Fireless Cooker
a mechanical arrangement by which hot or partially cooked food can be kept at a temperature which will complete the cooking and allow the food to be served still heated. To this end the cooking pot has to be inclosed in a box or other receptacle provided with insulating material in sufficient thickness and quantity.
The insulating materials most in use are asbestos and mineral wool, but there is great variety in the materials that may be used, the object in every case being to conserve the heat sufficiently to allow the food to be thoroughly cooked, and to keep it at the required temperature for a given time. Among the fireless cookers on the market, some supplement the insulating material with metal plates that may be heated and placed under the pot. The principle is a simple one and has been used by housewives in various forms from time immemorial, so that there is a great variety in the mechanical devices employed. The chief considerations are that the arrangements should be convenient and the danger of causing fire be obviated.