated by 4 extension cookers, each taking 850 watts; a hot- 
closet separately heated, to take 200 plates or dishes, two boiling 



LARGE ELECTEIC KITCHENS J87 

discs over the closet; a fish and potato fryer heated by two 
850 watt discs, 4 ovens measuring 19" X 16" X 14" with top 
and bottom heats; a large CMTing table and hot cupboard with 
two detachable copper carving wells heated by two extensiwi 
cookers under a water tank. 

There are also two 6-pot bains marie, several large steamers, 
vegetable boilers, urns, ham boilers and other independent 
appliances, the total loading of the entire equipment bei:^ 29.5 
h.w. or 29i units per hour. The outstanding feature of this 
kitchen is that the whole of the heating effect is produced by 
independent extension cookers or boiling discs of " Tricity ' 
pattern. Each cooker is controlled from a separate switch and 
fuse panel, with an indicating pilot lamp that glows bright at 
" full " heat and duU at " low " heat, thus enabling the cook 
to see at a glance, not only what cookers are in operation, but 
at what heat they are running. As every cooker is independent, 
rfinewab can be cheaply and quickly effected, while extensions 
to the outfit can be made at any time by multiplication of the 
units with which it is built up. At present the capacity of the 
equipment is sufficient for 50 to 100 persons, meals being pre- 
pared for the Judges and for the office staff. 



AN " ALL ELECTRIC HOTEL » 

A Large Hotel Electric EjLtchen. One of the largest installa- 
tions of electric cooking apparatus in the United States has been 
supplied to the Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado by the 
General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. Cooking is there 
carried out daily by electrical means for upwards of 300 persons. 
The General Electric Co. has specialised in hotel equipments, 
and has perfected a complete hne of apparatus for restaurant 
and hotel service, all the heating elements employed being formed 
of Calorite metal, which is used exclusively by the Company, 
and can be run indefinitely at high temperatures without risk 
of oxidation or chemical change. 

The apparatus installed at the Stanley Hotel comprises 
sectional ranges, radiant grills, bakers' ovens, large plate warmers, 
hot cupboards, toasters, . stock pots, hot tables with carving 
wells, bain maries, hot plates, cereal cookers, and many acces- 
sories. Each sectional range consists of two roasting ovens, 
two radiant type grills or broilers, and a top cooking surface 
measuring 24"X36", divided into 8 sections 9"X12", each being 
controlled independently by switches mounted on a fuse and 
switch panel at the back. The ovens measure 28" deep by 18" 
wide and 16" high internally. The entire range is built up and 
heavy sheet iron rivetted to an angle-iron frame, the ovens 
having double walls, with the internal space filled with heat- 
insulating material to reduce loss of heat by radiation. 

For restaurant and hotel service, the electric grill offers many 
advantages over the charcoal, coal or gas forms. In view of 
overpowering heat and fumes from such forms of grill, it has been 
the practice to give a higher rate of pay to the chef whose duty 
was to operate them, but with electric grills, this is not necessary, 
since there is little external heat and no fumes or smoke produced. 
The grills for restaurant use made by the General Electric Co. 
are constructed in sections, so that one or two can be used with- 

188 



AN "ALL ELECTRIC HOTEL" 189 

out heating up the whole apparatus. This efifecta economy 
in working costs, and permits of small orders being filled at a 
profit. 

The baking and roasting ovens are so arranged that the top 
and bottom heating units are controlled independently; thus 
permitting of close temperature regulation. Each unit is designed 
for 3-heat control by switches mounted on a wall panel, the high 
heat being used to bring the oven up to a cooking temperature 
very rapidly, and the lower heats to carry on the cooking process 



Steam Boiler and Circulation Water Heater in Laundry of Stanley Hotel, 
Estee Paric (Colo.) Where Electricity ia the Only Source of Heat. 

itself. A roasting oven, measuring 16"X22"X24", will cook a 
35-Ib. joint of beef in about 4 hours, and cook it to perfection, 
without waste from shrinkage, the whole of the meat being done 
to a turn. The baking ovens for bread are made with one or two 
compartments so that a larger or smaller quantity of bread or 
pastry can be baked economically. The larger oven installed 
at the Stanley Hotel has a capacity of 100 one-pound loaves 
of bread at a sii^e baking, the time needed for the operation 
being 40 minutes. Each compartment of the oven measures 
18" highX45" wide and 32" deep. 



190 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Large toasters with incandescv^nt heating unite are also in 
use. These toast both sides of the bread simultaneously, six 
pieces of toast being prepared at one time, the toasting taking 
one minute when the device is hot. 

The stock and vegetable cookers are of sheet copper with 
the heating elements mounted in the base, and arranged for 3- 
heat control. Several sizes are in service, the capacities ranging 
from 5 to 20 gallons. Automatic egg boilers are useful in hotels 
with a brisk restaurant trade and the General Electric Co. has 
supplied many for the purpose, while tea and coffee urns, electri- 
cally heated, are a great advance upon those heated by gas rings. 
The cereal cookers installed have a capacity of 2 gallons and 
are built up of sheet copper witli tinned internal surface. The 
cereal retainer is vitrified stoneware, and the heating elements 
are mounted below the water vessel, which is provided with a 
draw-off cock. Electrically heated serving tables replace those 
formerly heated by coal or gas, and are fitted with 'bain-marie 
pans and carving wells with hinged covers to keep the joints hot. 

Among the accessories installed should be mentioned cake 
griddles, food-warmers, frying kettles, hot plates, coffee percola- 
tors, irons for use in the hotel laundry and many other electrically 
operated devices which save both time and trouble and make the 
lot of the kitchen staff much easier and more pleasant than is 
possible in a gas-heated atmosphere. The whole of the laundry 
work including the steam and hot-water heating is done by 
electricity. 

The Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, England. One of the most 
famous hotels in England is the Old Ship at Brighton, which 
was established in the time of the Georges, and was one of the best 
known coaching houses on the South Coast. It has always been 
celebrated for its excellent cooking, and many are the famous 
men who have stayed beneath its hospitable roof. Although 
old in years, the Old Ship has moved with the times, and when 
the coaching days were superseded by the age of the automobile, 
a large garage was added to the establishment, and this has 
lately, been extended to cope with the ever-growing demand 
for accommodation. Special facilities have been lately provided 
for electric vehicles, and a complete charging plant for their 



THE OLD SHIP HOTEL, BRIGHTON 191 

batteries added to the equipment. This will be specially appre- 
ciated by owners of electromobiles who run down to Brighton 
from London, a favorite trip of 50 miles, over the best-known 
road in the South of England. In another respect the Old 
Ship acknowledges the trend of progress, for it has quite recently 
abandoned its old gas and coal-heated kitchen, and has built 
an entirely new kitchen, equipped exclusively with electric cook- 
ing apparatus, which is doing the whole of the work of the hotel 
including Banquets. It is a frequent thing for 250 hmcheons 
or dinners to be served during the day, and these are now pre- 
pared entirely by electricity, to the advantage of the guests and 
of the hotel staff, the latter working under hygienic conditions, 
impossible under the former regime. 

The equipment was installed by the Jackson Electric Stove 
Co., Ltd., of London, and comprises a range of four ovens, each 
measuring 24"X20|"X20i" inside, with hot cupboards above, 
heated by separate elements. Each oven is loaded to 5 kw. 
at full heat and the hot cupboards to 2 kw. the total load of 
the suite being therefore 24 kw. involving a consumption at 
full heat of 24 units per hour. There is also a 7-kw. grill, 
measuring 36"X12", with hot cupboard above heated by separate 
elements rated at 1000 watts. A fish fryer alongside has 2 
oval pans measuring 18"X12" rated at 2^ kw. at full heat. 
Among the other apparatus is a large hot plate fitted with four 
12" boiling discs, each taking 2.5 kw. at full heat. There are 
also a couple of large vegetable steamers loaded to 5 kw. apiece, 
and several self-contained utensils, the loading at full heat of 
the entire kitchen outfit being about 60 kw. or 60 units per 
hour. In practice, so high a^load is never actually taken, the 
average maximum being about half this figure. 

Heat control for the apparatus is effected at switch, panels 
on the wall, fitted with rotary Hart switches, double pole fuses 
and pilot lamps for each circuit. 

When gas and coal were used for cooking, the annual fuel 
bills were, I believe, somewhere about £150 and £350 respectively, 
but with electrical operation the current bill is unlikely to exceed 
£200, judging by the results of the first few months' consumption. 
Current is supplied from the Brighton Corporation dkect current 



f 
* 



EMPIRE HOSPITAL, WESTMINSTER 193 

mains at 230 volte. My illustration shows the icitchen with 
its beautifully clean equipment and white glazed walls, the large 
oven suite being on the left, and the fish fryer and grill at the back, 
the control panel being on the left of the fish fryer. 

Electric Cooking at the Empire Hospital, Westminster. Lon- 
don has always been famed for its excellent hospital sj'stem, 
and rightly so, for no City in the world has such magnificent 
institutions for the gratuitous relief of suffering; all the public 
hospitals being supported entirely by voluntary contributions. 



Carving Table, Hot Cupboard and Lai^ Steamers in Electric Kitchen of 
Empire Eoapital, London. 

Their equipment is always maintained at a high level, and every 
advance in science is taken advantage of to increase efficiency. 
It is only natural that electricity should play a prominent part in 
the working of a modem hospital, and the surgeon would be 
hard put to it if he were to be deprived of its assistance, to say 
nothing of th» increased suffering on the part of patients. 

London's latest hospital which was opened in December, 
1913, is the Empire, situated in Rochester Row, Westminster, 
and its electrical equipment is particularly interesting and com- 
plete. In the operating theatre, laboratories and surgeries. 



194 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATINO 

electrically-heated sterilisers and electro-therapeutic appliances 
are widely used. They have light and beat bathrooms, X-ray 
room and other electrical appliances for medical treatment, 
while the kitchen arrangements are entirely electrical. Since 
the object of my book is mainly to give information on the 
cooking, and heating and domestic side of electrical science, 
I will confine my notes to a brief summary of the kitchen equip- 
ment. This has l>een installed by the Jackson Electric Stove 
Co., Ltd., of London, and comprises a double cooker, with ovens 



Double Cooker with Control Panel in Empire Hospital Electric Kitchen. 

measuring 25" X 20J" X20j", under a hot-plate containing four 10" 
and two 8" boiling discs, with agrill measuring 26"X11". Each 
oven takes 4.5 kw. at full heat, with 3-heat regulation, the larger 
boiling discs beii^; rated at 1,7 kw. and the smaller at 1.2 kw., 
the grill taking 3 kw. in two equal sections. There are two 
6-gallon polished copper boiling pans with steamers, and loaded to 
3 kw. at full heat, and having 7 heat-regulators; a large fish 
and potato fryer rated at 2.5 kw.; a 10-^allon copper stock- 
pot; a roasting oven taking 5.5kw. and measuring 23" X 17" X 17"; 
a large hot cupboard; two egg poachers to a capacity of 6 egga 



PIER RESTAURANT, CAPE TOWN 195 

apiece, and two egg boilers capable of taking a dozen eggs at one 
time. Both the last-named devices take from 1000 to 1500 
watts at full heat, provision being made for 3-heat control. 

The hot cupboard measures overall 6'X2'4"X2'9" high, 
and has a cast-iron top, containing 3 serving wells and a bain 
marie. The hot cupboard is loaded to 3 kw. and has 3-heat 
control, the carving table takes 1000 watts, and the bain marie 
2.5 kw. with two lower heats. 

The whole of the cooking for in-patients and stafif is carried 
out electrically, the equipment having a total loading at full 
heat of 49.7 kw. This figure, of course, is never reached in 
practice, since all the apparatus is never in use at full heat at 
the same time. The average working is rated at 18 kw. The 
kitchen can deal with meals for upwards of 100 persons. 

Pier Restaurant, Cape Town. Another interesting installa- 
tion is that recently supplied by the Brompton and Kensington 
Accessories Co., EarFs Court Road, London, S.W., to the Cor- 
poration of Cape Town for the restaurant on the pier. The 
apparatus comprises a double cooker with grill and hot plate, 
carving table and hot cupboard, water boiler with circulating 
pipes, grill and toaster and a number of self-contained appli- 
ances. The cooking range consists of two standard B. and K. 
model C ovens, loaded at full heat to 2 kw. each. Above the 
ovens is a boiling and grilling table measuring 5'6"X2'4", con- 
taining two 10", three 8" and three 6" boiling discs, a grill 
between the ovens and a 3-pot bain marie. All the boiling discs 
are detachable and the elements can be easily removed, should 
they fail at any time. Over the suite is a control panel with 
Dumond H turn switches for heat regulation, double pole fuses 
for every circuit and indicating pilot lamps glowing with dif- 
ferent degrees of brilliance according to the loading on the cir- 
cuits with which they are connected. The loading of the range, 
at full heat is 14 kw. The carving table measures 3'8"X2' and 
is fitted with two carving dishes loaded to 2 kw. at full heat. 
Air, heated electrically, is used for this table instead of the 
more usual water system. Hot water is provided by a 7 kw. 
Belenus boiler, which has a wide range of heat control accor- 
ding to the quantity and temperature of the water required. 

2 



196 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Among the smaller apparatus is a separate grill and toaster, 
rated at 2.5 kw.; a 3-gaUon coffee boiler; IJ-gaJlon steamer 
and two 3-gallon hot water urns. 

The equipment is arranged for operation on a two-phase 
Cape Town network, and is balanced accordingly, the total 
loading at full heat being 33 kw. 



Romano's Restaurant, London, England. 

Romano's Restaurant, London. This is one of the best 
known of the first-class restaurants on the Strand, and West 
Central District of London. It has long been noted for its 
most excellent cooking and its delightful grill service. The 
first installment of its electric equipment was completed a few 
months ago, and the working so far has exceeded expectations; 
it has not only given the most entire satisfaction to the guests, 
the management and the staff but has also proved a considerable 
saving in cost of working. The equipment in the grill room 
has replaced the gas tmd coke heated oven, grill, hot cubpoard 
and toaster and is operated in full view of the customers. It 
is similar in appearance and make to that shown in the first 



ROMANO'S RESTAURANT, LONDON 197 

illustration of the B. & K. Restaurant and although the capacity'' 
of the electric apparatus is at least 50 per cent greater than that 
of the gas and coke suite room sufficient for 2 additional tables 
seating 8 more customers has also been obtained by the change. 

The suite comprises two combined 5.5 kw. grillers and toasters; 
a row of hot closets at the top, for food and plate warming, roast- 
ing and baking ovens and ajarge hot cupboard. The com- 
bined griller and toasters are fitted with rise-and-fall gridirons 
operated by hand levers at the right and left giving adjustment 
in i" steps to the full height of the compartment. Porcelain 
drip catches are provided to lead away the fat and gravey out 
of the line of heat to a drawer pan underneath. The dripping 
thus saved is an item of considerable importance amounting 
to about 140 lbs. per month of 24 working days or a saving of 
70/- per month at least. 

The hot-closets being above the grills are heated indirectly 
by the waste heat through the ventilating ducts from the grills, 
oven and hot-table and also by an additional 1000 watt element. 

Under the right-hand grill is the roasting and baking oven 
rated at 4.5 kw. with 2 lower heats. On the left is a hot cup- 
board used for plate warming rated at 2.5 kw. 

There is also a nickel-plated bain marie with the necessary 
utensils rated at 1.5 kw. During the initial period of 55 days 
the current consumption was 1861 units which at the local rate of 
Id. per unit cost £7-5-1. This included 18 units used for testing 
purposes when the apparatus was being installed. With the 
gas and coke heated equipment previously employed the cost of 
fuel averaged 4/- per day or for the period of 55 days £11.0.0 
so that on the score of fuel costs alone there is a saving of nearly 
1/8 per day or 40/- per month which with the dripping saved 
equals 110/- or £5-10-0 in favour of electric operation apart 
from the important consideration of simplicity, reliability, 
cleanliness, absence of smell and fumes, and greater comfort 
to the customers and cooks. The restaurant supplies upwards of 
250 meals every day and has had as many as 500 customers in 
one day, so that its conversion to electric cooking is an event of 
considerable significance as an indication of the strides being 
made in commercial electric cooking in England. 



BANK OF ENGLAND 199 

Electric Cooking at the Bank of Eng^d. I am able to 
give a view of part of one of the Electric Kitchens at the Buik of 
Englajid which b considered one of the most important Electric 
Installations in the city of London. The total equipment will 
provide for the whole staff and supply upwards of 2,000 meals 
daily. All are most satisfied with the benefits derived from 
the first Electric Installation and the chef has stated that the 
cooking is far superior in every way by the electricity method 
to what it was with coal and gas. 

The view given shows double roasting oven loaded to 6 kw., 
boiling discs and self-contained apparatus of 12.5 kw. Baking 
oven of 6 kw. Toasters, grills and salamanders, electric potatoe 
steamers, pudding steamers, fish kettles, baker's plates, stock 
pots, fish fryers, etc., etc., totalling 70 kw. Messrs. Crompton 
& Co. were responsible for this and Romano's installations. 



EI,ECTRIC HEATmG OF WATER 

There are a number of Electric Water Heaters on 
the market, from the small one heating a little shaving 
water to the electric water heater which Is fitted In the 
kitchen for the supply of hot water throughout the house, 
and the bath water heater. The supply of hot water by Elec- 
tricity has been considered the most difficult part of the domestic 
problem, but electrical engineers have risen to the occasion 
and found means of giving a " Hot Water Supply " for all domestic 
purposes on lines of efficiency that will compare most favour- 
ably with any other system. In some cases, such as the all- 
electric houses. Hotels and Restaurants, where a large supply 
of hot water is required, and at the same time some suitable 
means to get rid of the house refuse, a small self-contEuned boiler 
can be advantageously employed to burn up the refuse and 
keep a constant quantity of water always heated to a temperature 
of 100 or 120° and circulating through the distributing pipes. 
From these pipes a connection can be made to the Electric Water 
Heaters, and if hot or boiling water is required, an interlocked 
tap and switch are turned ^ving an immediate supply. In 
many city houses and fiats a continuous supply of hot water is 
provided night and .day, and can be drawn for boiling purposes, 
but in small towns and other districts the hot water has to be pro- 
vided by each separate householder, and such will ask, if the coal 
range and the gas cooker be displaced by electrical apparatus, how 
then can a supply of hot water be maintained for the bath, for 
washing and for the many domestic operations for which hot 
water is needed? For small or moderate quantities of hot water, 
electricity at ^d. or Id, per unit is by no means expensive, and will 
compare most favourably with coal or gas, its cleanliness, sim- 
plicity, reliability, and freedom from danger beinc; advantages 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 201 

which cannot be secured by any other means. There are several 
systems on the market for deaUng with the domestic hot-water 
problem, and these are described in the following pages. My 
readers will be able to judge for themselves which method would 
best suit their individual requirements, which are alike in no two 
cases. In one household hot baths are required every day, 
and much hot water is expected for cleaning and washing up. 
In another establishment hot baths are the exception, and hot 
water is only required for kitchen purposes. In almost every 
case, however, the need is for an ample supply any moment the 
demand may be made, and this condition can be met with cer- 
tainty by electrical heating. In one system referred to on a 
later page, the existing hot-water pipes are made use of, and the 
electric boiler merely takes the place of the boiler in the coal 
range or the gas circulating boiler. It is possible so to fix the 
electric boiler that it may be used in conjunction with the exist- 
ing coal or gas-heated boiler, or separately. In another system 
no hot water is stored at all, but the electrical energy is employed 
slowly to " store up " heat, which in turn heats the water instan- 
taneously when it is passed through. This system does not per- 
mit of the use of the circulating pipes in the house, the heater 
being placed in the bathroom or kitchen where the hot waiter is 
usually required. 

A further system stores up in a tank, well lagged with non- 
conducting material, a small quantity of very hot water, ready 
for immediate use, a further supply being available very quickly 
by means of the heating element attached inside. There are also 
a number of systems which heat water very quickly or instantane- 
ously, but do not store any water, and only use energy when the 
current is switched on. These are very useful for houses where 
small quantities of hot water for tea-making or washing-up are 
needed at irregular intervals. 

In addition to these devices, there are many designs of elec- 
tric water heaters for dealing with large or small quantities, the 
apparatus being self-contained, and equipped with heating 
elements which raise the temperature more or less slowly. Such 
heaters are useful where a large quantity of water is required, 
but is not needed quickly. 



202 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



// 1 penny 

or 

2 cents 

buys 



For the heating of water and other liquids it is necessary 
to consider the efficiency of the system to be employed. 

' 7 lbs. of house coal, having accord- 
ing to Count Rumford 45,612 ther. units 

27.8 cubic ft. of gas (at 3/ — per 

1000) having 13,476 " " 

1 unit of Electricity having 3,412 " " 

What is the efficiency? 

Coal burned scientifically under a first-class water-tuhe boiler 
with every modern refinement may give an efficiency up to 60 
or 70%. Used, however, in a domestic kitchener to heat a 
small kettle, its efficiency is unlikely to reach 10%, or a useful 
4561 thermal units in 7 lbs. of fuel. Gas used under a kettle on 
on a gas cooker has an efficiency of less than 30%, or a useful 
4042 T. U. in 27.8 cu. ft. The low efficiency is due to 
losses by conduction through the metal of the cooker, by con- 
vection currents, i.e. by warming the surrounding air instead of 
heating the water in the kettle, and by the resistance to the 
passage of the heat due to the coating of soot on the kettle 
sides and bottom. 

Electricity used to heat a kettle with the elements totally 
immersed in the liquid may give an efficiency of 90%, and 
with partly immersed element 95%, or a useful 3,240 thermal 
units. In these cases, there are no losses beyond those due to 
conduction through the flexible wire leading to the elements 
and through the kettle body if placed on a metal surface; and to 
a small extent to radiation and convection from the polished 
sides of the clean kettle, for there is no dirt or sooty deposit where 
electricity is used. With the elements placed underneath the 
kettle, the efficiency is somewhat lower, and in practice is usually 
between 85 and 90%-, or a useful 2,986 thermal units. When a 
flat-bottomed kettle is placed over an electric boiling plate, the 
efficiency is lowered to between 60 and 70%, as additional losses 
take place through conduction and imperfect metallic contact 
between the heating surface and the water. For the purpose of 
comparison I take the usual form of self-contained electric kettle, 
which is the type most generally used. The three systems com- 
pare, therefore, as follows for an expenditure of Id. or 2 cents. 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 



203 



Fuel Used. 


Thermal Units 
paid for. 


Thermal Units 

Usefully 

Converted 


Efficiency. 


Cost of Fuel. 


Coal 


45,612 

13,476 

3,412 


4,561 
4,042 
2,986 


10% 
30% 

87i% 


27/- per ton 
3/- per 1,000 cf. 
Id. per unit 


Gas 


Electricity 



With a very sooty kettle and unfavourable atmospheric and 
other conditions, the efficiency in practice may fall to 20% or 
even to 12%, but I have taken average conditions with a kettle 
in good condition. It is impossible to compare the three systems 
when instantaneous heating of water is carried out on a small 
scale. There is no coal-heated geyser on the market for domestic 
purposes, and the gas geyser has never even claimed to be 
efficient, for it works under conditions which preclude any 
approach to reasonable efficiency. Ordinary luminous fishtail 
burners are chiefly used and these cannot compare with Bunsen or 
atmospheric burners for efficiency. An electric geyser, on the 
other hand, has an efficiency closely approximating to 100%, as 
the heating element is totally immersed; there is no flue, and the 
working time is too short to allow of any perceptible loss through 
conduction, radiation or convection. 

The 7 lbs. of coal require in practical working 2100 cubic 
feet of atmospheric air to ensure combustion, which creates a 
considerable amount of dirt and ashes. The 27.8 cubic ft. of 
gas require 63.106 cubic feet of atmospheric air to give proper 
combustion, while considerable fumes and poisonous gases are 
given off. 

Electricity consumes no air and gives off no fumes. In cal- 
culating the amount of Electrical Energy necessary to raise 
the temperature of a given quantity of water to a given degree 
at about 82% efficiency, a rough but simple rule is to multiply 
the number of gallons by the number of degrees of temperature 
through which it is desired to be raised, and to divide by 345. 

Gal. XT 
345 



Gal. being the number of gallons, T being the degrees. 



204 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Suppose as an example, it is required to raise 10 gals, of water 
from 50° Fahr. to boiling point, 212°. 

We have 212—50 = 162, number of degrees to be raised. 

10X162 1620 



345 



345 



=4.7 units, 



or nearly 500 watts per gallon or 65 watts per pint. This is on the 

liberal side, as in a small self-contained kettle 2 pints of water 

can be raised to boiling point in 12 minutes for a total consumption 

of 50 watt-hours, which is equivalent (in theory but not quite the 

same in practice) to 50 watts for 1 hour, or 250 watts for 12 

minutes. 

For exact csJculations at various efficiencies the following table may be 
useful: 



To 212" 
Fahr. 
From. 


Degrees 

to be 

Raised. 


Efficiencies. 


100%. 


90%. 


80%. 


70%. 




1 
180 

172 
162 
152 


Units required to raise / gal. of water to boiling, 212°. 


32° 
60° 


0.00244 

0.444 

0.419 

0.395 

0.371 


0.00271 

0.494 

0.466 

0.439 

0.412 


0.00305 

0.555 

0.524 

0.494 

0.464 


0.00349 

0.635 

0.600 

0.565 

0.531 




1 

180 
172 
162 
152 


Units required to raise 1 pound of water to boiling, 212°.* 


32° 
40° 
50° 
60° 


0.000293 

0.05275 

0.0504 

0.0474 

0.0445 


0.000326 

0.0586 

0.056 

0.0527 

0.0495 


0.0003665 

0.0659 

0.063 

0.0593 

0.0556 


0.000419 
0.0754 
0.0721 
.0.0678 
0.0636 



*This table may be applied to any substance by multiplying its specific 
heat by the figures given. 

Electric Water Heaters. It must be understood that there 
are numbers of patterns of water heaters for which I have no 
space, differing in appearance and amount of ornamentation, 
in size and in rapidity of heating, but my readers will be able 
to form an idea of the large range of these appliances which is 
available, adapted as they are to every conceivable purpose 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 205 

where liquids have to be heated. I have given Email heaters 
under kettles, self-contained portable heaters, etc., and have 
now only to deal with larger and fixed water heaters. 

"Belenus" Water Heater. In England, where it is desired to 
have hot water available all over the house, and to draw large 
quantitiei at any desired moment, several patterns have been 
adopted, in conjunction with the existing circulating system, 
one beii^ the " Belenus " 
Electric Boiler, supplied by 
Messrs, Eastman & Wame, 
Acton Vale, W., and installed 
in many private houses, flats 
and small hotels with great 



It is a cast-iron cylinder, 
with corrugations in the in- 
terior, to give a large heating 
surface. There are also deep 
grooves on the exterior in 
which the metallic type heat- 
ing elements are embedded. 
The water passes through the 
interior of the cylinder, and 
cannot come into contact with 
the heating elements, which 
are air jacketed. 

In the ordinary way the 
boiler is connected up to a 

hot-water tank, so that the .-Belenus" Boiler in Batiroom. 

water automatically circulates 

through the heater and is stored in the tank, from which it can 
be drawn as required at taps placed in the bath-room, kitchen 
and elsewhere. 

The heating elements in the boiler are arranged on the " hot 
point " system, with which this firm's name is so closely con- 
nected. These units consist each of a strip of material unaffectde 
by electrolytic or chemical action, about 1 in. in width, wound 
with heavy-gauge wire in close turns. The elements are embedded 



206 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



in the slots shown, these bemg lined with mica. The " Belenus '' 
boiler can be controlled by 4 or 5 switches to give any output 
of hot water required. Thus by switching in all the elements, 
an enormous quantity of hot or boiling water is produced in a 
few minutes, but this involves a heavy consumption of current, 
as much perhaps as at the rate of 9 units per hour. It would not 
be necessary to keep all the elements in use for many minutes 
at a time, but it is convenient to have the means of getting ample 
hot water for a bath or for the weekly " wash " at a few minutes' 
notice. If there is no immediate need for hot water, fewer 
switches are turned on, the water then heating up more slowly, 
the current consumption being reduced in exact proportion. 
If desired this boiler may be used to supplement the kitchen 





Section through the '^ Belenus" Boiler. 

boiler, if the coal range be still in use, and in this case it will use 
but little current to raise the water, already warmed by the coal 
fire, to boihng point. 

" Losles " Electric Water Heater. An electric water heater 
of a different t^pe from the " Belenus '' boiler is the " Losles," 
invented by Mr. G. Wilkinson, Electrical Engineer to the Har- 
rogate Corporation, and illustrated herewith. The standard 
heater consists of a cylindrical outer metal casing approximately 
15 ins. in diameter and 42 ins. high. The upper part of the case 
contains the heating chamber, made of sheet copper. This 
chamber is tinned on the water side, so that the hot water may 
safely be used for drinking or cooking, in addition to cleaning 
and bathing purposes. Provision is made for cleaning the water 
chamber when desirable. The space between the heating cham- 
ber and the outer case is filled with a highly efficient heat insulat- 
ing medium; all connecting pipes enter the chamber at the bot- 
tom, these features reducing the radiation losses to a minimum. 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 207 

The lower portion of the cylindrical case holds the electric 
connections and the heater pockets. One pocket contains 
elements connected with a separate supply circuit; under normal 
conditions this heater does all the work. The second pocket 
will hold a similar heater to take its current through an ordinary 
switch, from the heating circuits. This second heater imme- 
diately doubles the capacity of the apparatus. But only one 
heater is in general use, the addition of the second being purely 
for emergency purposes. The action of 
the heater is regulated by a thermostat, 
of extremely simple design, with no 
moving mechanical parts. Its action is 
to maintain the temperature of the water 
at any prescribed and adjustable figure, 
from boiling-point downwards. Should 
the temperature drop a few degrees below 
this point, due to the withdrawal of hot 
water or the cumulative effect of radiation, 
the thermostat puts the heater into action, 
and it remains in circuit until the pre- 
arranged temperature is again reached, 
when the thermostat cuts it out. The 
chief advantages claimed for the heater 
are: economical demand for current; high 
workii^ efficiency; and automatic action. 

It will be seen that this heater takes a 
small amount of current continuously, 

which is better for many reasons than a ,,-, , „„. , _ . 

, , , , ,■' , , " Loslea " Water Heater, 

heater which takes a heavy current for 
short periods. The consumer gets the same quantity of hot 
water at the same cost in both cases, but since with the 
" Losles " heater only small currents arc taken, the wiring 
and control switches may be smaller and consequently cheaper. 
The Supply Company prefers a heater of this class for tech- 
nical reasons. 

The apparatus is peculiarly adapted for domestic purposes; 
it is impossible for the water actually to boil, neither can it 
become " cooked," as there is no atmospheric contact; con- 



208 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

sequently, the water can be used for all culinary purposes, and for 
making of tea, coffee, and the like. Pans used on the hot 
plates of electric cookers may be filled with water from the heater, 
so saving expenditure on heating water from atmospheric tem- 
perature. The heaviest demand upon the domestic hot-water 
supply is at night for hot baths, washing up, and so forth. In 
such case the heater would be charged with comparatively cold 
water in the late evening. This would be heated during the night 
hours, ample hot water being available for the early morning. 
Abnormal demands can be met by the aid of the additional 
heater already mentioned. 

