Thermal Cooking Portion Creativity

When I started writing Let's Make Sense of Thermal Cooking Cookbook, it was obvious that if I was not careful soups, grains and beans would dominate the recipes in the book. I understood that to use a thermal cooker (retained heat cooking) I needed to have food come to a boil. For food to boil it had to be relatively thin. But I wanted more options, after all, I could make soup easily in a regular pot on the stove.

Discoveries

Two things happened in my research. First, I was introduced to the concept of making a loaf of bread in the thermal cooker. The idea of putting solid food in a container, surrounding the container with water, boiling the water, then extend the boiling time, really opened my mind to the possibilities available. Virtually anything is possible. If it is not required to be crispy, I can probably figure out how to make it in the thermal cooker. For foods which require a crunch, a brick oven is a form of retained heat cooking which works great for that. But that subject is for another day.

The second happy coincidence was when I visited preparetodaywardnewsletter.blogspot.com. The idea of using a bag to hold food cooking in the thermal cooker added another level of creativity to my thermal cooking adventure. It filled in a few gaps for me in the food I wanted to be able to make. I also started noticing how many prepared meals were sealed in bags, such as pulled pork. These can easily be dropped in boiling water and closed into the thermal cooker, making simple, fast meals.

Portion Control

Another benefit, as I tested and practiced using containers, is portion control. I noticed as I tested different containers that I was adjusting the quantity of food being made. One of the questions I receive the most is how to use a cooker effectively when cooking smaller quantities of food. Smaller families comment often on wanting access to large amounts of food for special occasions and emergencies, but using it on a daily basis does not seem logical when the 7 Liter cooker when used efficiently makes so much food.

Thermal Mass

Traditionally, efficient retained heat cooking produces large volumes of food. This is because retaining heat is determined by thermal mass. The more thermal mass (volume of heat) you have the longer it stays hot. For instance, if I were to place two pots of water on the stove, one holding 1 Liter of water, the other 7 Liters, bring the water to a boil, then turn off the fuel source. Which water will cool first? The 1 Liter of course. This is because there is less water in the pot. By insulating equally the pots of boiling water, the amount of time the water will remain hot increases, but the 1 Liter will always cool sooner.

When preparing smaller amounts of food it is OK to use smaller thermal cooking appliances. Just know that if not compensated with quality insulation, it will cool down sooner. Is this a problem? Well it depends. If, in the morning, you prepare a small meal and are planning to eat it for lunch, there is enough thermal mass to keep it hot until lunch, than no problem. If you were hoping it would stay hot until dinner, and the thermal mass is such that it will only last until lunch, you will be disappointed. It is a balance between thermal mass and insulation. Also remember that air is the enemy in thermal cooking. In my example above, I use pots which are between 75-80% full (less air in the pot). The 1 Liter of water would be in a small pot, not a 7 Liter pot with only 1 liter of water in it.

Cooking with Containers

I love using containers. It is possible to be very creative using containers. I also find myself using leftovers more often. Monday is a great day for Shepherd's pie in the thermal cooker, we always seem to have leftover mashed potatoes from Sunday. On other days, when fixing pasta, I always seem to make more pasta than needed. Making mini lasagnas in containers with leftover pasta is fast, convenient and economical. For both of these examples, assemble the meal into containers (I will review containers in just a minute). Place the covered containers into the inner pot of the thermal cooker, cover with water, so that the pot is 75-80% full and bring to a boil on the stove. The boiling time will be determined by the size of your container. Also remember that it is ok to boil longer than the suggestions below. Generally, the longer the water around the container boils the hotter the food inside will be and the longer it will stay hot in the thermal cooker. The times listed are minimum estimates. Use wisdom, boiling them for an hour+ is defeating the purpose of the cooker and is unnecessary.

Mason jars are my "go to" container. They are inexpensive and seem to be something most people have. For the most part I use wide mouth jars so the food is easy to get out of the container. As long as there is not an indent at the neck of the jar it should work great for solid foods. Listed are the boiling times I use based on the size of the mason jars.

