Questions on Thermal Cookers

[SCinPNW]

In trying to solve the problem of cooking without using a lot of energy or alerting others around you that you have food I am wondering if anyone here has used a Thermal Cooker? Here is a link for one that is on Amazon, I am sure there are other brands as well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

They seem a little pricey too. Any thoughts or opinions from personal experience?

Thanks,
SC

[EX121]

Check out old issues or online at Mother Earth News for DIY models. I friend has one that is basically a box that the pot fits into with spray foam insulation filling all of the gaps. Once the pot boils he takes it off the heat source and puts it in the box to finish cooking. It works very well.

[SCinPNW]

Thanks Ex121, that sounds like a great idea. I will check it out.

SC

[manowar]

when i saw this thread for some reason i was thinking solar cooker, so i read what amazon has to say about it,looks like you still need a fire(smoke,smell= alert others) or some electricity. solar cookers are cheap and light weight, by cheap i mean some cardboard and tinfoil, only drawback is that you have to have a sunny day, but for stealthy cooking looks like the way to go.
now that being said, i have not personally made or used one, i only have seen it done on hoodswoods cave cooking vids, but if you are looking for low tech stealth it bears some research.
manowar

[SCinPNW]

Thanks for the reply Manowar!

Yes, you still will need a way to heat up the food or order to cook it. My idea is to use something like a Kelly Kettle, which we have, to boil the water and then pour the boiling water into the thermal cooker's inner pot to cook the food, i.e., beans and rice, etc. With the Kelly Kettle, you only need to build a very small fire to boil the water. Once everything is in the thermal cooker I can then take it into the house to cook, the idea to minimize outdoor cooking smells so as to not draw attention to the fact that we have food.

If anyone wants to share their ideas/plans on stealthy cooking I would love to hear it.

Thanks,
SC

The solar oven is a great idea, however, we live in the Pacific Northwest and if we have to count on the sun to cook our food then we will starve for sure. ;-)

[manowar]

Thanks for the reply Manowar!


The solar oven is a great idea, however, we live in the Pacific Northwest and if we have to count on the sun to cook our food then we will starve for sure. ;-)

lol probably did not occur to me your location. will have to look up kelly kettle.
my stealthy cooking, will be in a "root cellar" that i am currently digging into the side of a hill on my property, will be suitably hidden (hopefully) but this still has to be put into practice. cooking meats give off the most smell, and i have dehydrated about 30lbs so far of ground beef, reportedly can last for yrs that way
I will also have sacrificial food on my shelves in the house for any rouge bands of theives, old food that will hopefully suffice them. but as always only living thru this will my efferts prove to be correct or not.
manowar

[Klayton]

my stealthy cooking, will be in a "root cellar" that i am currently digging into the side of a hill on my property,

PLZ PLZ PLZ check your fuel source if you are going to be cooking "stealthly" in a root cellar, fumes can overcome you fast in an unventilated room.

=)

[hua man]

Check also "Thermos Cooking" Just a thermal cooker that's a little easier to transport.

[kappydell]

You do not need to purchase any special pot to 'thermal cook' in. I do it with wraps all the time, and yes, it saves quite a lot of cooking fuel. You do not need a thermos, either, though it makes it a little less messy. Here is what I do.

1. Get yourself a good size pot with a tight lid. Handles are a liability for wrapping, I unscrew those and remove. A larger pot of food cooks better than a small one, as it stores more heat longer. My pot is a 8 qt size. Bought it 2nd hand since families are smaller now, and I did not want to 'deface' an expensive pan by removing handle. Have a wool blanket, or polyester sleeping bag or quilt handy for wrapping. They don't get ruined by moisture. Hay or corn husks used in a box are affected and get nasty and need changing. Ditto balled up newspapers in a box work, too. The idea is to nestle the pot in the filled box or wrap it in 3 inch thickness of quilt, which is what I use.
2. Foods that cook well in a thermal pot just happen to be our handy-dandy survival foods - beans, rice, pasta, veggies; but most anything you boil can be cooked in one. I cut up meats to 1 1/2 inch dice, add presoaked beans. Put in water or other liquid ingredients but reduce volume by one third (no evaporation). Bring to a boil and boil (rolling boil) 5 minutes, covered. Wrap quickly and set aside where it can sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 hours.
3. After 3 hours, unwrap and check food for doneness. If not done enough, boil another 5 min, and re-wrap.
4. Pasta does not even have to be wrapped. Just bring to a boil, cover and let sit off heat for 30 min, then check for doneness. Usually that does it for me.
5. I like to make a large pot of beans & cut up vegetables (one inch dice) in one wrap, and rice or pasta in another. Then I go elsewhere and do something else, removing and wrap from the (white) rice or pasta in 1 hour, the veggies in 3-4 hours. Instant dinner, and it is ready at once.
There are many recipes out there. Look up "wonder-box" or "Compassion of South Africa" for pattern for a thick cloth box to nest your pots in, and recipes with soy. There is even a reprint of an old fireless cooker cook book available on the internet.

Oh yes, for stealth, please, do not cook indoors...use the Cherokee fire hole set for a less visible cooking fire. Make it fast and hot, then wrap and remove your wrapped pots and yourself to the shelter. A laundry or bushel basket carries a wrapped pot of considerable size quite nicely, and keeps the insulation layer nice and snug. You are on the right track - but don't spend big bucks when you can save those for other things!!