I The heater may be placed in any cdnvenient position, pref- 
erably, but not necessarily, near the point at which hot water 
is chiefly required. The heater is quite automatic in action, 
and fool-proof. Where the heater is used for public buildings, 
lavatories, schools, or institutions, the thermostat may well be 
set to maintain a temperature sufficiently high for washing and 
cleaning purposes only. The '' Losles " heater, of course, requires 
no flue or ventilator, neither is there need for provision for the 
escape of steam, since this is not generated. The " Losles " 
heater is of greater durability than gas or other fuel heaters, in 
which there is a continuous and excessive corrosion of the heating 
surfaces. The standard heater holds ten gallons of water, and 
is capable of furnishing about twenty gallons of water per twenty- 
four hours, raised from 60 degs. Fah. to 210 degs. Fah. This is 
equivalent to, say, eighty-four gallons per day raised from 60 
deg. Fah. to 98 deg. Fah. for bath purposes. For this performance 
the heater uses one-half unit per hour, costing |d. or 1 cent. 
" Cooper " Electric Water Heater. The Cooper water heater 
is an interesting example of the heat storage idea, and is the 
invention of Mr. W. R. Cooper, its manufacture being entrusted 
to Messrs. Purcell & Nobbs, 87, Cleveland Street, Fitzroy Square, 
W. Its essential feature is that only a portion of the water 
contained is heated directly by the immersion element, the 
remainder being heated indirectly by the portion first mentioned. 
Thus the water in the cylinder A (see diagram under) is heated 
directly by the immersion heater JS. The cylinder A is sur- 
rounded by an outer jacket (7, a small annular air space being 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF "WATER 209 

left between A and C. The cold water is led into the outer 
jacket at the bottom, and the inner cylinder draws it 
from the top of the outer jacket through the pipes marked F. 
The hot water is dra'wn off from the top of the inner cylinder, 
where the hottest water collects. Thus the electric energy is 
used to heat directly, say, one-third of the total water, and con- 
sequently the temperature of this portion can be raised fairly 
rapidly. As the temperature rises, heat is transmitted to an 



"Cooper" Water Heater in Bathroom. 

increasing extent across the air space, and warms up the water 
in the surrounding water jacket. Consequently when the water 
is cold, most of the heat is absorbed in the inner cylinder, and 
when it is hot the heat is mostly transmitted to the water jacket. 
By suitably proportioning the electrical input to the total contents 
of water, boiling of the water can be prevented, even though no 
water is drawn off. In ordinary workmg, when the water is 
drawn oft and the temperature falls in the inner cylinder, the heat 
is absorbed by the inner portion of water instead of being trans- 
mitted to the water jacket, and thus the temperature soon rises 
again. Even when starting from the cold, hot water is soon 



210 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

available, though the quantity that can be drawn is naturally 
not so great as when the heater has been left a considerable 
time. 

With an apparatus of this kind the current need not be passed 
through a meter. The apparatus being continuously in circuit, 
the consumption per annum would be easily determined, and a 
fixed charge per quarter could be made. If desired, an additional 
immersion heater could be fitted, current for which would pass 
through the meter, and this would be under the control of the 
consmner, to be switched on if at any time the demand for hot 
water were much beyond the ordinary requirements. This 
auxiliary immersion heater could be controlled automatically 
by a thermosta and regulator swit h. The efficiency of the 
Cooper heater is stated to exceed 80 per cent., and for an output 
of 100 gallons daily, raised through 50 deg. F. (say, from 60 deg. 
F. to 110 deg. F.J the temperature of a hot bath), the energy con- 
sumption per hour is only three-quarter unit, costing |d. It 
will be understood that as in the case of the " Belenus," " Losles," 
the " Therol " and " Ferranti," this device is intended to be in 
operation day and night continuously, so that hot water is avail- 
able at any moment. 

" Therol " Water Heater. The " Therol " system of heat 
storage, invented by Mr. Bell, the Electrical Engineer of Ham- 
mersmith, England, and manufactured by the British Thomson- 
Houston Co., Ltd., was the first practicable attempt to store up 
energy on consmners' premises at a continuous but low rate, 
which can subsequently be used for the production of hot water 
or for cooking purposes, without aflfecting the power demand. In 
the " Therol " system a resistance unit running at a compara- 
tively low temperature and rated to take a small, steady supply 
of current, is housed in the centre of a cast-iron block. In the 
water heater this block is pierced by tubes connected with a 
surrounding water jacket, which in turn is fed from the water 
supply. A thick lagging of asbestos and magnesia completely 
encloses the water jacket. Heat from the resistance unit raises 
gradually the temperature of the storage block, until it reaches a 
maximum of about 500° F., at which point, if no water has been 
withdrawn in the meantime, loss of heat by conduction through 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF "WATER 211 

the lagging, and radiation from the outside surface of the apparatus, 
balances the energy absorbed. As soon, however, as water is 
admitted from the jacket to the storage block, it is heated instan- 
taneously and vaporised. A three-way tap permits the tempera- 
ture of the water to be controlled since it allows cold water 
direct from the supply; a 
mixture of cold water with 
the steam from the stor^e 
block, or boiling water alone, 
to pass out, the temperature 
of the escaping water re- 
maining constant at any 
given position of the tap 
until enough has been drawn 
to cool down the storage 
block. A heater taking 200 
watts, J unit per hour, cost^ 
ing Id. for five hours, and 
running continuously night 
" Therol " Water Heater. and day, will deliver from 20 

to 30 gallons of water daily 
at a temperature of 110° F., or nine gallons of boiling water, or 
practically an unlimited supply of warm water. The whole daily 
output can be withdrawn at one time or as required. To get the 
highest efficiency, regular supplies ofwater should be drawn 
throughout the day, aggregating the output for which the heater 
is rated, and in this way an efficiency as great as 90 per cent, 
can be secured. In practice, however, the demand for hot water 
is neither regular as regards the amount required nor as to the 
intervals separating the withdrawals. One day there will be 
but a small supply needed, while another day will make severe 
calls upon the heater. The " Therol " is able to meet these 
irregular demands and to respond satisfactorily, but at a slightly 
lower efficiency. Thus as much as 35 gallons of hot water can 
be squeezed out after the heater has attained its maximum 
temperature, but next day a correspondingly smaller quantity is 
available, the average in ordinary circumstances workmg out at 
25 gallons daily. „ 



212 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Although totally enclosed, the beating unit lasts a great 
while when continuously in circuit, and its resistance remains 
constant month after month. Three years is perhaps the average 
life, although many heaters have been running for longer periods 
without breakdown. In the event of failure, a new element 



" Therol " Water Heater Combined with Laboratory Basin. 

can quickly be fitted at small cost without removing the 
heater. 

The "Therol" system has been applied most successfully 
to lavatory basins where a small and intermittent supply of hot 
water for washing purposes is needed. An accompanying illus- 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 



213 



tration shows one of the applications, the basin illustrated being 
self-contained, with water tank and waste. It is designed for 
use in offices and houses where no lavatory conveniences exist, 
or where it would be difficult to run water supply and waste 
pipes. The tank is filled by hand, and holds several gallons. 
Two taps are provided, one for drawing off cold water and the 
other for hot water through the storage block, which is fitted 
below the basin. Rated at 75 watts per hour, or a unit, costing 
Id., in 13 hours, the apparatus will deliver from eight to ten 
gallons of hot water during the twenty-four hours. Where 
water-pipes exist, a modified pattern of heater is available, and a 
third design is intended for use where the basin is already 
fixed. 







Diagram Showing Water Connections of " Ferranti " Water Heater. 



"Ferranti" Water Heater. This apparatus consists of a small 
cistern B (see diagram) fitted with a ball valve and fed by a 
cold water supply pipe A. This cistern discharges into the lower 
part of a tank heated electrically and contained in the cupboard 
C. The hot water-supply pipe is connected to the tank near the 
top. The cupboard is fitted with an inspection door which 
is shown open in the larger illustration of cupboard and supply 
cistern, disclosing the electrical heating attachment to the tank. 
The heater consumes 300 to 400 watts, and surrounds a vertical 
heater pipe which is connected to the lower end of the tank. 



214 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

and which discharges into the tank 
slightly above water level. The 
heater pipe and tank are thoroughly 
lagged to prevent the loss of heat, 
and the enclosing cupboard assists 
very materially in this respect. 

Starting with everything cold, 
the water stands at the same level 
in the tank and in the vertical heater 
pipe. When the current is switched 
on, the small volume of water in the 
heater pipe quickly heats up and 

expands, and being lighter than the "Perranti" Water Heater, 
cold water in the tank, its level 

rises until, at the pre-determined temperature, it overflows on to 
the top of the cold water in the tank. This permits an equiva- 
lent amount of cold water to enter the bottom of the heater pipe 
and an overflow f^ain takes place aa soon as the desired tem- 
perature is ag^n attained. Thus hot water at a definite tem- 
perature collects in the top of the tank and may be drawn off as 
desired; a small quantity is available half an hour after the 
start from " all cold." If no water is drawn for a lengthy 
period, say during the night, the tank becomes full of heated 
water at various temperatures increasing from the bottom up- 
wards, and a time arrives when, owing to the expansion of the 
water in the tank, the discharge of heated water from the heater 
pipe becomes continuous, and free circulation occurs. If no 
water is drawn off, the temperature of the water rises until the 
energy supplied equals the loss of heat from the tank and pipes, 
or until the water boils and steam escapes through a suitable 
vent fitted into the tank. 

The tank may be connected to the boiler of the kitchen 
range as indicated by the dotted line, so that an auxiliary supply 
of hot water may be obtained from a rai^e if in use. 

" Ellsee" Water Heater. This has been introduced by the 
same inventor as the "Ellkay" Patent Bath, which folds into a 
cabinet and can, therefore be fitted in one's own bedroom. The 
heater can be fitted in any place where cold water and electric 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 215 

service is available, and serves for all domestic purposes. The 
heater consists of a series of tubes surrounding several elements, 
one or more of which can be switched on at a time. The water 
circulates through the tubes and the casing surroundii^ the 
elements, so that all the heat is absorbed for useful work in the 
water. The low heat can be left on for many hours to provide 
a quantity of water heated to 180°, at which temperature it is 
shut off automatically by a thermostat. The casing is heat 
insulated; the water, therefore, remains hot for a very long time. 
The illustrations show the "Eiikay" bath covering the electric 
heater, fitted in a bedroom. The whole equipment is so simple 



Opening Ready for Use. Bath in Use. 

that it can be operated by a child. The bath is counterbalanced 
and fitted with trapped waste, hot and cold water taps, towel 
airing rails, etc. 

" Bankside " Electric Water Heater. For use in offices or in 

bathrooms where a limited quantity of hot water is required at more 
or less regular intervals, an exceedingly effective device, known 
as the " Bankside " heater, has been evolved. This apparatus, 
which is in the form of a small um for office and domestic work, 
made by the City of London Electric Lighting Co., is of a sub- 
stantial design, and of very sound mechanical construction; 
well fitted to bear the brunt of domestic lite, where it quite possibly 
may get more kicks than care, Among its other advantages 



216 . ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

it is incapable of steaming dry, and one need never fear that it 
will be daniEiged by being left on circuit over long periods. 
On the base is fixed a cylindrical reservoir mth about one gallon 
water capacity, enclosed in an outer heat-retaining metal jacket. 
This inner reservoir or 
boiler is a heavily galvan- 
ised iron casting, having a 
lateral cross pocket near the 
base. In this pocket is 
supported a " Quartzalite " 
immersion heating unit, 
which is easily replaceable, 
and works at a moderate 
temperature, which makes 
for long life. 

Immediately above this 
reservoir is a large cup- 
shaped funnel and conden- 
ser, surrounded by an or- 
namental ventilated casting 
the latter being topped by 
a removable cover. 

The reservoir, being in 
direct communication with 
the funnel cup, cannot be 
subjected to steam pres- 
sure, and is therefore im- , 
mune from any risk of 
explosion. 

The consumption of en- .. Bankside " Water Heater, 

ergy is at the rate of one- 
seventh of a unit per hour, the cost being, therefore. Id. for 
seven hours' running, the supply to the element being controlled 
by a rotary switch fixed on the side of the pedestal. 

The "Fuller" Geyser. A compact and reliable rapid water 
heater is the " Fuller " geyser, which is no larger than a pudding- 
basin. It is cylindrical in form, finished in nickel-plate, and can 
either be connected permanently to the water pipes or jointed 



ELECTRIC HEATING OF WATER 217 

up temporarily by flexible tubing. It is intended for fixing over 
a lavatory basin, but may be placed over the sink for furnish- 
ing hot water for washing-up, or boiling water for tea or coffee 
makii^. No switch is required, and it is only necessary to turn 
on the water, the latter itself completing the electrical circuit 
and acting as a resistance to the passage of the current, and thus 
becoming heated in the process. The moment the tap is turned, 
hot water, and in a few seconds boiling water, passes out of the 
geyser. The temperature can be regulated to any extent by 
adjusting the rate at which the water flows, boiling water being 
delivered in a thm stream, hot water more quickly and warm 



" Fuller " Electric Geyser. 

water as fast as it can pass out. Five sizes of geyser are made, 
to deliver hot water at rates from one pint to one gallon per 
minute. The current taken by the smallest type is one unit 
per hour, costing Id. or 2 cents, the largest model taking 4 units. 
With such a geyser there is no risk of contaminating the water, 
which touches nothing inside but porcelain and platinum, and 
there is no danger of shock or of explosion, and, of course, no 
fumes, dirt, or smell. For the bed-room the electric geyser is 
particularly useful when fitted over the wash-stand and supplied 
either from a tank or connected to the water pipes. It will give 
hot water for shaving, for washing, or for the morning cup of tea, 
while in case of illness it is invaluable for giving hot or boiling 
water at a moment's notice. It is also useful for dentists and 
doctors for supplying hot water needed in the surgery. 



218 ELECTRIC COOKINa AND HEATING • 

"Jacksoo" Rapid Water Heater. Some- 
what similar in its purpose to the"Fuller" 
geyser is the "Jackson" Rapid Water 
Heater. This useful device was designed 
originally for fixity to the sides of the 
Jackson electric cookers, so as to take 
the place of the side-boiler often met 
with in coal ranges. It is suitable, how- 
ever, for independent use, and may be 
fixed over or near the sink or lavatory 

basin. It is fitted with a ball-valve and ,, 

J , J.' J. _ • Jackson Water Heater. 

arranged for connection to any mam 

water supply, but may, of course, be filled by hand. The 
automatic feed is certainly to be preferred. It is made in black 
iron, with tinned copper interior, and fitted with brass drawnaff 
tap. Two pints of boiling water, or over a gallon of hot water 
can be drawn off in about four minutes, starting all cold, 
the current consumption being 
2000 watts, or 2 units per hour, 
costing 2d. or 4 cents. It is in- 
tended chiefly for filling sauce-pana 
or kettles ■with warm or hot water 
before they are placed on the boiling 
discs on the cooker, but may be used 
direct for tearmaking or for supply- 
ing water for washii^ or for washing- 
up. It has an immersion-type heating 
element, which gives an exceedingly 
high efficiency. Although only one 
heat is arranged for, two-heat regu- 
lation can be added at triflii^ extra 
cost, and in my opinion this is desir- 
able so that a large quantity of water 
can be kept at boiling point for any 
lei^h of time with little consumption 
of energy. The vessel holds about 2 
"JackBon" Infltantaneous S^ons. The "Jackson" Instantaneous 
Water Heater. Water Heater shown in the second 



ELECTRIC HEATING OP WATER 219 

illustration has been designed especially for dentists' use, but is 
also suitable for tlie table, taking tlie place of the old-fashioned 
urn or hot-water jug. Filled with cold water, it will deliver 
half-a-pint of hot water in 10 seconds, or boiling water in less 
than half a minute. It holds about 7 pints, and consumes 1000 
watts, costing therefore Id. per hour to run. It is most ornate 
in appearance, with bronze base 
and oxydised silver spherical con- 
tainer. 

Simidez Rapid Water Heater. 
A useful rapid water heater for 
kitchen or counter use has been 
designed by the Enghsh Simplex 
Co. This is shown in the accom- 
panying illustration. It is shaped 
like a gas-heated urn, and is of solid 
copper, with a capacity of four 
pints. Two flush switches are 
mounted in the box, and the ele- 
ments are fixed at the bottom of 
the water vessel. Current is taken 
at the rate of 900 watts at full 
heat, two lower heats being pro- 
vided for, with a consumption of 

250 and 600 watts respectively. A 

" Simplex " Water Heater. supply of hot Water is available 

directly the current is switched 
on, and boihng water within a few moments. This device is not 
intended for permanent connection to the water system, but is 
self-contained, and is filled at the top by bfting off the lid. 
It is recommended as a safe, reliable and speedy heater. 



ELECTRIC HEATING 

We now come to the important question of beating our 
rooms in order to keep ourselves at a comfortable and bealthy 
temperature. 

Heating by electricity can be carried out by three different 
systems: 

By radiation, in the same way as the sun warms the earth; 
By convection, by which is understood the direct heating of air 
by 'contact with a heated surface; and By conduction, which is 
the effect produced upon solid objects which are in contact with 
others at a higher temperature, the heat travelling along the 
metal or other material and warming it. The last system is 
only made use of to a very small effect, but a certain amount of 
conducted heat is ^ven off from any solid body which touches 
another solid body at a lower temperature, and every heating 
appliance gives out a greater or less proportion of its energy 
in the form of conducted heat. I have already 
referred to the electric radiators and to the principles 
governing their method of heating, and also to convectors, 



ELECTRIC HEATING 221 

and I now propose to illustrate and to 
describe some representative examples of 
electric heaters as used in practice for 
domestic application, and I shall also deal 
with combination heaters which give out 
both radiant and convected heat. To sum 
up the matter in a few words, it may be 
smd that luminous radiators are desirable 

„n. ..^ .- where an immediate heating effect and a 

Siemens Radiator. t , i .1111 

cheerful appearance are required; that con- 
vectors are suitable for all-day use, and for warming the air of 
rooms and passages in which immediate heat is of no advantage 
and a cheerful appearance is of little consequence, while radio- 
convectors are appreciated where immediate heat is desired, 
combined with a capacity for raising quickly the temperature 
of the room — a glowing fire-like effect making an effective 
successor to the coal or gas fire. 
The extreme convenience of 
an electric fire in the home is 
perhaps more appreciated durmg 
our chilly spring and summer 
evenings than at any other time 
of the year. A cosy, cheerful 
warmth, whilst having breakfast 
or dinner, makes the whole dif- 
ference. This is instantly avail- 
able with the help of electricity 
without the trouble of laying, 
lighting or cleaning up afterwards, 
as with a coal fire. 

E^iciency. It is important to 
remember that all electric heaters, 
of whatever make or system, have 
an efl&ciency of 100%, that is to 
say, the whole of the energy put 
into them is given out ag^n in 
useful heat. There is no flue to 
carry away any portion of the A " Dowsing " Radiator. 



222 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

heat, and there is no waste whatever, every particle of heat pro- 
duced is available for warming the room and the persons in it- 

The efficiency of an open coal fire is extremely low, coii^pared 
with its theoretical heating capacity. Upwards of 90% of the 
heat stored up in the coal is wasted up the flue, and less than 
10% is thrown out into the room and can be used for the purpose 
for which the fire exists. The gas fire is also highly inefficient. 
Careful tests prove that the efficiency of the best gas fire is cer- 
tainly not more than 20% under most favourable conditions. 
In other words, a user pays for five times more heat than he can 
get if he employs a gas fire, and for 10 times as much heat as he 
is able to secure when he depends upon an open coal fire. If 
it were possible to design a gas or coal fire which needed no out- 
let or chimney, the efficiency might be increased very materially, 
but as combustion is taking place, the products of combustion 
must be got rid of, and in doing this a much greater proportion 
of the heat is lost than theoretically is necessary. In the case of 
an electric heater, a user pays for only that heat which is available 
in the room and for no more. He pays nothing when the heater 
is switched off, he pays nothing except for' the actual period 
during which it is being used. A gas fire gives out no useful 
heat for many minutes after being lighted; a coal fire must burn 
up and get rid of what is commonly called smoke before any 
heat is available in the room. The gas fire goes on heating for 
some time after it is turned out, the coal fire must be allowed 
to burn out. The gas used in heating up the stove itself and 
the fuel surrounding the burners, must be paid for, and is practi- 
cally all wasted, since the heat given out after turning off the 
gas when leaving the room is of no value. The coal in an open 
grate must also first heat the stove before much useful heat is 
available, and, when the fire is no longer required, the coal goes 
on burning, and must be paid for; with the electric heater, how- 
ever, there is no waiting, np waste, no dirt, no smell, no smoke, 
no danger, and no uncertainty. It needs no attention; is portable 
and can be placed anywhere about the room; can always be 
depended upon; always gives out a steady and uniform heat, 
and is ready for service at a moment's notice without troubling a 
servant. There are no ashes to clear away, no wood to chop, 



ELECTKIC HEATING 223 

no fire laying to do, no carrying of coal; no searching for matches, 
no doubt as to whether the fire will burn up, no risk of explosion 
or back-firing ss with a gas fire, no down draught to fill the room 
with smoke or the deadly fumes from gas burners — in brief there 
is no nonsense with electricity. It is all plain sailing, just turn 
the switch and electricity does the rest, and does it every time 
alike. The electric fire is ideal; it is the acme of comfort, con- 
venience, cleanliness, ready service, adaptability and efficiency. 
It is moreover not expensive if current be available at low rates, 
but even if it were twice as costly as gas, the extra expense would be 
more than compensated for by the advantages mentioned above- 
Amount of Heat Required for Warming a Room. It is unwise 
to fix any definite rule for ascertaining the heat required by any 
system to warm a room of given cubic area. A great deal depends 
upon not only the dimensions, but the number, position and shape 
of the windows and doors, the number of outside walls and their 
thickness, the outside temperature, the wind, the frequency 
with which doors and windows are opened, and similar details. 
One room with a large draughty window opposite the door, with 
two walls exposed and facing north or north-east, may take a 
heater of double the power needed for an apartment of similar 
dimensions, with a smaller window, protected from draught 
and with a small expanse of outside wall. As a general rule, how- 
ever, for ascertaining the electrical energy required, it may be 
taken that 1 watt per cubic foot is needed to maintain a comfort- 
able temperature, except in the depth 
of winter. Thus for a room meas- ■ 

uring 10' high by 10' wide and 10' . 

lor^, a heater taking 1000 watts, or 1 
unit per hour, must be provided as 
a minimum. 

It is, however, advisable to pro- 
vide double this amount and instal 
heaters capable of absorbing 2 watts 
per cubic ft. of air-space for baising 
the air in the room quickly to a com- 
fortable temperature, reduceable to 1 Luminoua Radiator of the Gen- 
watt -per cu. ft. to maintain that eral Electric Co. of America. 



224 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

temperature, assuming the room is not unduly exposed, the win- 
dow surface about f the total wall surface and the air changed 
not more than 3 times an hour, 1 watt per cu. ft. should maintain 
the temperature of the room 25° Fah. above the mean initial 
temperature. 

A further general rule may be taken as follows, viz. : Allow 
0.2 watts per cu. ft. of air-space for every 5° Fah. increase of tem- 
perature required to be maintained. 

This applies equaUy, whether the heater be a luminous radia- 
tor, a convector or a radio-convector. 

Nowadays with electricity at §d. in England and 2 cents in 
America per unit, or even Id. in Ei^land and 4 cents in America, 
greater freedom in the use of electric heaters is permissible, and 
it is becoming the practice to instal apparatus much more power- 
ful for a given cubic area than was the case some years ago. It 
is not so much that the less powerful heater will not raise the tem- 
perature to a comfortable degree or maintain it at that heat, 
but that with a larger heater the required temperature can be 
reached much more rapidly than would otherwise be possible. 
As soon as the air of the room reaches say 60° F., half or more 
of the elements of the heater can. be switched off, the elements 
remaining in circuit being sufficient to maintain that temperature. 
In this way no greater consumption of current necessarily is 
involved, because a more powerful heater can be switched to 
to half or quarter heat aft«r a shorter time than would be practi- 
cable with a smaller radiator. It is wise to put in a heater which 
is capable of wanning the room adequately in 
any weather without undue delay, for it is 
not necessary in mild weather to turn it to 
full heat at all, the lower heats being all that 
is required to give a comfortable workii^ 
temperature. In the short spells of sharp 
frost experienced in England, a powerful 
heater is very welcome, and will give satis- 
faction where a small radiator would be con- 
demned as ineffectual. 

Luminous Radiators. I have already re* 
" Eclipse " Heater, ferred to the work of Mr. H. J. Dowsing, 



ELECTRIC HEATING 225 

M.I.E.E., as one of the pioneers of Electric Cooking and Heat- 
ing, and to him we owe the " radiant lamp " system of electric 
heating, which he first introduced in 1899. An early improve- 
ment was the use by Mr. Dowsing of special reflectors behind 
the lamps to reflect the radiant heat from the glowing filaments 
into the room and in this way the filaments were protected from 
becoming overheated and the life lengthened. These reflectors 
also aissist the convection process by providing channels for the 
ail heated by contact with globes and metal reflectors. These 
special reflectors were patented, and are shown in the radiator 
shown on page 221, made by the Dowsing Radiant Heat Co. 

The luminous type of heater consists of one, two or a larger 
number of tubular lamps arranged in an ornamental case designed 
to harmonize with the decorations of the room in which it is to be 
used. It appeals strongly to women on account of its bright 
appearance and the rapidity with which it gives out its cheerful 
warm glow, which has been aptly termed " bottled sunshine," 
Luminous heaters are very handy to take from room to room, 
and when so placed as to be free from risk of accidental knocks 
or of overturning, they last ' for many years. With ordinary 
use the lamps, with care, will last 3 or 4 years, and if run all day 
long, need renewal about once in 6 months. I am able to give a 
few examples of the latest forms in which they are now supplied; 
some, as will be seen, are of very pleasing design. 

The simplest form of lummous radiator has only one lamp, 
with or without a reflector. It is a useful type of heater for small 
rooms, such as bathrooms, nurseries, where an even comfortable 
temperature is required. It may be used also to supplement 
the main heating system by providing for 
local warmth at a Mxiting desk or table, as 
shown on page 10. It forms a portable fire, 
and its small consumption allows of its being 
connected to any lampholder without undue 
expense in CEises where a separate heating 
circuit is not available. It costs id. an hour 
to run with energy at Id. per unit. In 
motor garages it is useful for placing under 
the car to prevent the cooling water freezing 
in tho cylinder jackets and cracking them. Two-lamp Radiator. 



226 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

~~ For somewhat larger rooms radiators hav- 

ing two lamps will be found useful. Such a 
heater is here shown, the case being of orna- 
mental polished brass, with copper reflector. 
It takes twice as much current as a heater 
with a single lamp, the cost of running being 
^d. per hour, but it is proportionately more 
powerful as a heater, and will be found quite 
sufficient for a small study, for a large bath- 
room or small bedroom. Most makers of 
" Simplex " Radi- radiators supply them for one, two, four or 
ator. more lamps. Luminous radiators cost any- 

thing from a few shillings upwards, the 
price depending upon the amount of material used in the 
cases and the quality of workmanship involved in their manu- 
facture. A cheap radiator will give out as much warmth as the 
most expensive, but it will not last so long, owing to its more 
flimsy construction, and it is not so elegant in appearance. A 
very good 4-lamp radiator can be bought for £2, or JIO, better 
qualities costing anything up to £15 or $75, 

The three-lamp radiator here reproduced is a particularly 
substantial pattern, intended to withstand rough usage. Many 
luminous radiators have the 
disadvantage that they are so 
light in construction that they 
may easily be overturned, 
with risk of breaking the 
lamps. The type under dis- 
cussion is as steady as a table, 
and will last for many years. 
It consists of a handsomely 
finished ornamental oxydised 
copper metal frame with a 
polished corrugated copper re- 
' Hector. It is fitted with either 

two, three or four frosted radia- 
" Westinghouse " Thre&-lamp tor lamps, which give a pleasant 
Radiator. diffused glow. The terminals of 



ELECTRIC HEATING 227 

the radiator are covered by a solid shield 
which protects and thoroughly insulates 
them. It may be noticed that the metal 
caps of the lamps and the holders for 
them do not show in this style of radi- 
ator. This is due to the fact that the 
ordinary bayonet type of holder and cap 
is replaced by a screw cap and holder, 
in accordance with practice which has 
become standardised in America but has 
been hitherto seldom met with in Eng- 
land. The lamps, therefore, screw into 
sockets recessed in the base of the radi- 
ator, so that they are held firmly in a 
vertical position. A fault commonly met 
with in luminous radiators is that the 
lamps are inclined to shake about, their 

support in the ordinary holders beii^ A Handsome Radiator, 
sometimes unsatisfactory. Radiators with 

screw-cap lamps are now supplied by moat if not all the 
best makers. 

Mr. Dowsing has introduced a pin contact form of holder 
which holds the radiator lamp very firmly and straight. It is 
supplied by the Dowsing Radiant Heat Co., London, but 
needs special caps for the heating lamps. 

My next illustration is a 4-lamp radiator 
made by the British Prometheus Co, This 
is a standard design, and typical of this 
firm's high-class workmanship. It takes 1000 
watts per hour, costing therefore Id. per 
hour to run with all four lamps in use. It 
is not necessary to have all the lamps alight 
together, for in the base of the heater are 
2 switches, which permit of two or four 
lamps being used. Half heat is sufficient in 
most circumstances to maintain a comfortable 
temperature in a small room after it has been . . 

raised to that point by the 4 lamps. 
02 



228 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



" Siemena " 4-Lamp Radiator. A " Prometheua " Radiator. 

Another style of radiator is that shown on previous page 223, 
which is listed by the British Thomson-Houston Co., Ltd., 
Rugby, and the General Electric Co., of Schenectady, New York. 
This is a handsome design in the Adam style, intended to 
.harmonise with period decorations. It has 2 heat controls, 
and is of substantial construction, each lamp having a separate 
compartment. 

It should not be forgotten that as luminous radiators give 
out the greater proportion of their 
enei^ in the form of radiant heat, 
which passes through, without heating, 
the air, the warmth from these devices 
can be felt on the body just as much 
in the open air as indoors, and a 
current of air passing between the 
heater and the person wanning him- 
self does not affect the radiant heat 
reaching him, although it carries off 
the convected heat rising from the 
warm surfaces of the radiator. It will 
warm a person almost as well if a 
Mantel Type Radiator. sheet of glass be interposed between 



ELECTRIC HEATING 229 

him and the radiator, since glass does 
not hinder the passage of luminous 
heat, any more than it does the trans- 
mission of light. 

A novel form of radiator is shown 
with 4 lamps, arranged horizontally 
instead of vertically. The heating 
effect is identical in both cases, but 
the horizontal arrangement has several 
advantages, the most noteworthy being 
that the lamps are supported at both 
"Radiator with Horizoatal ^"^^- '''^'^ '^"^ ""'y ^"^"^^ "gidity, 



Lamps. 



but obviates risk of short-circuit, 



since the two wires conducting 
the current are separated by the whole width of radiator. 
This heater is made by Simplex Conduits, Ltd., whose lai^e 
range of luminous radiators, varies from a simple three-lamp 
type to an elaborate six-lamp design similar to the pattern 
illustrated. Intermediate with these two types are some thirty 
other patterns from which the buyer may select. The six-lamp 
radiator illustrated is a. powerful heater, sufficient to warm a 



Six-lamp " Simplex " Radiator. " Siemens " Four-lamp Radiator. 



230 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATIKG 

room 1 5' X 1 2' X 9' high , With all lamps running, the cost 
works out at Ijd, per hour, but after the room has become 
warm, two or four lamps are quite sufficient to maintain the 
temperature, the three switches shown on the box enabhng 2, 
4 or 6 lamps to be used as desired. 

I have already referred to the Dowsing radiators supplied 
by the Dowsing Radiant Heat Co., and I am now able to repro- 



A Powerful " Dowsing " Radiator. 

duce a representative pattern of a large 6-lamp radiator intended 
for heating rooms up to a capacity of 1500 cubic ft. (13'xl4'x9' 
high). As each lamp takes 250 watts, the total consumption 
of the radiator is 1500 watts, the cost of running at full heat being, 
therefore, l^d per hour, assuming in this case, as I have done all 
through this book, that cm-rent is supphed at Id. per unit. 

When a large room has to be heated electrically, it is better 
in my opinion to use two small radiators rather than one large 



ELECTRIC HEATING 231 

heater. The radiators can be placed in any position, one at each 
end of the room, for example, or they may be moved about if a 
concentrated heat is requked. They are independent of the 
fireplace, and should never be placed in front of a coal grate 
unless the register is closed up entirely, otherwise a large pro- 
portion of the convected heat given off is lost up the chimney. 
This precaution is more important in the ease of a convector 



" DowBJng " Radiator or Towel Airer. 

than of a radiator, as the former heats ahnost entirely by con- 
vection currents. 