Jar size Boiling time # fit in 7 L pot Notes

Wide mouth pint 15 minutes 4 Feeds 4-6

1/2 pint wide mouth 7 - 10 minutes 8 or 2 pints & 4 -1/2 pints Try this: 2 pints for main dish, 2 - 1/2 pints for veggies and 2 - 1/2 pints for dessert - all in 1 pot

1/2 pint regular mouth 7 - 10 minutes 6 Combine 6 with 5- 1/2 c

1/2 cup regular mouth 5 minutes Lots (abt 17) Single servings of Lava Pudding

When using mason jars, mix and match them based on what you are preparing. When using different sized jars in one pot, boiling time is for the size of the largest jar.

Pyrex glass Snapware containers have been a great addition to my thermal cooking kit. They are available at Walmart. Smith's Marketplace, sometimes Costco has them in a set, I have even found them or containers like them at Ross and TJ Maxx. Just know that if I was in the store before you, they are probably all gone. Although the lids on the container will not last forever, they do work well. The lids hold up well to 270 degrees, since we are only getting to boiling point (not over 212) I love using them. Use two at a time, stacking them into the 7 Liter pot of the Saratoga Jack thermal cooker. If you are using another appliance, adapt what works for you. Often I make, meat loaf and potatoes, lasagna and herb bread chicken enchiladas and corn bread. After putting the food into the containers, place them into the 7 L pot, fill with water (an inch or so from the top) and bring to a boil. These containers when stacked require about 30 minutes of boiling time.

Many meals at our house have been made with the basic ingredients of meat, potatoes and a vegetables. With the addition of the oven bag this meal is simple and effective to make. Place 5 - 6 potatoes in the bottom of the 5 liter pot. In the oven bag put 1- 1/2 to 2 pounds of meat (chicken tenders or ribs), add your favorite seasonings or sauce. Mix from the outside of the bag. Pull the top of the bag together and flatten out the meat to fit over the top of the potatoes. Place over the potatoes with the top of the bag over the side of the pot, use the handle to secure the bag. Add water, just covering the meat in the bag. The cooker should have enough room in it for the top pot. Put the potatoes and meat on the stove and bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes. In the smaller inner pot cook your choice of vegetable. Place vegetables over the meat and potatoes and put into the thermal unit. Leave for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to serve, remove veggies and oven bag. There will be liquid in the bag, sprinkle Ultra Gel or another instant thickener in the bag, mix from the outside of the bag using a hot pad. In about 5 minutes you will have gravy for your meal. I love cooking this meal because I am able to prepare meat, gravy, potatoes and veggies all in one pot. I just trade out the flavor of seasoning on the meat.

Let's Review

Let's step back and look at what we just talked about. Can you see how you can adjust the meal to the amount of people you would like to serve using containers. Even the oven bag example can be downsized for 2-3 people be adjusting the number of potatoes and amount of meat used. When you are not using containers it is also possible to adjust the amount you are cooking for by preparing your meal in the smaller top inner pot and boiling water in the bottom pot. By doing this your thermal mass remains high and your food will stay in the thermal cooker for a long time. Another option is to not fill the pots as full and eating your food sooner.

Other Methods

Great success can be accomplished using other appliances which facilitate retained heat cooking. Although this article talks about using the Saratoga Jacks 7 Liter thermal cooker, I have been testing other types of appliances. These same techniques can be used with them. Start out preparing a meal to eat within 2 to 4 hours, this will give you a chance to see how your cooker holds up. I have been happy with my results using a quality cooler, blankets packed in tight around a large heavy pot of food. As for the 'Wonder' products, the handmade wonder oven (looks like two big pillows) I have does not hold up as well as I would like it to, I think there is too much air space in the outer insulation to maintain longer than 4 hours. It seems to want to hold only a 3 quart pot. I am going to try to get a larger pot of boiling food in it, it should then retain heat longer. On the other hand, my newest addition, the WonderBag, with its dense insulation is performing well. I am excited to do some more testing.

Just do it!

I guess the point of this article is to just get your thermal cooker, wonderbag or thermos out of the box and give it a try. Experiment and get use to using it. Hopefully you feel more comfortable. For those of you who already cook using retained heat cooking, I hope I have given you some new ideas to try.

Thought of the day:

For whatever your 'it' may be, if you don't use 'it' now, when an opportunity or emergency arises, you will not use 'it' well, if at all.

Thank you for your thermal cooking topic suggestions for my blog, please keep them coming. I will keep posting so more information available. Videos are also on the horizon. Things are coming together, thank you for your patience.

Have a Super day!!

Cindy Miller