COOKING IN CAMP
In the last chapter we had much to say of the famous canoe traveller,
the late John Macgregor, and our readers will welcome an account of
his portable cooking apparatus, because even if they do not go voyages
in a boat they will find it useful for picnics and camping out. This
apparatus, the voyager tells us, "has been designed after numerous
experiments with various portable cooking-machines which I could
procure for trial, and, as it succeeds better than any of them, and has
been approved by trial in five of my own voyages, and in another to
Iceland, besides shorter trips, and in the Abyssinian campaign, it may
be of some use to describe the contrivance here."
The object proposed was to provide a light but strong apparatus which
could speedily boil water and heat or fry other materials even in wet
and windy weather, and with fuel enough carried in itself for several
days' use.
Fig. 1 is a section of the Rob Roy cuisine as it is made up for
carrying. There is first a strong waterproof bag about one foot high,
and closed at the top by a running cord. At the bottom is the cuisine
itself, _a_, which occupies a space of only six inches by three inches
(when of smaller size), and has the various parts packed inside, except
the drinking cup _b_.
Provisions, such as bread and cold meat or eggs, may be stowed in the
bag above the cuisine, and if the string of it be then attached to a
nail fixed in the boat, the whole will be kept steady.
For use, when it is desired to boil water, the cuisine being opened,
the lower part is a copper pan, _c_, Fig. 2, with a handle, _e_, which
can be fixed either into a socket in the side of the pan, or another
socket in the side of the lid, as represented in Figs. 2 and 6.
Three iron legs also fix into sockets and support the pan over the
spirit-lamp, _f_, by which the pan, two-thirds full of liquid, will be
boiled in five minutes.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.]
[Illustration: Fig. 2.]
[Illustration: Fig. 3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 6.]
[Illustration: Fig. 4.]
[Illustration: Fig. 5.]
The lamp is the main feature of the apparatus, and it is represented in
section in Fig. 3. It consists of two cylinders, one within the other.
The space between these (shaded dark) is closed at top and bottom, and
a tube _b_, fixed through the bottom, rises with one open end inside,
and another (a small nozzle) curved upwards in the open internal
cylinder. Another tube, _h_, opens into the annular chamber between the
cylinders, and it has a funnel-shaped mouth at the outer end, through
which the chamber may be filled, while a screw in the inside allows a
handle, Fig. 4 (in section), to have its end, _j_, screwed in. A small
hole in the upper surface is closed by a little cork, which will be
expelled if the pressure within is so high as to require escape by this
safety-valve. The hole may be in any part of the annular cover (but is
not shown in the sketch), and in such case the hole shown in the handle
is omitted.
The outer cylinder of the lamp, being larger than the inner one, has a
bottom, _k_, Fig. 3, which forms a circular tray of about two inches
wide and half an inch deep.
The original form of the lamp, which was first brought to notice by the
cook of the Royal Canoe Club, had a detached tray for the bottom, but
now, instead of this plan for the admission of air into the lamp, two
saw cuts are made, each about an inch long. One of them is shown below
_f_, Fig. 2, and thus the lamp and tray are united in one compact piece
while there still is access for air.
The late Professor J. D. Forbes, who used this lamp, says it was
introduced into this country from Russia by Dr. Samuel Brown, and that
"the jet of burning spirit has such force as to resist the blast of a
hurricane."
To put the lamp in operation, unscrew its handle from the position
in Fig. 2, so that it will be as in Figs. 3 and 4. Then from a tin
flask (which has been packed with the rest of the things in the pan)
pour spirits of wine--or, if the odour is not objected to, methylated
spirit, into the measure _m_, Fig. 5, and from that into the interior
of the lamp through the opening at _h_. Next screw in the handle, and
place the lamp level under the pan, and pour nearly another measure
full into the interior tray. Set fire to this, and shelter it for a few
seconds if there be much wind. I used this always with complete success
on the Jordan, Nile, Danube, and many other rivers.
In a short time the flame heats the spirits in the closed chamber, and
the spirituous steam is forced by pressure down the tube, and inflames
at the nozzle, from which it issues with much force and some noise in a
lighted column, which is about one foot in height when unimpeded.
This powerful flame operates on the whole of the bottom and lower edge
of the pan, and it cannot be blown out by wind nor by a blast from the
mouth, but may be instantly extinguished by sharply placing the flat
bottom of the measure upon it.
The cover may be put on so as to rest with the flat bottom downwards,
and with or without the handle. If tea is to be made with the water
when it boils, the requisite quantity is to be placed in the tea
vessel, _n_, Fig. 5, which has perforated sides, and, its lid being
closed, this is placed in the water, where it will rest on the curved
side, and can be agitated now and then for a minute, after which insert
the handle in the socket of the pan and remove the lamp, allowing the
tea to infuse for four minutes, when the tea vessel may be removed
and the made tea may be poured out into the cup. The dry tea can be
conveniently carried in a paper inside the tea vessel. Salt is carried
in the box _o_, and the matches are in the box _p_. Coffee may be
best carried in the state of essence in a bottle. An egg-spoon and a
soup-spoon are supplied. A flat clasp knife and fork may be had extra.
If bacon is to be fried, or eggs to be poached or cooked _sur le plat_,
they may be put into the lid and held by hand over the lamp-flame, so
as to warm all parts equally, or the slower heat of a simple flame may
be employed by lighting the measure full of spirits and then placing
it on the bottom of the upturned pan as shown at Fig. 6, where it will
be observed that the three legs are placed in their sockets with the
convex curve of each turned outward, so that the lid, as a frying-pan,
can rest upon their three points.
The spirit-flask contains enough for six separate charges of the lamp,
and the cost of using methylated spirits at 4s. 6d. a gallon is not one
penny a meal. The lamp-flame lasts from ten to fifteen minutes, and the
weight of the _cuisine_, exclusive of the bag and cup, is about two
pounds.
These cuisines, improved by the suggestions obtained in their use,
should be carefully made with the best materials and workmanship, and
the cost would be about two and a half guineas; or if with tin boiler
instead of copper, and brass lamp, £1 12s. 6d. Many of much larger size
(to cook for twenty men) have been used in Australia.
The lamp above described was used daily in my yawl but the other
fittings were on a more enlarged scale, as extreme lightness was not
then required.
The Norwegian Cooking Apparatus of another kind entirely will be a
valuable adjunct to the yachtsman's stores. By means of this, meat or
pudding after being heated for only _five minutes_, and then enclosed
in a box which retains the heat, will be found to be perfectly cooked
after three hours, though no more heat has been applied to it.
[Illustration]
Since John Macgegor used this stove there have been other wickless
stoves invented, and sold at more moderate prices. For instance there
are the Primus and the Optimus and the Wickless oil stove of the Wilson
Engineering Company. Several such stoves, of which two are illustrated
here, are included in the lists of Messrs. A. W. Gamage, Ltd., and they
are useful indoors and in the open.