Thermal vacuum cooker?

[Esteban-TNT]

We often talk about the right stove to use. What about the right cookware? Thermal vacuum cookware would seem to be very useful for teardrop camping. They only need a short time on the stove top (about 10 to 20 minutes to fully heat the ingredients) to slow cook a meal. They are fuel efficient. They come in sizes that can easily fit in a teardrop galley. This YouTube demonstration Thai Green Curry cooked in a Thermos Shuttle Chef of a thermal vacuum cooker shows one being used to cook a meal...and it's a little amusing too.
[youtube]B_TBxBnvQJM[/youtube]

A thermal cooker can keep your meal hot and ready to serve for hours while you do what ever you want away from "the kitchen." You might fix lunch at breakfast time, or dinner at lunch time. Or wake up to a hot breakfast that's ready to eat.

Thermal cookers are similar (yet very different) to a cooking in a crock pot because no electricity, nor occasional stirring, is needed. The cookers outer vacuum insulation prolongs the slow cooking effect for hours once the food is sufficiently heated up. You "cook" (heat) your meal for only about ten to twenty minutes, then turn off the gas burner/heat source - adding no more heat, and your food/meal will continue to slow cook and stay hot (because of the vacuum insulation surrounding it) for four or more hours so you can have an active day outdoors, or traveling, and then enjoy a no fuss fully cooked hot meal hours later. Many recipes are available for thermal cooking. The cookers would be useful in areas with open fire restrictions...which may limit the use of dutch ovens. They seem to be popular with Australian campers.

thermal cooking - Wikipedia
How To Use A Thermal Cooker - Everyday Recipes for Magic Cooker has a good description of the benefits of using a thermal cooker (bold added):

What Is A Thermal Cooker?

Basically, a thermal cooker is a very big vacuum flask that can cook and keep warm for hours without using power. Like the Thermos, the layer of vacuum insulation in a thermal cooker helps to retain the heat in the food for many hours. The heat cooks the food slowly in the same way as a slow cooker. The thermal cooker is also popularly known as Magic Cooker.

The best thing about a thermal cooker is that it continues the cooking process without using any electricity or gas. Slow cookers consume a lot of power and tend to dry up some of the liquid in the food. Sometimes food gets burnt at the bottom of the slow cooker pot if it is left to cook for too long without being stirred.

Problems like these are not encountered in thermal cooking as the food will never dry up or get burnt. Once the food is inside the thermal cooker, there is no need to keep checking or stirring the pot. Most meat will turn out tender, moist and cooked to perfection, while the vegetables and potatoes retain their shape and texture. No wonder, the thermal cooker is called a magic cooker.

Nissan Thermal Cooker is a Crockpot Without a Cord Nissan Thermal Cooker is a Crockpot Without a Cord.

[youtube]ulXl_10Cz48[/youtube]

ON THE ROAD RECIPES from Australia.

If you search for "thermal cooker" at Amazon.com you will find many to choose from. Asian grocery stores may carry them too. Here's one: Thermos Nissan Thermal Cookware with good Amazon.com reviews.

Product Description
Thermal Cookware keeps food hot (or cold) for up to 6 hours without reheating. Nissans unique two-piece set of cookware offers excellent temperature and flavor retention and allows for easy transport in one self-contained unit. Perfect for rice stews soups and more (We love the Jambalaya!). Stailess Steel inner pot is for cooking and vacuum insulated outer container will keep food hot for hours without burning and scorching. We were amazed at how the vegetables retained their color thanks to the vacuum seal. 4 3/4 Quart/4.5 Liter Capacity. Perfect for transporting chili and other favorites to the tailgate party. Features a Full 5 year warranty.

I think that thermal cookers would be very handy for your own use while camping or to prepare and serve a dish at a group potluck. You could also prepare a hot meal at home to eat on the road or for your first meal at your camp site. They're a little pricy to buy the good ones. Over time they could help save time and money if you eat more "home cooked" meals...even while camping.

P. S. Thermal vacuum cookers are different from crock pots or pressure cookers.

 

[desertmoose]

Steve:
Thanks for posting this.
I'd never heard of this before, but it sounds like a great idea.

It's now listed on my Amazon "wish list"...

Sam

 

[cuyeda]

I tried a Coleman propane crockpot, and did not have good results. To be fair, I need to try it one more time before I put in the chopping block.

 

[Shadow Catcher]

I have been looking at these for about a year, haven't been able to sell Nancy on the idea yet. We could bring a conventional crock pot but when boondocking not a chance.

 

[r_w]

Google "Hay box cooking" for DIY ideas. Basically a big padded (insulated) storage box for your favorite pot or DO. Can be made mostly of scraps from a TD build.

Not as compact, but better priced (thrifty), at least for a test to see if the concept works for you.

