New ovens, before they are baked in, should have a fire kept up in them
half a day. As soon as the wood is removed, put up the lid of the oven.
It should not be used for baking until it has been heated the second
time. If not treated in this manner, it will never retain the heat well.
New flat irons should be heated half a day before they are used, in
order to retain heat well. Iron cooking utensils, when new, will be less
liable to crack if heated gradually five or six hours, and then cooled
slowly, before being used to cook in. Cold water should never be turned
into hot iron utensils, as it will crack them by cooling the surface too
suddenly.