, •Luminous heaters are most convenient for airing towels 
and clothing, and any lady who has tried them for the purpose 
will confirm my statement that airing can be done in this way 
more thoroughly and satisfactorily than by a fire. There is 
no risk of scorching or of the clothes getting out of shape through 
excessive heat, and a pile of damp clothes can be aired right 



232 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

through without the necessity of chang- 
ing their position. It will be seen from 
the illustration that in one Dowsing radi- 
ator, provision is made for airing, in the 
shape of a rail over which towels or 
■ clothes may be hung without danger of 
actually touching the lamps, which might 
scorch them. A chair placed in front 
of any lamp radiator is a fairly satis- 
factory makeshift, or with care the 
"Simplex" Conveetor. clothes may be placed on the radiator 
itself if it has a flat perforated top. 
Couvectors. The convector or' air-warmer is the oldest form of 
electric heater, and was first introduced about 1894 by Crompton, 
and afterwards by the General Electric Co, Convectors are 
now made by nearly every firm engaged in the manufacture of 
electrical accessories, and they are supplied at any price from a 
few shillings upwards, according to their heating capacity, design 
and workmanship. As with luminous radiators, a cheap heater 
will give out warmth equal to that of the most costly pattern, 
but it will only be plain in style, suitable for positions where 
appearance is not of much consequence. A convector is never 
so cheerful in appearance as a luminous radiator, as no source of 
heat is visible, but in many patterns a coloured lamp is placed 
inside to obviate the disadvantage. Present-day convectors 
show a great advance upon those available even a kw years ago, 
improvements having been effected chiefly in the character of 
the heating element. A convector element is not designed to 
work at anything like the temperature at which the element in a 
grill or under a hot plate operates, and its life is, therefore, pro- 
portionately longer. I have convectors which have been in use 
every day for 2 years, and have needed no renewal of the elements, 
and with ordinary usage the elements should last up to 3 years. 
With most convectors, control of the heat is effected by switches 
mounted on the front or side, the usual arrangement being " full," 
"half" and "quarter" heats, secured by two switches. The 
element is usually a nichrome or shnilar wire, wound over strips 
of mica supported on the frame inside, its temperature being much 



ELECTRIC HEATING 



WestinghouBC Convector. "SiemenB" Convector. 

below red heat. Another style of element consists of spirals of 
similar wire wound over fire-clay rods, while in a third form 
the heating effect is produced by passing the current through 
exceedingly thin deposits of copper and gold on a mica base. 
A convector, as already explained, causes a current of heated tar 
to rise into the room, the device being open at the bottom and 
perforated at the top to assist in the circulation process. Con- 



"Carron" Convector. "Prometheus" Convector, 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



A Handsome Box-form Convector. 

vectors lend themselves to very artistic treatment in the design 
and ornamentation of the case, and there are hundreds of beauti- 
ful patterns to be seen in the showrooms of electric supply under- 
takings and dealers. I am only able to illustrate a few typical 
designs of recent production, but my readers can form a good 
idea from these as to the great variety which can be obtained. 

The pattern here illustrated is a cheap form suitable for 
use in small rooms, where a plain design serves the purpose. 
It has a matt black iron body, with repousse ornamentation 
relieved bright. It has no switches, but heat control is effected at 
the wall-plug from which the supply of current is taken. It takes 
1000 watts and costs, therefore. Id. or 2 
cents an hour to run. A similarly cheap and 
efficient convector is the Westinghouse. 
An exceedir^ly handsome convector is the 
example shown on the previous page, 
which is constructed in gilt brass m the 
style of Louis XV. It is intended to 
match rooms furnished in French style, 
and forms an ornament as well as a 
heater. It takes 2J units per hour, and 
when full on costs 2Jd. or 5 cents to run. 
Three degrees of heat can be obtained, the 
consumption being at the lower heats ^ 
and J of the maximum respectively. The "Siemens" Iron 
perforated panels in front allow of a red Convector. 



ELECTRIC HEATING 235 

glow beii^E seen from one or more 
ruby lamps placed inside. These 
do not add appreciably to the 
heating effect, but give a cheer- 
ful warm glow which somewhat 
resembles that from a fire, and 
improves materially the appear- 
ance of the heater when in 
operation. Another ornate de- 
sign completes the selection for 
which I have space. This is 
in polished] brass, with heavy 
cast feet and perforated panels, 
Dowsing " Hot-bar " Radiator. behind which are placed ruby 
lamps. Such a heater is suitable 
for drawing-room use, and is exceedingly elegant in appearance. 
It costs Ijd. or 3 cents per hour to run at full heat, the switch 
control providing for three degrees. 

Convectors are made in tubular form or special shapes for 
heatii^ greenhouses, bathrooms, passages and so forth, and for 
hxing beneath windows so as to warm the air as it enters the 
room. This, indeed is the most suitable place for such a heater, 
draughts of cold air from outside being thus eliminated. 

Radio-Convectors. Radio-convectors combine the advan- 
tages of the luminous radiator with those 
of the conveetor, and give out a cheerful 
warm glow from incandescent heating 
elements, while warming the air directly 
by convection currents. They are com- 
paratively a new departure in electric 
heating, rendered possible by the intro- 
duction of resistance wires which can 
safely be run continuously at red heat 
without deterioration. 

Radio-convectors, or electric fires as 
they are often called, are the closest 
approach yet made to the glow of a "Fen-anti" Box-type 
coal fire, the heating surface being at Electric Fire. 



236 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

a bright red. Their cheer- 
ful appearance, powerful 
heatii^ effect and artbtic 
forms have caused them 
rapidly to grow in popu- 
larity, and the real red- 
heat electric fire is now rec- 
ognised as the most suit- 
able and pleasant method 
of obtaining heat for do- 
mestic purposes, A fur- 

ther advantage of the red- " '^'^ '^"" " ""'"■ 

hot system is that toast can be made by holding bread in 
front, as with a coal fire, and that articles of clothing can be 
aired quickly by its means, while it is possible to ignite paper or 
to light a cigarette at the glowii^ surface. Unlike the coal 
fire, the electric red-hot stove is always alike, not dull black one 
minute and brighter the next, but it glows with a steady bright- 
ness which has a most cheerful and homely effect. 

For those who prefer the lamp style of heater, and yet desire 
to have immediate air warmii^ as well, there are combined 
luminous heaters and convectors, in which heating lamps are 
employed in conjunction with non-luminous wire elements. 
Either or both sections may be used as desired, the convector 
portion being controlled separately from the lamps. 

The two heaters here illustrated 
are supphed by Messrs. Siemens, and 
have apirab of special wire enclosed 
in tubes of silica, which glow with 
a bright red heat when in opera- 
tion. The wire used is treated by 
a chemical process only recently 
introduced, which permits of running 
for long periods at a temperature 
approaching incandescence without 
risk of oxidisation or atmospheric 
action, the wire being unaffected 
" Blaze " Radio-convector. by frequent switching on and off, 



ELECTRIC HEATINCi 



Two Patterns of " Dowsing " Hot-bar Radiator. 

and by rapid temperature changes. By the use of polished 
copper reflectors, a blaze of soft red light is given over the 
whole of the front surface of the radiator, the effect being 
delightful. When eventually the element does give up, a 
new one can be put in very quickly by any householder 
who can use a screwdriver. The " Cozy Comer" heater costs 
fd, (1,5 cents) an hour to run, and the " Blaze " heater Id. to 1 Jd. 
(2 to 3 cents), according to size. Both designs may be had in 
matt black iron, in polished brass or in poUshed copper. 

The Dowsing Radiant Heat Co., of London, has lately intro- 
duced a system of radio-convectora, termed " hot-bar " radiators, 
and I show here a couple of its most recent designs. In these 
heaters a spiral of nichrome or similar resistance wire is laid in zig- 
zag grooves formed in blocks of fire-clay, run up to incandescence. 
In front, actir^ as a cover, is a strip of flat 
quartz, which becomes red hot, but unlike ' 
glass, does not crack if water or grease be 
thrown on it. These heaters are very power- 
ful, but consume more current than most 
of those already referred to, the usual rating 
beii^ 2 units per hour at full heat, costing 
2d. (or 4 cents). Another and deservedly 
popular style of glowing red radiator is the 

Ferranti fire here illustrated, in a few differ- I 

ent patterns, but all working on the same " Perranti " Fire 



238 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

principle. It consists of !i 
circular disc of quartz glass 
behind which is a flat 
spiral of thin metal ribbon 
or wire, the turns being 
separated by mica. The 
quartz plate glows all over 
with a bright red heat 
when the heater is switched 

on, and the/heat, which is Duplex " Fermnti " Fire, 

partly radiant and partly 

conveeted, is reflected by the bowl-shaped frame of polished cop- 
per surrounding the element. This reflector can be swivelled to 
any ai^le, and the heat focussed consequently in any direction. 
It is a charming system, and quite a departure from conven- 
tional ideas. Ferranti heaters are made to harmonize with period 
or modem styles of decoration, and in several finishes. The 
heating element is detachable and can readily be renewed when 
necessary. On very similar lines is the "Redglo" fire, which 
consists of a convex reflector and stand into which is bolted a 
separate fire unit, attached by means of four bolts. The unit is, 
of course, the essential part, and this has been designed in such 
a way that a maximum of radiant heat is given out in a forward 
direction, eliminating losses at the back of the fire. 

Within a few moments of the 
current being switched on, the 
fire attains the appearance and 
temperature of a red-hot hemi- 
spherical globe, at which paper 
can easily be lighted. It is claimed 
that this fire gives a large red-hot 
surface for a given current con- 
sumption. The quartz bowl which 
covers the heatii^ coil has an area 
of 23 sq. inches, and the current 
consumption is 600 watts. The 
"Feriiinti "Fire with AdjuBtable """^ "^ "^''"E *«■ therefore, .6d. 
Bowl Reflector. P^r hour, or 1.2 cents. 




BASTIAH OR QUARTZAUTE HEATERS. 



The first heater in which quartz was employed, in fact the 
original system, was the Bastian or Quartzalite. In these devices 
a small spiral of nichrome wire is threaded through' tubes of 
quartz glass supported in a frame. These glow with a bright red, 
and are exceedingly effective as heaters, a polished reflector 
throwing the heat forward. A couple of representative Quartzalite 
designs are shown herewith. The elements may easily be renewed, 
and are quite cheap. 

Bastian heaters may be constructed with any desired number 
of glowers, the most usual being 12, the current consumption in 
this case being at the rate of 1500 watts, costing 1 Jd. or 3 cents 
per hour at full heat. Half the number may be switched off 
if less heat is needed, or both sets of elements may be connected 
in series to give only one-quarter of the 
heating effect. These changes are effected 
by switches mounted on the frame of the 
heater. 

The Bastian quartz heaters are used 
on a large number of British battleships. 
The one here illustrated shows one of several 
fitted in Buckingham Palace, Marlborough 
HoQse and in Queen Alexandra's bedroom. , 
The RoyaJ quarters on the "Medina" 
yacht were fitted with Bastian Heaters, as ^ 

are also the banqueting hall of the Masonic " Medina " Heater. 



240 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Temple at the Holbom Restaurant, and the banqueting hall at 
Frascati's Restaurant. These heaters are supplied by the Bastian 
Heating Synd., the Edison & Swan Co., Messrs, Drake & Gorham, 
and by most electric supply undertakings, and agents in Great 
Britain and America. 



" Belling " Fire in a Dining Room. 

A very successful electric fire is that by Belling & Co., Edmon- 
ton, London, the elements employed being a non-oxidising wire 
wound on one side of a slotted fireproof bar, the slots being so ar- 
ranged that the wire is held \" clear of, and parallel to, the face of 
the bar. Thus it works in free air, and cannot become overheated. 



ELECTRIC HEATING 241 

The bars are strei^beneii by an embedded wire to guard against 
accidental breakage, this wire holding the bar together even if it be 
cracked in several places. Several of these elements are mounted 
in a frame, with a polished reflector at the back. The elementa 
are renewable, and replacements can be made without disturbing 
or removing the apparatus. By means of the adjustable bracket 
shown, the tea-pot or coffee jug may be kept hot or a portion 
of food kept warm for a late arrival.- 

A novel and particularly effective form of electric fire is made 
by Messrs. Neville Williams & Co., of London, and is illustrated 
herewith. The case is of wrought iron, with a copper ledge in 
front. This design is suitable for office, bedroom, or library 



An '' Ens^ " Electric Fire. 

use, and is listed at a price which brings it within the reach of 
any householder who has electric light. For drawing-room use, 
or for places where a more ornamental appearance is desired, 
alternative patterns are offered. In all the styles, however, a 
standard " fire-box " is provided, which is interchangeable and 
easily removed when necessary. This fire-box is of sheet iron, 
and contains a glazed fire-clay block with grooved and rounded 
front, in which the heating elements are placed. The latter 
consists of a spiral tape of nichrome or similar resistance alloy. 
There are eight spirals in all, two switches being provided, so 
that half or all may be used, as desired. The spirals are protected 
in front by a metallic gauze of similar material to that used for 
the heating unit. The elements run at a bright red heat, and are 



242 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

guaranteed for twelve months. New fire-boxes are supplied 
for a few shillings — about half the cost of lamps for a luminous 
radiator. A large proportion of the energy used is given out as 
radiant heat, the glazed surface of the fire-clay forming an effective 
reflector. It takes several minutes for the elements to reach 
their full temperature, but convected heat is given out from the 
moment the switch is turned. Although not intended for use as 
a cooker, the " Ensign " fire makes excellent toast, while by the 



Another Ensign of " Ensign " Fire. 

use of a specially-shaped kettle, resting on the shelf in front, a 
quart of cold water can be brought to boiling point in from 
twenty to thirty minutes. The appearance of the 'Ensign" fire is 
very cheerful, the glowing elements and the heated fire-clay base 
forming an effective substitute for a coal fire. At full heat the 
fire takes about 1350 watts, the running cost being therefore 
1.3d. per hour, or less than 3 cents. 

Bed Wanning by Electricity. In a household with several 
spare bedrooms it is difficult to keep the bed linen aired for 
immediate use, but with an electrically-heated pad, which can 



ELECTRIC HEATITTG 243 

be placed between the sheets of a bed when not in use, it can 
be kept aired with no trouble. It is not necessary to keep it on 
all the time, but only for short periods at inte_rvals, so as to drive 
off any damp which may be present. Such pads have other uses, 
and are invaluable for local application to reduce pain and inflam- 
mation. As a successor to the hot-water bottle, the electric 
pad is ideal. It is more comfortable and pliable, and adjusts 
itself to any part of the body. 

Best of all it will not " cool off " just when relief seems near, 
but maintains an even, soothing heat as long as desired. 

The pad, soft, and flexible, covered with eiderdown, can be 
used in any position and is so light that it is never uncomfortable. 
Always ready, night and day, 
it only requires attaching by 
the plug on the cord to an 
electric lamp socket. 

For pain and inflammation 
where a hot application is needed 
the pad more fully meets every 
requirement. For muscular 
trouble it is particularly de- 
sirable because it can be apphed 
in any position. 

In the nureery or the jn- Bed-wanner, 

valid's room it affords comfort in many ways, such as in wanning 
the bed before retiring. 

Moist applications, such as poultices, can be kept warm by 
using with the pad the rubber cover made for the purpose. As 
a foot warmer it is much liked by invalids and elderly people. 

Each pad is supplied with a lei^h of flexible cord, long enough 
to reach from the lamp socket to a bed or chair. 

The maximum temperature is limited automatically to about 
180° F. Those supphed with a regulating switch give three 
degrees of heat. The switch is on the cord within easy reach, 
that the heat may be controlled without rising. It is in the 
form of a separable connector so constructed that what heat is 
" ON " may be known by the sense of touch, without the 
bother of looking at it. When " OFF " the separation of the 



244 ELECTEIC COOKING AND HEATING 

connector makes certain to the sleepy one that it actually is 
disconnected. 

Heating pads are made by the Simplex Heating Company of 
America, the Schniewindt Electric Co., Birmingham, Landeau 
& Co., London, and others, who also make electrically heated car- 
pets and mats. The carpets and mats are very useful for warmii^ 



Heating Pad, (Simplex Co. of America). 

the feet under the table or desk, and are made in many different 
sizes and patterns to suit their surroundings. Both carpets and 
pads consimie current at the rate of 250 watts per sq. yard, that is, 
one-quarter of a unit per hour, a pad measuring one sq. yard 
costing, therefore, }d. or .5 cent per hour to run. The resistance 
element is woven in asbestos or similar fabric in the thickness of 
the carpet or between fancy covers of cloth or other material. 



ELECTRIC HEATING 245 

The pads, which usually measure 12 ins, by 16 ins., are useful 
not only for bed warming, but are convenient for table use for 
keeping plates and food warm. Running with the cover exposed 
to the air, the temperature never rises beyond a confortable heat, 
but when used as a bed-warmer or attached to the body for medical 
purposes, and covered closely by bedclothes or clothing, the heat 
is confined, and would rise unduly but for the provision of an 
automatic thermal cut-out, which breaks the circuit when the 
maximum temperature has been reached and switches it on 
again when the element has cooled down. For carpet or table 
use, one heat only is needed, but for medical purposes heat 
regulation is rquired, and a three-heat plug is fitted to the flexible 
connecting cable which allows of three changes of temperature. 
In addition to heating pads there are electric warming bottles, 
such as the "Radcliff," also plaques and discs which take a 
very small quantity of electricity and do not need thermostat 
control. 

Electric Foot Warmers. It is surprising how, when seated 
at the table or desk, even in a warm room, the feet become cold, 
and if one desired to keep at 
work, one must either put upwith 
cold feet or use a water bottle or 
similar contrivance. The intro- 
duction of electrically-heated 
foot warmers, however, gets over 
" Electrovl " Foot-warmer ^'^^ trouble most conveniently. 

They are made in various forms 
and sizes, a representative sample being shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration. This has a mahogany frame on short feet, with 
a cane top, the heating element being placed underneath. With 
such a heater, it is impossible for the feet to remain cold, yet the 
cost of running is but a fraction of a penny per hour. Such 
heaters are also convenient for keeping dishes or plates warm, 
and for airing small articles of clothing, while if placed in the 
linen closet, they will keep the sheets and house linen beautifully 
warm and aired. 



VENTILATION AND AIR PURIFICATION 

The easiest way to ventilate a room or building is by the 
use of a suitable electric fan. A portable fan does little towards 
ventilation; it creates a current of air and is very welcome in 
the summer, but it does not change the air. In the kitchen 
particularly it is necessary to secure adequate ventilation and 
cooling, and this can best be accomplished by fixing an " exhaust '' 
type of electric fan over the window or in an outside wall. This 
will expel the foul and heated air and draw in fresh supplies of 
clean fresh air from the windows and doors. It can easily be 
fitted and costs but little to install, while it may be run all day 
for a penny or so. It creates no draught, and can be controlled 
by a switch on the wall or by a cord hanging down from the 
machine. 

For cooling the house in summer and insuring an adequate 
supply of warm fresh air in winter, the incoming air should 
be cooled or heated where it enters the building. This is not 
generally possible with houses built in the ordinary way, but if 
architects who design residences were to provide for electric heat- 
ing, cooking and ventilation, there would be no need for chim- 
neys nor for open doors and windows. In winter, electric heaters 
would be placed where a fan draws in the cold air from outside, 
the air filtered and warmed before passing into the room, and the 
vitiated air expelled at the top of the room by means of an 
exhaust fan discharging into the atmosphere outside or into 
ventilating ducts throughout the building taking the place of 
chimneys. This is perhaps a counsel of perfection, but it is the 
ideal and sensible way of warming the house properly and without 
draught. It permits of an even temperature throughout the 
building, the rooms, passages and hall being alike maintained 
at an equable heat. In summer, the air instead of being warmed 
when it enters, is cooled by an electrically operated refrigerator, 

246 



VENTILATION AND AIR PURIFICATION 247 

and is distributed without draught through the various rooms, 
maintaining a temperature several degrees below that prevailing 
outside, the heated air being expelled by the exhaust fan already 
mentioned. There is no need to have a separate inlet and exhaust 
fan for every room, provided a system of fresh e&r and exhaust 
ducts is installed, one of each being sufficient for the largest 
building, its capacity varying, of course, with the size of build- 
ing in which it is installed. 



As brBcket fan. As table or desk fan. 

Uiiivereal Electric Fan. (Sun Electrical Co., Ld., London.) 

In the absence of a complete electric ventilating system, 
such as I have outlined antl such as will eventually be provided 
by the architects of all but the smallest class of property, we 
can improve existing conditions by employing fixed and portable 
electric fans. 

Portable fans may be of several types, suitable for use on the 
table or desk, for attachment to the wall or for fixing to the ceiling. 
Although, as I have mentioned previously, they do not really 
ventilate the room, unless scientifically arranged, they are delight- 
ful in hot and sultry weather. They create a welcome and 
coolii^ breeze which makes work possible on the closest of days, 
and forms a substitute for those natural air movements which 
temper otherwise unbearable heat. 

An electric fan weighs only a few pounds and can be connected 



248 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

to aoy iamp-holder or to the nearest wall socket by a length of 
flexible cord. Its speed can be regulated at will by a lever at 
the base of the fan, and the direction of the breeze may be varied 
either by moving the fan as a whole or by altering the angle at 
which the blades rotate in relation to the stand. Many types 
of fan can be swivelled through a wide angle, and in other patterns 
an oscillating base is provided which alters automatically the 
direction of the air current, so that every part of the room in 
turn feels the cooling effect. Some fans can, by the use of an 
adjustii^ knuckle, be used either aa a desk or table fan 
or as a bracket fan, and I illustrate one such herewith. A 
ceiling pattern can be arranged in conjunction with the centre 
electrolier, or it may be quite separate, 
and it is controlled ^ mdependently, of 
course, of the light. In most cases it 
is a fixture in this form, and one of the 
switches at the door controls its speed. 
Fans have been incorporated in bowls 
of flowers for use on the table or in 
conjunction with table lamps, thus dis- 
tributing a pleasant coolness around the 
table. The types of fan shewn are some 
of those made by Messrs. Simplex Co., 
and by the General Electric Co., of London; other makers being 
The Westinghouae Co., of England and America, The General 
Electric Co., of America, and many others. 

Air Purification. Ozone is one of nature's moat effective 
methods of air purification. The air of the seashore and the 
mountains Is pure and wholesome, attributed lai^ely to the 
purifying qualities of ozone generated by natural agencies. 

Breathing, cooking and manufacturing processes contaminate 
the air upon which we exist. Ventilating systems are par- 
tially effective in ameliorating the vitiated air. Supplement 
the ventilation in your home and office with ozone, a powerful 
oxidizing agent, which will destroy odours from cooking, tobacco, 
and other causes of air contamination, and you will make your air 
comparable with that of the sea coast and the country. 

Ozone is a combination of oxygen in its most active state. 



VENTILATION AND AIR PURIFICATION 249 

All appreciable excess of 
ozone is indicative of 
atmospheric purity. This 
condition is readily ob- 
tained by the use of an 
Ozonator. This is a sim- 
ple piece of apparatus 
for producing ozone elec- 
trically by passing air 
between the blue elec- 
tric zone. Many of my 
readers have seen the 
The Vohr Household Ozone Generator. large ducts which have 
been installed at the 
Electric Tube Railways. These carry quantities of ozone for 
purifying the air in tunnels, passages and stations, a scheme 
which has proved most satisfactory in improving the atmos- 
pheric conditions underground. Simitar equipments are installed 
nowadays in theatres, picture palaces, hotels, factories, and other 
places where the air is apt to become contaminated. 

Portable Ozone Apparatus. Domestic ozone generators 

are made by the Hudson Ozone Machine Co., New York City, 

in America, and in England by Ozonair, Ltd., Victoria Street, 

London, S, W. The Household Ozonator has been designed to 

meet the various conditions found in residences and is ideal in 

every detail for household adaptation. A switch provides an 

excellent means for controlling the quantity. 

In the bedroom for instance, the device would 

be operated on low output, while, in the 

kitchen, where strong odours emanate from 

cooking, etc., the maximum output would be 

used for, at least, brief periods. It can readily 

be attached to any electric-light socket and 

consumes little power. It is strongly built ■ 

and handsome in appearance. 

The Ozonair Company's alternating 

Portable "Ozonair" current apparatus consists of a circular 

Generator. moulded cast-iron base on which is mounted 



250 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

the transformer, the ozone generator I)eing arranged on a frame 
above the transfonner. These parts are surrounded by a sheet 
metal cylinder with ornamental perforations surmounted by a 
circular moulded cast-iron top, with handle. The case is enam- 
elled, and has a neat appearance. The base is fitted with a 
3-point regulator in the primary circuit, the lever of which pro- 
trudes through a slot in the edge. The functions of this switch 
are as follows; 

Position 1. Ozone, weak. 

Position 2. " medium. 

Position 3. " strong. 

The size shown is suitable for purifying the air in living rooms, 

■ ofHces, etc., under the conditions mentioned above. It is also 

specially suitable for deodorising kitchens, 

lavatories, basements, passages, smoking 

rooms, etc. 

The continuous current form consists of 
a square cast-iron base with chequered top, 
standing on four small ornamental feet, the 
whole enamelled black and gold lined. On 
the top of this base is mounted the fan, 
the QJ-inch blades being efficiently pro- 

,. „ tected by a strong wire guard. 

Ozonair Apparatus for —1 . -.i j. r 

Altenmtmg Current. ^he ozone generator with transformer 

and a resistance for reducing the speed of 
the fan are contained in the base. The ozone generator is fitted 
in a special compartment, with the air inlet and outlet provided 
witli shutters. The inlet is also provided with a renewable 
metal gauze air filter. Behind the fan ped^tal are mounted 
two cartridge fuses {one for the motor and one for the ozone 
generator), and between these a four-way revolving-action 
switch. The functions of this switch are as follows: 

Position 1. Fan only. 

Position 2. Fan at full speed and ozone i^trong (this move- 
ment opens the shutters). 

Position 3. Fan at half speed and ozone weak. 

Position 4. Off (this movement closes the shutters). 



VENTILATION AND AIR PURIFICATION 251 

The whole apparatus is very solidly constructed. The fan 
moves a large volume of air, so that, these types will take the 
place of the ordinary fan apart from the value of the ozone 
produced. 

These machines are suitable for purifying the air in any large 
rooms, offices, etc. They are also specially suitable for ships' 
saloons, railway carriages, etc. 



"Ozonair" Generator for Large Rooms. 



ELECTRICITY FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES 

The applications of electricity to medical uses form an 
important branch of the industry, but they do not come within 
the scope of this book except as regards those appliances designed 
for home treatment. The use of the " X " rays and high 
frequency discharges in the location of foreign matter in the 
body, and the cure of diseases has made more easy the work of 
the surgeon, and enabled cures to be effected which previously 
were regarded as beyond human power. The modern dentist 
would be unable to do his work satisfactorily were it not for the 
many delicate electrical devices which have been invented for 
dental application, while in the hospital and in the surgery of the 
up-to-date practitioner, electricity is relied upon largely for 
alleviating the sufferings of humanity and preventing the spread 
of disease. In the home there are many uses for electricity in 
the treatment of minor ailments, and in keeping the members 
of the household " fit," and some of these I propose to refer to 
briefly. I should like to warn my readers in this connection, 
however, against the many electric belts, rings and so forth 
which are freely advertised as curing all and every disease to 
which flesh is subject. These are in every case absolutely useless; 
they have been exposed on many occasions in the technical press 
and by the medical profession. Testimonials of supposed cures 
by their aid may often be seen among the advertising matter 
sent out by venders of quick remedies, but where any benefit 
has been experienced, it has been due to the faith of the user, 
not to any electrical action which a body batt«ry or electric rii^ 
could originate in the wearer. Any doctor will confirm my 
statement and condemn such rubbish in stronger language than 
I have done. Electricity in connection with the human body 
will no doubt be the subject of much research later. 



ELECTRICITY FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES 253 

Radiant Heat Baths. The Greeks and Romans were famous 
for healthy bodies, and founded a type of beauty which has 
become traditional. Everything that was possible at that time 
was done for the sake of mental and physical efficiency, and fore- 
most amongst all other methods was the bath. They reahzed 
from experience that heat baths made them fresh and vigorous 
after exertion. They found that the practice of taking heat 
baths rejuvenated the tissues, assisted the circulation, and gave 
them that which they were always seeking — health. Their 
existence and prosperity depended upon their ability to defend 
themselves against enemies. They made themselves strong 
and at that time invincible, and they considered heat and sun 
baths the best methods of obtaining this happy state. 

Physical fitness is as important to-day as it was then, and 
doctors agree that electric heat and light baths strengthen the 
tissues of the body, purify the blood, and bring about a condition 
of physical and mental efficiency which could not otherwise be 
attained. 

A slight consideration of the training methods adopted for 
athletes and even for racehorses, shows that one of the first 
principles te to open the pores of the skin by means of constant 
exercise and massage in order to rid the body of impurities. 
This can be done most effectually by means of radiant heat baths, 
in which heating lamps such as are used with luminous radiators, 
are fitted inside folding or fixed cabinets, and controlled by 
switches within reach of the user, who sits inside, with the cabinet 
closed and covering the body with the exception of the head. 
By the use of these baths at home, aching limbs become a thing 
of the past, and the user always feels " fit " and at his best. There 
is nothing to go wrong, there are no complications, you merely 
sit in the cabinet, close the door at top and switch on the lamps, 
and enjoy a luxurious sun bath. The Dowsing Radiant Heat 
Co., are the pioneers of these electric sun baths, and the accom- 
panying illustration shows one form in which they are made. 
This cabinet allows the user to recline in the bath, but other 
patterns have a chair in which he sits. There are 8 heating lamps 
inside, taking two units, and costing 2d. or 4 cents an hour to 
run, although the bath is not usually kept in use for many 



254 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

minutes at a time, so that the cost of each bath is a fraction 
of a penny. 

Powerful heat and light rays can be applied to the body in 
this way for the cure of various diseases such as rheumatism, 
gout, sciatica, lumbago, etc. The apparatus is only used in 
these cases under medical advice, of course. Dowsing's have 
quite a lai^e medical institution in London, where radiant heat 



" Dowsing " Hadiant Heat Bath. 

is administered, and they have upwards of one hundred licensees 
in this country and abroad who give the treatment according to 
prescription. These cabinets are most carefully designed for 
their special purpose, and a considerable number of these baths 
are purchased yearly by private people, in order that they may 
have the equivalent of a Turkish bath in their homes, with the 
added tonic effect of the light rays. The company also make and 
supply electrical medical apparatus of many kinds, such as hot- 



ELECTRICITY FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES 255 

air douches, heating pads, sterilisers, and many other appHances 
required in the medical applications of electricity. 

Electric Vibrators. A very useful machine for giving vibro- 
massi^e to the face, scalp and body is the electrically operated 
pattern I here illustrate. It can be run from any electric light 
fitting, and weighs but a pound or so, being made in spun alu- 



Electrie Vibro-massage Machine. 

minium. A box is suppUed to contain the various applicators 
used with it, these beir^ suitable for the numerous massage 
operations usually carried out. Needless to say, the electric 
vibrator is infinitely superior to the heavy, laboriously hand- 
driven vibrators which have been up to the present the only 
machines avMlable for the purpose. 

A smaller vibrator is also sold for Beauty mass^e and 
manicure, a very useful addition to the dressing table. 



SUNDRIES 

Hair Drying by Electricity. It is always a tiresome business 
to dry one's hair or that of one's . children after washing. 
Rubbing with a warm thick towel removes most of the surface 
moisture, but the hair remains damp even after prolonged and 
vigorous friction, and recourse must be made to the fire, with an 
element of risk also. Fortunately it is now possible to dry the 
hair quickly, thoroughly and in comfort, by usii^ the electric 
h^r-dryer I show in the accompanying illustration. 

The action is dependent upon a small fan motor which blows 
a current of air through a tube containing an electric heating 
unit, so that by turning a switch mounted on the heater, a 
draught of hot or cold air can be obtained as required. The 



" Pronietheua " Curling-tong Heater. 



ELECTRICITY FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES 257 

hair dryers consume only about one-half of a unit per hour, 
costing 5d. or 1 cent, and are intended for connecting up to 
ordinary house lighting circuits, a ler^th of flexible cord being 
supphed for this purpose. The device weighs only 2| lbs. and is 
totally enclosed, finished in nickel with black polished handle 
and switch cover,- Apart from its use in the home this appara- 
tus is eminently suitable for use by hairdressers, medical men, 
and hospitals. It is a boon to photographers for dryii^ quickly 
their negatives and prints. 



