Catbox cooker

https://www.sf-innovations.co.uk/haybox-cooking

Last weekend I attended a haybox cookery demo at the Green Gathering (festival). Haybox or fireless cooking is a traditional method of saving fuel, and, in some cases, the gathering of fuel. In the UK the method was most popular during WWII. 

It's low tech: a box is needed, with a lid, and some insulation, such as part of an old sleeping bag or duvet, some jumpers, cardboard, newspaper, whatever. The food is briefly cooked in a cast-iron lidded pot for around ten minutes, brought up to boiling point, then pot is  removed from heat, wrapped in a towel to act as an oven glove. The covered casserole is then placed in the insulated box  for around 4 hours, by which time then food will be cooked. 

The food has to be temperature tested  before eating to make sure it's still 67 degrees or higher. If it isn't,  it can be reheated briefly. Then, in theory,  it gets eaten immediately! 

I bought the posh basket -on-castors yesterday for £7, then lined it with some insulating fluffy stuff and a padded shirt and a towel. Cooked up onions, lentils, a couple of chopped veg, brown basmati rice, coconut milk, water, tinned green lentils, and Thai red curry paste. That was what I had at home. Put it in 'haybox' once it was done.

Checked it after two hours. The rice was still a bit chewy. While the casserole was out of the box, Indie the cat jumped in! Added some more water and heated the rice a little more. Tipped the cat out of the box, rewrapped the pot, put it back, checked it an hour later, and hey presto! It was done. Replaced haybox lid so that the cat couldn't get back in. Ate the food. It tasted ok, not eonderful. However, The rice had not dried out or stuck to the pot, which always happened with my slow cooker. I am
going to try again with some more curated ingredients. I love flavoured rice, and veggie stews. 

At this point I must admit that I'd made far too much rice! I froze some in containers for another day, and set aside some for lunch tomorrow. Left some for Steve's supper. He fried it up again, so I'm not sure that we really saved the planet at all today, but we're still learning, aren't we?

Not sure I can use it much except at weekends, because I tend to be out at work for 8-9 hours, and I don't want us getting listeria if the temperature plunges too low for too long. However, this working pattern may change over the course of time. 

At the very least, the Green Gathering has got me interested in food, and cooking, again. And I do believe we all need to think about energy usage, not just those who live off-grid. 

In other news, I went with GG to a horrific 'lifestyle' garden centre for coffee. The cappuccino had me buzzing for hours, and I spent £11 on things I didn't need. Cue sound of green halo crashing to the terrazzo-tiled floor! Turns out I am a high carbon consumer, after all.