KITCHEN NOTES

WHAT IS IT?

First introduced in Edwardian England around 1910, this lidded vessel was used to cook meat stews and steamed puddings. (Not to be confused with American custard-based puddings, British steamed puddings are most similar to cakes and can be sweet or savory.) Made of ironstone, a type of pottery similar to stoneware, the Grimwade’s Quick-Cooker came in four sizes, with this 1-pint version being the smallest. Cooks would fill it with stew or pudding batter and then place a small piece of pastry dough over the center tube, creating a watertight seal once the lid went on. The sealed vessel cooked in a pot of simmering water; the device’s central “chimney” promoted quick, even cooking by introducing heat to the center of the pudding or stew.

We tested this model, which we found at an antique sale, with a traditional British marmalade steamed pudding. How did it work? Bloody brilliantly! After a 2-hour bath in