ELECTRIC CLEANING 



Sweeping and Dusting. One of the greatest difficulties in 
the house is to keep out dirt and diLst. In order to have fresh 
air, windows must be kept open as long as possible. Whilst 
windows and doors are open, particles of 
dust are carried in and deposited on the 
furniture, walls, floors, curtains, etc. The 
largest amount of dust is produced and 
distributed throughout the house by the 
kitchen and sitting-room fires, and by the 
carrying of coals and ashes. More is brought 
in from the street and garden on boots and 
clothing, while the wear and tear of carpets, 
curtains and so forth, and the crumbs, etc., 
from the table, add materially to the total 
of dirt which needs removal. In the past, 
the broom, dusting brush, and cloth have 
been in daily use in stirring up this dust, 
and collecting as much as possible of it 
in the dust-pan. Instead of really collecting 
the dust and getting rid of it, only a very 
small percentage is collected; the rest has 
simply been stirred into the air and trans- 
ferred from one place to another. During 
the process of settling (which really takes 
several hours) one has to breathe air which 
is heavily laden with dust and other impuri- 
ties. After the sweeping, the furniture has to 
be dusted, but the walls, ceilings and curtains 
remain covered with the dust, which increases daily until the room 
is thoroughly turned out for the monthly or annual cleaning. 
What a terrible accumulation of dust and other impurities there 
is at the back and on the top of a piece of furniture which has 
been left unmoved for a month or two! On the walls, behind 
pictures, etc., dust and dirt reign supreme. Disease germs 
abound. There is endless work for dust-pan and brush. With 
the advent of art floor coverings, and noiseless carpet sweepers, 

258 




The " Magic '' 
Suction Cleaner. 



ELECTRIC CLEANING 259 

some improvement was eflfected, but still the dust was stirred 
up, and the disease germs allowed to deposit themselves in another 
part of the room. 

All this is now altered, thanks to the " Electric Suction 
Cleaner." By attaching the connector on the flexible wire of 
the cleaner to the lamp socket or wall plug (which can and should 
be fitted in every room) and turning the switch, the device is 
set in motion, and the dust is sucked out of the floor coverings, 
walls, ceilings, handings and fiu'niture into a dustproof bag, 
which can be detached and carried away right out of the house 
and emptied. 

The nozzle of this electric cleaner slides gently and easily in 
any direction, or in any position, and what has hitherto been 
strenuous, hard labour, now becomes quite a fascinating occupa- 
tion. Furniture can be thoroughly cleaned just where it stands; 
heavy carpets and rugs are not only cleaned but are renovated 
and preserved at one operation. The tube can be pushed behind 
heavy pieces of furniture. Books, papers, etc., can be freed 
from dust without removing them. In fact, all cleaning is done 
better than it has ever been done before, and in a fraction of 
the time. An electric suction cleaner can be operated by a child, 
it can be carried from room to room and used anywhere, pro- 
vided a supply of electricity is available. It is no noisier than a 
carpet sweeper, and does not injure the most delicate fabrics. 
In fact it improves carpets and upholstery, restoring the pile 
and bringing up the faded colours and patterns. The " fluflf " 
seen in the carpet sweeper after use is not met with to anything 
like the extent in an electric cleaner, for much of this '* fluflf " 
is the actual material of carpet or upholstery, torn away by the 
brush. The electric cleaner sucks up the dust from the innermost 
recesses of the carpet and curtains without destroying or injuring 
them to the slightest extent. Its cost is but a fraction of a penny 
per hour. 

Permanent Installation of Electric Cleaning. Most houses 

will, in the near future^ have an Electric suction apparatus fitted 

in the outhouse or basement, with pipes which will be carried 

through the house with connecting points in every room or at 

the doors for the attachment of the suction or blowing tube. 

s2 



260 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Wires will also be run from the 
cleaner to controUii^ switches 
fitted at the various connecting 
points, so that by attaching the 
suction cleaning tube at any con- 
nection on any floor, or in any 
room, the switch may be turned 
on and the suction cleaner do 
itsworic, drawing all dirt and dust 
down the tubes to the basement 
or outhouse. These permanent 
installations will be the most 
economical method for all clean- 
ii^ purposes; the same motor 
may be employed for the various 
Removing Dust from the WaU. ^^ther purposes herein described. 

Semi-portable Electric Cleaners 
The " British " Electric Vacuum Cleaner. To operate the 

British Electric Vacuum Cleaner, simply push in a wall plug, 
or remove an electric light bulb and 
insert in its place the adaptor at the 
end of the flexible wire connected 
with the machine. Turn on the cur- 
rent and the cleaner is ready for 
work. The length of the flexible 
wire, together with that of the suc- 
tion tube, is ample to permit of the 
free and unencumbered movement 
of the operator in every part of the 
room. Notacreyice,notasingleinch 
of space upon walls, flooraor ceilings, 
or upon the surface of any exposed 
object in the house, is beyond the 
range of action of the British Vac- 
uum Cleaner, You no longer need 

The " British " Suction aeaner, employ outside help when dirt, dust 
Latest Pattern. and germs have accumulated far 



ELECTRIC CLEANING 261 

beyond ordinary methods of removal. A few minutes each day — 
or a few hours each week — with the Electric Cleaner will main- 
tain your home throughout in a state of absolute cleanliness. 

One of the most valuable and convenient appliances is the 
brush attachment in use in the illustration. It consists of arim of 
pliable bristles surrounding the mouth of the suction implement. 
This brush implement quickly removes al! accumulations of dust 
and dirt from cornices, wood work, pictures, picture moulding, and 
other surfaces diffi- 
cult of access. Un- 
der the old system 
of house cleaning, 
this class of work 
was necessarily im- 
perfectly done, and 
then only after 
much unpleasant- 
ness and inhaling of 
dust and germ laden 
atmosphere. In a 
few weeks, the same 
unhappy task faced 
you again. With 
the aid of the Elec- 
tric Cleaner and 
the implement de- 
scribed above, all 

r™ "nv jjiu ^- r., /TI7 ^- L ^ , these surfaces and 

The W«ard Suction Cleaner. (Westinghouae Co.) ,, , , ,, 

objects can, at the 

expense of little time, and with practically no trouble, be kept 

constantly bright and clean. 

The "Wizard" Electric Turbine Vacuum Cleaner. The 

" Wizard " is fitted with a Westinghouse Motor of J h.p. and is 

claimed to be the most efficient machine of its size made. It 

will work continuously for four hours with the consumption of one 

unit, costing Id. By reason of its large nozzle, the work can be 

done very quickly, whilst its lightness enables it to be easily and 

freely moved from point to point. 



ELECTfilO COOKING AND HEATING 



"Santo" Electric Suction Cleaner. 
fhe *' Santo " Suction Gleaner. The " Santo," supplied by 
Duncan Watson & Co., is shown in the accompanying illus- 
tration. It will be seen from this that it is cylindrical in form, 
the outer case covering the motor, vacuum pump and dust 
receptEicle. It is a most compact and 
efficient cleaner; is silent in working, 
easy to run about from room to room, 
tince it is mounted on ball-bearing 
castors. By its use, one maid can do 
I the work of six, in half the time, at a 

cost of about one farthing or .5 cent 
per hour. The " Santo " can beused 
for blowing the dust out of articles 
or comers that cannot be reached by 
the suction nozzle. 

The ** Bissell " Electric Suction 

Cleaner has the motor and pump 

mounted in a very neat case on 4 wheels 

The " Bissell " Suction **^ ^^^ " run-about " pattern and it is 

Cleaner. most easy to work and very efficient. 



ELECTRIC CLEANING 263 

Portable Electric 
Cleaners. There are 
several very portable 
and efficient electric 
hand machines of 
which the first ex- 
ample I give is The 
" Frantz." 

This machine is 
light, beii^ made al- 
most entirely of alu- 
minium. It will not Suction Cleaner at Work. 
get out of order easily, 

it is simple in construction, and will last for years. It is fitted 
with a revolving brush, which picks up threads and light mater- 
ials, dislodges dirt that is ground in, separates it and throws it 
into the suction current A blast of compressed fur from the out- 
let in the front of the nozzle helps this action at the same time 
as it renovates the floor covering and brightens it, with the 
double result of cleaning and vitalizing. 

Its light weight— only 9 lbs.— does not demand even the slightest 
exertion on the part of the operator: switch on the current, then 
you merely guide the Machine over the surface to be cleaned. 

In the above illustration I show an electric vacuum cleaner at 
work on a stuifed and tufted chair, the present day method of ex- 
tracting dust and reviving the coverings of upholstered furniture. 

This illustration 
clearly represents how 
the machine adapts 
self to the requirements 
of the varied work to 
which it is put in the 
average household. The 
handle can be adjusted 
to any desired ai^le- 
sweeping under beds 
and heavy furniture is 
easily accomplished. A Suction Cleaner in the Bedroom, 



264 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

spaces and awkward corners cleaned 
same thoroughness as flat surfaces. 
'Magic" Suction Cleaner. One of the 
ular electric suction cleaners in the British 
s the " Magic," made at Witton, near 
am, by Magic Appliances, Ltd. It is here 
I, and it will be seen that it is mounted on 
ber-covered wheels. It is therefore very 
3e, and rolls over the floor with no risk of 
J the surface. In its latest form, a motor 
power has been provided, thus increasing 
•ially its sucking action. It is lightly but 
gly built and is intended for everyday 
Stic use. Several attachments are pro- 
. for cleaning linoleum, parquet floors, up- 
holstery, curtains, and so forth, and it will 
thus carry out all the dusting and sweep- 
ing of the household at insignificant cost, 
"Diamond" Suction Cleaner. The 
^ latest and cheapest vacuum cleaner to 
be introduced to English users is the 

" Diamond," ' ''" — "' 

American oi 
" Magic " Suction Cleaner gj-al novel ft 
with FI=.ibl. Tub, ^^ ,„„ , 
Attached. .„ 

illustration. 

diamond shaped, and can thus get 
which cannot be reached by the oi 
suction mouthpiece. Then f^jain, tt 
die may be adjusted at any angle to 
users of various heights, or to enabU 
cleaner to pass beneath bedsteads 
or chairs. A special adapter ena- 
bles the device to be used for 
blowing dust away from places 
impossible to reach with the suc- 
tion nozzle, such as inside a piano 
action. " Diamond " Suction Cleaner. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 

The space at my disposal will not allow of detailed reference 
to anything like the number of uses to which the good fairy 
electricity may be applied in the home, but my readers will 
judge for themselves from the examples I am able to give that 
there is hardly any domestic duty or operation for which elec- 
tricity is not suitable and will not reduce labour. 

Yoiir Sewing Machine Driven Electrically. Take the sewing 
machine, for instance. How tired one gets when dressmaking, 
working the treadle all day or turning the handle by the hour 
together! It is back-aching work, and many find that their 
strength is unequal to the strain. They have their sewing done 
outside, therefore, or engage a dressmaker, both expensive luxu- 
ries, and quite unnecessary if electricity be permitted to lend a 
helping hand. An existing machine can be adapted, without 
interfering with its use for foot or hand operation, if desired. 
All that is needed is a small electric motor fixed on the machine 
table or beneath it, or as with one make, attached to the 
machine itself in place of the hand wheel. 

Almost any woman can treadle a machine to do 200 stitches 
a minute, and a very strong woman may be able to work at 
double this speed, but not for long together. With an electrically 
driven machine, any user, even a child, can do 1,500 stitches a 
minute and keep up the pace all day long if need be. The work 
can be handled at this high speed as easily as when doing it 
slowly by hand, because neither the wheel nor the treadle requires 
any attention. One has only to guide the material, the motor 
does the work. It more than trebles the output, but the user 
never gets tired. No more aching limbs or sprained back. It 
makes sewing a pastime. It is delightful, it is simple, it is 
certain and always the same, ready at any moment, and can be 
operated from any lamp-holder or wall socket at a cost of only 
a few pence a day. Motor attachments are manufactured by 
the Westinghouse Electric Company, the Thomson-Houston 
Company, and most of the electric motor makers, and can be 
obtained from any supply works. 

265 



266 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

My first illustratioii 
shows an electric attach- 
ment supplied by the 
Silver Sewing Machine 
Company. This consists 
of a Diehl motor carried 
on a supporting bracket 
attached to the frame- 
work. Abrake and speed 
regulator are provided, 

" Singer " Sewing Machine Attachment. ^° ^^^^ **>« machine can 
be stopped instantane- 
ously, or its speed varied from a crawl to the highest with which 
it is possible to keep pace. The existii^ hand wheel is connected 
to the motor pulley by the same round leather or gut belt which 
formerly joined the treadle movement to the hand wheel. The 
motor and all moving parts are well out of the way, and there 
is no risk of accident, while the arrangement does away with the 
somewhat unsightly appearance of a motor mounted on the top of 
the table. The motor runs only when the machine is being 
operated; there is no waste of current when the machine is 
idle. A slight pressure of the foot upon the old treadle starts 
up the machine, and the moment the foot is removed, the brake 
is apphed, stopping the machine instantly. The speed can be 
varied from a few stitches a minute 
up to 1 ,000 or more. 

Another type of attachment is 
shown on the next page. This rep- 
resents the out&t supplied by 
Messrs. Simplex ConduitSj Ltd., of 
London, and is shnilar in appearance, 
with the exception that the motor is 
attached to the table, the control being 
effected as before from the treadle. 
Speed regulation is effected by press- 
ing the treadle so as to tighten or 
Using a Bissell Electric loosen the belt, and SO give a tight or 
Sewing Machine. loose drive, the motor in the latter 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 267 

case slipping and thus turning the hand wheel more slowly. A 
speed regulator allowing for 4 or 5 definite speeds, can, however, 
be attached at a slight extra cost, the treadle beii^ then used 
only for starting and stopping the machine. 

I also illustrate a system supplied by the Bissell Company, 
of Toledo. The driving motor is the same size as, and takes 
the place of, the existing hand wheel, so that there is nothing 
to get in the way of the work. It weighs but a few pounds. 



Vmag a "Simplex" Electrically-driven Sewing Machine, 

yet it will stand the constant wear of years, and will perform 
as heavy work as the sewing machine is capable of carrying out. 
This type of attachment has the advantage that it does not 
interfere with the working of a drop-head machine, but closes 
with it out of sight, everything under cover. The machine looks 
as it always did, and can, if desired, be reconverted for hand or 
foot working, although I am quite sure that no lady, once she 
has used an electric machine, would ever desire again to do the 
work by band. 



268 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Electricity in the Scullery and 
I Wash-house. I have already 

I referred to some of the domestic 

applications of electricity, but 
I there is no department of home 

life In which it may not give a 
helping hand. We have seen 
how it lightens the work of the 
cook and the housemaid, and we 
shall now see how the laundry 
and scullery maids may benefit 
by its assistance. In smaller 
households where no helps are 
kept specially for washing up 
" Maytag " Oectric Washer. ^^^ f^r laundry work, electrically 
heated and operated apparatus 
lightens labour and does the work more quickly and thoroughly 
than is possible by hand. In America the electric washing 
machine has been developed to a much greater extent than in 
Great Britain, but its use is now 
gaining ground, and when its 
advantages are realised, no house- 
wife will rest till she has added 
one to her domestic equipment. 

The "Maytag" Clothes 

Washer. In the illustration I 

show the -"Maytag" washing 

machine, which has lately been 

introduced in the English market 

by Messrs, E. C. Seear & Co., 

Devonshire Square, London, E.C. 

It comprises a washing tub and 

double wringer, driven ,by a 

small electric motor underneath, 

the whole being supported on 

_ legs with castors so that it may 

" Federal " Combined Waaher ^^ wheeled about or put away 

and Wringer. when not needed. It may be 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 269 

connected in a moment to any wall 
socket or lamp holder by nfeans of 
flexible cord and an adapter, and the 
cost of running is less than Id. per 
hour (2 cents). It will wash thor- 
oughly a tub-full of clothes in five 
minutes without damage to delicate 
fabrics. 

The introduction of the electric 
clothes washer vanishes for ever the 
dread of wash-day, the weekly incubus 
of so many housewives. It is so 
simple to use, so quick in its action, 

so thorough in the execution of its " ^^''y^^^'^^^' ^^ 

duty, so cleanly in its methods and 

so great an advance generally upon th,e old-fashioned wash- 
tub that no up-to-date household should be without one. There 
is another point which is worth mentioning. The large number of 
laundries which have sprung up within the last few years owe 
their prosperity to the dis- 
inclination of ladies to have 
their washing done at home. 
Under present conditions 
this is not perhaps remark- 
able, but with the electric 
clothes washer, followed up 
by the electric flat-iron, 
there is no reason why the 
domestic wash should not 
be a pleasure rather than 
a dread undertaking. With 
clothes properly washed at 
home, there is no risk of 
contamination, and the 
linen and damai-k, the 
underclothing and flannels, 
are less likely to becone 
damaged, home-washed Electric Ironing after Electric Washing. 



270 ELECTRIC . COOKING AND HEATING 

clothes being cleaner, whiter and sweeter than is the general 
experience with those returned frtim public laundries. 

Another pattern of domestic washing machine is that made by 
the Federal Sign System, 229, West 22d Street, New York, and 



When Traveling, take your Electric Iron with you. 

shown in my second illustration. It is mounted on castors, and 
occupies little space, while it can draw its supply of current 
from the nearest electric light pendant or wall socket. The 
miniature motor fixed underneath, drives both the cylindrical 
oscillating tub and the reversible wringer on top, the cost beii^ 
only Id, per hour or 2 cents. All gears and moving parts are 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 371 

protected by a metal shield ao that thwe ia no risk of accident. 
The " Federal " washer will do ifl two hours the washing which 
hitherto has required a whole day, and do it better and with 
less mess and fuss. 

Another combined electric washer and wringer of American 
origin is the " Apex," supplied by the Electric Shop, 33d Street, 
at Madison Avenue, New York. This ia made in sizes for domestic 
and commercial use, and washes by suction. It will wash per- 
fectly such articles as wrist and collar bands as well as the heavier 
flannels and linens, and while hard on dirt is easy on clothes. 
It does the washing and wringing simultaneously, so that by the 
time the last lot of clothes is 
being washed, those which have 
been through the machine are 
quite or nearly dry on the line. 
The " Apex " is of metal through- 
out, with no gearing to catch one's 
fingers or tear one's clothes. 

The Shannon Manufacturii^ 
Co., 124, Lexington Avenue, New 
York City, also make an excellent 
electric washer and wringer, for 
domestic and laundry use, two sizes 
and several patterns being listed. 

Ircming by Electricity. After 
the clothes have been washed, 
they need ironing, and my readers 

will bear me out when I state Ironing a Pleasure. 

that few domestic duties are more 

tiring or more^ exacting^ or invol ve worse dis comforts, pa rtic- 
ularly in the war m weather. It seems impossible to alter these 
conditions, yet those who have once tried electric irons have 
found by experience that they make ironing a pleasure rather 
than a drudgery, a nd that in the hottest weather the electric 
irpn may be used with comfort. 

It heats up quickly; it remains hot for as long as may be 
required; not too hot for any risk of scorching nor too cool to deal 
with very damp material; its polished working surface is always 



272 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

clean and bright; its handle never gets heated, so that no iron- 
holder is needed or any protection against bums; it can be used 
in the kitchen, on the sitting-room table, in the bedroom or in 
any place where there is an electric fitting; and it throws out 
no heat but on the work to be ironed. With the electric iron 
there is no risk ot iron-mould or dirty marks on the linen; there 



EDJoyable Minutes with an Electric Iron. 

is no delay while waiting for the iron to heat up or cool down, 
and no changing of one iron for another when the first becomes 
too cool for any good. Since it mwntains a steady heat all the 
time, ironing can go on without interruption and the work is 
finished quickly, while its uniform temperature means that the 
. whole of the work is done equally well. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 27a 

Because an iron is heated electrically, it does not follow 
that it is heavy. An electric iron for lace work may weigh only 
2^ or 3 lbs., but the average weight for domestic work is from 5 
to 6 lbs. As it has not to be lifted about, but merely slides 
over the work, it is easier to manage than an iron heated over the 
gas or coal fire, for with the latter it must be carried to and fro 
many times an hour between the ironing board and the stove. 
A heavy iron will do the work more quickly and satisfactorily 
than a light one, and if ladies would only experiment with a 
heavier iron than that to which they have been accustomed, they 
would be agreeably surprised at the result, and the absence of 
effort needed with an electric iron. 

Smoothing irons are made in scores of weights and patterns 
for every conceivable purpose, from the miniature silk-hat iron 
weighing but a few ounces to the power-driven skirt or goose iron 
for laundry work weighing upwards of 40 lbs. In laundries the 
shape of irons differs very materially from domestic practice, 
and few of my readers would recognise some of the patterns as 
being irons at all. For example, electrically heated " bolts *' 
and goffering irons are of tubular form with rounded ends, used 
for smoothing tucks and getting into corners, as well as for goffer- 
ing proper. Skirt ironers comprise electrically-heated cylinders, 
resembling wringing machines on a large scale, through which 
the skirts are passed, the drums being driven by an electric 
motor. 

As this book deals chiefly with domestic applications of 
electricity, I will merely illustrate one or two patterns of do- 
mestic irons, but my readers will appreciate that these are but a 
few out of the many types which can be bought at any electrical 
dealer's. 

The *' Eclipse '' domestic iron is intended for light duty 
and weighs but 3f lbs. It takes 350 watts, and costs, there- 
fore, just over one-third of a penny per hour to run, or less 
than a cent. It is nickel-plated all over, with large heat-insu- 
lated handle, comfortable to hold even for long periods. A 
spiral tube of steel wire projecting from the detachable china 
connecting block at the back, protects the flexible wire from 
damage and keeps it clear of the work. This and many other 






274 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

patterns of domestic and laundry 
irons are made by The Electric and 
Ordnance Accessories Co., Ltd. 

The " Simplex " flat iron weighs 
6 lbs., and takes 450 watts, the 
running cost being less than ^d. 

StapleTtlb. ton. ^ ■"""■ " 1 ««>*■ Thjs is a 

heavier iron, suitable for the aver- 
age class of ironii^, and it will deal with damp clothes without 
coolii^ down. It is fitted with a marble connector and short 
piece of flexible metallic tubii^, to protect the flexible wire and 
keep it out of the way. 

The British Prometheus Co., Birmit^ham, makes a laige 
range of domestic and laundry irons. The heating elements 
in Prometheus irons consist of thin fihns of an alloy of copper, 
gold and platinum on a mica base, which is practically indestruc- 
tible in normal service. In other makes of irons, the element 
is a fine nichrome wire wound specially over flat strips of 
mica laid close to, but insulated electrically from, the sole. 
Most irons are guaranteed for at least a year, but I have had 
irons in ctHistant use for 4 and 5 years which are still running 
satisfactorily with their original heating element. In time, of 
course, these elements will break down, and makers, recognising 
this, are now designing their irons so that a new element can 
quickly be inserted by any user, the sole piece being removed 
by taking out two or three screws, thus exposing the heating 
element. Renewals cost but a few pence. 

An excellent iron is the " Hot-point," made by Eastman & 
Wame, of Acton Vale, London. This is 
formed inside with a number of slots, into 
which the thin heating wires wound on fiat 
uralite strips, are inserted. This construc- 
tion distributes the heat evenly over the 
whole of the working surface, includ- 
ing the sharp point or nose, which 
with some electric iroas is apt to cool 
BritiBh " Hot-point " down quickly when the iron is used with 
Domestic Iron. ^.^^ clothes. With the " Hot-point " 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 275 




" Magnet " Electric Iron. 
(G. E. Co., Ei^land). 

iron, no such possibility exists. There are the G. E. C. irons, 
and others too many to mention here. 

In England, it is not customary to employ switches or heat 
regulators in conjunction with electric irons, but in America these 
are frequently met with, and have several advantages. DifEerent 
classes of material need varying degrees of heat, and although 
the conditions can be met by employing two or more irons with 
different loadings or current consumption, it is convenient to 
be able to run a single iron at varying temperatures and to control 
it by a switch mounted on the iron itself. 



Electric Irons in the Tailor's Shop. 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Electric Iron with Three-heat Regulation. 

An iron with three heats made by the Current Electric Co. 
Chicago, and weighs 7 lbs. Heat regulation is effected by vary- 
ing the position of the asbestos plug at the back, which makes 
contact with three pins connected inside to the heating element. 
The " high " or intense heat is intended for dealing with heavy 
damp work, the " medium " heat for average duty and the 
" mild " heat for ironing properly small and light articles. Other 
excellent irons on the American market include the " Simplex," 
made by the 'Simplex Electric Heating Co., Cambridge, Mass., 
with automatic regulator for cuttii^ down the current consump- 
tion when the iron is not in use, but is placed on its stand; the 
Universal, the " Hot-point," in the 3-Ib. domestic model, is 
guaranteed by the Hot-point Electric Heating Co., Chicago, 
for ten years; the " Lektrik " made by the Western Electric 
Co., New York; the G. E. iron of the General Electric Co., of 
America; and the " Acme," designed by the Acme Electric 
Heater Co., Detroit, Mich. The Western Electric Co., offers 
an iron which can abo be used for beating curling tongs or 
goffering irons. 

Prices of electric irons vary according to the weight and 
finish. In England, the cheapest iron is listed at 9/6, the 
average price for a 4 or 6-Ib. iron, nickel-plated, being 12/6. 
In America, a 3-lb. iron costs about $i, but if with heat regu- 
lation, the price may be as much as $8 to $10 for a 6-lb. 
domestic iron. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 277 

'' Prometheus Universal Voltage Iron. When a lady has once 
become used to the convenience of an electric iron, she is never 
content to put up with the dirt and trouble of a gas-heated iron, 
or one placed over the Idtchen range. 

When staying away from home, however, in a hotel, in 
apartments, or with friends, she is deprived of its use, although 
there are many little items of finery and of clothing which need 
the assistance of the iron while away from home. It is useless, 
as a rule, taking her own iron away with her, for as likely as not, 
the voltage or pressure of the electric light supplied at the various 
hotels or houses at which she stays, will differ from that at home, 
while even if this were not so, she deprives those left at home of 
one of their greatest comforts. To meet such conditions, the 
British Prometheus Co. has introduced an iron that may be used, 
by altering the position of the connecting block at the ba^^k, 
with any electric supply at volt^es between 100 and 250. The 
iron weighs about 3 lbs. and takes only 250 watts, costing, but 
\d. or .5 cent per hour to run. It is packed in a box complete with 
length of flexible cord and adapter for connecting to any lamp- 
holder, and is a most convenient addition to anyone's travel- 
ling kit. 



" Prometheus " Traveller'a Iron. 



278 



ELECTRIC COOKING ASD HEATING 




Coffee Grinding and Food Chopping by 
Electricity. Id households where a large 
quantity of coffee is used and where freshly- 
ground berries are appreciated, an electri- 
cally-driven coffee grinder is indispensable. 
The machine illustrated occupies little space, 
is most handsome in appearance, and yet 
will granulate 2 lbs. of coffee per minute 
or pulverise J lb, in the same time. It 
takes a }-h.p. motor, costing to run about 
.3d., or under 1 cent per lb. Larger or 
smaller machines are made, the pattern „ ^j . ^ " r « 
illustrated being of sufficient capacity -for Grinder, 

the largest residence, but too small for 
hotel or restaurants of any size. The second photograph shows 
a combined coffee-grinder and meat chopper. This fixes on to 
a bench or table and is driven by a ^-h.p, motor, costing less 
than a penny or two cents an hour to run. It will pulverize 
1 lb. of coffee per minute, or granulate 3 lbs. in the same time; 
and as a chopper, will mince 5 lbs. of meat per minute. 

Electric Coffee Roaster. There is more science in the prep- 
aration of coffee than the average householder is inclined to 
acknowledge— Coffee, to be tasted at perfection, should not 
only be freshly ground, but it should 
be freshly roasted also. As soon as 
the roasting process is completed, the 
coffee should be cooled as quickly 
as possible, and the roasted berries 
kept from contact with the air, and 
ground immediately before use. 
Roasted coffee berries soon deterio- 
rate, lose their flavour, and impart 
a bitter, taste to the decoction. 
Good fresh coffee is a digestive, but 
stale and bitter coffee is unpleasant 
and indigestible. Coffee can be pre- 
" Universal" Combined Coffee P^^ed m many ways, but by far the 
Grinder and Meat Chopper. best method is by the percolation pro- 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 279 

cess, and no one who has tasted the beverage poured out from a 
percolator will ever care for coffee made by any other method. The 
routing process is best carried out electrically, for the same advan- 
tages apply to coffee as to meat. Coffee berries subjected to close 
contact with gas flames naturally absorb some of the unpleasant 
and perhaps poisonous fumes which accompany gas combustion, 
whereas when roasted electrically the process is completed in a pure 
atmosphere of heated air. Coffee experts are unanimous in their 
opinion that electric v. gas roasting can only be compared with 
coffee made with cream or with milk. The accompanying illus- 
tration shows an electrically driven coffee roaster. It is driven 
by a one-sixth h.p. motor, which operates the drum at the correct 
roasting speed, and drives an exhauster-cooler for removing 
the dust from the roasted berries and reducing their temperature. 
The drum has a capacity of 7 lbs. of coffee, and will roast J cwt. 
of berries per hour. The heating unit is in the centre of the drmn, 
and is of the Pm'celi & Nobba immersion type, rated at 4.5 kw., 
and provided with heat regulation so as to give the required 
colour to the berries, and to adjust the roasting temperature. 



Electrically-heat«d and Driven Coffee Roaster. 



280 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

The cost of the operation is about 5 or 10 cents an.ihour ac 
full heat, including the current taken by the motor, but in 
practice the machine is only needed for a few minutes daily. 
This machine is intended for use in restaurants, hotels, and 
shops, but smaller sizes are made for domestic applications. 
The 1-lb. model is suitable for roasting any quantity from an 
ounce to a pound, the energy consumption for the latter quan- 
tity being only .25 unit. Subsequent charges, if roasted imme- 
diately afterwards, take less current still, the machine being 
already hot. Small machines are hand-driven, but are electrically 
heated, and a large tray is provided for cooling the berries. 

The Electric Dish and Plate Washer. Washing up is almost 
a continuous business in many households, and an unpleasant 
drudgery it is. There seems no end to the number of plates, 
dishes, cups and saucers, knives and silver articles which require 
cleaning during the day. Nowadays a mistress employing only 
one maid often has to do the washing up herself when without 
help, and no household duty is so distasteful. In a large estab- 
lishment the scullery-maid finds it as much as she can do to get 
through with the washing up between meals, even if this be her 
only work. It is possible, however, to wash up everything but 
saucepans and the like by the aid of an electric dish washer, 
and to do the work more quickly and thoroughly than by hand. 
Such a machine is here illustrated, although the pattern shown 
is larger than would be required in an ordinary household. 

The apparatus consists of two or three vessels, the first for 
washing in water at 100° F., the others for rinsing and sterihzing 
in hot water at 160-212° F. The perfect washing accompUshed 
by this system is due to the water being discharged from above 
at a very high speed over the dishes, which are firmly packed 
in a basket placed on a revolving bedplate. This water is 
filtered and forced over the dishes repeatedly with great speed, 
thoroughly washing them in half a minute. The same water can 
be need for two or three hours. All sorts of utensils can be 
washed: plates, knives, forks, spoons, silver, cups, glasses and 
dishes. 

The baskets are then rinsed in the hot clean water in the rins- 
ing-cisterns, which Hke the washing-cistern are provided with 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 281 

a lift arrangement which is very easily managed. The grease 
rinsed off in the hot water is skimmed off by a particularly effec- 
tive arrangement of a fanshaped water jet placed opposite a wide 
outlet. The motive power is provided by an electric motor, 
the beat for the water being obtained by means of electrical 
resistance elements or by a fire. 



" Comhitl " Plate and Dish Washer, Electrically Driven and Heated. 



282 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

The whole of the apparatus is manufactured from the strongest 
and most serviceable material and easily managed by one attend- 
ant. The cost of running is by no means great, but varies with 
the size of washer. If the water is heated electrically, the total 
cost works out at something like 2d. or 4 cents per hour. 

