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COOKING TIPS
Use small-size burners or units whenever you can.
Bring foods quickly to boil . . . reduce heat
when boiling begins.
Light gas burner or turn on electric unit when you
are ready for it, not before . . . have pan in place.
Be sure you've turned the right switch knob.
Don't be a Peeping Tom . . . lift the lid only
when you need to.
When cooking most vegetables and many other
foods use only enough water to prevent burning . . .
a quarter inch will usually do.
Use low heat whenever possible. Use direct
heat instead of double boiler where practical.
Use double or triple pans over one burner or
unit.
Use pans with straight sides, flat bottoms, tight
covers, of size to fit the burner or unit.
Plan baking so one heating of oven does several
jobs . . . bake more than one thing at a time.
Use a time and temperature chart in baking . ; *
it saves opening oven door and wasting fuel.
Use as much stored heat as you can, to warm
over and crisp up food.
Open oven door for few minutes after baking is
done and heat turned off, to dry oven thoroughly.
•
Prepared by
BUREAU OF HOME ECONOMICS
Agricultural Research Administration
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Issued jointly with
OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINISTRATION
Washington, D. C.
October 1942
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.
0. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16 31189~1
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Ag84Aw
no. 8
cop. 2
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gas or electric
RANGE
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GOVERNMENT
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The iron, steel, chromium, nickel, and aluminum
went into ranges and other household equipment
now produce tanks, suns, engines ... to win the
So . . . it's up to you to make what you have las
y
Too high electric voltage causes overheating
of units and shortens their life. When a new
range is installed, or if your old range is cooking
slowly or overheating, have a serviceman check
all these things.
Save the Surface
The porcelain enamel surface of your range
that protects the steel beneath is a kind of
glass. Though hard, it will break with sudden
changes of heat and cold, or hard blows. Once
it is chipped, the damage can't be undone.
If the enamel does chip, touch up damaged
spots carefully with paint recommended by
your range dealer. It may look patchy but
it's better than exposed places that invite rust.
Guard against scratches . . . don't drag pans
or anything rough across your enamel range
top.
Avoid sudden temperature changes . . . the
chief dangers are wiping up spills on the hot
range with a cold, damp cloth . . . spilling
cold liquids on the hot range . . . setting cold,
wet things on the warm surface.
wrung from warm water.
If yours is one of the newer ranges the top
may be finished with a more acid-resistant
enamel than that used on the older models.
However, acid foods or liquids spilled on the
range top may cause dark spots or destroy the
surface glaze, if not wiped up immediately.
Once gone, the gloss can never be restored,
and it's harder to keep the enamel clean.
Keep All Parts Clean
The main parts of a stove to be cared for are
the outside surface and trim, the gas burners or
electric units, and the oven. There are other
special parts that vary with the make of the
stove. Keeping all parts clean is half the
battle of getting the best use of your range and
making it last.
Much the same methods are used for clean-
ing inside and outside surfaces, oven racks,
broilers, and drip pans.
If grease spatters on the surface of the
stove, broiler, or oven, wipe it off while still
warm with a soft paper or cloth.
keep it in order
and Mtu.
at
ist
By better care ana use you can extend the life of your
range ... cut down on gas or electricity. You can
avoid waste of food by scorching or overcooking.
Remember, every saving helps in the fight for Victory.
cleaner like whiting. Use only a little; rub
gently. If spots still don't come off oven racks,
broilers, and drip pans try rubbing lightly with
a fine steel wool, grade 00. Wash, rinse with
a damp cloth, and wipe dry.
Never use a coarse, gritty scouring
powder on any enameled part of a stove. It
is liable to destroy the surface glaze.
Keep metal trim bright with a little
cleaning day by day. Wash with soap and
water, and polish with a dry cloth. Nickel
and chromium are soft metals. Use only fine
metal polish such as silver polish on them.
Gas burners and electric units require a
particular kind of care described under special
pointers for the two types of ranges.
Be Gentle With Hinges and Doors
Don't slam doors, bang covers, or otherwise
treat your range roughly, or you can't expect
hinges, latches, and doors to hold up. Don't
lean heavily or put any heavy weight on a door.
Oven doors must fit tightly for even baking
and to keep heat from escaping.
with a soft wire brush.
If the oven burner can be removed, take it
out and clean it as you do the top burners.
If not, wash off and dry. It's a good idea
to check the portholes with a piece of wire once
or twice a year. When an old oven burner
becomes badly clogged, it will require a service-
man to bore out the holes.
Take Good Care of the Oven
The oven is not out in the open to catch
your eye and command attention, so give it
special care. Leave the oven door open 2 or
3 minutes after lighting the burner, to let
moisture that forms when the gas burns escape.
