1. Cooking With Stored Heat
Save energy, save money!
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

2. What we will be talking about
Why bother?
The theory
Insulation characteristics
Insulation examples
Cooking container
Types of stored heat cookers
Cooking with stored heat
Other uses
Potential problems
What we will be talking about
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

3. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Save fuel (between 20% and 80%), money & environment
Maximise nutrients
Safer – won’t burn your
house down if left unattended
Cheap to build
Can’t burn the food
Reduce heat input into the kitchen in summer
Surprise your friends & amaze family!
Why bother?
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

4. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Stored heat cookers work by using insulation to prevent the escape of cooking heat rather than constantly using fuel to keep the food at cooking temperature.
The Theory
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

5. Insulation Characteristics
It must withstand cooking temperatures without melting.
It must not release toxic fumes
It can be fashioned to be as snug-fitting as possible around the pot.
It can be made to form a relatively tight seal, so that heat does not escape from the cooking cavity.
It is dry, and can be kept dry
50mm to 100mm thick
Insulation Characteristics
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

6. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Hay or straw
Crumpled newspaper
Polystyrene
Vacuum
Blankets / clothing
Wood wool/shavings
Sleeping bag
Wool
Feathers
Leaves
Insulation Examples
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

7. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Smallest surface area per unit volume (Sphere)
Tight fitting lid
Does not need to be insulative
Avoid aluminium
If in doubt, seal with a little flour/water dough.
Cooking Container
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

8. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Commercial
Wide mouth thermos
Dreampot®
Thermos Shuttle Chef®
Home Made
Hay box
Wonderbox
Hay sack
Expedient
A pot, blankets & eski
Types
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

9. Cooking with Stored Heat
Multiply cooking times by 2 to 3
Reduce water by 25%
Make sure the pot is full
Heat to boiling
Boil for 5 minutes for small size food (eg rice) to 15 minutes for whole potatoes
Place in the cooker
Leave for required time (NO PEEKING!)
Remove and reheat to boiling if required
Danger zone = <60°C
Cooking with Stored Heat
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

10. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
Make yogurt
Raising bread in cold weather
Keeping stuff cold in hot weather
Keeping food hot while transporting
Keeping solar cooked food hot till tea time!
Other uses
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

11. Potential Difficulties
Food does take longer to cook, so preparations need to be made earlier
It works best for cooking larger quantities, but you can use it to keep food warm for later on
It is important to keep the insulating material dry. If it gets damp, it needs to be replaced
Potential Difficulties
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

12. Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
The fireless cookbook
k00mitcrich
Wonderbox plans
s/Wonder_Box.htm
Thermal cooking Weblog
gory/recipes-all/
Resources
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

13. For more details check our website
Sustainable Living in the Suburbs
For more details check our website