The Electric Maid-of-all-work. There are many operations 
in the kitchen involving a rotatory movement, such as knife 
cleaning, mincing, ice-making, cofTee grinding and the like. These 
and other machines may be driven effectively and cheaply by 
a small electric motor, the same motor being employed for all, 
suitable couplings being provided for connection to the shaft 
of the motor. In Ei^Iand such uni- 
versal duty-motors are not yet widely 
used, although they are most useful 
machines, and can be coupled to any 
standard makes of mincers, knife 
cleaners and so forth, so that it is 
not necessary to purchase new ones, 
but merely to adapt them for electric 
driving. The motor can also be used 
to drive a vacuum cleaner and is 
sufficiently light to be* carried about 
to rooms where its services may be 
needed. In America, the idea has 
been carried a step farther, and several 
utensils, together with the motor for driving them, are arranged 
permanently on a stand mounted on castors so that it can be 
■wheeled about and put away when not required. It will do mix- 
ing work, meat mincing, ice making, grinding, egg beating, slicing 
and many other duties, while it will drive a boot polisher, knife 
machine, polisher for silver goods and similar devices. The table 
measures 18"X26" and all metal parts are heavily nickel-plated. 
Its use not only saves time but results in better work carried out 
under really sanitary conditions. The maker of the machine I 
illustrate, which costs about Jd, an hour to run (.5 cent), is the 
Federal Sign System of New York. The motor and all the 
appliances fold into the table when not required leaving a 
handy table for other work. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTKICAL ACCESSORIES 283 

Boot-cleaaing b; Electrici^. In a large household an electric 
boot cleaner, similar to that illustrated or driven by a motor 
which is available for other purposes, will save the work of one 
or two pereoDB, enabUng a large number of boots to be dealt with 




Simplex " Boot Cleaner. 



in a very short space of time. There are 2 circular brushes, one 
at each end of the motor spindle, for removing the dirt and for 
polishii^ respectively, the blacking being put on by hand or by 
means of a third brush, which can be screwed on the spindle 
in place of one of those provided. 



Hotel BootKjleaning Machine. (G. E. Co., England). 

Knife Cleaning by Electricity. Any rotary knife machine 
can be adapted for electric driving, but in large hou-seholds, in 
restaurants, hotels and similar establishments, it pays to instal 
a self-contained electric knife machine. There are many makes 
on the market, the one most frequently met with being supplied 



284 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

by Messrs. Kent of High Holbom, London. It is driven by a 
small electric motor, and costs only about Jd. of .5 cent per hour to 
run. Smaller machines for a fewer number of knives are made 
by Messrs. Kent, as well as larger ones for restaurant purposes. 
These machines save time and preserve the knives, while they 
clean at one operation, not only the blade, but the back and shoul- 
ders. In the lai^er machines, automatic control ia provided, so 
that when the knives have been inserted, and the motor started, 
no further attention is needed, the macbine stopping after a certain 
number of revolutions have been made. This ensures effective 



Knit'e Electrically-driven Knife Machine. 

cleaning without risk of overheating the steel blades or damaging 
the machine through neglect to stop it. Needless to say, the 
electric knife polisher does its work far more quickly than is 
possible by hand. Another useful form has rubber wheels 
for cleaning, and a wheel for sharpening; the knives being 
put in while the machine is running. This is also used for clean- 
ing silver, etc. 

Polishing Silver Goods. Those who possess a large quantity 
of silver plate appreciate the work entailed in keeping it clean. 
In restaurants and hotels the problem is a much more serious one, 
of course, for guests insist upon the use of silver or plated vessels 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 285 

and these must always be bright and shining. To clean them 
by hand entails continuous work for two or three employees, 
and an electric polisher saves much labour, and of equal impor- 
tance, removes less silver in the cleaning process. An electric 
polisher occupies Httle space, takes but a small motor to drive 
it, and costs only a fraction of a penny per hour when in opera^ 
tion. The pattern I illustrate is suitable for the largest residence 
or for small restaurants and hotels. 

Electric Potato Peelers. Except in the largest households 
there are not sufficient potatoes used to justify the adoption of 
an electric potato-peeler, but in lai^e establishments and in 



Cleaning and Polishing Machine, for Knivea, Forks and Silver. (G. E. C. 

of England.) 

restaurants, such a device is particularly useful, and not only 
saves much time, but peels the potatoes with less waste than is 
usually the case with hand peeling. The potatoes are placed 
in the machine just as they are bought, and when the motor is 
started, they are subjected to a scraping action by means of 
rotating roughened surfaces, and this removes every particle 
of skin without wasting the potato itself. It is not possible 
to get out the " eyes " in this or in any other mechanical way, 
but it is simple enough to remove them by hand with a special 
tool made for the purpose. I illustrate a potato peeler suitable 
for the largest households or for small hotels, the driving agency 



286 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

being a 1-h.p. motor, costing little more than }cl. or .5 cent per 
hour to run. This machine will peel 50 lbs. of potatoes in a few 



" Comhill " Eleelrio Potato Peeler. 

minutes, and it is not therefore needed for long periods, unless, 
as in a restaurant, meals have to be served continuously through- 
out the day. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 287 

Ice-makmg and RefrigeratioiL. In America every house- 
hold has its freezer for making ice-cream or for producing ice 
to keep food cool, and prevent milk and other liquids from deteri- 
oration. In Ei^land the weather is seldom hot enough for 
many days together, to justify, in the opinion of most house- 
wives, the expense of a refrigerating outfit. Yet food preserva- 
tion and the making of coohng drinks cannot be done effectively 
or at small cost if ice has to be bought every day in the Summer, 
nor is the latter method satisfactorily. A small ice-making 
plant can be boi^t for a few pounds and will prove extremely 
useful, while in the smaller households a freezing machine, elec- 



" Federal " Domestic Freezing Machine. 

trically driven, will save much work when ice-cream is required 
during the Summer. The machine illustrated has a capacity 
of 3 quarts of ice-cream, and costs fd. or 1.5 cents an hour when 
in operation, although it is seldom wanted for more than half- 
an-hour at a time. A larger equipment is supplied for ice-making 
and is suitable for a large house or small hotel. 

Electric Glue Pots and Sealing-wax Heaters. Although not 
to every day requirement in the house, the electric glue pot is 
a most useful device. In the amateur workshop, it is invaluable 
for picture framing, cabinet work and any class of woodwork, 



288 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

while for repairing all sorts of household 
utensils, furniture and the like, there ie 
nothii^ so convenient or so reliable. It 
will heat the glue without risk of burning, 
the glue is always at the right consistency, 
and it can be left with the current on 
indefinitely without damaging the contents 
or the vessel itself. Although many electric 
glue pots have an outer vessel containing 
water, a jacketed utensil is not really 
necessary, for the heating effect is so steady 

that there cannot possibly be any undue 

Electric Glue Pot. ri^^ '** temperature. If the vessel be of 

aluminium the glue will not adhere to the 
sides, so that there is no waste, and even- if current be left on 
so that the glue cakes into a solid lump, the addition of water 
will restore it to its original condition. Three heats are usually 
provided, full heat for melting the glue quickly, and the lower 
heats for maintaining the liquid at the correct temperature. 
The cost of operation is less than Id. or 2 cents for a couple of 
hours at full heat, and much less at the lower heats. 

Sealing-wax heaters are not perhaps of use in every house- 
hold, but they are most convenient for sealing up parcels and 
for other purposes. They are automatic in action, so that there 
is no waste of the wax, and they are absolutely free from fire 
risk, an advantage pos- 
sessed by no other form 
of heater. In view of the 
darker of the gas-heated 
sealii^-wax melter, its 
use is, I understand, pro- 
hibited in some factories 
in England. Many fires 
have been caused in this 
manner, particularly in 
places where celluloid 
and similarly inflamma- 
Electric Glue Pot. (G. E. Co., .\iJierioa). ble materials are used. 



SOME DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES 289 

The amateur woodworker need not be afraid of using an electric 
glue-pot or sealing-wax heater in his workshop, even if they be 
surrounded with shavings. The illustrations show one or two 
varieties of glue-pots and sealing-wax melters which are on the 
Enghsh and American markets. 

Electric Soldering Irons. Another useful accessory for the 
amateur mechanic and for general domestic repair work is the 
electric soldering iron. Electrically heated tools pt'esent many 
advantages over older types of stove- or gas-heated devices, the 
greatest of which lies in an increased output combined with a 
saving in labour. No time is lost due to changing irons, for the 




Electric Soldering Iroo, (G. E. Co., America) 

heating is continuous and uniform, and the tool is always at the 
critical temperature necessary for quick and perfect soldering, 
branding or burning. Consequently the user's time is saved, 
and the work is done both more quickly and with greater satis- 
faction. An advantage peculiar to the electric iron is that it 
can be used out-of-doors, since it cannot be affected by draughts 
or wind, as in the case with gas or spirit-heated irons. The cost 
of operation is but ^d. or 1 cent per hour, the cost of each job 
being but a fraction of this, for the iron heats up in a few moments, 
and is seldom needed for many minutes at a time. I show a 
typical iron for domestic use made by the General Electric Com- 
pany in America. 



u 



1 



WHAT ELECTRICITY CAN DO 

Some Special Heat Applications of Electricity for 

Industrial Uses 

Glove drying for shipment. 
Rubber t>Te making for omnibuses, etc. 
Leather tanneries. 

Mosquito incubator for plague research. 
Poultry incubators. 

Lacquer and drying ovens and tables for G. P. O. 
Brass washing tanks and sawdust dryers. 
Manure concentrators for oil refining and manufacture. 
Glass drying tables. 

Electric hot-air hydro-extractors for drying plated metalware. 
Humidifying apparatus. 
Drying ovens and Cabinets for laboratories. 
Cinematograph film drying apparatus. 
Stills for chemists, etc. 
Autoclaves and sterilisers for hospitals. 

Apparatus for water analysis and research on distilled water. 
Drying apparatus for chemical powders, pill and tabloid 
making. 

Drying ovens for chemical laboratories. 

Hot sand bath for chemical laboratories. 

Water ovens for chemical laboratories. 

Embedding baths. 

Rectifying apparatus for alcohol, ether. 

Tobacco condition and toasting tables and press. 

Gold blocking press. 

Branding irons. 

Tempering, annealing and hardening furnace. 

Combined hot air engine and pump. 

Glue pots and composition melters. 

Printing machine ink heaters. 

Roller drying room apparatus. 

Wax heaters. 

Dental plate dryers. 

Japanning ovens. 

290 



' Three Years' Experience in Cooking and Heating in an AU- 
Electric Home with Example of Monthly Cooking Costs. The 
old saying that the proof of the pudding is in the eating stands 
good for experiences in Electric Cooking, and the use of Elec- 
tricity for Domestic purposes. I am able to ^ve details of the 
actual experience of a householder who has been enjoying the 
advantages of Electricity for Cooking, Heating and other domestic 
purposes for the past 3 years. 

The house is typical of those met with in any English suburb. 
It is rented at £60 (S300} per annum, exclusive of rates and taxes, 
and contains ten rooms, the largest measurmg 18'X14', those 
on the ground floor being 10' 2" high and those on the upper 
floor 9' 6". The illustrations give a good idea of the appearance 
of the house from the outside and one or two of the rooms. 
Electricity is supplied by an Electric Light Co. at 200 volts, 
alternating, and costs 6d. (12 cents) per unit for light and Ijd. 
(3 cents) for heating and cooking. These admittedly are heavy 
prices, but for family reasons, the householder in question pre- 
ferred to live in the neighbourhood, and it is, therefore, the more 
remarkable that he has found it practicable to do everything 
electrically throughout the house. All the lighting, heatii^, 
cooking, hot-water supply, cleaning and so forth are carried out 
electrically, and no trouble was experienced from the first, except 
with a few of the early types of apparatus employed, for it must 
be remembered that in ,1909, when the house was first occupied, 
very little had been done anywhere in the way of electric cooking 

291 



292 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

for an entire household. The household comprised 6 persons, 
with an average number of casual guests. 

No coal or gas has been used in the house since 1909, and 
electricity has been depended upon for every operation for which 
it can readily be adapted. Electricity is used for all cookii^, 
from boiling an e^ or makir^ a piece of toast to the Christmas 
dinner. 

At the time the house was taken there were few electric ovens 
available, the two best known being the "Silundum" oven of 
the British Prometheus Co., and the domestic type of the General 
Electric Co., of England. The " Silundmn " oven was decided 
upon, and was used continuously for several months, but trouble 
developed with the heating elements, which were not uniform in 
resistance, of a fragile nature, and liable to fracture at small 
provocation.. The ' Silundum" oven was of the cast-iron type, 
heavily l£^ged, without grill or hot plate, the elements beii^ rated 
at 2,000 watts when at full heat and 1,000 watts at low heat. 



a in the Electric Home. All the apparatus shown is heated 
electrically. 



ELECTRIC HOMES 293 

the runnii^ costs being, therefore, 2d. or 4 cents and Id. or 2 
cents per hour respectively. As the attempts of the manufac- 
turers to improve the elements did not succeed it was discarded 
in favour of the "Bastian" light metal pattern as illustrated on 
an earlier page, and this was much more successful. 

The elements are rated at 1500 watts when at full heat and 
at 750 watts at low heat, costing 1.5d. or 3 cents and .75d. or 
1.5 cents per hour to run. The oven is quite small, and intended 



Bedroom in the Electric Home. 

for modest requirements, but it will accommodate easily a 6-Ib, 
joint with a pudding as well. The early type of " Bastian " oven 
used gave trouble on several occasions through breakage of the 
wire-heatii^ element at the points where it was clamped to the 
terminals on the frame. This design was improved in later models, 
and one of these ovens is still in use, giving every s&tisfaction. 
The oven heats up quickly and responds rapidly to changes in 
the temperature control; while the red glowing spirals in their 
quartz tubes give out a large proportion of radiant heat, which is 
required for some cooking processes and for browning pastry. 



294 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

When the makers of the " Tricity '' cooker introduced their 
light portable oven, my friend bought one and found it a most 
valuable adjunct to the " Tricity " system, which in its original 
form he had used from the first. Having the ^'Bastian" and 
'* Tricity " ovens available he was practically independent of 
breakdowns, since it was unlikely that both would fail at the 
same time, and indeed this never occurred. 

The " Tricity " cooker has been found to be most satisfac- 
tory in use. It has been worked under very severe conditions 
and on many occasions has been run continuously for 12 to 15 
hours, for several consecutive days. Trouble has arisen, prin- 
cipally in the conductors carried within the flexible metallic 
tubing attached to the extension cookers, but since the makers 
adopted improved methods of insulating and protecting these 
wires, the trouble has not recurred, and the oven and hot plates 
are working every day of the week. No difficulty has been foimd 
in keeping the oven bright and clean, and notwithstanding its 
light construction, it has proved quite equal to the heavy demands 
made upon it and the somewhat rough usage to which any kitchen 
device is subjected. 

The kitchen equipment comprised the two ovens mentioned, an 
additional " Tricity '* hot plate and extension cooker, a *' Phoenix" 
grill and water heater; several self-contained kettles and sauce- 
pans by the Prometheus and Eclipse Companies; '' Ferranti " and 
** Eclipse" breakfast cookers, porringer, and other accessories. 
In order to secure accurate data as to cooking costs, as apart 
from heating, lighting and hot-water supply, a separate cooking 
circuit and meter were installed, and every day a reading was 
taken so as to note the daily consumption of current for cook- 
ing purposes. Separate meters also were installed for lighting 
and heating, and weekly readings taken for the purpose of com- 
parison and checking the use of energy. 

I will now give two examples of figures supplied by my friend 
of the many simple English dinners cooked, showing actual results 
in practice and the cost of electric cooking at home. 



ELECTRIC HOMES 



295 



DINNER A 



Joint 
Yorkshire 
pudding 



Weight of joint (beef) uncooked =5 lbs. 6 ozs. 
Weight of joint (beef) cooked =4 lbs. 14 ozs. 

Watt-hra. 

Oven at full heat (1,600 watts) from 11.00 to 12.10 p.m . . 1866 
Oven at low heat (400 watts) from 12.10 to 12.55 p.m 300 



pudding ) ^^®° *^ ^^^ ^®^* (1,600 watts) from 12.55 to 1 .45 p.m . . . 1333 

Total 3,499 



Vegetables 
(potatoes 



Hot plate at full heat (800 watts) from 11.30 to 12.10 
p.m. 



533 



and greens) J Hot plate at low heat (200 watts) from 12.10 to 1.45 p.m. 316 

Total 849 



Total energy consumption for dinner = 4,348 watt hrs. or 
4.3 units. 



The cost of cooking this simple dinner works out at Id. per 
unit to 4.3d. or 8.6 cents, and the loss of weight in the meat cooked 
was 10.7% of its original bulk. 

DINNER? B gave the following results: 

Weight of joint (leg of mutton) uncooked = 5 lbs. 4 ozs. 
Weight of joint (leg of mutton) cooked =4 lbs. 13 ozs. 

Watt-hrs. 

Oven at full heat (1,6(X) watts) from 10.55 a.m. to 11.55 

a.m 1600 

Oven at low heat (4(X) watts) from 11.55 a.m. to 12.45 

p.m 333 

Oven (bottom heat at full (800 watts) from 12.45 p.m. 

to 1.30 p.m) 600 

Oven (top heat at low (200 watts) from 12.45 p.m. 

to 1.30 p.m.) 150 

Hot plates at full heat (800 watts) from 11.45 to 12.25 

p.m 533 

Hot plate at low heat (200 watts) from 12.25 to 1 .30 p.m. 217 



Joint 

and 

two 

puddings 



Vegetables 

(potatoes 

and sprouts) 



Total (3.4) units 3,433 



The cost of cooking this meal works out at 3.4d. or 6.8 cents. 

In addition, it was the usual practice to prepare sauces in 
a casserole over the inverted top of the extension cooker giving 
top heat to the oven, without using any further current, the water 
being first boiled on the hot plate inside the oven before the 
joint was put in. When the vegetables were taken off, the hot 



296 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



plate was used to warm water for washing-up, by using its residual 
heat, no extra current being used. The cost of cooking these 
meals at Id. per unit was but 3^ to 4|d. or 7 to 9 cents, figures 
which will bear very favourable comparison with the cost of any 
other method of cooking for similar meals. 

It will be seen that in the second example the loss of weight 
was only a little over 8%, but in many other test examples the 
loss has been reduced to 5 or 6% only. 

I am able to give an extract from my friend's log-book showing 
the daily consumption of current for a month for cooking. These 
figures are representative of those secured throughout the whole 
3 years under review. 



DAILY METER READINGS 
Showing Current Used for Cooking 



Date. 



1911 
November 1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 



Units 
Used. 



5 

4.5 

5 

6 

8 

4 

5 

5 

6 

5.5 



Date. 


Units 
Used. 


1911 






November 11 


5.5 




12 


6 




13 


5.5 




14 


5 




15 


6 




16 


5.5 




17 


6 




18 


5.5 




19 


7.5 




20 


7.5 



Date. 



1911 

November 21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
.29 
30 



It 
ft 
(( 
ft 
« 
it 
(( 
tt 



Units 
Used. 



8 

6 

6 

6.5 

8.5 

4.5 

6.5 

7.5 

5 

6.5 



From the above table it will be seen that during a complete 
month in the winter the cooking for the household of 6 persons 
was responsible for the consumption of 129 units, costing 14/1 Id., 
or $3.80 The average . daily consumption works out at 5.96 
units, costing 5.9d. or 11.8 cents. 

All the hot water for baths, for the domestic '* wash " and 
much for washing-up, is furnished by a " Therol " water heater 
placed in the bathroom. This takes 200 watts and is continu- 
ously in circuit day and night, so that during a year it absorbs 
1,747 units, costing just over £7 or $35. This is by no means 
excessive when it is remembered that every day either some 



ELECTRIC HOMES 297 

30 gallons of hot water can be drawn out, or 9 gallons of boiling 
water or practically an unlimited amount of warm water. In 
practice this is sufficient for an average of 1 hot bath every day 
and for all the hot water needed in the house. Three hot baths 
can be obtained in succession, but this exhausts the heater and 
several hours must elapse before it can again deUver any large 
quantity of hot water. 

As a matter of fact it was never found that the demand for 
hot water exceeded the capacity of the heater, and only on one 
or two occasions did the temperature of the water fall below 
that needed, and then only by reason of an abnormal drain on 
it previously. 

The great advantage of this type of heater is that tepid, 
hot or boiling water can be drawn off in large quantities at any 
moment, day or night, simply by turning the tap. No switch 
has to be operated, and no attention is required. The heater 
has been running for 4 years and still works with its original 
heating element; trouble was at first experienced owing to the 
water coil inside becoming choked with lime due to the " hard " 
water supplied. This trouble was overcome by a change in 
design of the internal piping and has not since occurred. 

For rapid tea-making a " Fuller " Geyser is employed. This 
is a neat device placed over the sink in the scullery, and giving 
sufficient boiling water for a pot of tea within 5 seconds of turning 
on the tap. It is wonderfully convenient to be able at a few 
seconds' notice to serve a cup of tea or coffee, freshly made with 
water actually boiling as it falls upon the tea leaves or coffee. 
Throughout the three years this geyser never failed once, in spite 
of the " hardness " of the water supplied, but could always be 
depended upon to furnish any desired quantity of hot or boiling 
water at the rate of half a gallon per minute. 

Turning to the heating question, all the rooms have been 
warmed by electric radiators, convectors, or radio-convectors, 
and in spite of severe weather conditions, no trouble has been 
experienced in maintaining an agreeable and comfortable tem- 
perature. Even the hall, landings and stairs were warmed, the 
temperature never being permitted to fall below 50° F. during 
the day. The living rooms were kept at about 60® F. and the bed- 



298 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

rooms at 55° F. The heaters employed include luminous radiators 
by the Dowsing Company, Electric & Ordnance Co., and Siemens. 
Convectors by the British Prometheus Co. and Electric & 
Ordnance Co., and radio-convectors by Ferranti & Bastian. 
Both the latter employ quartz glass, and both glow with a 
bright cheerful red. They are powerful heaters, and make 
effective substitutes for a coal fire. 

Tests of the heating were taken during the coldest days, with 
strong easterly winds, no sun, and an outside temperature of 34** F. 

The Electrical energy needed to maintain the inside tempera- 
ture at an average of 61° was for room of 1,300 cubic feet, 750 
watts; another of 2,750 cubic feet, 1,000 watts; a third of 2,500 
cubic feet, 1,000 watts; and af ourth of 2,200 cubic feet, 900 
watts. The saving in labour, dirt and dust, and the maintenance 
of a pure atmosphere, were worth all the extra cost over coal, 
which was then obtainable at 27/ — per ton. 

As regards cleaning, two electric vacuum, cleaners, have 
been in constant use, a light portable type similar to the " Magic " 
(referred to under the heading of Electric Cleaning), and a 
cabinet type similar to others described there also. It is so simple 
to keep the house, furniture, curtains and upholstery free from 
dust by the aid of the electric suction cleaner, which any lady 
can use, and my friend's wife regarded " sweeping " and " dust- 
ing " as pastimes. 

Among other accessories in daily use are toasters; chafing 
dish, coffee percolator; hot-water jugs; bed-warmers; cigar 
lighter, switches for turning down the lamps; electric lock for 
the front door operated from any room; telephones from room 
to room; electric clocks in every room controlled by a master 
pendulum in the hall; egg boilers; electric ventilating fans for 
summer use; hair dryer; goffering iron heater; kettle for the 
morning cup of tea upstairs; food warmer for baby's meals at 
night; electrically driven sewing machine; electric glue pot; 
electric soldering iron; portable electric lamps; electric cycle 
lamp, hot plates for keeping food and plates warm; transformer 
for ringing the house bells without a battery; hat pad for ironing 
silk hats; and a host of other useful novelties which make so 
great a difference to the conveniences and pleasures of life. 



ELECTRIC HOMES 299 

One servant can easily do the work in this ten-roomed house, 
and has an easy place. The decorations, paint-work and ceilings 
are as clean to-day as in 1909, and will need no attention for 
another year or so. The wall papers have not faded; the curtains 
do not rot; the carpets retain their pile and colouring longer; 
the picture frames do not become discoloured and the picture 
hooks and curtain hooks never turn green or corrode, as they do 
where gas is used, while plants thrive in the electric atmosphere. 

An Electric home is a happy one because so many of the 
domestic cares are removed and more healthy conditions exist. 

The heating, cooking and cleaning in the homes of the future 
mustj therefore, follow the footsteps of Electric Lighting. Gas 
Companies will try and " belittle " the many advantages, others 
will say that the time is not ripe for it, and that their servants 
or housewives will not be able to understand its use. To all these 
I say Test it, ' Get your Electrical Supply Engineer to put in 
a small cooker and heater on trial, with a separate power circuit 
and meter, so that you can check the cost, and I do not fear the 
result. The gas and coal apparatus supplier will try and put 
upon the market more economical and hygienic appliances, but 
they will never keep out the dirt and dust or give such a healthy 
atmosphere as electricity. I know many houses and flats where 
the saving of decorations alone has paid the cost of the lighting 
bill, and in many cases the home would have been saved upset 
and expense for another year at least had it not been for the 
dirt on the walls caused by the use of coal and gas. In large 
blocks where the warming is done by steam from a central heater 
the steam radiators will be reduced to very small dimensions for 
use during the coldest weather to maintain a temperature of 50 and 
55° F., the Electric heater being used in individual cases where 
higher temperature is required in any room. This will mean 
much healthier conditions in the flats and offices both in England 
and America, where the rooms are often raised to an unhealthy 
degree, causing colds, drowsiness, catarrh, and many other of 
the ailments of City life. 

Other Examples of Electric Homes. An example among 
large English private houses equipped with electric cooking 
apparatus is that of Alderman J. P. Smith of Barrow-in-Furness, 



300 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

which has been fitted with 5 single " Tricity " cookers, two 
extension cookers, and two large ovens with plate-warming 
hood above. There are also two other single cookers for use 
with water urns. A complete range of special utensils for use 
with the " Tricity " cookers has been installed, comprising 
kettles, steamers, ham and fish kettles, vegetable boilers and 
so forth. The average consumption per day for a household 
of 5 adults works out in this case at 8 units, so that the total 
cost for cooking amounts only to 4/8, or just over a dollar, per 
week, a very moderate figure for the amount of cooking carried 
out. 

Another example of an all-electric home in England is that 
of Mr. H. Purle, 26, Gerard Road, Barnes, S.W. Mr. Purle has 
run his house on electrical lines for 3 years or more. Most of the 
apparatus is of the self-contained type consisting of oven, 
a large number of kettles, saucepans, stew-pans, frypans, toasters 
and the like; convectors for heating the various rooms; electric 
geysers over the sink in the scullery and the bathroom basin; 
a powerful heater for warming the bath and washing-up wate^; 
an electrically driven wringing machine; an electrically heated 
copper for washing clothes; electric fan for drying clothes; irons 
and many other useful appliances for domestic comfort. The 
cost works out less than that previously involved with gas and 
coal, with much greater convenience, cleanliness and simplicity. 
The annual cost of electricity for lighting, heating and cooking 
is about £12.10.0. 




SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 

Ampere. This is the unit of current, and is named after 
Ampere, a famous French investigator in electrical science. 
Taking water as an analog}'', there are two factors to be con- 
sidered. There is pressure and there is quantity. Pressure is 
expressed electrically by volts ; quantity on the other hand, is 
measured by amperes, its equivalent in moving water being 
gallons. 

Broiler. See Grill. 

Circuit means the path through which electrical energy waves 
or travels out and home again. No wave or flow of current can 
take place unless the conducting medium is continuous through- 
out. The conducting insulated wires form part of the circuit, 
which is completed by the filament inside a lamp, the heating 
element in a cooker, or the windings of a motor. Usually it is 
broken in 2 places, once at the switch and once at the fuse- or 
cut-out (described elsewhere). These breaks in the circuit 
may be on one wire only, i.e., the wire leading to the apparatus, 
or both on this and on the return wire. If the switch is turned 
off, or the fuse removed or *' blown," no current can possibly 
pass through the circuit, and the wires or any interior portion of 
the apparatus connected in that circuit may be handled with 
impunity. A circuit is completed when the slightest contact, 
— even only a pin's point — is made between the conductors, 
but heat will be generated if the surface contact, or the con- 
ducting material, is not adequate for the current flowing. 

Circuits in Parallel. Lamps or other apparatus are said to be 
in parallel when they are connected across both the wires of the 
supply mains, each lamp being joined up independently, and 
receiving the full pressure of the circuit. The removal of one lamp 
from a fitting so connected does not affect the remainder, every 
lamp being independent of the others. This system of parallel 

301 



302 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

working is adopted almost exclusively in lighting practice, and 
most heating elements, radiator lamps and other devices are 
nowadays designed to work at the full pressure of the circuit, 
which may be anything up to 250 volts. The elements are thus 
self-controlled and operate independently, the failure of one 
not affecting the others. Such elements, as mentioned previously 
may, however, be joined up two or more in series, but this is only 
to allow for heat regulation, a convenient arrangement which 
is frequently adopted. 

Circuits in Series. Lamps, elements or other resistances con- 
nected in series are arranged so that the current passes first through 
one, then to the second, and so on, the lamps forming, as it were, a 
chain. If one lamp be removed, the whole of those lamps, etc., 
connected in series go out, because one link in the chain is missing. 
When connected in series, each lamp or other device receives 
only a portion of the full pressure (voltage) of the supply mains, 
the amount being proportionate to the resistance of the individual 
lamps, etc. Thus if 4 lamps rated at 50 volts were connected 
in series on a 200-volt circuit, and the resistance of each was 
identical, they would all glow brightly, just as if they were con- 
nected separately to a 50-volt circuit. If, however, 4 lamps 
of similar candle-power, intended for single burning on a 200- 
volt circuit, were connected in series, each lamp would only receive 
50 volts, and would consequently bum at a dull red. Cooking 
and heating elements, intended to take the full voltage of the 
supply mains, are often connected two in series, in order that they 
shall receive only half the pressure, and consequently give out 
only half the heat which they would produce at the full voltage. 
Series connection is thus used practically for heat regulation 
and is a convenient and efficient system. Under a hot plate 
two elements may be connected either singly or in series accord- 
ing to the heat required on the working surface, and when they 
are in series each gives half its full heat, but the heat is evenly 
distributed all over the surface of the plate, since the whole of 
the elements are running, though at a lower temperature. Three 
degrees of heat can be obtained in this way with 2 elements, 
which may be connected (1) singly across the full pressure of the 



SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 303 

supply mains (half heat) ; (2) two in parallel across the full volt- 
age (full heat); or (3) two in series (J heat). These degrees of 
heat variation give everything which is required in practice. 

Circuits of D.C. or Direct Current. There are two systems 
of electrical supply, by direct or continuous current, written D.C. 
for short, and by alternating current, written A.C. It is a matter 
of indifference to the consumer whether he be supplied with one 
or the other, since either will carry out all the work he requires 
with equal convenience, the same cost and identical results. It is 
not within the scope of this book to enter into the reasons for 
giving the two systems; they are based upon local conditions 
and depend principally upon considerations of economical trans- 
mission. Direct current is a wave or flow of electrical energy 
continuously in one direction so long as a circuit is closed. That 
is to say, briefly, the current enters the house by wire Aj passes 
through the house wires, lights up the lamps or heats the 
cookers, etc., and returns to the generating station by the 
second wire B. 

Circuits of A.C. or Alternating Current. On the other hand, 
alternating current is an intermittent supply, altering in direction 
many times every second. An impulse or current is first sent 
through wire A as before, through the house wires and back again, 
the whole operation taking perhaps one-fiftieth part of a second. 
For an instant there is no current passing. Then a current is sent 
in the opposite direction, entering through wire B, passing back- 
wards through the house wiring, lamps, and cookers, and return- 
ing through wire A. Another brief pause ensues, and the opera- 
tion is repeated. The rapidity of the alternations is so great 
that the lamps appear exactly as they do with a continuous cur- 
rent supply, the filaments glow steadily all the time. They 
have no time to cool after one impulse has ceased before they 
are heated again by an impulse in the opposite direction, and the 
same thing happens in the case of the heating elements -on cookers. 
If the alternations were much slower it would be possible to see 
the lamp filament first glow brightly then become dull and again 
brighter, but in practice there is no perceptible variation in the 
light. 

Cut-out. See Fuse. 



