Thermal Cooker?

[twodiggers]

I've seen several of you mention you have a thermal cooker. How good do they really work? Are they worth the investment? I'm thinking about purchasing the Saratoga Jacks 7L cooker because of the dual pot. Anyone have experience with it?

Also any recipes that do not involve beans or white rice?? I detest beans and can not eat white rice due to diabetes.

Thanks!

 

[Hereandthere]

Interesting! I didn't know about these things, though I used to make oatmeal overnight in a thermos mug.

My background is as a librarian, and that side of me came out... here are some of the things I found:

1. A free download in PDF and other formats of a book written 101 years ago, called The Fireless Cookbook... I'm going to read this before buying anything.
https://archive.org/details/firelesscookbook00mitc

2. Thermos jars would work for some things: http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-48-Ounce-Mouth-Stainless-Steel-Bottle/dp/B000RHFRVS/
http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Stainless-Folding-16-Ounce-Raspberry/dp/B00ETP7DCU/
-- two links for two different sizes.

3. If I were to buy something, it would likely be the smaller Saratoga Jacks:
http://www.amazon.com/Saratoga-Jacks-Thermal-Cooker-Deluxe/dp/B00824XGH0/

I don't eat rice or other grains much (control my pre-diabetes quite effectively that way) but this would interest me for meat-and-veggie stews mainly.

I used to do something like this, in a house we lived in, by cooking something on the stovetop and then putting it in an insulated container after wrapping it in towels. Getting ready for several months in our motorhome this coming winter, every inch of space will count and so I'd be tempted by the one I mentioned in #3.

 

[twodiggers]

One of the reasons I was leaning towards the larger 7L version is that it is available with a clad bottom on the smaller pot as well as the larger pot, which makes it better for cooking.

Thanks for the links, will check them out

 

[akrvbob]

I use and recommend a Wonderbag. Basically it will cut the cook time by 30% To 50%. Here is my review of it:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/hay-box-cooking-wonderbag-nissan-thermos/

Bob

 

[twodiggers]

Nice review Bob. How long does the wonderbag hold its heat? Also what is the material made of and how easy are spills to clean up? How well does it travel?

 

[ZOFCHAK]

I have the small 5.5 liter Saratoga Jacks cooker and it's ok, but if I had to do it again I would go with one of the more expensive small Japanese models. The Saratoga cookers are insulated with foam which works, but there are thermal cookers out there that are vacuum insulated like a Thermos and would do a much better job of holding the heat.

Also, if you are just cooking for one I highly suggest the smallest cooker you can find! In order to get the cooker to work properly it's supposed to be almost completely filled. Leaving a large amount of open space in the cooker with cause it to lose heat much quicker. I'd much prefer to have one around 3 liters.

---

One other issue I have encountered is when you cook foods with a high fat content (Such as pulled pork) a fatty film gets on the inside of the cooker. Since the Saratoga models are foam filled and can not be submerged it's extremely difficult to clean.

 

[akrvbob]

twodiggers, it is pretty good sized so it does take up some space. Make a circle with your arms and it's about that big. It's some kind of nylon and seems to clean pretty easy. We put a towel on the bottom so spills go onto it.

It holds it's heat for a LONG time.
Bob