Back when I was fascinated with the early days of scouting, the handbook used to publish a design for a "hay cooker." The brief was this: get a stout box, some hay, and a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dampen the hay, cram it around the pot as tightly as possible, and let the whole mess dry. When porridge is needed, boil the pot and grains the evening before, and bung the whole mess into the box - perhaps adding blankets on top of it if there are any to spare. The insulation keeps the food cooking low and slow, with no risk of burning. It makes a superb, creamy porridge. There is nothing quite so good, or simple. We now have much better insulation than hay. For under $50, I bought a modern thermal cooker. Tonight's supper was an Uzbek Plov, a dish of meat, onions, spices, and rice. I confess, I have made better Plov, but I've made lots worse as well. Beyond browning the meat and onions, and bringing the whole business to the boil, total fuel consumption may have lasted 15 minutes.The rice could have been firmer, but was not bad at all. Less water next time. Giving this one an A grade. Clever, frugal, and cool enough so as most folk here will figure out ways to push the envelope Tayama Thermal Cooker: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010SKVXE...t=&hvlocphy=9003159&hvtargid=pla-303474374324
Hummm..... "Thermal cooking...." Is that the same thing as frying an egg on a super hot sidewalk, in the Summer??!! No need to show me the way out..... just let me get my coat....... Doc
My mother (now well into her 70s) often told me of her aunt (my great auntie AJ) heating a casserole then putting it into a wooden packing box filled with wood-straw prior to having a cycle around (london) town on their return they would have a piping hot and well cooked dinner awaiting, she was always very impressed! in the back of my mind I remember this being a Scandinavian thing? https://www.greatfoodclub.co.uk/how-to-make-a-hay-box-cooker/
....So you DON'T set the hay on fire?!? So THAT'S what I was doing wrong...... @Doc Mark , please bring my coat as well ! Best regards, Wim
speaking of "thermal cooking", does anyone remember the self heating food tins that were around 20 years or so ago?? i bought a few out of simple curiosity. all you did was open the lid, puncture the side chamber with the metal skewer supplied and wait a short while. the food inside got so hot it really did kind of boil and the beef stew flavour still ranks as the most tasty stew i have ever had. they were quite expensive to buy but everything was in the can. complete self contained food and a means to heat it up. i suppose MRE rations are the nearest thing available today but these self heat cans were really clever. only downside was that they were a bit heavy and bulky. i vaguely recall seeing some kind of self heating coffee can/mug but that did not endure. i can imagine that if you are in a genuine emergency and freezing cold, a self heating tin of food is probably a life saver. i have had a few experiences where i have been so very cold that i can not even light a match. makes you realise how important fire and heat really is and also how inventive our forefathers had to be to obtain it. i have tried to learn the skill of lighting a camp fire using flints and self made sparks by friction rubbing but it was incredibly hard and unreliable. thank god for the easy convenience of the modern world and its gadgets !! yesterday in the uk, it was a news item that a homeless man had literally frozen to death whilst sleeping outside in a shop doorway. we are having a few very cold days here. wish i could have given him a hot meal mike
During WWII the British issued a self heating can of soup in the various ration packs. Imagine a regular tin can , but made like the fount on a doughnut lamp, or a Kelly kettle. In the center void of the can was a candle. You lit the candle, and when it burned down the soup was hot.
Found a picture. Developed by Heinz and a British company ICI. Several flavors available, oxtail, tomato, mock turtle, pea etc.
Did a search - the "hay cooker" or more properly, residual heat cooker was developed in the early 19th century by a German fellow. They were popular in the early 20th century during the early car camping craze, as one could enjoy a hot dinner or lunch without much fuss. The modern variant I have is made of stainless, and is of course made in China. It came with some rather peculiar recipe suggestions. I think I will give spicy tendon a pass, and I have never been much a fan of tripe in any form. There are a few US manufacturers of self-healing meals. I remember trying some on a whim, and being underwhelmed. The ones I obtained were very sugary/starchy, and lacking in any sort of pleasant mouth feel. They may have improved since. https://heatermeals.com Years ago, while working on the Appalachian Trail, I ran across some hikers that were really broke. They were subsisting on lentils and rice, primarily. They would fill a plastic bottle with the rice, lentils, and boiling water in the morning and it would be edible by evening after being wrapped all day in a sleeping bag. Same theory, mere pennies per serving.
