'Hay Box' cooking

[rik_uk3]

An old book but well worth looking at

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/ ... frontcover

This method has been around a long long time and its a skill worth having.

[pseudonym]

Thanks for the link.

[Vitamin c]

I've Been using a similar method for sometime now with old towels ,I part microwave my food then just wrap it well in old towels, coats , anything that will keep in the heat .
My only advice is chop stuff into small pieces to make sure it's cooked through .
The only drawback is your always eating all in one pot meals unless you use same method on separate ingredients.

It's worth giving it a go practice makes perfect.

[GillyBee]

Nice link.
You can put several smaller jars/containers/roasting bags into one pan to keep foods separate or to cook a dessert alongside your stew. Just fill between the containers with water and make sure that you have boied for 20 mins to ensure both the water & the container contents are boiing before you put it into your diy haybox. I like the roasting bags as they don't need so much time for the contents to warm up. Glass jars were less successful for this reason. I have a couple of little steel lidded pans to test next.
The bigger the better is the rule here as a bigger pot will keep food warmer for longer.
Google "thermal cooking recipes" for more recipes. It does not matter if they are linked to a tradename thermal cooker - they will still work for a DIY one too.

[jansman]

Nice link.
You can put several smaller jars/containers/roasting bags into one pan to keep foods separate or to cook a dessert alongside your stew. Just fill between the containers with water and make sure that you have boied for 20 mins to ensure both the water & the container contents are boiing before you put it into your diy haybox. I like the roasting bags as they don't need so much time for the contents to warm up. Glass jars were less successful for this reason. I have a couple of little steel lidded pans to test next.
The bigger the better is the rule here as a bigger pot will keep food warmer for longer.
Google "thermal cooking recipes" for more recipes. It does not matter if they are linked to a tradename thermal cooker - they will still work for a DIY one too.

My grandmother used to have a pan from WW2 that had several others on top,to save fuel. She swore by it,and her steamed veg was very nice! Of course,the Asian community have similar baskets to go above woks etc. After all the stir- fry cooking came about because of the lack of fuel. Nothing is new ,is it?

[GillyBee]

My grandmother used to have a pan from WW2 that had several others on top,to save fuel. She swore by it,and her steamed veg was very nice! Of course,the Asian community have similar baskets to go above woks etc. After all the stir- fry cooking came about because of the lack of fuel. Nothing is new ,is it?

In my family we had a pair of ancient saucepans in a half circle shape so you could fit both on the same electric ring. They didn't balance so well on a gas hob. I took them to uni with me as we had an electric hob there but cannot recall what happened to them after that. Probably still in use in some student digs somewhere.....

[jansman]

My grandmother used to have a pan from WW2 that had several others on top,to save fuel. She swore by it,and her steamed veg was very nice! Of course,the Asian community have similar baskets to go above woks etc. After all the stir- fry cooking came about because of the lack of fuel. Nothing is new ,is it?

In my family we had a pair of ancient saucepans in a half circle shape so you could fit both on the same electric ring. They didn't balance so well on a gas hob. I took them to uni with me as we had an electric hob there but cannot recall what happened to them after that. Probably still in use in some student digs somewhere.....

There must be modern versions, shall we look?

[GillyBee]

I can't find the half saucepans new anywhere. Mine were just like these.

The modern versions seem to be more like these stackers or dividers.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08LZLPS72/ ... ljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Saucepa ... r=8-7&th=1

[jansman]

I can't find the half saucepans new anywhere. Mine were just like these.saucepans.JPG

The modern versions seem to be more like these stackers or dividers.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08LZLPS72/ ... ljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Saucepa ... r=8-7&th=1

The Eye Witness brand ( second link) is the one I saw too. I like their brand of butchers knives, so I will but one of those I think.

[GillyBee]

Here are some other threads to get you started:
viewtopic.php?t=18225&hilit=haybox+thermal
viewtopic.php?t=18285&hilit=haybox+thermal