Manual of military cooking and dietary / War Office.

Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual of military cooking and dietary / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of the boiler. Fill the boiler with the required quantity of water; this is judged by watching the gauge glass and the indicators on the metal protector. Lay the fire with 1 lb. of wood and 7 lb. of coal, replace the bullseyes on the hot plate. To light the fire, open the furnace and ashpit doors, the boiler damper and the damper in the flue, light the wood and close the furnace door. When the fire has burned down take the small poker and push the live coals to the back of the furnace, keeping the bridge clear, placing the fresh coals in front, adding not less than 7 lb. When one or both of the steaming chambers are required for breakfast, immediately the water boils the valve must be closed and the steam forced into the chambers, a fairly good steam being maintained. If, on the other hand, the steamers are not required, the fire should be damped down when the water reaches boiling point by closing the boiler and flue dampers, just allowing sufficient draught to carry off the smoke. As soon as breakfast has been served, the boiler should be refilled, the fire replenished and the apparatus damped down. On the resumption of the cooking for dinner, the damper in the flue should be opened and the heat directed round the oven. When preparing meat for roasting or baking, the largest joints should be done first and placed in the hottest part of the oven, and as each subsequent joint is ready the first joint must be moved to another part of the oven to make room for the next joint, and so on, so that each piece of meat may be browned on the outside before being placed finally in the position best suited for it to cook in. With the small cooker the higher portion of the steaming chamber should be reserved for meat and puddings, the lower chamber for vegetables, etc. As soon as the dishes to be cooked by steam are ready, the valve should be closed until the steam gauge registers from 2 to 3 lb. pressure; the steam should then be turned on the chamber in use, this pressure being maintained as far as possible. Vegetables can be placed on the steam according to the time they take to cook. Potatoes should be put in the chamber about 45 minutes before the dinner hour, the whole of the pressure of steam being forced on them by slightly closing the tap of the chamber containing the meat dishes, keeping up a fairly good supply of steam until the potatoes are cooked. During the cooking the overflow box of the condenser must be emptied when necessary. (B) Portion—Management of the Stock Pot and Vegetable Boiler This portion of the cooker has been designed for making. soups, porridge, boiling rice and green vegetables, also for