From high technology to low technology

[rik_uk3]

Thermos cooking, AKA 'Haybox Cooking' as we called it in the boy scouts back around 1965 Not much new in the scheme of things when you think about it.

Thermos and Ecoflask do large versions 3.5 - 4.5l if you shop around. The best thermos I've 'cooked' in when I did comparison tests about ten years ago was a wide neck, glass lined Thermos brand made in the 50s but originally designed for the army and RAF in WW2, one of these (no connection to seller)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115228616120 ... SwSTVh9kNz

[jansman]

Oh heck yes it works. You can easily cook pasta in a Thermos - or rice - or even stews ( although I generally pre-book meat to be safe).

The best flasks ever imo are Stanley "Stainless King". If you put hot coffee in one at 6am you still have to let it cool before drinking at 6pm

A great one for cooking in (if you see one at a car boot) is the "EasiYo" yoghurt maker. As well as being brilliant for yoghurt making it's just a mahoosive Thermos with a very wide mouth!

The Stanley Aladdin are the mutts nutz! I have two that I take fishing,and yes,my tea stays red hot for twelve hours easily. Some years ago we had no running hot water for six weeks- long story- and to shave in the morning,I would take boiling water in a Stanley flask at bedtime to the bathroom,and 8 hours or so later,I still had to add cold. Worth the investment.

[ForgeCorvus]

I'm currently watching a 50's apple peeler, like this one but made with metal castings rather then plastic mouldings.


Has anyone used one like this and are they any good for non-perfectly round fruit/ veg??
The price is good and I can save on postage as its on my way to work..... But how much do I need it?

[British Red]

I'm currently watching a 50's apple peeler, like this one but made with metal castings rather then plastic mouldings.


Has anyone used one like this and are they any good for non-perfectly round fruit/ veg??
The price is good and I can save on postage as its on my way to work..... But how much do I need it?

We have two in this style

Apple Machine by British Red, on Flickr

We have two because one isn't enough and we wouldn't be without them.

However we process and preserve a ridiculous never of apples each year ( many hundreds). We have an orchard that's still growing but highly productive AND we do a lot of canning and dehydrating. I can dehydrate about 70 apples a day across two large dehydrators. Peeling coring and slicing two square metres of apples with a knife is stupidly time consuming but takes perhaps 20-30 minutes with one of these. Then the cores and skins are used to make pectin for the following years jam season.

In conclusion if you grow a lot of apples and need to process them they are invaluable. If not, they are probably clutter.

[GillyBee]

I have one very like British Red's. T'other half grew up with one like it and insisted on getting it. We dont own any apple trees...
But now we have done a deal with next door and take their apples in exchange for jam/jelly it does see some use. It is not so good if the apples are less than perfect. Most of ours are pretty rough since next door aren't really interested in the tree.
Last year I gave up on the peeler except for the very best apples and stuck to simply chopping out the bad bits and cores and leaving the rest as big chunks. Processed these for jelly and blitzed the solids left after straining to make a spiced apple butter, thus getting two preserves for one set of apples and effort.

[Vitamin c]

Been trying out using empty shelves in my oven , I don't use it that often usually twice a week i have a large pyrex dish and I've been filling it with a pottage type mix ,oats, beans,peas cabbage,sweed meat Juce and just left in oven after meat taken out oven stays hot for some time left overnight.
It comes out well cooked tasty and enough for 2 days ,just need warming in microwave.

[jennyjj01]

Been trying out using empty shelves in my oven , I don't use it that often usually twice a week i have a large pyrex dish and I've been filling it with a pottage type mix ,oats, beans,peas cabbage,sweed meat Juce and just left in oven after meat taken out oven stays hot for some time left overnight.
It comes out well cooked tasty and enough for 2 days ,just need warming in microwave.

This sounds interesting. Please elaborate, with a recipe and actual timeline.
Do you pop that into the oven after you take your joint of meat out, and literally just let it cook in the residual heat overnight? So by morning, it's cooked but not hot? I assume when your meat is in, you already have a full oven, or try to have.

[mbbaltic]

Aldi currently have a stove top espresso maker for £6.99. That's the cheapest I've seen anywhere. As we have a gas hob it means t'usband can have his caffeine fix. I need to source a hand cranked bean grinder at some stage but we normally have enough ground to see out a power cut

[Vitamin c]

Recipe . Not really just put in what I've got but generally peas ,oats , any beans any veg ,garlic, meat juices put in same time as meat take out meat when cooked leave in pottage turn off oven leave till morning.

Down side steam gets out of pottage and my chicken thighs aren't so crispy .

Still have bottom shelf empty possibly I'll try a yeast free flat bread .
Mix half white half strong flour 1 cup each ,salt , black pepper, chopped garlic a couple of spoonfulso of olive oil or meat fat mix well 40 to 60 minutes start checking after 40.

[jennyjj01]

Recipe . Not really just put in what I've got but generally peas ,oats , any beans any veg ,garlic, meat juices put in same time as meat take out meat when cooked leave in pottage turn off oven leave till morning.

Down side steam gets out of pottage and my chicken thighs aren't so crispy .

Still have bottom shelf empty possibly I'll try a yeast free flat bread .
Mix half white half strong flour 1 cup each ,salt , black pepper, chopped garlic a couple of spoonfulso of olive oil or meat fat mix well 40 to 60 minutes start checking after 40.

I don't think I've ever made potage like that and certainly not with oats. Nearest I might have done was a broth mix which got some carrot and onions added.
Do you puree your potage and serve with bread?
You say any veg? I'm guessing fresh, not dehydrated. Would your beans be fresh/soaked/canned. I'm inclined to give this potage idea a try, first using my slow-cooker, because oven not due to be used just yet.
Googling potage, it also looks an ideal slow cooker idea, so I might have a bash in that

[EDIT: OK...... I've gone for it. Inspired by Vitamin_c, I just lobbed an assortment of dehydrated ingredients into my crock pot. A right esoteric mix. All dehydrated + one oxo cube, covered in water. I'll write it up shortly. In the pot: I'll bring to the boil for one hour and then see how it looks with a view to simmer till supper time.]