We used to use it all the time, could cook up lunch during breakfast and didn't need to break out the stove later. Really handy when hitting the road for the day.

 

[Esteban-TNT]

Thermal vacuum cookers take a while to understand. A YouTube video by Lindi, an Australian woman, shows her using a thermal cooker to make Thai Green Curry cooked in a Thermos Shuttle Chef. The cast of characters adds good humor when they enjoy the meal together. They demonstrate dozens of easy recipes for campers using a thermal cooker. One of my favorites has Lindi showing how to "bake" a carrot cake.


Watching a one, or more, of their videos will help you understand how a thermal cooker works much better than I can put into words.

BTW, I added more information to my first post.

 

[S. Heisley]

Thanks for posting this, Steve! It sounds like a good idea and a great find! (I had never heard of it!)
It reads like it would save a lot of propane and be pretty much hassle free so we can sort of set it and forget it while we go about doing other camping things.

 

[desertmoose]

It reads like it would save a lot of propane and be pretty much hassle free so we can sort of set it and forget it while we go about doing other camping things.

Like going on walks and getting rained on??

Sam

 

[S. Heisley]

It reads like it would save a lot of propane and be pretty much hassle free so we can sort of set it and forget it while we go about doing other camping things.

Like going on walks and getting rained on??

Sam

HaHaHa! We're kind of high-jacking the thread; but, Yup, just like that! Falling Tears was a wonderful camp gathering with wonderful people! The cold winds and rain made it all the better because we spent more time getting to know each other and listening to and telling stories. Also, when the sun came out on Sunday morning, it made for a perfect drive home, with a warm feeling inside and out! ...Loved visiting with you and Kat and everyone! Some of the most memorable camp gatherings are the ones where the weather is less than perfect.

One of us will have to get that Thermal vacuum cooker and give it a good test run out in the campground! It sounds like it would even do the trick right in our home kitchens, as well.

 

[Esteban-TNT]

Sharron and Sam, I'm coming to think a vacuum cooker will be great at home and for camping. It's a new cooking concept to me...with a lot of promise. I'm beginning to think "which one?"

One well reviewed moderately priced (currently $99.95) cooker is a Saratoga Jacks 5.5L Thermal Cooker Deluxe Here is the product description for it:

Product Description
Size: 5.5 Liter
Welcome to Thermal Cooking! Saratoga Jack's thermal cooker is a highly insulated stainless steel lined thermal container unit, with a lid that seals shut and a fold up/down handle for easy portability. The inner stainless steel cooking pots, includes one large 5.5 liter pot with a heavy duty bottom, with the addition of a smaller pot that can be nested inside of the larger one, providing a place for a optional small side dish. Use of the smaller pot is optional. It can be removed to accommodate larger quantities of food in the larger pot, which can be used separate and independent of the smaller nesting pot. The deluxe heavy duty bottom is on the larger pot only. A thermal cooker like an electric slow cooker cooks food at low healthy temperatures. The advantage with a thermal cooker is that you have a inner pot you use on your stove to bring your recipe to a simmer and then after simmering for a few minutes to as many as 30, you simply take the pot off the stove, place it in the insulated outer container and close the lid. From the moment you close the lid the heat of the food is held inside and used to finish the cooking of your meal. No more power, stove time or fuss is needed. Simply let it sit and it finishes cooking without burning or even over cooking your recipe.

The Amazon customer reviews and comments for it help answer many questions on my mind trying to figure out "which one" may be right for my needs. It combines good aspects of using an electric crock pot and or a rice cooker at home with much of the utility of dutch oven cooking while camping. It almost seems like one (a vacuum cooker) might displace the others at home and for camping.

 

[S. Heisley]

$99.95? Ouch! It's too close to the Holiday season for me to be spending like that now.
I'll wait to see what you think when you get yours, Steve.
Anyway, the camping season and the hot weather are just about done for this year and next summer seems a long way off yet....

 

[Esteban-TNT]

The wanderthewest forum wanderthewest.com/forum has a short discussion of thermal cookers thermal cooker.

have a Nissan Thermal Cooker and LOVE it, I use it a lot! The advantages with a thermal cooker are, once you have the contents of your meal boiling in the inner pot for a few mins, you can remove it from the heat source and place it in the outer thermal pot and it continues to cook. NO additional heat / energy source needed. It is safe for the truck camper users, because you can leave the cooker in the sink or on the counter and go hiking knowing that the food is still cooking without a continuous heat source!

My wife and i have been using the Saratoga Jacks non-electric thermal cooker for two seasons at home and on the trail. We love it! She has the various inner pots so she can even bake bread/muffins/brownies etc : ) great for camping meal desert surprises! Bring whatever dish up to a boil for a few minutes...put in thermal pot...come back after a day on the river or work shift and dinner is served. OR do some breakfast related meal before bed and breakfast/brunch is served when you arise.
Cheers,

[youtube]XOgB40jQvcM[/youtube]
Cooking On the Road
Saratoga Jacks website with reviews of their thermal cookers.