304 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

Earthing. Reference has already been made to the advantage 
of " earthing " portable apparatus such as cookers. A con- 
nection to earth may be made by running a naked wire from the 
device needing it, to the nearest water pipe, or to the steel tubing 
laid throughout the house for the electric light and cooking supply, 
provided this tubing itself is electrically continuous, i.e., that 
every length is connected firmly by screwing or otherwise to its 
neighbours. If the wiring has been carried out in what is known 
as " slip-joint '' conduit, this is not the case, and the conduit is 
useless for providing an ** earth " connection, but the wiring 
installed for cooking circuits is usually enclosed in screwed tub- 
ing, which provides an excellent means for earthing, since it is 
in direct metallic contact at all points with the armouring around 
the Supply Company's mains in the ground, or has been con- 
nected by the wiremen to a convenient water pipe. When appara- 
tus has been properly " earthed," it cannot become " alive '' or 
charged with electricity, and cannot transmit a shock to the user 
in any circumstances. If a leakage of current should take place 
owing to a fault somewhere in the cooker or its connections, the 
earthing wire carries the current which may thus pass, harmlessly 
away to the earth. If the leakage is of any magnitude it may 
even cause one or both of the cut-outs on that particular circuit 
to " blow," but this is the worst that can happen, and no danger 
can possibly exist where the cooker is properly earthed. In 
practice the contractor putting the cooker in position would 
naturally earth it at the time, but it is well to ascertain that this 
precaution has not been neglected. 

Electromotive Force. See Volts. 

Electrical Energy. See Watts. 

Element. See Heating Elements. 

Flexible. This is the term given to the silk, cotton or metal- 
covered flexible conductors which connect the supply wires to 
portable apparatus. It has usually two conductors formed of 
many fine copper threads braided together to give flexibility, 
and its size varies according to the amount of current it is intended 
to carry. Thus for a single pendant lamp or portable table light, 
it is quite small and covered outside the insulating rubber with 
fancy-coloured cotton or silk. For use with cookers or apparatus 



SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 305 

taking heavier currents, it is stouter and better protected from 
mechanical injury, the larger sizes often being armoured with 
braided rubber, braided copper or steel, or with flexible metallic 
tubing such as is used to convey gas to a ring or fire. When a 
metallic armouring is employed, this covering is connected both 
to the frame of the cooker and to the steel tubes in which the 
permanent wires are laid. If a metallic armouring is not used, 
the flexible wire usually has a third conductor which is used for 
the purpose of '* earthing " the cooker as it is called, i.e., connecting 
its frame to ** earth '' through the steel conduit laid carried in the 
house, which in turn is connected to the lead armouring sur- 
rounding the supply company's mains buried in the ground 
outside. For use with armoured twin flexibles or three-conduc- 
tor unarmoured wires, special 3-pin plugs are provided, which 
fit into sockets on the wall or control panel, the third or " earth- 
ing " pin being made larger in diameter than the two used for 
carrying the current in order that the user may not reverse the 
position of the pins when inserting the plug. 

Fuse or Cut-out. This is a form of safety-valve inserted at 
a convenient point or at several points in a circuit. The connec- 
tions are usually mounted on china, with a detachable china lid 
or cover. Between the terminal pieces connecting the circuit 
wires there is a thin strip of tin, lead or other alloy. If, from any 
cause, more current passes through the circuit than it is intended 
to carry, this piece of metal, being of smaller sectional area than 
the remaining portions of the circuit and melting at a compar- 
atively low temperature, becomes unable to carry the additional 
load without overheating, and the piece consequently " blows," 
fuses or melts, thus breaking the circuit and stopping altogether 
the flow of current through it. If no fuse were there to protect 
the circuit, and an excessive current were permitted continuously 
to pass through it, the conducting wires themselves might become 
heated and ultimately set fire to the insulating material surround- 
ing them. Anyone after a little instruction can insert a new 
fuse, if one should for any reason "blow" (melt or give out). 
The main or controlling switch must be off while it is being done. 
But if when this is done, the fuse again blows, it is evidence that 
a fault exists somewhere in the circuit, and it is best to send for 



306 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

an electrician to locate and remedy it. The first screwed cut- 
outs or fuses were introduced by the Edison Co., in 1881. The 
first bar cut-outs were introduced by Grivolas Fils in Paris and 
by Fowler and Lancaster in Great Britain in 1887. Fuses may 
be arranged singly or in groups, where there are several adjacent 
circuits, a common plan being to fit a number in a fuse or dis- 
tribution board, with glass door and detachable porcelain fuse- 
carriers. This is usually done in the case of lighting circuits 
and sometimes for cookers and heaters as well, but the more 
usual method in the latter case is to mount the fuses on the 
panel fixed to the wall behind the cooker. These fuses are gen- 
erally cu-cular in shape with china covers and bases, the fusible 
portion being in the form of a tube, ring or disc, which when 
blown can be replaced by a new one. This type of fuse has 
many advantages. It indicates in a simple manner when it 
" blows," so that the user can see at a glance which fuse needs 
attention; it occupies little space and it is impossible to insert 
a fuse of larger section and therefore of greater current-carry- 
ing capacity than was originally intended. In other words, 
the limit of safety cannot be lessened without removing the 
cut-out altogether and fixing a larger one. Such a fuse is usually 
provided to control every individual circuit in a cooker. Thus 
there is one for each boiling disc, one for the grill, another for the 
hot cupboard, and one or more again for the oven. 

Grill or Broiler. The electric Grill usually has wire elements 
which run at a bright red heat, since radiant heat is necessary for 
grilling work, and the brighter an element runs, the larger is the 
proportion of radiant heat emitted from it. The element is not 
as a rule enclosed, but is exposed, protection from mechanical 
and electrical injury being afforded by a wire or perforated guard 
or similar device. No heat regulation is needed for a grill, as it 
is either wanted full on or not at all. 

Heating Element. This is the part of the Cooking and 
Heating apparatus in which the electrical energy is converted 
into heat. Detailed and full description is given under the 
Section dealing with Heating Elements. 

Hot Cupboard. Is a useful apparatus or attachment to an 
oven or cooker for keeping plates and food warm, and uses but 



SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 307 

little current. Indeed it frequently happens that when attached 
to an oven or cooker no heating element is employed for the hot 
cupboard, the heat escaping from the oven, grill and boiling 
discs being sufficient to keep it hot. 

Hot Plate. Hot plates is the term usually given to the 
appliances for heating liquids. They are placed usually on the 
upper part of a cooker, and are mostly circular in form, with a 
heating element attached to the under side of the working surface 
and insulated from it by mica, asbestos or other material. They 
may be rated to take any current necessary to give heats up to a 
dull red, and are made in several sizes from 6" to 12" in diameter. 
They are used to heat flat-bottomed utensils for boiling, frying, 
simmering, and so forth, and their working surface is ground 
absolutely flat. It is most important that utensils used on hot 
plates should have their bases perfectly flat so as to maintain con- 
tact all over with the heating surface, otherwise a serious loss 
of efficiency may result. Some makers supply utensils of cast 
aluminium, which are practically everlasting and always keep 
flat underneath, the bottom having been ground true. Hot 
plates are used in a similar manner to gas rings, but give off no 
injurious fumes, and when forming part of a cooker top, the 
vessels may be placed over them or moved to one side, according 
to the degree of heat required. For example, three vessels 
may be heated over one hot plate by standing partly over the 
disc and partly over the top plate of the cooker, each receiving 
a proportionate and equal degree of heat. This is useful for 
slow cooking, simmering and casserole work. Heat regulation 
is provided, however, for use when one vessel at a time is being 
heated, and the usual practice is to give 3 changes, " high,'' 
" medium " and " low." These are secured by switches mounted 
on the control panel or on the cooker itself. 

Kelvin. See Unit. 

Elilowatt, kw. See Watt. 

Elilowatt-hour, kw.-hr. See Unit. 

Pilot Lamp. This is an incandescent electric lamp, usually 

with ruby glass, placed in circuit wdth the cooking elements in 

order to give ocular evidence that the cooker is taking current 

of high or low heat. Its use minimises waste through careless- 

x2 



308 ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 

ness or foi^etfulness, and it is usually mounted 
alongside the heat-control switches and the 
cut-outs on the panel at the back of the 
cooker. A flag Indicator may be used instead 
of a lamp. 

Resistance. Resistance to the flow of cur- 
I rent is set up by impeding its passage. In 

the case of liquids, a small pipe sets up resist- 
ance to the flow of water, and an electrical 
conductor sets up resistance to the flow of 
Pilot Lamp. current if it be of small diameter or of great 

len^h, or if it is composed of a metal which 
is not suitable for carrying current. Resistance to the flow 
of current is to be avoided at every point in the supply 
system and circuits, except at those points where heat is 
required, for it involves waste of energj', and may lead to 
trouble through local heating. In order to avoid causing reast- 
ance, the conducting i^dres must be of ample size to carry more 
than the current for which they are intended and must be made 
of a metal which has a high factor of conductivity. For this 
reason copper is usually employed. At the point where heat is 
required, a resistance is deliberately inserted in the circuit, and 
this resistance is placed in ovens, in toasters, beneath hot plates 
or in convectors for warming rooms. The filament of a lamp has 
a very high resistance, being made of an extremely fine wire of 
considerable length, formed of a metal which is of great hardness 
and low conductivity. It is enclosed in a glass bulb from which 
all air has been extracted, and is thus able to operate at an 
incandescent heat without burning out. If the glass bulb were 
pierced so as to 'admit air, the filament would bum out imme- 
diately. Heating elements for convectors and cooking appa- 
ratus are not enclosed in a vacuum and therefore cannot run 
for long at an incandescent heat. Their resistance is lower 
than that of a metal lamp filament, and they are much stronger 
mechanically, being of larger size. Bad contact sets up resist- 
ance and is to be avoided, therefore it is important to see 
that switches make good contact at the terminals and that 
ail wires are screwed tightly home wherever they are joined 




SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 309 

up or connected to the terminals of the 
apparatus. 

Short Circuit. This is a fault which 
may occur in any circuit through acci- 
dental contact between the outward and ^ ^. , ^ , 

, 11 J xu -J.* J Diamond H." Series- 

return-called the positive and nega- paraUel Switch for Use 

tive — ^wires. It may arise through a ^j^h Cookers, 
broken wire, through faulty insulation, 

through excessive moisture, through the wires being touched by 
a foreign piece of metal, or in the case of a lamp, by the undue 
shortening of the iSlament through vibration. It gives rise to a 
rush of current through the circuit, due to the easier or shorter 
path available to the current, and as explained above, the 
excessive current passing through the protecting fuse, heats and 
melts the thin wire provided for the purpose, thus breaking the 
circuit, preventing any further passage of current, and obviating 
all risk and trouble. 

Switch. This is the device used to shut off or to admit cur- 
rent to a circuit. It is equivalent in some degree to a water tap 
(which either stops, or permits of, the flow of water). It may 
merely break or close a single circuit, or it may be so designed 
that it will complete one circuit and break another, or again it 
may complete or break two or more separate circuits. This is 
simply a matter of design, a switch combining several move- 
ments being smaller and less costly, as well as more simple, 
than a number of single-acting switches. The switch may have 
a rotary movement, actuated by a revolving button, with contact 
connections for several circuits such as is employed on many 
types of cookers to control the varying degrees of heat, as 
in the Diamond H switch; it may have an upward and down- 
ward movement worked by a rounded knob, as with the familiar 
tumbler action, used widely in England for lighting work ; or it 
may be actuated by a straight lever which forces knife blades 
into contact with spring clips connected to the circuit wires. In 
whatever form it may be applied, the effect is the same in all, 
and in every pattern the handle touched by the handis insulated 
from the parts carrying the current. The contact made by 
the switch must be firm and rapid in making and breaking. 



ELECTBIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Tumbler Switch. 



Unit or Kelvin. A (B.O.T.) Board of Trade unit is 1000 watt- 
hours, also expressed as kilowatt-hour, kw.-hr. Thus a lamp 
rated at 50 watts will run for 20 hours before it consumes 1000 
watt-hours. A 25-watt lamp will only use the same amount 
of power in 40 hours, irrespective of the voltage of the supply, 
since the watts, as stated above, are a multiple of the ampere 
and volt. Putting it another way, a 50-watt lamp running on 
a lOft-volt supply, will take j ampere, and a 25-watt lamp | 
ampere. On a 200-volt supply, a 50-watt lamp takes J ampere, 
and the 25-watt lamp J ampere. A 50-watt lamp costs exactly 
the same to run on a 200-volt supply as on a 100-volt circuit, 
and gives exactly the same light, provided it is run at the correct 
voltage marked on its cap. Kecently the unit has been rechrist- 
ened the kdvin, in honor of the late Lord Kelvin, but the 
original term will not easily be displaced. 

Volts. A volt is the unit of electromotive force, or in simple 
language the pressure at which the electric current is supplied. 
It is so named after Volta, the celebrated Italian physicist. In 
order that the current may pass alot^ the conducting wires to 
supply the lamp, cooker or other apparatus, it must be forced 
under pressure, exactly as water requires a head of so many feet 
to give the necessary impulse to send it through the pipe system. 
If a large pipe is used, less pressure is needed on account of the 
smaller surface friction encountered, and in the case of electricity 
a wire of larger diameter must be employed if the pressure or 
voltage is low than if a higher pressure is impressed. Nowadays 
the pressure most usually adopted is 200 to 250 volts, a low- 
pressure supply being at 100 to 110 volts. Since the employment 



SOME TECHNICAL TERMS SIMPLY EXPLAINED 311 

of a high pressure makes possible the use of smaller wires (which, 
taking less copper and less rubber insulation, are materially 
cheaper than large ones), it is more economical both to consumers 
and to supply undertakings to make use of high pressures. In 
practice, the pressure at the consumer's terminals is not that at 
which the current is generated, a far higher pressure being used, 
sometimes thousands of volts, to convey the power from .the 
generating station through the streets. In this way, a great 
deal of energy can be conveyed cheaply for long distances through 
wires of small size. Before entering the premises of users, this 
pressure is reduced to the figure above mentioned, by means of 
transformers or converters, placed under the street or in small 
sub-stations at convenient centres for distribution. The B.O.T. 
limits the maximum pressure for domestic use, to 260 volts, but 
in certain cases for cooking and heating circuits, it allows of 
pressures double this value, provided adequate precautions are 
taken to eliminate risk. 

Watt. This term is used to express the rate at which electri- 
cal energy is being used. The term is named after James Watt, 
the celebrated engineer who introduced steam power for commer- 
cial use. Being dependent not only upon the quantity of cur- 
rent (in amperes), but upon the pressure at which that current 
is forced (in volts), its value is found by multiplying the known 
volts by the known amperes. Thus if the supply pressure be 
200 volts, and 5 amperes of current are being absorbed in the 
circuit using electrical power, the watts are expressed by 200X5 
= 1,000. Lamps, cookers, heaters and other appliances are usually 
rated in watts, i.e., a 500-watt kettle takes 5 amperes at 100 
volts, or 2.5 amps, at 200 volts, and so on. It is thus simple 
to calculate from any maker's list (in which the articles are usually 
rated in watts), the current (amperes) which they take, provided 
that the supply pressure (volts) of the supply upon which the 
device is to be used, is known at the time. 1,000 watts equals 1 
kilowatt, usually expressed as kw. 

Watt-hours. Watts being the rate at which energy is flowing 
through a conductor at any moment, the watt-hour introduces 
the factor of time, so that the total power consumption for any 
given work over any required period of time may be calculated, 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



" Ediswan " Combined Switch " Ediawan " Wall . 

and Wall Socket. Socket. 

the hour being taken aa the standard. If a certain operation 
takes 1,000 watt-hours, it will imply that, if the supply pressure 
is at 100 volts, 10 amperes were taken for 1 hour, 1 ampere for 
10 hours, or 5 amperes for 2 hours or the equivalent. 

Wall Socket. This is a device witli two or three recesses 
terminals mounted on a china base, usually circular in shape. 
The two supply wires are taken through a switch and fuse to the 
terminals from behind, and the third terminal, if there be one 
is coraiected to " earth." The flexible wire is attached to a 2- or 
3-pin plug which fits into the socket, two of the pins being used 
to carry the current and the third acting as an " earthing " 
terminal. A special form of earthed iron-clad pli^ and socket 
has been devised by Reyrolle & Co., Hebbum-on-Tyne. In 
order to guard against the flexible wire beiiy; left "alive" when 
the apparatus to which it is connected is not being used, and to 
ensure that the terminals of the wall socket shall be dead when 
the plug-top has been removed, several forms of interlocked 
switch-plugs have been introduced. The accompanying diagrams 
show the action of the pattern made by the B.T,-H, Co. of Rugby, 
with which it is imposable to withdraw the plug without opening 
the switch, or to insert the plug unless the switch is open. 





Interlocked Switch-plug by the BritiBh Thomson-Houston Co. 



PRICES CHARGED IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED 
STATES FOR HEATING, COOKING AND POWER SUPPLY 

The following list does not purport to include all the cook- 
ing and heating tariffs in force, but it sets out the more interest- 
ing ones, together with a goodly allowance of ordinary typical 
cases. 

It must be borne in mind that many of the names omitted 
correspond to towns in which no special attention has yet been 
paid to Heating and Cooking, and where, therefore, it is merely 
treated as the ordinary demand. 

Where a primary fixed charge is made based either upon 
the kw. capacity of the apparatus installed or upon the rateable 
value of the premises supplied plus a rate of so much per unit 
for all current used, the system of charging covers all uses. 

In places where the " maximum demand " (M.D.) system 
is adopted, consumers are charged for current at two rates per 
unit, one comparatively high and the other quite small. The 
higher rate applies until energy has been used equivalent to 
the maximum consumption agreed upon for one hour, or a given 
number of hours per day, all current in excess being supplied 
on the lower basis. 

In districts where the " telephone " system is available, 
consumers pay in advance a fixed annual sum for the electrical 
service, plus so much — usually Id. per unit — for the current 
used. The plan is analogous to a telephone subscription on the 
message rate system, whereby an annual sum has to be prepaid 
to cover the capital charges of the service, plus Id. per call. 
Where a time switch is employed, the supply is automatically 
cut off during those times when the demand for current for 
lighting purposes is greatest, but is available at all other hours 
at a specially low rate. 

313 



PRICES CHARGED FOR HEATING, COOKING AND POWER 

SUPPLY IN GREAT BRITAIN 



Name of Town. 



Aberdare . 
Aberdeen. 



Accrington . 

Altrincham 

Ayr 

Banbury. . 
Barking. . . 
Barnes. . . . 



Bath 

Battersea. 



Beckenham. 



Bedford 

Belfast 

Birkdale 

Birkenhead 

Birmingham 

Bishop Auckland (Clcvr 

land and Durham) 

Blackpool 

Bolton 



Charge per Unit or Kelvin for Heating and 

Cooking. 



Id. 

Id. for first .500 Kelvin or units per half-year. 

id. all over 500 do. 

12 J % on rateable value +Jd. Charge includes 
lighting, as in all similar cases. 

IJd. 

Id. and a meter rent. 

IJd.H- meter rent. 

lid. 

10 per cent, rateable value + Id. in winter quar- 
ters and id. in summer quarters. 

1 Jd., less sliding scale of discounts. 

Id. flat rate or £4 per kw. on the maximum 
demand per ann. plus id. 

By Therol Heater or other apparatus which 
ensures a constant load, Ijd. per unit. For 
separate heating and power circuit where 
hating circuit is installed either (a) 4d. per 
imit during 2 hours of peak load during October 
to March inclusive, and Id. for remainder of 
the 24 hours and during whole 24 hours from 
April 1st to September 30th, and no charge for 
meter or time switch, or (6) 2d. per unit for 
supply at any time plus rent for meter. 

Id. net. 

2id. for first 182 hours per half-year of maxi- 
mum demand and Id. after. 

2d. 

1 Jd. for first 1500 units per quarter and Id. after. 

Id. 

lid. 

12J% on rateable value + id. 

For heating, and similar apparatus, with a 
demand of 1 kw. and over, the price is at the 
rate of 2d. for the first 1000 units per quarter 
and Id. for all used over this amount, both 
prices being subject to a discount of 10 per 
cent, if the account be paid within twenty- 
one days. For apparatus with a demand under 
1 kw., the price will be the same as charged to 
consumers for lighting (i.e., 3 id.). 



314 



PRICES CHARGED IN GREAT BRITAIN 315 



Name of Town. 


Charge per Unit or Kelvin tor Heating and 

Cooking. 


Bournemouth and Pool. . . . 
Bradford 


lid. with large discounts, which are based on 
quarterly readings so as to encourage use in 
summer months. 

15 per cent on rateable value + Id. for all domestic 


Brav 


purposes, or sliding scale. Id., 2d., or Jd. (pro- 
vided no demand during restricted hours) 
(time switch for this). 
2hd. (gas 4s. 6d.), proposing reduction to lid. 


Bridsend 


IJd. 


Bridlin&cton 


2d. up to 200 ks. per quarter, and Id. above. 


Brighton 


Id. 


Bristol 


Id. 


Bromlev (Kent) 


Flat rate lid. per kelvin or 12 J% on rateable 


Burton-on-Trent 


value+ljd. for all current used. 
Id. 


Bury 


Id. 


Buxton 


lid. to 2id. (less 10 per cent, cash discount). 


Cambridge 


lid. 


Canterbury 


lid. (less cash discount). 


Cardiff 


Id. (hope to reduce to id.). 


Carlisle 


One-eighth of net rateable value per annum + id. 

per kelvin for all purposes, if house electrically 

lighted. 
2id., or special arrangements. 


Caterham 


Chelmsford 


3d. 


Cheltenham 


Id. 


Chester 


lid. first 200 units per quarter. Id. after. 
l}d. 


Chichester 


Chiswick 


2d. 


Cleckheaton 


2d. and Id. maximum demand system, less dis- 
counts, 
lid. 
2d. 


Cleveland and Durham . . . 
Colchester 


Colwyn Bay 


3d. 


Cork 


For heating, a sliding scale lid. up to 150 units 
. per quarter, lid. up to 400, Id. above 400. 

For cooking. Id. 
lid. 
Id. 


1 

County of London E.S. Co . 
Coventry 


Crewe 


Id. to 2d. 


Croydon 


Id. if electric light used, otherwise lid. 


Dalkeith 


lid. 


Darlineton 


lid. to Id. (sliding scale). 


Dartford U.D.C 

Dawlish 


Are at present revising tariff so that heating and 

cooking will come on the Id. scale. 
3d. 


Derby 


Id. 







316 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Name of Town. 



Dewsbury 



DoUen 
Dover. 



Dumbarton. 
Dundee. . . . 



Ealing. . . . 
Eastbourne 

East Ham . 

EUand 

Erith 

Exeter .... 



Exmouth . . 
Falkirk . . . 
Falmouth . 
Famworth. 
Finchley. . 



Fleetwood 



Gillingham 
Glasgow. . . 



Glossop. . . 
Gloucester. 

Gravesend. 



Greenock. 



Charge per Unit or Kelvin vob Heating and 

Cooking. 



Two systems to choose from : — Maximum demand 
system of 2Jd. for one hour per day and Jd. 
after; or time switch system at Jd., plus a 
rent for switch. 

l§d. 

2d. for first 100 units each quarter and Id. after 
(average works out 1.20d. 1 — 1.13d.). 

lid. 

1 Jd. for the first 100 kelvins per quarter. Jd. all 
above first 100 kelvins per quarter. The 
department has a tariff whereby a consumer 
who guarantees the department his previous 
average bill for lighting that he has previously 
paid, anything that he might use for heating 
or cooking or for domestic motors, etc., can be 
got at heating rates, although the consumption 
is registered only through one meter. 

Id. 

Less than 10,000 kelvins, IJd.; 10,000 kelvins 
and over, 1 . 15d. 

From 2d. to Id. on a sliding scale. 

2d. 

lid. 

2d. (1st 100 kelvins per half year), lid. per 
kelvin for next 400, Id. per kelvin for all in 
excess of 500 per half year. 

lid. 

2d. 

lid. 

Id. if electric lighting, 2d. otherwise. 

2d. for first 90 hours maximum demand per 
quarter. Id. all after. 

lid. by separate meter or system of charge 
involving power prices in daytime and lighting 
prices at night. 

Id. for first 300 kelvins per quarter, and Jd. aft^r. 

A tariff specially devised for ensuring a supply 
for heating and cooking at practically Id. No 
second meter. 

lid. 

12i% on rateable value, plus Id. per kelvin. 
This includes charge for lighting. 

Tariffs for heating and cooking are all round rate 
lid. but if load such that it is not hkely to 
be used during lighting peak Id. is charged. 

£6 to £9 per kilowatt installed per annum -fjd. 
per kelvin. 



PRICES CHARGED IN GREAT BRITAIN 317 



Name of Town. 



Grimsby • 

Hackney 

Halifax 

Hitchin 

Hampstead 

Harrogate 

Harrow 

Hastings 

Hawick 

Heston and Isleworth .... 

Heckmondwike 

Hendon 

Hereford 

Homsey 

Horsham 

Hove 

Huddersfield 

Ilford 

Ilkeston 

Ingleton 

Inverness 

Ipswich 

Isle of Thanet 

Islington 

Jedburgh 

Keighley 

Kendal 

Kensington and Knights 
bridge 

Kettering 

Kilmarnock 



Chabqb p£r Unit or Kelvin for Heating and 

Cooking. 



Id. (less cash discount). 

Id. 

2d., less 5 per cent. 

lid. 

Telephone system with secondary charge of 

Id., or lid. flat rate. 
2/6 per quarter per kw. instilled +Jd. per unit, 

less 5% disct. if electric light is used, 
lid. in winter, Id. in summer, or 8d. in £ per 

quarter on rateable value, plus IJd. in winter 

and Id. in summer. This includes charge 

for lighting. 

IJd. 

Cooking Id.; heating 10s. per annum + Id. 

Telephone system with secondary charge of 

Id. 
Id. 
lid. 
With telephone system, IJd., less 5 per cent. 

cash discount, or alternatively double tariff 

system or flat rate 4 id. 
£3 to £3 15s. per annum + id., or 2d. flat rate, 

or m. d. 2jd. for first 100 hours per quarter 

and Id. after. 

li. 

Maximum demand 3d. first hour per diem, Id. 

after. 
2d. for first 200 hours per half-year and Id. 

beyond (discounts for big consumers). 
12i% on rateable value+id. per unit, 
lid. 
Id. 
Id. 
Id. 
lid. 
Id. 
lid. 
lid. 
2id. for first 1000 kelvins per annum, 2d. for 

second, lid. after. 

lid. flat for heating and cooking, with alternative 
to go on the power rate (which varies from Id. 
upwards). 

Id. 

lid. 



318 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Name of Town. 



King's Lynn 

Kirkcaldy 

Lancaster 

Leatherhead 

Leeds 

Leek 

Leicester 

Lewes and District 

Liverpool and District ... 

Llandilo 

Londonderry 

Loughborough 

Lowestoft 

Luton 

Lymington 

Maidstone 

Malvern 

Manchester 

Mansfield 

Melrose 

Merthyr 

Metropolitan Electric Sup 
ply Co 



Middlesbrough. . 
Midland Electric 

Morley 

Motherwell 



CHABaiQ PER Unit or Kelvin for Heating and 

Cooking. 



lid., 6d. per quarter meter rent for the second 

meter. 
First 500 units per annum 2 id., and next 500 

units l}d., and shding scale to fd. for large 

consumers. 
£1 2s. 6d. per quarter per kilowatt installed 

+ .33d. and 5 per cent, discount for cash. 
2d. first 100 units, IJd. after. In summer Id. 

throughout. 
Id., less 5 per cent. 
1.35d. to 2d. 
Id. 

2fd., fiat rate, or 5d. and 1 Jd. maximum demand, 
lid. 
3d. 
Id. 
Id. 
Id. 
id. 
Flat rate 2id., or maximum demand 4d. and IJd. 

or yearly contract 10s. per kw.H-2d. per unit. 
Id. 
3d. 
12% on rateable value plus id. per unit subject to 

a minimum kw. of apparatus being installed. 
Id. 
lid. 
Id. 

Where lighting is already in use and where there 
is only one circuit and one meter, a fixed 
charge per ann., and in addition 2d. for all 
units whether used for lighting or cooking and 
heating, up to the amount of the fixed charge; 
all units in excess are charged at Id. For 
energy used for heating and cooking only 
(supphed through a separate meter), a fixed 
charge of £1 per kw. installed per annum, pay- 
able in installments of 10s. during the two 
winter quarters, plus Id. for all consumed. 
Id. 

lid., but id. per unit deducted if paid within 
21 days. 

Id. 

A special tariff is being considered presently, 
that houses, etc., receive electricity at Id. after 
a fixed average for lighting has been reached. 



PRICES CHARGED IN GREAT BRITAIN 319 



Naub of Town. 


Chabqe per Unit or Kelvin for Hbatinq and 

Cooking. 


Mountain Ash 


2d. 


Newcastle and District. . . . 
Newcastle-iinder-Lyme. . . . 

Newmarket 


Either IJd. flat rate or else 12i per cent, on net 

rateable value and jd. 
First 2500 kelvins 2i per kelvin, second 2500 at 

at 2d., third 2500 at Ifd., fourth 2500 at IJd. 

Five per cent, discount to all using over 

10,000 kelvins annually. 
2d. 


Newport (Mon.) 


Id., 5 per cent discount if paid within the month. 
12i% on rateable value and lid. If non-domes- 


Northampton 


Northwich 


tic, IJd. with separate meter, 
lid. 


Norwich 


12 per cent, of rateable value plus Id., all cook- 
ing thus at Id. (With cooking, probably 
higher assesment charge H-fd. in future.) 

Id. 


Nuneaton 


Oban 


£1 per annum per kilowatt installed + Id. 


Oldham 


(1) maximum demand 2d. and lid.; (2) or else a 


Oxford 


system whereby first 500 units sell at 2d. per 
quarter, second 500 at l|d., and all in excess 
at lid.; (3) or else, two rate meters and 4d. on 
peak, lower charges of lid., lid., and Id. at 
other hours; (4) or else, combinations of 
methods Nos. 1 and 3. 
lid. 


Penarth 


lid. 


Peterborough 


lid. to lid. 


Pl3rmouth 


Ifd. for first 100 per quarter, lid. after, 
lid. and Id. 


Pontypridd 


Poplar 


8s. per kilowatt installed phis 12i per cent, per 
annum on cost of apparatus and expenditure 
in connection with installation, plus id. used. 

First 25,000 kelvins per annum lid.; second 
25,000 Id.; all after fd. 

Id. 

Maximum demand 4d. and lid., or else 2d. 


Portsmouth 


EAdcliffe 

Ramsgate 


Rathmines 


flat rate. 

lid. 


ILawtenstall 


lid. to Id. on a sliding scale, 
id., if liehting used also. 


Reading 


Rhyl 


li (n.b. — ^alternatively for lighting, cooking, and 
heating on same meter 15 per cent, rateable 
value and lid.) 

lid. 


Richmond 


Salford 


£1 per quarter per electric h.p. demanded, phis 
id. kelvin or flat rate lid. for first 1000 per 
quarter and Id. afterwards. 





320 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Name of Town. 



Charge per Unit or Kelvin for Heating and 

Cooking. 



Salisbury 

Scarborough 


2§d. 
Id. 


Scottish Central (Falkirk) . 
Sheemess 


Id. 
2d. 


Sheffield 


10i% on rateable value, plus id. Charge in- 
cludes lighting. 

Id. flat rate to consumers using electricity for 
power or lighting. 

3d. up to 300 units a quarter, from 300 to 600 2d., 
all over 600 1 id. Discounts of 5 and 10 per cent . 

id. 


Shoreditch , 


Shrewsbury 


SouthaiiiDton 


Southend-on-Sea 


lid. also several alternative rates. 


South London 


12i per cent, on the net assessment per annum 
and Jd. for all energy consumed. 

lid. 

Id. per kelvin. 

lid. 

l*d. 


South Metropolitan Elec- 
tric Light and Power Co. 
South Shields 


South Wales (Cardiff) 

St. Andrews 


St. Annes 


First 200 units per quarter 2d. All in excess 

lid. 5% discount. 
Id. for heatine and cookins. The Council are at 


St. Helens 


St. Marvlebone 


present considering a rateable value scheme 
for private house supply with a fixed charge 
based on 10 per cent, to 15 per cent, on the 
rateable value of the house, and Jd. - *\ 
'I'he contract tariff consists of an annual charee 


St. Pancras 


payable yearly or quarterly in advance and Jd. 
for all units consumed. The annual charge is 
based on the wattage of the hghting installation. 
Id. 


Stamford 


2d., but special rebates for laree demands. 


