MANY women in these days will find it difficult to believe that it is possible to bake without the constant presence of fire, but our great-grandmothers were well aware that foods continued to cook in the brick ovens long after the fire in them had burned out or was raked out. The insulated oven represents an adaptation of old-fashioned ideas to new and modern conditions. Although we cannot go back to the days of brick ovens, superior as they were, in certain respects, to the portable range with its quickly fluctuating heat and great waste from radiation, yet the insulated oven will not be found impossible or very difficult to set up, and the adventurous woman will, perhaps, not be content until she has tried this development of the fireless cooker.

Insulated oven with stones and pan in place.

The advantages of an insulated oven lie in the even brown and thorough baking which it gives; the development and retention of flavours, which is greater than with ordinary baking; the economy in fuel where food requires long cooking; the absence of heat in the kitchen; and the possibility of baking where only a camp-fire is obtainable.

The principle is the same whether a portable oven is insulated or a cooker-pail is utilized. There must be hot stone slabs, iron plates, firebrick, or some such heat-radiators, which can be made very hot and which will retain their heat well. Stones or fire-brick are preferable to iron in this respect. There must be insulation for the oven or utensil, and cooking will then proceed, although somewhat differently from the familiar method of baking with a fire.

Potted Fish

3 shad or 6 small mackerel 1/3 cup salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/6 cup whole cloves

1/6 cup peppercorns 1/6 cup whole allspice 1 onion, sliced Vinegar to cover

Clean the fish, remove the head, tail, fins, skin, and large bones. The small bones will be dissolved in the vinegar. Cut the fish into pieces for serving. Mix the salt, pepper, and spices. Pack the fish in layers in a small stone crock or deep agate-ware utensil, sprinkling the salt and adding pieces of onion between the layers. Pour over it vinegar to completely cover it. In the absence of a tight-fitting cover, use heavy, buttered paper tied on. Bake it for five or six hours in an insulated oven, the stones heated until the paper test shows a delicate brown. Potted fish will keep well if put into a cold place and kept covered with vinegar. It makes a good relish for lunch or tea.

Pork And Beans

1 cup beans I teaspoon salt I teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon molasses 1 tablespoon butter, or 1/8 lb. salt pork

Water to cover

Cook the beans for four or more hours, as directed in the recipe for dried navy beans. Put them into a baking-dish, add the other ingredients, gashing the pork frequently and laying it on top. Put it into an insulated oven with stones that will turn white tissue paper a golden brown. Bake them for eight hours or more.

Baked Potatoes

Select potatoes of equal size, so that they will all bake in the same length of time; wash them and bake them in an insulated oven with the stones heated till the paper is a golden brown as explained in the test on page 225. Good-sized potatoes (eight ounces) should bake about forty-five minutes. Lay them on a rack to prevent them from touching the hot stone. They will bake better than in an ordinary oven.

Macaroni And Ham

1 cup macaroni, in one-inch pieces

1 small onion, grated 1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour 1/6 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups minced, cooked ham

2 cups buttered crumbs

Cook the macaroni as directed in the recipe for macaroni. Make white sauce of the milk, butter, flour, and seasoning, add the onion, ham, and macaroni. Put it into a buttered baking-dish, cover the top with the crumbs, and bake it until the crumbs are brown, heating the stones until the paper test shows a golden brown.

Serves six or eight persons.

Macaroni And Cheese

1 cup macaroni in one-inch pieces I cup grated or shaved cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups buttered crumbs

Cook the macaroni in salted water as directed in the recipe for macaroni. When tender, drain it and add the salt, pepper, and cheese. Turn it into a buttered baking-dish and cover the top with the crumbs. Bake it until the crumbs are brown, heating the stones until the paper test shows a golden brown.

Serves six or seven persons.

Rice Pudding

1 qt. milk 1/4 cup rice

1/2 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Put all the ingredients together in a baking-dish. Bake it for three hours in an insulated oven. The stones should be heated until the paper test, given on page 225, will show a light brown shade. The pudding, if correctly baked, will be creamy, with a golden brown, soft crust on top.

Serves five or six persons.