Thermos Cooker

[kentuckyprepper1792]

Good idea. I'm impressed that it cooks so well.

[vention4wh]

@kentuckyprepper1792

Ya. The only reason I bought it was to cook beans with only enough fuel to boil the water. That could save huge amounts of propane. I live in a condo and I can't store tons of fuel or fire wood so I had to find another solution. There are several brands of these thermo cookers to choose from. I think one of them would be an excellent addition to your preps.

[dunpostyn]

If anyone wants to have a go for a lot less outlay.

Use an ordinary pan , bring to the boil, then place in a cardboard box on a layer of polystyrene beads (if the base is very hot put some newspaper underneath), put lid on and surround and cover with more beads.

- It has to have a well fitting lid as the polystyrene is very chewy.

[vention4wh]

@dunpostyn

Good thinking. I'd hesitate these days but it was only about 95 bucks when I bought mine. They've really been getting expensive in the last few years.

[lindabebe835]

thanks. did not know these were available. will seriously consider purchasing for emergency purposes.

[vention4wh]

@lindabebe835

That's what I bought mine for but it's turned out that I use it all the time anyway. I've gotten my money's worth out of it several times by now. In an emergency though, you can really conserve your cooking fuel with one of these things. There are a bunch of different brands to choose from by the way. Don't limit yourself to the one I own.

[lindabebe835]

@vention4wh yes, good info. thx.

[GetPreparedStuff]

How long had the stew been in the thermal cooker before you took the temperature of the contents?

[johnny5finger]

Thanks for the video:

I have a question.....I have one of these on order. By the way......I paid 266.00 for the Thermos 6 liter with 1-6 liter pot and 2-3 liter pots.

Some people have said its hard to cook dry beans.

Have you been able to cook dry beans without reheating the inner pot.

I am going to put mine wrapped in a Coleman ice chest.

[vention4wh]

johnny5finger

I cook dry beans all the time and my thermos cooker makes it simpler. I soak the beans overnight then throw them in the pot with enough water to mostly fill it, then bring them to a boil. If you put a little olive oil in, you don't get the massive foam buildup so it won't boil over. Once it comes to a boil I throw it in the insulated outer container and wait a little over an hour and they're done.

Filling the pot mostly full will keep it hot longer. I've cooked stews for 6 hours.

[beast12101]

cool idea, just be careful it doesnt drop below 140. between 40 and 140 is the danger zone for bacteria.

[metrowash]

Thanks vention- What brand & model of thermal cooker is that? Would you buy the same model again? Thanks!

[vention4wh]

metrowash

Ya, I'd buy it again. It's a lot more expensive now though. I think I paid something like 100 but now it's about 160. I bought it so I could cook things that take a long time (like beans) without using a lot of fuel. In an emergency situation it might be impossible to buy more propane and the electrical grid may have failed, so being able to cook with only a few minute of propane cold be important.

The link is in my "more info" area.

[aybesee123]

I think you can also use a pressure cooker, get it heated up and insulate in some towels.

[vention4wh]

aybesee123

Yes there are a lot of ways of doing this sort of thing. The important thing is to get setup to do one of them. If you have no power, simmering a stew for 4 hours isn't going to be an option for most people. Most people don't have wood stoves. Many if not most people do have the means to heat something to a boil though (barbecues and such). Something like this will give you more options for your cooking.

[hunt1803]

This is a great idea - I think it might work to just use a coffee thermos bottle- although the configuration wouldn't be like a stewpot, the insulation of the thermos bottle would probably work the same. I remember taking a small thermos of hot soup to school when I was a kid... It stayed REALLY hot....

[vention4wh]

Oh, by the way, I had that stew in the pot for 5 hours. I forgot to wrap a towel around it like I usually do though. When I use the towel, it stays about 200 degrees even after 6 or 7 hours.

[YounaTuber]

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Hand crank washing machine that does one full outfit, like 1 pr jeans, 1 hooded sweatshirt, 1 tshirt, 1 pr socks 1 pr undies... Look into this one for a SILENT generator/inverter in one. w ww DOT xantrex DOT c o m -We just got a 1500w one on eBay used once, works GREAT, and inc S&H we paid less than 300 for it. We're making solar panels, and we'll be able to keep the units charged.

[vention4wh]

Hi YounaTuber

I've got one of those 1500w backup power supplies. I added a couple extra batteries to it as well. I have one solar panel for it but will buy more soon. That washing machine looks cool. I'll put it on my shopping list. We did our laundry in 5 gallon buckets back in the first gulf war so I made sure I have extra buckets for that purpose now. The washing machine you mentioned would allow me to do it without getting dishpan hands though. Thanks for the heads up.

[sthrnynk]

Good info. We may have to really conserve fuel, etc., in the months to come. I sew, and made an insulated jacket/carrier for a coffee thermos I have. Keeps the coffee hot alot longer. Now you'll have me making one for my stew pot....LOL

[veggielife]

I use my pressure cooker when cooking when it whistles I turn it off and keep it closed. Then wait for instance 50 minutes for brown rice or 30 minutes for potato and if beans 1 hour then brings back to whistle one more time and then 1 hour and then done. A pressure cooker takes 8 minutes to whistle. Would of never thought of a thermos, great info.

[attitudejim]

Well now I know what I'm cookin' for dinner tonight.

Thanks for the info.