From an economical standpoint, the fireless cookers or hay boxes, as they are sometimes called, are a great boon to the housewife, and more of them should be used, if for no other reason than to diminish the fuel expense. The principle of all fireless cookers is the same. They cook, not from any heat forces that are generated from within, as some people imagine, but are constructed in such a manner that when anything hot is closed within them, the temperature remains about the same for hours. This will apply to the cooling of articles, as well as heating, all due to the system of packing within the cooker.

The fireless cooker idea is not a new one, simply an old idea put into new clothes. We are told that the Germans formerly used their feather beds for the same purpose, and that a heated vessel placed in the center of a hay stack will bring the same result, except that in the fireless cooker the heated lids or radiators which are placed beneath and above the vessels help still more to prolong the cooking by absorbing and holding the heat. They are packed with various kinds of fillings, such as asbestos, mineral wools, etc., all known for their heat-retaining qualities.

There are many cookers in the market and each has some merit of construction not found in others, and covered usually by a patent right. Some have wood exteriors and some are of metal. One of the very essential things in buying a cooker is to get one which will hold the heat, which necessitates patent locking, tight fitting lids; for that reason a metal construction exterior is recommended, as the moisture 6 from the heat can not easily warp the lids or cause them to pull apart at the joints, thereby opening a way for the heat to escape.

Cookers are made with from one to three or four compartments and some have compartments with double or triplicate pails, enabling three things to be cooked at the same time in one compartment over one burner. They are usually equipped with pure aluminum cooking utensils which are rust proof and guaranteed.

Every kitchen should have a fireless cooker, and the amount expended for one is a small matter when the labor, time and fuel-saving is considered, besides giving people a change in diet from fried foods.

Most reliable cookers may be had on a thirty days' trial, and thus all defects which may possibly arise from poor workmanship will be exposed, enabling one to thoroughly test the cooker before buying.