 

[Howl]

Interesting article here on cooking beans the Thermal Cooker way, and comparing soaking, "brining", no soaking methods.

Keep in mind that simpler things can be made in a regular thermos and here is a red lentil soup recipe using that technique:
Thermos Cooked Red Lentil Soup
This might be a way to test out the general concept.

Article on cooking legumes/grains in a regular Thermos; same idea. This is from a Preparedness (survivalist) Web site.

From a safety point of view, it would be good to know how long things can stay in the thermal cooker before bacteria start to grow.
From a practical point of view, thermos/Thermal Cook techniques just make so much sense. I also like the idea of things not having to be tended to on the burner/fire; no possibility of the big burned spot on your pot!

 

[r_w]

Normal food service guideline is to keep it over 140 F. http://www.foodsafety.wsu.edu/consumers ... Topic2.htm

 

[GuitarPhotog]

Normal food service guideline is to keep it over 140 F. http://www.foodsafety.wsu.edu/consumers ... Topic2.htm

Yes, but the question is for how long does/will the thermal cooker keep the food above 140F?

I would imagine that the time is much greater for those $300 units than for the $99 units. But none of the mfrs provide a spec.

<Chas>

 

[S. Heisley]

The secret to these thermal cookers may be in that, once you've cooked the meat or what ever for 20 minutes, it's pretty much done and all you're doing in the TC is tenderizing and mingling flavors...don't know.... I think that cooked meat stays good much better and longer at the lower temperatures than raw meat would. (As far as baked goods made in a TC? I have no idea....)

Many of us cook our meats before we go camping so that they will last longer; and also, to not use as much fuel. 20 minutes of propane can be a considerable amount. My thought is that we might need to do some experimenting or asking, should any of us decide to purchase one of these. If the meat was cooked ahead, it seems like one would not need to cook for the 20 minutes; but rather, simply bring the cooked meat, stew, whatever to a boiling or reasonably high temperature and then dump it in the TC. If that is true, we might be able to save additional time and fuel in the campsite, with certain recipes. It probably just depends on what you are making in it.

 

[Esteban-TNT]

YouTube, demonstrating recipes cooked in a thermal cooker to pique your appetite and curiosity:

Eva's Apricot chicken

BBQ Red Wine Rib Rack in a Thermos Shuttle Chef

Meat Stew made in a Thermal Cooker with meat pre-cooked a la Sharon

Fish Cooked on the Beach in a Thermos Shuttle Chef

Unlucky Fisherman's Stew made in a Thermal Cooker

The Posh Pescatarian: Turks & Caicos Conch Chowder

Shuttle Chef- Spaghetti Boglonese

Duncan Elliot, AKA Flying Chef chocolate pudding

Shuttle Chef- Omlette in a bag

Hokey Pokey Noodles made in a Thermal Cooker

THERMAL PORTABLE COOKER BREAD ROLLS "baking" breads. Needs two pots. The small one for the bread. The large one is filled with boiling water to help retain heat in the thermal cooker.

After watching thermal cooker recipe videos they are increasing looking like very versatile cookware. I've learned that they should be used nearly full to retain heat for the longest time. Liquids in the ingredients and/or water (in a 2nd pot) are very good for heat retention. I'm leaning toward a thermal cooker that can hold two pots. Some thermal cookers are insulated by a vacuum in the outer pot and other, less expensive, thermal cookers are more often foam insulated which do not retain heat as long. Also larger capacity thermal cookers when full retain heat longer than smaller cookers with less capacity.

Steve - a thermal cooker newbie (meaning I don't have one or any experience using one).

 

[S. Heisley]

Wow! You've been doing your research!

PS. I caught the cute add:

Meat Stew made in a Thermal Cooker with meat pre-cooked a la Sharon

 

[Esteban-TNT]

Wow! You've been doing your research!

PS. I caught the cute add:

Meat Stew made in a Thermal Cooker with meat pre-cooked a la Sharon

[youtube]ie66M8XLnA0[/youtube]

 

[S. Heisley]

The carrot cake makes quite a statement about how well the Thermal Cooker cooks/bakes but that stew had some weird ingredients in it.

I've been thinking some more on the Thermal Cooker.... You could possibly make a meal before leaving on a long drive and have dinner ready in the TC when you got to your camping destination or you might picnic at a rest stop along the way! However, I'm wondering how tight the seal is and if the contents would spill out of the TC if the TC tipped over during the drive? (That might depend upon the way a particular make and model is closed/locked.) Also, if you had two pots inside; say, one with a stew and one with a dessert, if it tipped would the stew ruin the dessert?

Still, the Thermal Cooker has excellent possibilities.....