Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/748

 7*^41 COTTAGE, FARM, AND ViLLA ARCHITECTURE. that of having a smoke-flue around it, commencing aft the furnace, (7, and ending at the damper, c/c, as indicated by the dotted lines, </. The use of this flue is to admit of tlirowing heat into the oven at pleasure, while roasting is going forward ; and this miglit easily be done, by having a register at h, to the furnace a, which would render a second furnace unnecessary. A little alteration would be required in the construction of this furnace, so as to admit of fixing the register ; and working it on the outside with ease : but whoever has ingenuity enough to execute such a plan will readily anticipate this and other minutiae. It may be observed, that there is a description of register now in use in coal ovens, which would answer for this purpose quite well, in default of a better. It is simply a cast-iron plate, with a foot or bottom, by which it is kept upright. This plate, which stands inside the oven, is shut from the inside, close against the mouth of the furnace, when it is desired to prevent the introduction of heat, the outer door being opened ; or it is placed obliquely against the inner opening of the furnace with the outer door closed, to guide the flame and smoke in particular directions. 1509. Mr. Hichs's Oven is a great improvement on those in common use ; but, as it is more adapted for towns, and for baking on a very large scale, than for country inns, we deem it sufficient to refer to the engraving and description of it in the Mechanics' Maga- zine, vol. xiv. p. 417. We have seen this oven at work in the magnificent baking esta- blishment at Pimlico ; and also witnessed bread baked in a small model of it in Mr. Hicks's drawing-room, in Wimpole Street. The main object of Mr, Hicks's improvement is, to collect the alcoholic vapours, which are given out by every fermenting substance ; and this Mr. Hicks's apparatus effects most completely. The spirit comes over along with a large pi'oportion of water, perhaps equal to three fourths of the weight of the dough when put in, and is afterwards separated by distillation. Count Rumford found that rye bread, which is but very slightly fermented, lost an eighth part of its weight in baking. There can be no doubt that the spirit might be as efTectually collected and condensed, in the small ovens of private families, as in the large ovens of public establishments ; but the excise laws of this country are too troublesome to render this worth while : and in other countries, where spirits are cheap, the expense of the machinery would be an objection. 1510. Baking by high-pressure Steam. Mr. Hicks has subsequently invented an apparatus for baking by high-pressure steam, which may justly be considered as a very superior mode to the process of direct fire heat. The dough is not only baked, but is previously divided by the apparatus into equal-sized loaves- We have seen full-sized loaves baked in Mr. Hicks's working-model, and have no doubt of the excellence of the plan for public companies ; but we are not so certain of its suitableness for inns or private families, from the largeness of the first cost, and from the intricacy of the machinery. 1511. Baking by hot Water. An oven to be heated by hot water circulated in her- metically sealed tubes, and consequently capable of being heated to 300° and upwards, is constructing by M. A. Perkins, Esq., of London, the inventor of the mode of cir- culating hot water in hermetically scaled tubes (described Gard. Mag. vol. viii. p. 292), which will give ample heat for either baking or roasting, and which, we think, promises well, both for public and private establishments. 1512. Among the Implements and Machines of the Bakehouse may be reckoned a knead- ing-maehine, of which several have long been in use in Paris, but of which none have yet been permanently adopted in this country, with the exception of that worked by steam in the large establishment at Pimlico. The French strongly recommend a knead- ing-machine invented by Cavalier and Company, of Paris ; one of which was lately ex- hibited in the National Repository in London, and which will be found figured and described in the Mechanics' Magazine, vol. xiii. p. 145. We have seen this machine at the Oxgate Farm bread establishment ; where, as well as at Dill's bakehouse, in Oxford Street, where it had been previously tried, it did not give satisfaction to the men ; and the masters in both cases were obliged to yield to them. There is another kneading- machine now in progress at Rogers's bakehouse in Snowhill. We do not think there will be any difficulty in getting one perfected, both for kneading common dough and the dough of biscuits ; but there must previously be a demand for such a machine ; and if bread-eaters, generally, knew as much of the details of the process of breadmaking, and of the economy of the bakehouse, as we do, in consequence of our having lately explored a great number of London bakehouses and ovens, this would soon be the case. 1513r A Steaming Apparatus can scarcely be dispensed with in the kitchen of an inn ; because steam may not oidy be used for cooking food, especially vegetables, but also for boiling water ; for heating hot closets, sideboards, and even dining-tables ; for heating baths however distant from the fire ; and, what, in many cases will be of greater im- portance than any of these, for heating the whole house, but more especially the lobby, hall, staircase, and jiassages. Tlie management of steam is now so generally understood, that it is unnecessary here to dwell on the subject. In Sylvester's Domestic Economic,