But, people are prone to think that casserole cookery means living on stews and cheap cuts all the time. But this is entirely wrong, as you can bake, roast, boil and braise in these dishes. Excellent cake and bread, soup and fruits can be cooked and all very deliciously. Scalloped dishes and marmites and things in ramekins are very good, too. These are casserole cookery, too, only those dishes are for the most part “individuals,” and these individual dishes are often made in the more delicate pottery wares. Naturally, you do not have to use the family size always. They are so made that they do not break if you use ordinary common sense with them. When they are new, they should be set in very cold water for a few hours, let the cook apply gradual heat, never sudden heat, and remember that she must not put them on or in the stove without something in them, and that when she uses them on top of the stove she must put asbestos or metal trays under them to insulate them from too direct a heat. Common or uncommon sense has to be used with all cooking utensils to lengthen their lives. But here are some of the good points in casserole cookery:--Less liquid need be added when using them as the food in long cooking cooks its own juices; left-over foods become delicious in them; freshly cooked foods become most appetizing; the tight covers keep in all aroma and flavor (if the cover doesn’t fit tight enough a little flour paste around the top of the casserole will seal it completely); there is no burn to remove when washing these dishes and food cannot adhere obstinately to cause a loss of time and patience; anything that is to be removed is very evident and rubbing it off the smooth sides is very rapidly accomplished. And they look so well after they are cleaned that the cook is well repaid. In buying casserole dishes, you should be sure that they are smooth on the inside and outside with no little blisters or cracks. The best casseroles are not expensive and it is very encouraging to-day to get anything with epicurean attributes at proletarian prices. Women should try things as business men try things when they are cutting down expenses, and operations. And it doesn’t matter how wealthy a firm is either when cost reduction can be made. Isn’t it queer that our wealthy women never think of cutting costs in their kitchens? Yet the wealthy firm is always trying to shave costs. After women realize that slow cookery is healthiest and is most economical, why do they persist in being too conservative to buy new things? There seems to be no reason except that they may unconsciously feel that were they to begin on slow cookery, they would adhere to it so rapidly that rapid cookery would fade away. It may be recalled that some housekeepers insist upon cooking even the demi-tasse in paper bags!