We're moving back into our newly remodeled house next week. I've got 40 lbs of Islandic Sheep mutton and Plov is is the first thing I'll be making in the new kitchen. I got the recipe from a Ukrainian friend who raised the sheep. His Plov has julienned carrots as well as onions which adds a little sweetness. I love Plov. From time to time I've seen fireless cookers from the early 1900's on eBay (below). I've been tempted to buy one but never have. Ben
I was out of carrots. Purists will tell you that yellow, not orange carrots are more authentic. I suppose that parsnips would work as well. The meat came out nice and tender. Good method for cuts that need long cooking.
Hooray for stew !!! Every single country and culture i have ever seen first hand has its own version of stew or think soup. I have tasted most of them and seldom found a bad one. My favourites are anything with dumplings. I was even obliged to try a Goat stew in Jamaica once and it was extremely good........never had Goat before or after. The only 2 exceptions that i would never want to see again are French and Chinese... French...Cassoulet.......pig fat strips in pig fat broth. Chinese (taiwan chinese). I can't even pronounce the name but it had a very hairy looking tail floating in the middle of the bowl and the back yard of this food place was full of caged dogs !!! I was assured my dish was not made using dog but it was certainly some big stinky critter My best successes with cooking on old stoves are always with making stews; wick based stoves to simmer for a long time and pressure stoves to reheat when needed. For some reason frying an egg in my battered old cast iron pan tastes the absolute best on my monitor silent C15 stove. My neighbour is a very kind hearted Jewish widow and last time I got a bad cold she made me the famous Chicken soup. It was really thick, more like a stew, but delicious. I felt better the next day and fully recovered 3 days later. The myths are true....it works better than pharmaceuticals Mike
Mike, Mike, Mike, come on now. Cassoulet is one of my favorites. I first had Cassoulet in Normandie, France on a cold rainy day and it was great. Made with duck confit and some kind of small sausages, it was warm and delicious. You'll have to give it another try. Really. Ben
Ok, I apologise to my French friends. I have had world class food in many places in France....I remember the old fashioned "Les Routiers" places where you could get 5 courses of home cooked bliss and pay almost nothing for them. I dont think there are any still left like this ??? The Cassoulet I had was in Carcasson whilst travelling on the Canal Du Midi. It was, in fairness, made by a low budget chef in a low budget cafe....and it really was disgusting and only seemed to contain fat. My fellow diners agreed with me. The Chef/Patron/Server/Wine Waiter (all one person !!), used several phrases when he collected the still full plates.....my French is terrible but I did hear the words "Anglais" and "Merde" I apologise unreservedly Mike
"In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange – who led the the struggle for Dutch independence – and the color stuck. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation."
.......Perhaps I had better eat some more (American) Humble Pie The absolute worst eat out meal I have ever ever had in my entire mortal existence is in my own Brexit battered country, "battered" being a very apt phrase for this tale of gastric woe!! There was once a very famous fish frier (ie English fish & chips) called "Harry Ramsden". He started his business in the 1930's and made a lot of money by selling great quality food. I had always wanted to try this stuff at his original fish bar in the town of Guiseley in the mid North East of England. One day I had the opportunity to visit and I ordered a massive portion of this stuff. I had great expectations that were, unfortunately, not realised in any way. The secret, so I discovered, was that Harry Ramsden fried his food in pure Beef Dripping (beef fat). I have never been a fan of this stuff and did not know this was the case. It was truly vile, smelled very strange and had a foul tasting after burn in the mouth. Absolutely dreadful. Kind of like a Witches brew but with fish !! I complained to the Manager only to be told "that is how we have always cooked it and that is why we are famous". It also proved to be the most expensive humble "working man" kind of food that I have ever bought. Many years later the business folded and remerged as a UK wide fast food chain brand. Never been back and have no intention of so doing. Wonder what they fry their fish in these days ? Mike.
I had a similar experience in a "famous" seafood place in Florida. Very expensive, and everything was battered and fried in fry fat that was long overdue. Absolutely everything tasted identical, regardless of whether it was alligator or zucchini. Have to agree with @msgermaine that a good stew is a wonderful thing. Or a good chowder. They work some miracles in the chowder line up in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I agree that a well-made cassoulet is a lovely thing also. In an effort to yank this thread back to the original topic, the cooker I purchased cost about $40. It's made by a company that styles itself as "Tayama USA," and is nicely put together. I have avoided these in the past because of price (some are upwards of $200). This one promises to be practical as well as economical. Particularly for slow-cooking at camp, it should be invaluable. They also claim it makes a nice beer cooler if filled with ice.
