A cheap, portable retainer, for keeping food hot or cold on picnics,
automobile trips, and other outings, will be found a great convenience
and will fill a long-felt want. Tight-fitting covers, fastened in place,
will be necessary to keep food from spilling; and very cheap, easily
obtained insulating material should be used for these pails, so that in
case the packing becomes soiled it can be discarded without loss.
Newspapers, hay, or excelsior are best for the purpose. The object in
using such pails is not to cook the food, though this might be done if
the inner pail were small enough or the outer pail large enough to allow
of sufficient insulation, but to keep food already cooked, or nearly
cooked, at a temperature which will make it appetizing. For this purpose
a couple of inches of insulation, with such materials as those
suggested, will answer very well. If an ordinary fibre or wooden
household pail is used, this will carry two or three quarts of food.
Take for the inner utensil one just large enough to hold the food, and
pack the outer pail to accommodate it, like any hay-box or cooker. If
designed for frequent use it will pay to make a fitted cushion, but for
a single occasion it will not be worth while to take this trouble. Any
small cushion or pillow can be used, merely turning the corners under,
if it is square. In order to protect it from danger of becoming soiled,
lay a number of thicknesses of newspaper over the inner pail before
putting on the cushion. Be careful to pack it so that the cushion will
fill the upper space completely. A cover must be found for the outer
pail, and if a wooden cover is not at hand, a round tray or large kettle
cover that will fit it may be utilized. A butter pail, tin pail or candy
pail will have its own cover.
To fasten the covers on, tie a loose slip-knot in the middle of a piece
of very strong twine (Fig. No. 6:1); before pulling it up tight, slip
the noose over the cover of the pail and draw the remainder of the knot
out till it is loose enough to go around the pail. If it is placed under
the rim near the top of the utensil, or under the fastenings of the
handle, it will be held by them from slipping off. Then draw the knot up
tight, and tie the two ends of twine over the top. (Fig. No. 6:2.) For
greater safety, especially on the outer pail, it will be well to use two
such strings, placing the loops at right angles to one another. Soft
copper wire might be used for this purpose instead of twine. When the
food is in the inner pail, tie on the cover, put it again on the fire
until it is boiling hot, and place it quickly in the insulating pail.
More than one kettle of food may be placed in the pail if there is room.
Food thus insulated will keep hot for hours, even in cold weather.
[Illustration: Figure No. 6.