Steonev 


Id., but lower charges for big consumers. 
Id. 


Stockton-on-Tees 


Stoke Newineton 


(1) For a maximum demand in any quarter not 


Stoke-on-Trent 


exceeding 17.5 kilowatts 4id. for the first 
hour's daily use of the maximum demand, as 
shown by the demand indicator, and Id. per 
unit for all further consumption. (2) For a 
maximum demand in any quarter exceeding 
17.5 kilowatts, 3 id. for the first hour's daily 
use of the maximum demand, as shown by the 
demand indicator, and a Id. for all further 
consumption: 
Id. 


Sunderland 


id., if lighting load: Id. flat rate, through special 




meter. 



PRICES CHARGED IN GREAT BRITAIN 321 



Name or Town. 


Charge per Unit or Kelvin for Heating and 

Cooking. 


Sutton Coldfield 


12 i per cent, rateable value + lid. winter 


Swansea 


quarters and Jd. summer quarters. 
2d. for first hour of maximum demand per diem 

and Id. after. 
IJd. for first 1000 per quarter, Id. after. 
2d. for first 50 in any quarter. Id. all additional. 


Swinton 

Taunton 


Torauav 


Id. (with special terms for large consumers), 
lid. 


Totnes 


Tunbridee Wells 


Id. 


Twickenham and Tedding- 
ton 


£1 per kw.+ld., or else flat rate 2d. 
IJd. for heating and Id. for cooking. 
2id. 


Tvnemouth 


Uxbridee 


Wadebridee 


4d., less 5 per cent. 
Jd. + fixed charge. 

lid., less 5-20 per cent, discount for two-six. 

hours' use per diem. 
For first 500 units a quarter IJd., for next 500 

lid., for all over Id. 
Id. 


Wakefield 


Wallasev 


Walthanistow 


West Bromwich 


Westcliff-on-Sea 


See Southend-on-Sea. 


West Ham , 

West Hartlepool, 


Fixed annual charge of 1/8 per 100 watts 
installed, payable in advance, minimum pay- 
ment 10/ — plus } per kelvin. 

Existing lighting consumers may have current 
for heating and cooking at id. per kelvin, 
plus meter rent 6d. per quarter. 

Id. 

Id. 

2d. for first 120 per quarter, and Id. for all above 
120 per quarter. 

Id., plus a standing charge on appliance. 

Id. 


Westminster E.S.C 

Weston-super-Mare 

Weymouth 


Whitby 


Whitehaven 




Under 220 watts installed lighting rates; above 
220 watts. Id. 

lid. 


Winchester 


Windermere 


3id. 


Windsor 


3d. 


Witwood 


2d. 


Woking 


2d. net. 


Wolverhampton 


id. plus fixed charge. 

.8d. to l.Od. 

15% on rateable value + Jd. 

Id. 


Woolwich 

Worcester 


Worksop 


Worthing 


lid. 


Wrexham 


Fixed charge of 12i per cent, on net assessment 
plus id. 


r 



Y 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATINa 



£1 per kilowatt installed + 16- per unit. 

Electricity may be obtained for domestic pur- 
poses where the premises are lighted through- 
out by electricity at a fixed rental of 10 per 
cent, of the net rateable value of the premises, 
plus Id. per Board of Trade unit. The fixed 
rental to be divided between the two summer 
and winter quarters in the proportion of one- 
sixth tor each summer quarter and one-third 
for each winter quarter. Where a consumer 
also uses electricity for heating or cooking 
purposes the charge will be Id. for all electric- 
ity up to an amount equal to 75 per cent, of 
the fixed rental per quarter, and all further 
consumption in each quarter is jd.; periods 
of 1<»^ thaa one quarter U> be paid pro rala. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR HEATING, 

COOKING AND POWER SUPPLY 



Statk. 



Alabama. 



Arizona 



Arkansas 



California. 



Town. 



Birmingham. . . . 

Demopolis 

Huntsville 

Mobile 

Douglas 

Prescott 

Little Rock 

Hot Springs 

Mammoth Spring 

Rector 

Texarkana 

Alameda Co ... . 
Eureka 

Fresno 



Los Angeles. . . . 

Redding, Chico, 
Willows 

Richmond 

San Diego 

San Francisco . . 



Monterey. 



Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 



20^ h. '25% discount. 

7^ h. 25% discount. 

4^ net. 

3^ net. Min. $1 per month. 

20^ Min. $1 per month. 10% if paid 

before 15th of month. 
6|^h. 

3.5^. Min. $2. 

12^ for the first 200 kw.h. 5% dis- 
count if paid before 10th of month. 
10^ down to 4^, according to quantity 

used. 
12ff. 

8}^ for first 300 kw.h. down to .0465 f^ 
for 1000 kw.h. with dis. 5% to 
30%. 
3^ net rate. 
7H for 600 to 799 kw.h.; 7i per kw.h. 

for 800 to 999 kw.h. 
5^ for first 30 hrs. use, max. demand, 
or fraction; 3ff per kw.h. next 
150 hrs. use of max. demand or 
fraction, and li^ for all excess. 
Monthly minimum, $2. 
65^ for first 100 kw.h. Alternating 

Current 10% additional. 
3^ for first 100 kw.h., down to liff for 
300 kw.h. Min. Monthly bill, 
$1 per meter. 
8ff for first 30 kw.h. down to 5% for 

all over 200 kw.h. 
4^ net. Min. $4 per month. 
8^ for first 30 kw.h. consumed in any 
one mo.; 7^ per kw.h. next 70 
kw.h.; 6i next 100 kw.h.; and 
5^ all over. 
5^ up to 250 kw.h. monthly, down to 
2i for 6000 up to 10,000. Min. 
charge, $1 per h.p. per mo. for 



y2 



323 



324 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



State. 


Town. 


Chargb pkr Unit for Hbating and 
Cooking. 


California .... 


Monterey 


5 h.p.; 75^ per h.p. per mo. 5 


{Continued) 




to 25 h.p.; 50ff per h.p. per mo. 
25 h.p. and over. 




Sonera 


6^ per 1000 watts, between the hours 






of 6 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. Min. 






bUl, $5 per mo. 




Stockton 


7^ min. monthly bill in Stockton. 

8ff min. monthly bill outside Stockton 






Colorado 


AsDsn 


3i^. 




Boulder 


'^ 3 r* 

3i^ net. 




Colorado Springs. 


11^ less 54%. 




Durango 


H' 




Greelev 






Leadville 






Mancos 


16ff. 


s ' 


Montrose 


6^ first 30 kw.h.; 5^ second 30 kw.h.; 
4^ per kw.h. third 30 kw.h.; 






3ff all over, with 10% dis. in ten 
days. 




Ourav 


3^ to 5i, 




Palisade 






Salida 


J r' 

6^. 




Steamboat Springs 


15ff with sliding scale of dis. from 5% 
to 331%. 50 kw.h. is required 
to secure 33%. 




Sterling 


12^ net for first 50 kw.h.; 11^ per kw.h. 
next 50 kw.h.; 10^ net for next 










100 kw.h., over 200 kw.h.. special. 






$1.50 monthly min. plus rate from 






4^ to 8^ depending on installa- 


- 




tion. 


Connecticut. . . 


Bristol 


5ii to 2.7^ per kw.h. from 250 to 






4000 kw.h. 




East Hampton . . . 


3^. Min. $1 per month. 




Litchfield 


4^. Min. charge $2 per month. 




New London 


13^ for first 100 kw.h. per mo.; llfS 
per kw.h. for all excess, disc. 
1^ per kw.h. payment in 10 days. 
Min. bill $1 per month. 




Staflfordville 


H. 




Simsbury 


8ff. Min. charge $1 per month. 




Unionville 


5ff to 4^. 




Willimantic 


4<f. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 325 



STATE. 



Delaware 



DiS. COLUMB.. . 



Florida. 



Georgia 



Idaho. 



Illinoip. 



Town. 



Wilmington. . . . 
Washington. . . . 

Clearwater 

Fort Myers. . . . 

Pensacola 

Tampa 

Athens 

Atlanta 

Augusta 

Columbus 

Gainesville 

Valdosta 

Bois^ 

American Falls . 

Potlatch 

Rupert 

Twin Falls 

Aledo 

Alton 

Belleville 

Bloomington . . . 

Brimfield 

Canton 



Charqb pbr Unit roR Heating and 

COOKINQ. 






5^. Min. monthly bill $1, 5% cash 

discount. 
lOf^ for first 120 kw.h. per month of the 

total installation; all in excess 

5^ per kw.h.d. Min. charge, $1 

per month per meter. 
6ff. 
Sliding scale, meter rate; 15ff to 6ff for 

20 to 300 kw.h. 

6^, 10% discount. 

5^. Min. bill $2, 

4^. Min. bill $1.11 per mo. less 10%. 

Off to IJ^ per kw.h. for 200 kw.h. to 

5000. With minimum charge of 

50ff to $1 per h.p. 
ll.lff to 5.55ff per kw.h. for 50 to 5000 

kh.p. Min. bill per month 

SI. 11 gross. 10% discount if 

paid before 10th of month. 
10^ base rate. Discount 10 to 25%; 

latter on consumption of 70 kw. 

or more. 

3 J for first 50 kw.h. ; 3^ for excess 10%, 
discount for prompt payment. 

10^. Min. $1. 
5^. No heater shall be installed for 

a period of less than 4 months 

continuously. 
2fJ to 1^ with monthly guarantee of 

$1.50 to $3.50. 
15^. $10 to $30 discount 30% to 50%. 
10^ for first 300; 6^ next 500, balance 

at 4^ per kw.h. Discount 5%. 
6^ to 2.1 >f for 100 to 1000 kw.h. and 

over, less 5% discount in 10 days. 
5<5, discount 10%. 
10^, net. Min. bill, $1. 
10^. Discount 10% under 30 kw.h.; 

15% 30 to 60 kw.h. and 20% 60 

kw.h. or over. 



326 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



State. 


Town. 


Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 


Illinois 


Cuba 


5ff, net. 


(Continued) 


Decatur 


12<f with 26 per kw.h. discount. 




Effingham 


4^ 




Elm wood 


10^, net. Min. bill, $1. 




Fairview 


5ff. 




Farmington 


5^. 




Galena 


7ff. Min. rate, $1.50. 




Granville 


20^ to 9^ 




Litchfield 


15fi less 10%. 




London Mills. .... 


5^ 




Maquon 


10^ net. Min. bill, $1. 




Middle Grove .... 


5^ 




Momence 


4ff. 




Mount Vernon . . . 


17i^ to 15^ for 20 to 150 kw.h. and 
over. 10% discount if paid by 
10th of month. 




Paxton 


12^, net. 
5^ to 4^. 




Petersburg 




Princeville 


10^, net. Min. bill, $1. 




Quincy 


13i^ open rate; 12^ per kw.h. contract 
rate. 




Rockf ord 


5«f, net. Min. bill, $1 per month. 




Yates City 


10^, net. Min. monthly bill, $1. 


Indiana.. 


Clinton 


lOfi per thousand for 41,000 w.h. or 
less; down to 6^ per thousand 










w.h. for 801,000 watt hours 






Min. charge 50^; no charge when 






residences are unoccupied for a 






period of 30 days or more. 




Crawfordsvillc. . . . 


4ff per kw. for 100 kw. down to lijf for 
10,000 kw. 10% discount if 
paid before 10th of month. 




Fort Wayne 


H. 




Kokoma 


4<f for less than 5 kv/. connected load* 






3^ per kw.h. for 5 kw. connected 


» 




and over. Min. $1 per month. 




Madison 


10^ for first 50 kw.h.; 8^ per kw.h. for 
second 50 kw.h., and 6^ per kw.h. 










for balance. 




Noblesville 


lOfi first 25 kw.; 8^ per kw. for next 




• 


25 kw., and 6^ for all over. 
Discount 10% 10 days. Min. 
50ff. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 327 



Statb. 



Indiana 

{Continued) 



Town. 



Iowa 



Plymouth. . . 
Rochester. . . 
South Bend . 
Terre Haute 

ZionsviUe. . 

Adel 

Britt 



Carroll 

Charles City . . 

Cresco 

Council Bluffs. 

Dubuque 

Eagle Grove . . 

Fairfield 

Greene 

Grundy Center 

Hampton 

Jefferson 

Keokuk 

Knoxville 

Le Mars 

Mount Vernon 



Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 



10^ first 10 kw.h.; balance at 2J^. 

8ff 30 hrs. Max. demand; 4^ aU over. 

10% discount on gross bill. 
12} ff first 25 kw.h. per month; lOfi on 

all additional. 
14^ per kw.h. first 30 kw. and 7^ for 

all above. 
15ff. No discount on bills of less than 

$2.50 per mo. $2.50 up to $3 

5% discount and an additional. 

1% on each 50^ increase up to 

and including 15% which carries 

max. discount of 30%. 

10^^ for first 30 kw.; 6fi next 30 kw., 

and 4ff for all over. 
3ff. 

6j^ less 5%. 

14 fi per month; balance at 6^ 
13^ per month up to 10 kw.; 12ff per 

kw. 10 to 20; 11^ per kw. for 

20 and over. 10% discount 

prompt payment. 
14^ per kw. up to 50 kw.; 12} (if per kw. 

50 to 100 kw.; lOff 100 to 150 

kw.; 6^ all over. 
15 ff per 1000 watts, meter. 
10^ for first 30 kw.h.; 7}f^ per kw.h. 

balance. 
5^ per kw. 
40 ff per month service charge, plus 8^ 

per kw.h. 
lOfi for first 25 kw.h.; 9^ next 150 

kw.h.; Si over kw.h. next 225 

kw.h.; 6^ next 400 kw.h.; 4^ 

next 800 kw.h., and 2fif all excess. 
10^ per kw., min. 75ff. 
15(f per kw. 
12} fi per kw. per mo. up to 10 kw.; 

down to 9}^ for 50 kw.; 8^ for 

all in excess. 



328 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



State. 


Town. 


Charob per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 


lUWA 


Nevada 


16^ per kw. per calendar month for 8 
kw. per cal. month, with 20% 
discount on all over. 

7i per kw. 

4^. Min $L 


{Continued} 


North wood 

Sac City 




Sheffield 


lOfi per kw. for first 20 per mo.; 8^ per 
kw. for next, 20, and 6^ for all 
over. Meter rent 25 ff per mo.; 
min. of $1 per month. 

12^ base rate, with discounts from 5% 
to 50% on bills from $1 to $100 

1 

and over. 
18^ up to 14 kw.; 15^ per kw. up to 
37§kw.; 12i^ per kw. up to 60; 
10{^ 60 to 100 kw. 
5^ per kw.; $2.50 minimum monthly. 
15^ first 30 kw.h. per month; 10 ff per 
kw.h. next 30 kw.h., and 7}^ 
«for all in excess. Minimum bill, 
$1 per month; meter rent 25 i 




Sioux City 

Sumner. 




Toledo 




Traer 






Kansas 


Abilene 


per mo. 

5^. 




Emporia 

Eureka 


5^. 
6^. 




Great Bend 

Hoisington 

Junction City .... 

Hutchinson 

Liberal 


10^ first 90 hrs.; 6^ next 120 hrs. and 
3^ all in excess of 210 hrs., maxi- 
mum demand 50% connected 
load. 
15^. 

4<f per kw. 
4«f. 
15if per kw. for first 25 kw. per month. 




Wichita 


10^ next and 8^ for all in excess. 
12 J ^. 20% disc, for prompt payment. 




Wilson 


None. 


Kentucky 


Lebanon 


12i per kw., meter rate. Discounts of 




Lexington 

Maysville 

Paducah 


10% to 30% 31 to 151 kw. per 

month. 
15^ less 10%. 
10^ straight. 
10<f, 10% discount five days. 


Louisiana 


Lake Charles 


15ff, 5% to 30% on bills from $5 to $120 
and over. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 329 



State. 


9 — 

Town. 


Charoe per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 


Maine 


Brewer 


3^ net. Min. monthlv charae, $2. 




Fort Fairfield .... 


5^. Discount 10% if paid before 10th 
of month. 




Oldtown 


3 if net. Min. monthlv charge. 






$2.00. 




Presque Isle 


lOi^ up to 50 kw.h. to 5i for 500 kw.h.; 
10% discount if paid before 10th 


- 




of month. 


Makyland 


Baltimore 


lOff. 


Massachusetts. 


Abington 


10^, discount according to quantity 


« 


. 


used. 




Attleboro 


5^. 




Beverly 


13^, discount 2^ per kw.h. paid before 
lOth of month. 






• 


Cambridge 


5.5-9ff per kw.h. for first 660 to 2iff 
per kw.h. for 1280 kw.h. and 




• 


over. Discount 10% if paid be- 
fore 10th of month. 




Boston 


12^, with min. charge $12 per year per 
meter down to 6ff for all in excess 










of 103 hours use Of the demand 






each month. 




Brockton 


5i^ net. 




Clinton 


16^ net for first 50 kw.h.; 12<f net per 






kw.h. for next 250, min. charge 






$12 per year. 




Cohasset 


10 ff. Discount according to quantity 
used. 






• 


Fall River 


12^ for first 100 kw.h.; down to 5^ per 






kw.h. for over 3200 kw.h. Min. 
charge, $1 per month, discount of 
10% prompt payment. 




Franklin 


6^. 




Great Barrington . 


18^ less 20% if paid before 15th of 
month. 5^ net to large users. 




Hanovev 


lOff. Discount according to quantity 
used. 








Have-hill 


12^, 1% discount if paid within 15 
days of bill; min. charge, $12 
per year. 




Lowell 


6^, 10% cash in 10 days. Min. $12 
net per meter per year. 








Marlborough 


5ff. 



330 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATINO 



State. 



Massachuseits. 

■ 

(Continued) 



Michigan 



Minnesota. 



Town. 



New Bedford. 



North Adams 

Palmer 

Pittsfield 

Plymouth. . . . 

Salem 

Springfield... 
Stockbridge. . 

Worcester. . . . 

Houghton 

Hudson 

Ishpeming . . . 

Marine City . 

Port Huron . . 
Saginaw 



Charge per Unit for Heating and 

Ck>OKING. 



Port Huron . . . 

Tecumseh 

Traverse City . 

Crookstown.. . 
Deer wood 



5^ to 2^ per kw.h. for from 3 h.p. to 

100 h.p. Min. charge, $1.50 

per month. Discount 5% if 

paid before 10th of month. 

12§^ for first 15 kw.h., Si for all excess. 

4^. Min. charge, $1. 
16^ to 11^ per kw.h. for 100 to 300 

kw.h.; all additional 10^. 
11^. Min. month, charge, 50^ each 

meter installed. 
6^ kw. net. 

loi* to 5^ per kw. for 50 kw. to 200 kw. 
and over. 
6^ per kw.h. Min. charge, $2.50 per 

month. 
7^ sliding scale, maximum, off-peak 

power. Min. $1 or 50j^ h.p. 

12^ to 10^ for 20 up to 40 kw. Min. 

charge 50^ month discount. 2^ 

per kw. if paid before 15th of mo. 

12^ to 9^ per 50,000 watts to 150,000 

watts and over. Discount 1^ per 

1000 if paid before 10th of 

month. 

12ff for first 30 kw.h. demand per mo.; 

6fi per kw.h. for all in excess. 
5^ per kw. 

lljii for first 30 kw.h. use of connected 
load per month ; and 5 ^ per kw.h . 
for all excess. Discount 25% to 
40% on bills from $25 to $100 
and over. 
2Jff. Min. charge $1 per month. 
5^ to 2^, step price. 
8fi, 6fi and 4^ connected load rate, 30 

hours' use. 
$3 per kw.h. readiness to serve. 5^ 
for current 15^ straight meter 
rate. 
5fi first 200 kw.h.; all over, 4^ per 
kw.h. Min. of $1 per connected 
h.p. per month. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 331 



State. 


Town. 


Charqe per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 


Minnesota 


Duluth 


3^. Less 20% discount. Min. charge 
$1 per month. 


{Continued) 






Eveleth 


7-7 ff per kw. to 5-5 jf per kw. for 50 to 
100 kw. and over. Disc. 10%. 








MiNNEAPOIiia . . . . 


8^ to 4J^ per kw.h. from 100 to 600 
kw.h. and over. Min. mo. bill, 






$1. Disc. 5% prompt pay't. 




St. Cloud 


llji to 5i^ per kw. month, from 100 to 
600 kw. and over. Discount 1^ 
per kw. if paid by 10th. Min. 
charge, $1 per month. 




St. Paul 


none. 




Winona 


11^ to 4H per kw. for 50 kw. to 2000 
kw. and over; discount 1^ per 










kw. if paid before 10th of month. 


Mississippi 


Meridian 


12^ less 10%. 




Perryville 


10^, no discount. 


Missouri 


Aurora 


12ff per kw. up to 75 kw., 8^ for all in 
excess. 








Excelsior Springs . 


6^ to 3^. 




Kansas City 


5 if 10% discount. 




King City 


3^ after a certain amount of current, 
in conjunction with Ughting, has 
been used. Min. bill, 50^ per 






month. Customer owns meter. 




Louisiana 


10^. 




Marshall 


Special. 

lOff to 4ff per kw.h. from 50 to 500 kw.h. 
and over. 




May ville 








Norboume 


15jf to 7ff per kw. from lOkw. to 250 kw. 
and over. 




St. Joseph 


5<f. 




St. Louis 


9ii net. Monthly min., 50^. 


Montana 


Anaconda 


1 3 J . 1 2 J % discount if paid before 1 5th 
of month. 




Butte 


7<f less 10% on small appliances: 5<f 






net on ranges and water heaters. 




Glendive 


20 (f. 20% discount for prompt pav- 






ment. Min., $1.25. 




Great Falls 


5^ per kw. for heaters and irons; 3^ 
per kw. for cooking. 




Hamilton 


4J^ net. 




Kalispell 


SH- 10% 10 days. 



332 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



State. 



Town. 



Nebraska. 



Nevada. 



New Hampshire 



New Jersey. . 
New Mexico. 



New York 



Auburn 

Crawford .... 

David City . . 

Grand Island. 
Havelock .... 

Lincoln 

Omaha 

Superior 

Goldfield .... 
Reno 

Concord 

Derry 

Dover 

Manchester. . 

Newport 

Portsmouth . . 

Summit 

Albuquerque.. 
Deming 

Albany 

Amsterdam . . 
Babylon 

Binghamton. . 
Mount Kisco. 

Broadalbin. . . 

Buffalo 

Clinton 



Chabqe per 



Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 



6ff per kw. 
Ibf. for first 200 kw.h. per month; 10^ 

for each additional kw.h. 
20^ to 12^ per kw. from 10 to 26 kw. 
and over. Min. rate $1 per mo. 
3^ niet. 

15^ per kw. 1 ^ discount for all current 
consumed above 50 kw. until 9^ 
per kw. is reached. 
13j^ to 6^ for 20 kw.h. to 40 kw.h. and 
over. 10% if bills paid before 
10th. 
6^. Discount 5%. 
dt plus 30 hours demand at 15ff. 
5^ on all cooking and heating meters. 
7i to 4iff for 150 to 550 kw.h. and over. 
Monthly minimum charge, $1. 
$1 .20 per month per h.p. No discount. 
85^ with fixed service charge of $1. per 
month. Discount 5% payment 
by 10th of month. 
8f^ plus $1 service charge. Discount 
5% if paid before 10th of month. 
12 ff. Discount 5 % payment before 6th 

of month. 
10^, 25^ per month service charge. 
5^ net. 

5^ with service charge of 75 1 per mo. 
5^ per kw. $1.50 minimum. 
8 if to 3^ per kw. for 100 up to 500 kw. 
and over, with service charge per 
h.p. $1. 
None. 
None. 
10^ per kw. 100 kw. per month; 5ff for 

all in excess. 
2^ when used with house lighting. 
15^, 13^ and 10^. Min. charge $1 

per month. 
Special price; regular rates 10^ per kw.h. 
9^ to 4^. 

11^ base rate; discount 10 to 50%, for 
75 to 3750 kw.h. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 333 



State. 


Town. 


Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 


New York 


Cooperstown 


Same. 


(Continued) Corinth 


8^ to 6^ for 50 to 150 kw.h. per month 
and over. 








Far Rockaway — 


6^. 




Fulton 


6ff, discount I't per kw.h. if paid in 15 
days. Min. charge, 75^ per mo. 








Gloversville 


9^. Min. charge, 50^ per month. 




Hudson 


12fi. 




Jamestown 


5f^, less 10% for prompt payment. 




Kingston 


15^ for first 60 hrs. of demand per mo.; 
all excess 5 ^ . Discount of 2 % to 




• 


20% on bills from $10 to $100 
and over. 




Liberty 


15^ to 10^ per mo.; for 100 to 400 kw. 
10^ to 6^ for 50 to. 400 kw. and over. 




Lockport 






Discount of 25% if paid on or 






before the 10th. 




Palniyra 


4^ net. 




Newark 


4^ net. 




Lyons 


4fif net. 




Clyde 


4^ net. 




Norwich 


10^ to 4<f for 100 kw. to 2000 kw. 




Nvack 


$6 per month from April 1st to Oct. 1st. 
4fi per kw. Oct. 1st to April 1st. 








Phelps 


4^. 




Port Jervis 


14^ to 10^ for 10 to 40 kw.h. 




Poughkeepsie 


5^ average net. 


, 


Rhinebeck 


20^ to lOj^ per kw. for 10 to 200 and 
over. Discount 5% if bills are 
paid in 10 days. 




Rochester 


6fi per kw. 




Rome 


15 jf per month to 8^ for 40 to 1300 kw.h. 
and over. Discount of 10% on 
all bills paid before the 10th of 
month. 




Schenectady 


5^ flat rate, min. rate $1 per month. 




St. Johnsville 


8^ net. 




Utica 


11^ to 4^ per kw.h. for 60 to 1170 kw.h. 
and all in excess. Min. rate $1 
per month. 




Walden 


12^ to 9^, from 100 to 200 kw.h. and 
over. Min. charge $1 per mo. 










Disc. 10% paid before 10th of mo. 



334 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



Stat^. 



New York 

(Continued) 
No. Carolina. . 




No. Dakota. 



Ohio. 



Oklahoma 



Yonkers 

Asheville 

Raleigh 

Salisbury 

Spencer 

Devil's Lake 

Mandan 

Minot 

Canton 

Columbus 

Coshocton 

Defiance 

Kent 

Massilon 

Middletown 

New Philadelphia 



Wauseon. . 
Lima 
Zanesville. . 

Bartlesville 

El Reno. .. 

Holdenville 
Oklahoma . 



Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 



12jf to 6^ for 60 to 360 kw.h. and over. 

Min. monthly charge $3. 
15 jf first hours of one-third total instal- 
lation; 7J^ for balance. 
5j^ flat. 
12^ to 6^. 
12fi to 6^. 
11^ per kw. net. 
4^ per kw. Min. $1. 
9i to U for 100 to 5000 kw.h. Disc. 

of 10% paid before 10th of mo. 
Off to 5^ for from 2 to 5 hrs. daily use. 
15 jf per season per sq.ft. of radiating 

surface. 
15^ per season per sq.ft. of radiating 

surface. 
8^ to 5^ net for 100 to 600 kw.h. and 

over. Min. bill, 75^. 
10^. Disc, of 10% on bills over $10. 
$15 per year (payable monthly) plus Sf. 

per kw.h. for all current used. 

Discount 10% in 10 days. 
10^ to 7i for 150 to 601 kw.h. and over. 

Disc. 10% paid before 10th of mo. 
Multiple rates, 15 and 03, and 10 and 05, 

based on 30 hrs. use per mo. of 

demand, first 30 hrs. at high rate, 

all excess at low rate. 
12 J ^ per kw. for 12 kw. excess at 5^. 

8i^ for 25 to 2400 kw.h. and over. 
Discount 5% if bills are paid 
before 10th. Min. 50^. 

lOjf to 5^ per kw. for 30 to 1000 kw. and 
over. Min. charge, 50^. Dis- 
count 5% paid before 5 th. 

12^ to 5j^ for 100 to 5000 kw.h. Min. 
charge $1. Discount 5% for 
prompt payment. 

5iff to 2i 6 for 500 to 5000 kw.h. Min. 
charge $ 1 . Discount 10 % if paid 
before 10th of mo. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 335 



State. 



Town. 



Oklahoma Sapulpa. . . 

{Continued) 

Shawnee.. . 
Oregon Dallas 

Hood River 



Independence. . . 



Klamath Falls. . . 



Pennsylvania . . 



Medford 

Monmouth 

Portland 

Allentov^Ti 

Canton 

Ebensburg 

Erie 

Hanover 

Lemoyne 

Maine Line Dist 
Mauch Chunk. . 
Millersburg. . . . 

Philadelphia. . . 

Pottsville 

Punxsutawney. . 

Reading 

Athens 

Sayre 

S. Waveriey 

Waverley, N. Y. , 

Vandergrift 

Warren , 

Waynesboro 



Charge per Unit for Heating and 
Cooking. 



5 ^ to 2i ^ for 500 to 5500 kw.h. Disc. 
10% if paid before 10th of mo. 
5ff per kw. 

5ii less 10% disc^ paid by 10 of mo. 
5jf, $1 minimum, or flat rate of $2.50 

per month for special stores. 
5}^, less 10% discount bills paid on 
or before 10th of mo. 
$8 per month (combined rate for cook- 
ing and heating); or flat rate of 
15^ per 100 watts rated capacity 
per mo. 
Same. 
5i less 10% discount bills paid on or 

before 10th of month. 
4^. Min. charge $1 per month. 
Si to 2.1^ per kw. for 25 to 3000 kw. 
and over 10% discount bills paid 
before 15th of month. 
16^ to 10^ 20 M. to 200 M. and over. 

Watt hours. 
4ff per 1000 watts (meter). 
10^. 5% discount. 
5^ flat rate. 
4fi. 

12fi and 10^. 
6^ per kw. 
lOfi. Discount 5% to 20% on bills 

from $3 to $20. 
lOff meter rate and 12^ meter rate. 
6ff with 16f % disc. $1 min. 
5ff or 15ff on 50% demand, 3^ for all 

over the demand. 
6^ per kw., 5% discount for ciish. 
2i^, monthly demand charge. 
2}^ monthly demand charge. 
2ijf monthly demand charge. 
2i^ monthly demand charge. 
6jf per kw., all metered, subject to disc. 
4^ less 10%. 

15fi to 2ff per service unit from 1 to 15. 
(Service unit is 5 hrs. use of the 
max. demand in kw. plus 6 kw.h.) 



336 



ELECTRIC COOKING AND HEATING 



State. 



Pennsylvania. . 

(Continued) 



Rhode Island . . 



Town. 



S. Carolina. . . 



So. Dakota. 

Tennessee. . 



Texas 



Wilkes-Barre. . . . 
Williamsport 

Newport 

Pawtucket 

Wakefield 

Peace Dale 

Narragansett Pier 

Woonsocket 

Anderson 

Charleston 

Florence 

Georgetown 

Sumter 

Rapid City 

StuVgis.. 

Bristol 

Johnson City 

Memphis 

Shelbyville 

Wartrace 

Manchester 

Amarillo 

Beaumont 

Brenham 

College Station . . . 

Cuero 

Dallas 



Charqe pkr Untt for Heating and 
Cooking. 



Houston Heights. 
Marshall 



10^ to m. 

$19.20 per kw. per year, fixed charge, 
plus 1.1^ per kw. less 6i% 
disc. 

12}^ to 3^ per kw. monthly for 200 to 
2700 kw. and over. Min . charge, 
$1.25. Disc. 20% 10th. 

lOff net. 

16^ net. 

15ff net. 

15 jf net. 

12} ff. Min. charge $1 per month. 
4ff per kw. 

lOff to 4^ for 75 to 500 kw.h. and over. 
Min. 50^ per month. 

15^ to 10^ per kw. for 10 to 50 kw. 
and over. 

15^ to 10^ per kw. for 30 up to 200 kw. 
3^ per kw. 
5^ and 3^. Min. $3 per month. 

lOfJ and 8ff per kw. for 25 kw. and over. 
Zi per kw. Min. charge $2.50. 

$1.50 per kw. and 4^ net for cooking. 

lOff and 5^ for 50 kw.h. and over. 25i 
per month meter rent. 

10 ff and 5ff for 50 kw.h. and over. 25 f^ 
per month meter rent. 

lOff and 5jf for 50 kw.h. and over. 25 f 
per month meter rent. 