If you close the door at once moisture may con-
dense on the cool surfaces and rust any non-
rustproof part.
In most gas ovens the bottom can be re-
moved. Take it out and clean it as you do the
racks, with this exception: If it is made of two
pieces of metal with a sheet of insulation
between, don't put it in water or let water run
into the insulation — wipe with a damp cloth.
without waste
^Wt?
MAKE YOUR RANGE LAST LONGER
Chech the Installation
Whether your Btove is new or an old familiar,
To Keep Burners At Their Best
i them. Beware of toothpicks; they :
r head. Rinse t
: proper voltage.
oltage results in slow cooking.
owly or overheating, have a
The porcelain enamel surface of yi
;lass. Though hard, it will break wit
t is chipped, the damage can't be l
finished with a :
Keep All Parts Clean
The main parts of a stove
vith a cloth wrung out of warm, soapy water.
Clean the pilot-light porthole with a
"or stubborn spots use a finely powdered
carefully inserted. Clean the top-bun
leaner like whiting. Use only a little; rub
with a soft wire brush.
erttly. If spots still don't come off oven racks,
If the oven burner can be remove
fine steel wool, grade 00. Wash, rinse with
If not, wash off and dry. It's a g
damp cloth, and wipe dry.
to check the portholes with a piece of
or twice a year. When an old ove
owder on any enameled part of a stove. It
becomes badly clogged, it will require
s liable to destroy the surface glaze.
man to bore out the holes.
Keep metal trim bright with a little
leaning day by day. Wa3h with soap and
Take Good Care of the Oven
vater, and polish with a dry cloth. Nickel
1 polish such as silver polish c
special care. Leave the c
Guard against scratches .
Be Gentle With Hinges and Doors
treat your range roughly, or you can't expect
hinges, latches, and doors to hold up. Don't
lean heavily or put any heavy weight on a door.
Oven doors must fit tightly for even baking
Take it out and c
; insulation— wipe v
i
i
If one burner serves both broiler and oven
compartments, it's better to take out the
broiler pan when the oven is in use, and not
subject it to long, intensive heat.
When lighting the oven with a match don't
drop the match into the lighter tube. An
accumulation soon clogs the tube, and you may-
need a serviceman to clean it out.
If you are not getting satisfactory baking
results, call the utility company.
Remember! Keep the oven clean.
SPECIAL POINTERS . . .
ELECTRIC RANGES
Watch Those Heating Wires
The most vital parts of your electric range
are the wires that furnish the heat. The wires
of open units are easily damaged at any time
with sharp objects. Be especially careful not
to touch them with any metal object when the
current is on. A short circuit • • . electric
shock . . . blown fuse . . . burnt-out coil . . .
any or all of these may result.
Four things, all beginning with S, are es-
pecially harmful to the wires of an open unit
. . . salt, soda, soap, sugar. Be careful to
keep them off the coils; there's danger of burn-
ing out the wires.
One point of caution in using any unit is,
"Don't overheat." Repeated overheating may
damage the wires so they will have to be re-
placed in time. To prevent overheating, use
pans that fit the unit and make good contact
with the unit surface . . . turn the switch from
its highest heat to a lower heat as soon as food
starts to cook.
To Keep Units Clean
When food spills over on the surface units
let it char. When the unit is cool, brush off
particles with a nonmetallic-bristle brush.
If needed, enclosed units may then be washed off.
Keep the pans beneath the surface units clean.
Lift them out if they can be removed and wash
them like any cooking utensil. If you can't
take them out, wipe them with a damp cloth.
Keep the drip trays beneath clean . . . wash
them every day if possible. They not only
become more difficult to clean if left for a long
time, but spilled foods may harm the finish
and even cause some drip trays to rust.
To clean the oven units take them out. Put
them in a dry place where no water will get on
them. Wipe off dust or charred food with a
brush. If the metal plate used above the bot-
tom units to distribute heat is separate from
the unit, wash it. If it is attached to the unit,
brush off any food and then clean as you would
the oven lining.
Caution With the Cooker
To avoid damage to the insulated cooker unit
and utensil, never turn on the heat under the
empty utensil, and be sure the pan never boils
dry. Some cookers have insulated lids which
should not be placed in water. Consult your
instruction book for special directions.
Trouble Shooting
If none of the range units heat, check the
range circuit fuse. Before attempting to locate
the trouble, always shut off current to the range.
If any one unit fails to heat, check the range
wiring; there may be a loose or broken connec-
tion. If oven units fail to heat, be sure units
are pushed tightly into their outlets at the
back of the oven. See that the time control,
if you have one, is set correctly.
If you don't get good baking results have
your utility company check the oven temper-
atures and make any necessary adjustment.
Whenever trouble is beyond your control, call
in the serviceman.
