Quarter acre pot - thermal cooking, any tips

midgetmum, Apr 23, 9:33pm
bought one of these but obviously needs a bit experimentation to get it right! Are there any suggestions and/or tips that will help please?

dbab, Apr 23, 10:23pm
I'm interested in this too, and in how much use it would get.

rainrain1, Apr 24, 12:18am
dag of a name

245sam, Apr 24, 12:56am
midgetmum, have you had a look at:-

http://thermalcooker.co.nz/

Hope you find something there that will help. :-))

samanya, Apr 24, 2:05am
Probably a modern variation of a 'haybox cooker'.

camper18, Apr 24, 2:26am
Use ours in the motor home. Prepare food in the morning as usual, pop it in the pot and bring up to full heat, into the outer insulator, usually with rice in the top pot. Zip it up and off we go. Tea all cooked when we get to destination.

midgetmum, Apr 24, 4:05am
camper18, what are your favourite recipes please? I understand either the top or bottom pot must have lots of hot water to finish cooking the meal. Does the pot work better with lots of water in the bottom and a casserole in the top or vice versa please?

rainrain1, Apr 24, 2:20pm
Is that the historic version of cooking in bed

camper18, Apr 24, 3:44pm
Migetmum, I just make my casserole with the same amount of liquid that I would normally use but it must be piping hot when you put it in the outer pot so as to retain its heat to continue the cooking process. Dont like thevegies put in with it (ie potato, kumar etc) as they go a bit grey looking. Cornbeef or bolars bring up to rolling boil just covered and bung it in the outer pot. Top pot, couple of tblsp rice fill with boiling water and on with the lid. We do this then stir in cream and sugar when its cooked for a nice pudding.

samanya, Apr 24, 5:45pm
haaa . dunno

deus701, Apr 25, 7:38am
my MIL has one, uses it for soup. I did some research on it. kinda just useless or unsuitable for my needs compared to a slow cooker or pressure cooker

punkinthefirst, Apr 26, 3:23am
Oh Lordy. that takes me back.
For the uninitiated. a pad of hay was put in the bottom of a box, then the pot you were going to cook in. Hay was packed firmly all round the pot, then the pot was removed, and an old sheet was put in the hole to stop hay getting into the pot later. The stew or whatever was half cooked, then the pot was replaced in the haybox, the sheet was pulled over the top, and a thick layer of hay was packed on the top. The whole lot was then set aside for a little longer than you would normally take to cook the dish.
You can cook anything moist in this way. Stews, rice puddings, veges, etc.
My mother used them a lot to feed hungry farm men, especially during hay and silage making. She had several tea-chests (remember those?) which were made into hayboxes. They were also used to take food and hot and cold drinks out to the men in the paddock. in the days when thermoses were way too expensive, if available at all.

midgetmum, Apr 26, 3:04pm
thank you so much for that information - I had wondered where the name came from!

buzzy110, Apr 26, 4:54pm
A slow cooker is better in the domestic situation. However, if you were in a campervan, or even camping then the ¼acre pot is more practical when travelling or when staying somewhere without access to electricity and storage space is limited. I have a campervan and because of the way that gas stoves in campervans operate I would not be prepared to risk a pressure cooker (PC). Others might but I have never personally seen any other campervanners use one.

Edited to add that I have a friend with a caravan and she used a PC but her van had an electric stove top. I don't know if she uses it now she has changed over to a gas cooker.

399, May 30, 10:17pm
I use my crockpot plug it in to inverter toss everything in it put the crock pot in the sink put something on the lid to hold it or clamp it down and away you go while you are traveling tea is cooking.

tinabops, Jun 3, 3:09am
I use mine for soups, stews, cornbeef.
In the morning I put everything in the pot, bring to a rolling boil then place pot in the thermos. In the evening I bring back to the boil just before serving and thicken.
Also use to soften dried beans/peas. ie chick peas in water, bring to boil then place pot into thermos for a few hours.
Have used for picnics to keep food hot.

fishplants, Jun 20, 12:43pm
Are you saying that you can soften beef or corned beef with two lots of short boils?