15^ per kw. Min. mo. charge, $1.50. 
5ff net. 

10^ per kw. 
8^ and 10^. 

15ff. 

lOff to 6^ for 300 kw.h. to 4000 kw.h. 
and over. 10% discount if paid 
within 10 days. Min. monthly- 
rate, $1. 

14^ to Sff per kw. for 50 to 500 kw. and 
over; discount 10% for prompt 
payment. 



PRICES CHARGED IN THE UNITED STATES 337 



Stats. 



Texas 

(Continued) 
Utah 

Vermont 



Virginia, 



Washington . . . 



West Virginia . 



Wisconsin , 



Town. 



Port Arthur 

Salt Lake City . . 

Manchester 

Montpelier 

St. Albans 

Woodstock 

Alexandria 

Hampton 

Lynchbuij? 

Newport News. . 

Roanoke 

Staunton 

Warrenton 

Waynesboro 

Winchester 

Aberdeen 

Anacortes 

Bellingham 

Brewster 

Bridgeport 

Pateros 

Colville 

Seattle , 

Spokane 

Bluefield 

Parkersbnrg. ... 

Ashland 

De Pere 

Eau Claire 

Janesville 



Charob per Unit fob Heating and 
Cooking. 



Lake Geneva. 



20>f to 9^ for 10 to 300 kw.h. 10% 

payment in 5 days. 
6.6 ff. Min. charge, $2 per month. 

5% discount, pajrment in 5 days. 
12 ff per kw. to all-the-year customers; 

20 fJ to summer customers only. 
4ff. Min. charge, $1 per month. 
5ff net. 
5ff to 3ff per kw. for 50 kw. and over. 

Min. $1. 
5ff. 

4J^ net. 

8^ to 6^ per kw. for 100 kw. to 300 kw. 
m net. 

5^. Min. charge, $1 monthly. 
3J to 4j^ per kw.h. 

4fi for 6 irons and over. 
10^ per kw, with discounts, 10% to 
30% for 10 to 100 kw. 

15^ to 7i for 30 to 60 kw. and over, 
10% disc, for prompt payment. 
4§ff net. Min. charge, $1.50 per h.p. 

per mo. 
7ff to 4f5 for 10 to 30 kw.h. and over. 
7ff to 4^ for 10 to 30 kw.h. and over. 
7ff to 4ff for 10 to 30 kw.h. and over. 
12f( to 5ff. Monthly min. charge, $1. 
3^ Monthly min. charge, $1. 
5ff. Min. bill, $1 per month. 
3ff, with primary charge of $1 per 
mo. per kw. of maximum demand. 
7§ff per kw. Min. charge, $1 per mo. 

6^ per kw. net. 
3f5 per kw. 

lOff per 1000 watt hours; discount 5% 
to 30% on bills from $5 to $50 
per month and over. 5% dis- 
count additional if bill is paid 
before 5th of month. 
15ff straight. 



ELECTRIC COOKINa AND HEATING 



s™. 


TO... 


<^— ■"^cZ.X^™*- 






m to U per kw. for 50 to 150 kw. and 


(ffomnued) 






ParkFallB 


12^ per kw. Min. charge $1. 5% 

cash in 10 days. 
5^perkw. Service charge, $1 per kw. 
6(i for first 1500 kw.h., plus a fixed 

charge of 10)! per month. 




Sheboygan 






15)! per 1000 watts, r.-itli discount. 
6f! to 4:i per kw. for 100 lo 203 kw. and 

20#. 


WYOUrNG 


OaHUpr 




Evaoston 




Rawlins 


4i(S. 









A self- contained Electric Mantel Clock, " Lowne SjBtani." 



THE ONLY HEATER 

YIELDING 

REAL RED HEAT 
AND LONG LIFE 



REAL 
RED 
HEAT 



BASTIAN 

HEATER 



REAL 
RED 
HEAT 



THE ONLY HIGH TEMPERATURE 
HEATER THAT WILL STAND 
THE TEST OF TIME. — 



■F" Typo. £3 a 
Guio-Bnteed for 4 Yeari. 

" Rodolite " — *■ — " Rodolite " 

Proprlelori of Brttlsh Patents : 

The Bastian Electric Heating Syn. 

Limited 
185. WARDOUR STREET T J \Y/ 

OXFORD STREET LiOnuOn, W . 

Proprltlort of Foreign Patents : 

The London Electrical Trading Co. 

Limited 
21. BROAD STREET I „ J „ C /^ 

HOUSE, Liondoii- ii..\^. 



LIGHTNING 
OVEN 

AN up-to-date and efficient Cooker, 
built on scientific lines. By tar 
and away the most economical 
in current consumption of any Electric 
Cooker. Upkeep costs are almost 
negligible, and shrinkage loss in 
cooking is reduced to a minimum. 
No interior circulation of cold air is 
possible, therefore no loss of heat 
results when the dome is raised for 
inspection. Heating elements are 
easily accessible and can be replaced, 
if necessary, by an unskilled user at 
nominal cost. 

A six-heat switch and indicating 
lamps are provided. 

Price £6 6s. 



The Armorduct Mfg. Co.., Ltd.^ 

FARRINGDON AVENUE LONDON, E.C. 

Works : 
BATHURST WORKS, WITTON, NEAR BIRMINGHAM. 



LIGHTNING 
Cooker. Grill 

SERVES the dual purpose of 
Cooker and Grill. Sncb food 
as chops, steaks, fish, etc., can 
be grilled quickly and economically, 
or (he Cooker-Grill can be used in 
the same way as the ordinary gas 
ring. Current consumption is low 
enough to permit connection to any 
lampholder or plug- 
The diameter of pan is g^ in., its 

Price £1 28. 6d. 



THE BROMPTON & KENSINGTON 
ACCESSORIES Co, Ltd., 

PROPRIETORS OF THE "B&K" ELECTRrC RESTAURANT. 

254-260, Earl's Court Rd., London, S.W. 

Maaafaclartrt ct 

ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS. 

USHIVALLBO BXPBRIBNCB. 



THE B. & K. MODEL "C" ELECTRIC COOKING STOVE. 
Tbe rood Reliable and Efficient on the Market. 



The BELLING Fire. 

Pmltat l9«S4llt. R«r> DtMlga HISSS. 



Ordinary Special 

Finishes, Finishes, 

£3 10 £4 10 



Belling Fires have been adopted by over 300 Electric 
Supply Authorities throughout the British Isles and 
abroad, many of whom have over 200 in use on their 
systems. 

They are undoubtedly the most pr«otieal and suqoessful electric heater 
yet produced. Each fire bar works iodepeadeatlr on full volts, aod we 
guarantee their life for three years of average use. They are perfectly 
simple to replace and easily iDterchangeable. 

The switches fitted are of the rotating pattern and of ample capacity, 
arranged to give three degrees of heat. Strong substantial terminals are 
supplied, so that new or longer lengths of flexible can he fitted, if 
required. 

They arc the ideal fire for hiring out purposes, owing to their sturdy 
cast-iron construction, their freedom from breakdown troubles, and their 
consequent low maintenance cost. 



Patenteea aad Actual Manatacturera : 

BELLING & CO., 

Electric Heating Specialists, 

Edmonton, LONDON, N. 




The BELLING No. 2 
"MODERN HOME" 

ELECTRIC COOKER 

Is probably the most complete 
and practical cooker now on the 
market. 

Its mechanical construction is the 
outcome of 30 years' experience. Its 
electrical equipment is carried out 
by our well known and thoroughly 
tested " Standard Fire Bars," suit- 
ably arranged. The boiling rings 
are our latest red hot pattern, using 
ordinary kitchen utensils. The hob 
is hinged for ease in fixing renewals. 

Owing to their extreme simplicity 
they are the ideal Cooker for 
HIRING OUT PURPOSES. 



Our complete cookers, as also our separate ovens, grlUers and 
boiling rings, are all strong serviceable articles, of practical design, 
and suitable for hard kitchen work. 



Heavy substantial cast-iron construction, 
specially suitable for hiring out purposes* 



EDMONTON, LONDON, N. 



Convenience and Economy 



CALORITE 
ELECTRIC TEA KETTLE. 



af electric heating and 
cooking cannot be ex- 
celled, and no hoiuewife 
interested in cleanliness 
and daintiness can afford 
to be without 



B.T.-H. RADIANT GRILL. 



Calorite 
Devices. 



They ar 
specially tor electric heat- 
ing and cooking require- 
ments in the home. They 
are of simple construction, 
beautihilly finished and 
reliable in service. They 
are absolutely safe, create 
no dust or fumes in 
operation and are inex- 
pensive. 

The British 
Thomson-Houston 
Co., Ltd., 

Electrical Englnetri 
and Manafactann. 
HeuiOflKe: RucBV. 
Worki : RucBY AND Coventry, 

EIncland. 
L^ondon Office : 63, Cannon 
Street. E.C. 



"HEAPER LIGHT 

On the lamps alone de- 
pends the cost of your 
electric lighting. 

Electric lamps transform 
electrical energy into light. 
MazdaDrawn Wire Lamps 
give approximately one 
candle power for every 
watt of electricity — some 
lamps require ij — 5 waits 
for every candle power of 
light. Mazda Lamps are 
efficient because the fila- 
ments are made of tungsten 
—the proved best meial for 
the purpose. The Maida 
tungsten filament is in one 
continuous duxwn wire— 
1 several short loops. This revolutionary process, 
li added strength, durability and greater 
sncy. was first developed and embodied i 



WlKt 

ELECTRIC 

LAMPS 



a Mazda wherever you use a lamp, 
:tion at the lowest possible 




INSTAL 
THE B.T.H. 
"EYE REST" 
SYSTEM OF 
INDIRECT LIGHTING 
AND HAVE BEAUTIFUL 
ILLUMINATION 



The theory underlying B.T.H. " Eye-Rest " 
lighting is as simple as the results are 
beautiful. BrieHy, the system calls for orna- 
mental metal or composition bowls suspended 
from the ceiling by chains. The Mazda Lamps, 
each equipped with an " X - Ray " Reflector, are 
filled into the bowls, and the light they give is thrown 
upwards on to the ceiling, which acts as a huge reflector 
and distributes the light with perfect diffusion all over 
the room. The resultant illumination can only be com- 
pared to sunlight passing through a slightly obscured 
glass skylight. The bowls can he made to conform to 
any scheme of decoration. 

THE BRITISH THOMSON-HOUSTON CO.. Ltd., 

(ManafactiittT, ef Mazda Orauin Wirt Lamp,} 
Mazda Houw, 77, Upper Thame* Street, E.C 

Works-Rugby. Itmncht) in all large townj. 









H M. the K.ag 




A Touch 


of the 




S wi t c 


h 


Does i 


t! 



rmSf ELECTRIC 
^"^ APPLIANCES 



CLECTRICITY as a cooking and heating 
'-^ agent has Brmly ettablished itielf. Its 
handiness and cleanlinew, its quick, ever-reaay 
service, its complete heating control, and iu 
many other advantagei have received due 
public appreciation and recognition. 
C Electric appliances bearing the hallmark — 
CARRON — leave nothing to be desired. 
Thoughtlully designed from the user's stand- 
point, they combine, in simple (orm, those 
features which make for perfect cooking and 
heating. 

C Carron Electric Appliances are the out- 
come of exhaustive tests, and give a service 
that fully maintains the Company's reputation 
extending over a century-and-a-half. 



No. 401. GRILL, TOASTERuid HOT-PLATE. 

Thi> ii a handy Utile cooker, tuilable for houiehold 
requiremenli. It hai poliibed top and moulding), and is 
(urniihcd wilh gril] tin and grid complete. Elements are 
of high radiating efficiency, a neceitity far tucceiiful 
grilling and toasting. Admirably suited lor baking 

i3G^rE=fr iVrilefor No. 66 EUclrIc Appli<,nct B<.okltl. 

untpoilfm. 

Cy^RRON 0»lRflNy ^<"k> carron, stirungshire 
^ \hrf and Kt Phoenix Fonndry, Sheffield 



CREDENDA SYSTEM 

ELECTRIC HEATING AND COOKING APPARATUS. 
CREDENDA ELECTRIC OVEN. 



a 
■ i Units. 



' Intemal 

Dlmcnflons : /'„_„„__.i„_ . 

M In. deep. '* ""I" 

12 In. Uit. f'i' "»•»■ 

..... . .... Jr. wh ch qQickly 

"'„'"'»"» °''S ...C1..8 cooklis 

'^'"PI.K.I?"' .™p.r.M«. 



THE CREDENDA QRIUL. 

MADE IN THREE SIZES, NICKEL AND BLACK FINISH. 

TlieH arlils are Fitted with our 

fitted with loose New Bar Unit, 

inurt.,.. .1,1.. •»«;»; 

are removable prevent danger 

lor cleaning. ot breakage. 



Wrile for List aad Name of our nearest Agent or Supplier. 



Manufactured by 

CREDENDA CONDUITS CO., LTD. 

Registered Offices: CHESTER STREET, ASTON. 
Works: STAR WORKS, CHESTER STREET, ASTON. 

BIRMINGHAM. 



348 

It's Up To YOU To Get The Best 
: "CROMPTON" : 

ELECTRIC HEATING AND 

COOKING APPARATUS. 

SAFE «S SURE 

Tell us what vou WANT. \P- ««. makers oi 

, 3, Motors, 

r (D. C. 
Z.) Instru- 
"■rojectore, 
.AMPS, 
Etc. 



'm^ CROMPTON « Co., ^..S:^., 

50, WelJinjlon S,«B. LIMITED, 

C I- L I. CALCUTTA: 

NEWCASTLE; baluDury House, 'tnd?, Cli«Str«t. 

Nor,humberl4nd SiH.1. H-»«UUIN, t.C. MADRAS ■ 

.....^ Tejurtnii: "CROMPTON, AVE, LONDON." ?. Amieni»n Sitm, 

MANCHESTER: T.I«phon«: m CENTRAL, 1*59 LONDON 

WoaUll'sBuildin,^ Tru«kS.rvi„ SiS'mtlnnM BOMBAY- 

42, D«n^„. Tru„I.S.rv,c.. 86 LONDON. ,5,3, ^^,1^ j_^^ 

BIRMiNGHAM. Worb: ARC WORKS, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX 

BIRMJNOHAM. Tekgr«r,: " CROMPTON, CHELMSFORD," SYDNEY- 

IT. P.r«lise SiTKi. Telephone: No. 2, CHELMSFORD. S6 Mugtrei Sireei. 

THE PIONEERS OF 

ELECTRIC COOKING. 



The Dowsing Radiant Heat Co., Ltd., 

lOS, Gl Portland Street, LONDON, W. 

Manafacturers of 
ELECTRICAL MEDICAL APPARATUS. 

TKe SOLARIUM (Cleclrlc Sun Bath) ia a most valuable appliance, whereby a Sun Ball 

can b« obtained at a vet^ imall cost, and in the most convenient manner. 
Cost of using, about i) units, aay i)d, pei bath. 



This Eleclric Light Bath is camplele wilh eighi Pslenl PoUihed Aluminitim Rel 
ton, eighl special L^hl and Heat Lamps, Brass Cuardi, Connections, Pluga 
Sockets. Umpholders, Fluiblc Wires, and eight Controlling Switches, also ll 
yards of Flexible Cord to connect to Cualomer't own plug, 

PRICES. Complete «lib Rail Keclmlng Couch, 

Id White Enamelled Bass Wood £32 

In Fumed Oak . . £35 

In Polished Walnut or Mahogany £35 

DIMENSIONS (OursioE). 

Hnghl, 36 inches. Length, 76 inches. Depth, 40 inches. 

Electiic Light Baths aie much supetioi to Turkish Baths. The foUowine are son 

their chief characteristics. 

(i) Nutthlon iinproved, and congestion reduced to a rematkable eitent. 
(j) Danger of laliine chill lessened, 

(l) The glands or the body cleaned, removing the cause of the congestion, 
Parikwr pmrtlculart and prlcam on applleallaa ti 



The Dowsing Radiant 
Heat Company, Ltd., 

105, GREAT PORTLAND STREET. LONDON, W., 

Manufacturers of Electrical Heating and 

Cooking Apparatus. 

ELECTRIC RADIATORS 

Luminous. Hot Bar Radiators (Convecton). 



Prlc» S5I-. Pric* 7716. 

ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS. 



The 

practical 




>r 111 klida of Hcdinit and Cimkliif Apfanlit, Bnd ot any ilit. 



353 



Exceptionally Convenient, 

oieaiii safei and thoiK>u^hiy peiiable In sarvioa. 




a 



Eclipse" 
Cookers 

greatly add to the comfort and 
ease with which meals can be 
prepared^ as there is no worry^ 
fuss or bother^ Simply turn 
the switch and the Cooker does 
the rest* 



°cP 



They have been in use for years in Hotels, 

Restaurants, Boarding Establishments and Private 

Houses, and enjoy a high reputation for satiS'^ 

factory service under all conditions* 



Write for prices and full particulars of ** Eclipse** 
Cookers, Radiators, Kettles, Irons, Prying Pans, 
Jugs, Hot'plates, etc* 



The Electric & Ordnance Accessories Co., Ltd. 

(Proprietors : Vickers Limited), 

ASTON, BIRMINGHAM. 



London Showrooms :—Vlokei*s House (Eleotri«»al DsntOt 

Broadwayi 8.W. 



2 A 



oil of House Cleaning? 

K madf a recreation bv using 
t Elecliic Suclion Cleaner, 



What Is tbe right kind of 
Cleaner ? 

When buying a Yacuum cleaner, the cocreet 
weight In order Ibat 





























lion. The rraati Cleaner weighs 
only nine pounds, and Is as durable and 
















M^Cp^tuiew'hic"musi''be"pSE*n'il; 




yel doing your work in half the time. 


Benertts derived 


by 



oplac 



trouble, 



[ the FKANTZ. 



iccessfully 






If a machine Is not easy to o 

to use, it is simply a waste of 

The Fr«DlE Cleaner is 



le feeull of careful design and 

It is the housewife's friend, ever ready when wanted ; 
let when not in use. The constant demand for tbe Frai 
proof in itself of (he eicellent qualities wbiih we clali 

the KenersI (unclitini of Ihc FraatZ CiMiier, cu be hid I 



:11s at a low price. U B • 
implete wiiboul this useful 



ELECTRIC SUCTION CLEANER CO., 

151, QUEEN VICTORIA ST., E.C. 

Telephone No. 5S63 Ciiv. 



- - A Bath in your Bedroom. - - 

"ELLKAY 

Cabinet Bathrooms S Tip-up Baths 

- No Separate Room Required. - 

ELECTRIC AND OTHER WATER HEATERS. 

In Health a luxury at any time. In Sickness invaluable when required. 



Royal 
SttOUry 



Floor Space 

occupied 
for full-iized 

Batb: 

2 ft. 9 in. wide, 

2 ft. 1 in. deep, 

6 ft. high. 



THE "ELLKAV BATHROOMS ARE INSTALLED AT:— 
The Hotel Melrapole, London. Hawlhorne'i Hotel. Bournemouth. 

De KeyMr'i Royal Hotel, London. Impertel Hotel, Brl^hloo. 

BucklBKhain Palace Hotel, London. etc., etc., etc. 

Supplied with or without Cabinets. 

ILLUSTRATED PRICE USTS ON APPUCATION. 

ELLKAY & Co. (1912) Ltd., 

25, Newman St., London, W. r.;„ten,.c.„ws/!i6. 



Perfection for Grilling or 


Toasting 


(HYGIENIC, 


SIMPLE & ECONOMICAL IN 


OPERATION.) 


** 




^Hfr 


Malerj o( 




Makers of 


Cooking 




Headng 


Appatalns, 




Apparatuj. 


Ranges, 




Radiators. 


Roasting and 




Convector*. 


Baking Ovens. 




Electric Fires, 


Grillen, 




Irons, 


Toasters, 




Heating Pads, 


Saucepans, 




Towel Raib. 


Stew Pans, 




Tonga 


Fry Pans, 




Heaters, 


Water Boilers, 




Shaving Poto, 


Kettles, 




Plate 


Hot PUes, 




Warmers, 


Urns, 




Hat Pads, 


Hot Cup- 




Heating Ap- 


boards, 




p'ications for 


■ Carving 




Industrial . . 


Tables, 




purposes. 


Etc., etc. 




Eto., etc. 


** 


No. 5257. Griller & Towter. 


4^ 


Scheme, ^d E 


stimatei provitled [or complete CookinD 


Initallalicuu tar 


HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, INSTITUTIONS, MANSIONS, El,. 


FALKIRK IRON COMPANY, *^ 


Craven 


House, Kingaway, London, W.C. 


UVERPOOL, GLASGOW, EDINBURGH. | 




work.: FALKIRK, N.B. T.lc^™.: XASTINGS.- 



557 




99 



Ekclric tNkiig ud Hiatiiig AHHuntiis. 

SUPBHOR BRITISH MANUFACTURE. 






" Ktoetric Iron. 



Descriptive Catalogue, illustrating complete range of Klcctric KettWs, Gnll«» 
Ovens for Cooking, Irons for Ironing ; also Catalogues of Heating Apj\^ralus 

gratis to the trade. 



Wholesale only from : — 



•I 



FALK, STADELMANN ft Co., Ltd 

"EFBSCA" ELECTRICAL WORKS, 



83-85-87, FARRINGDON ROAD, 

LONDON, E.G. 

Also at MANOHK8TKR and aUASaOW. 



=FERRANTI= 

ELECTRIC 

Heating & Cooking 
Apparatus. 



ELECTRIC GRILLER. 
The OUTSTANDING FEATURES are:— 

Substantial Constpuctloni Neat Appearance 
and Finish, Economy In Operation, High 
Efficiency, Simple Switching Appangements, 
Adequate Ppovlslon fop Eapthing, Cleaning 
and Inspection. Interchangeable Units 
Guapanteed. 

Many pieces of our apparatus are fully 
deacpibed in various sectiona of this volume, 
and we shall be pleased to send you our 
Catalogue Binder" P" on receipt of a postcard. 

Ferranti Ltd 

CENTRIL HOUSE, XINGSWAY, LONDON, W.C. 



Electric Heating and Cooking Appliances. 

pAREFUL 



llMrHulled in iho" Miami- Sy.i™ bnofl 
ElecUk Hciling iiuj Coc^linc Appirttui. 
All " MuMI " Ksttlo. Iroiu. dc^ uc filled 




jnct~ Domestic Iron. 
Electric KeMle. 

H5M0 4lba I2le 

UkIiiJ il^bi in Driwuic Rooni « KildKD. HSB42elbi ISI- 



'JVKZ 



iupptied NkI 



MMHCt- ~M*VM1~ Milk Sterilizer r^SXS- 

W SCS "»— Electric ToMter. 

EinAric Tauter. ■"" ""^ W«nnor. pj,,^ „i,h ,h„ihed demai. 

M>kei perfect lr«b la«t en HS360 Uiol 27/8 living Idoe life, .ble lo wilh. 

TOUT ttbll. Of polilhed copper. eledncnllT filled »*ncl rcmgh ok. 

H5600 Niekel-Pkled ... 15/- eUErior.ind bulchina iDnercwInioer. H36a2 NIcld-PliMd ... 21/. 

i^ame and aJdrai of neareal lapplitr poal free on reqaeil. 
irAatfMf* onip:— 

THE GENERAL ELECTRIC CO., Ltd 

H«ad Office :-67, QUEEN VICTORU STREET, LONDON, E.a 



''DIAMOND H" 



■<SS'Ss'S£i 



SERIES PARALLEL SWITCHES 



As supplied to principal manufacturers of Cooking 
Apparatus, Electric Supply Companies, etc., etc. 

Capacities :— 3, 7, 10 & 20 Amps. 250 Volts. 

WRITE FOR LISTS. 



The HART MANUFACTURING CO.. 

76 & 77, Rochester Row, 
LONDON, S.W. 



Tele/Aatu— 

VICTORIA 1931. 



Mr. WILLIAM CKICHTON, 

Euroftait Manager. 



r 



The Choice 
lies with yo 

but be advised 
and specify 



Prometheus 



Sound in Artistic 
Construction and 

and Pleasing 
Electrically in 

Perfect. Design. 



Apparatus 

NOW IN USE AT 

Buckingham Palace 

And other Hoyal Honseholds. 

Alio many LeadinA Clubs and Hotels throughout the Country- 



THE BRITISH PROMETHEUS COMPANY, Ltd. 



Anything you Want 

from a Curling Toogs Heater to a Mammoth Cooking Suite are 
produced in our shops, specially designed to give the utmost • 

ECONOMY AND SATISFACTION. 



We Offer special inducements to the trade for your c 
trial outfits, if this publication is mentioned when specifying 
your requirements. 



E 








A 


L 








P 


E 








P 


C 








A 


T 








R 


R 








A 


O 








T 


Y 








U 


L 








s 


SOME 


" ELECTRO YL' 


RECORDS 






The Largest Cooking Range 
{28 feet X 8 feet x 3 f ee 


"dl"'."""' 





450-Volt BAKER'S OVEN, opacity 12,000 loavei dailr. 

£600 ORDER FOR RADIATORS. 

£2,000 ORDER FOR RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT. 

3-PHASE COOKING PLANT FOR HOSPITAL. 



Purcell & Nobbs, 

87-89, Cleveland Street, London, W. 

Regd. Trade Mark "ELECTROYL" 

(Seven Systems.) 



363 

Electrically Heated - Dry Air 
STONEWARE BEDWARMER 

Dry Heat. Low Cost. Perfectly safe. 
Always available. No water to leak. 
Current only equal to an 8 c.p. Lamp. 

Some years ago we introduced an Electrically- Heated Metal Bedwarmer, 
this was very succeuful (or immediate heating, but we found it potseued one 
disadvantage, namely, that it could not remain for several hours in a bed 
without becoming too hot. 

Our new Stoneware Bottle, although taking longer to heat, may be safely 
leFt in a bed for an indetinite period. We invite you to give this apparatus 
a trial. We are already in poueuion of flattering testimony to the efficacy 
of the Bottle. 

Size: 
12 X 9 X 3i inches. 

Complete 
with 3 yds. 
Silk covered 
flexible cord 
and adapter 
or plugf top. 



15/- 



A Switch can be fitted for 3/- extra. 
Special Cab-tyre Flexible Cord to withstand acid and 
exceptional heat or mechanical damage, 8d. per yd. extra. 

G. F. RATCLIFF & Co., 

Electrical Engineers, 
43, BAKER STREET. LONDON. W. 

Telaphone : MAYFAIR 93. 



"THE BEST OF ALL." 



'TRIUMPH" 



ELECTRIC HEATING AND COOKING APPARATUS. 



The "Triumph" 
Electric Irons. 

Mat and other redtlancei for all purpoaet. 



ST 



The " Triumph " warming padi and carpet*. 



The " Triumph " Electric 
Water Boilers. 



Fitted «ith Two -Pin TermliiAlB. 

The "Triumph" Electric Stewing Pots. 



THE "TRIUMPH" 
ELECTRIC COOKER 



THE S-ELECTRIC CO., 

40 and 41, Staniforth Street, Birmingham. 

T.l.phai. : T.l,grtms ; 

3,63 tentral. ■'Ohmslnm, 



SIEMENS 
HOME COMFORTS. 



The Right Lamp 

is the lamp which gives a pure white light, 
consumes the least current, has longest u(e, 
and is efficient to the end : — 

SIEMENS 

"VOEMT 



»s. 



"WOT AN" 

LAMP. 
Pear Shape 



"ALBALUX" CBILINO FIXTURE. 

BRABMAR. 

Diagao— 13S1J. 



The Right Fitting 

a ihe one which distributes the 
light evenly over the room, is 
inexpensive, neat but not gaudy, 
and gives a quiet light which re- 
duces eyestrain to a minimum : — 

SIEMENS 

"ALBALUX" 

FITTINGS. 



The Right Radiator 

is the radiator constructed so that all 
the heal rays are thrown into the 
room, and which, therefore, gives out 
a maximum amount o( heat (or a 
minimum consumption of current : — 

SIEMENS 
LAMP RADIATORS. 



SIEMENS BROTHERS DYNAMO WORKS, LTD., 

Tdtphenu : TYSSEN ST., Tehgrami : 

Cenlrd 8387/8/9. dALSTON, -'S-emobyn. 



LUMIN0U5 RADIATOR. 
ORAN^ON. 
D471H— 47l«- 





The Plexsim Oven. 

•yi-IE Plexsim Electric Oven has 
''- revolutionised the question of 
electric cooking, because its con- 
sumption is the lowest of any oven 
on the market capable of doing 
the same work. 

Further, owing to its patent construc- 
tion, the oven may be opened for the 
purpose of examining the contents, and 
as often as desired, without loss of heat, 
or delaying the process oi cooking. 

The lemperalare may be regulated without 
trouble, by merely moving ihe connector. The 
oven it ready for u>e wilhin five minulo of 
swilching on the current. It it made in Iwo lizei, 
gelling at £3 and £5 5 0. The muJler >ize 
only takei a little over half an unit of eleclricily 

SIMPLEX CONDUITS.LD. 

Weorf Ojfi« and IVorh ■ 

GARRISON LANE, 
BIRMINGHAM. 

!i:-ll7,Clnriot Cross Rd.,liMil«i,W.C. 



VENNER'S 

Complete Domestic Equipment 

Moveable Noiselessly on 
Rubber-Tyred Wheels, 

Collapsible and easily relegated to any spare corner. 



Holder OVENS, 500 Watts, 



ROOM HEATERS of Extreme 
Lightness and Elegance. 



VENNER'S 

Complete Equipments for 

Restaurants and Mansions. 

Utensils characterised by the only 
INDESTRUCTIBLE ELEMENT 



SILVER GRILLS, STEW-PANS, 
BAIN MARIES, KETTLES, 

GEYSERS, 
DENTAL STERILIZERS. 



Venner's Electrical Cooking & Heating Appliances 

41S-422, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. ^*''" 



"CALOR" 
Electric Cooking and Heating. 



"Calor" Red Hot Electric Fire. 



Color" Patent Extending 

Polished copper 


■He 

op an 

1 


torlKrtP' Electric Food W«rmer. 

^^H^V Wlih rack for keeping 






J 






■'Calor' 


Ele 


trie Cooker. 

"Calar"PolJ(hed 


•Culor" 
ectrlc Iron. 




Copper and Bn»s 
Electric Kettle. 



Electric iron. 




Sheei steel, heavily IL 



TOWNSHEND'S ART METAL Co., Ltd. 



THE JACKSON ELECTRIC COOKING 
EQUIPMENTS 

For Hotel, Restaurant, Club, Ship and Domestic Use. 



WE have laid down the lar^eet Eleetplo Cooking 
Installations in the Kingdom, and ouf appai<atus haa 
proved absolutely reliable under hard kltohen usages 

WE oan, thepsfoPSi iivlth every oonfldenoe aooept 
orders fbr the largest Eleotrla Cooking outfits, and 
shall be pleased to submit sohemes and quote prioes on 
application. 

PRICES MODERATE. 

APPARATUS GUARANTEED. 



THE JACKSON ELECTRIC STOVE CO., Ltd., 
38, Blandford Street, Baker Street, W. 

And at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 



Revolution in House Cleaning. 

THE 1914 SURPRISE. 



Since the body of this book went to press, we 

have introduced two new Models at Electric 

Suction Cleaners, the 

" ECONO " 

and the 

" CLEVELAND," 

that form the last word in domestic home 
cleaning. 



cuumCteu 



The « ECONO " Model has been designed to meet the requirements of 
those who desire a smaller, lighter and cheaper machine than our famous 

"SANTO," which it resembles in appearance. 
Only iS in. high and ii in. in diameter, 

weighs only 23 ibs 
Universal Motor. 

Automatic Lubrication. 

Metal Sdction Hose. 
Gaaranleed for Twelve Motttks 
Price Complete with Accessories, 
£15 IBs, 



The "CLEVELAND" Model is the 
Llghtett, Che&peat And Simplest electric 

Vacuum Cleaner on the Market. 

It is sold at the price of a Hand Cleaner. 

Every part Standardised and 

instantly replaceable. 

Guaranteed for Twelve Months. 

Price Aa 16«. 

Complete Set of Accessories SOSa extra. 



DUNCAN WATSON & CO., 

ELECTRICAL BNOINEERS, 

62, BERNERS STREET, LONDON, W. 



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