WONDER OVEN

[The WE2's]

Well, we got our wonder oven put together and had our first meal from it tonight. Pork tenderloin, potatoes, carrots, onions and lots of spices.

 

You take a nice sized tote with a tight fitting lid.

Two king sized pillow cases

One large bag of styrofoam insulation beads

A heavy pan with a tight fitting lid

A heavy folded bath towel.

 

Fill your pillowcases with the styrofoam beads (outside!) to about half full, there must be enough room for you to "nestle" your pan in one, and then nestle the other over the top of your pan.

 

Put your food in your pan and bring it to a boil, as hot as you can get it and put the lid on it.

 

Quickly...nestle your pan in the bottom pillow and then cover it quickly with the top pillow, and then cover that with the heavy towel (or a small folded blanket?)

 

It takes about 6 or 7 hours to cook, but you don't have to do another thing until it's ready to eat.

 

We just sat ours on top of our deep freeze...there's NO heat that comes out of the tote etc. If it does, you haven't nestled and covered your pan, or your pan is too lightweight.

 

I used my teflon lined pressure "cooker" but I'm also going to try using my cast iron bean pot.

 

Wanna see? ps...I seered my tenderloin first.

Edited September 8, 2015 by The WE2's

[ArmyOfFive4God]

Did you put the lid on the tote?

[Mt_Rider]

Looking good. Ooops.....reminded me that I forgot to put seasoning on my dish [very similar] in the oven tonite.

 

MtRider

[Homesteader]

Great idea! I watched BBC War Farm last year and they did it with a wooden box and straw all around the pot. End result in food looked like yours.

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, we've had threads on 'haybox' cooking. I'm going to have to try that with my Grma's dutch oven and a cooler.....and....something for the insulating pillow thingie! Save electricity cuz unfortunately that's what my stove uses. AND when DH is getting home late, it would hold food nicely till he arrives.

 

 

MtRider ....Looks delicious!

[sassenach]

Ya all are making me hungry!

[The WE2's]

Did you put the lid on the tote?

 

Yes, the lid must fit very tightly.

[ArmyOfFive4God]

OK, thanks. I didn't see it in your directions or pictures, so I wanted to be sure.

[Mother]

[Littlesister]

The wonder oven is a great idea. I have the wonder bag. So, wonder what the difference is, if any. Looks like the same idea. Just one home made, and one store bought. I want to try making the haybox. I have straw in the shed but not sure if I have a large enough wooden box to hold a pot. But need to start taking a good look into what I do have. So much stuff I have forgotten about in the last 4 or 5 years. Out of sight, out of mind. 

[Mt_Rider]

Oh this reminder will save standing out on the porch cooking forever!   

 

Thanks for digging these oldie-goodies back up, Mother!! 

 

MtRider  ...WHY do we forget all these things???   { cuz having never done them bodily, brain doesn't store as well } 

[Littlesister]

I think we forget because it is not part of our day-to-day task. I know I have things stored away that I have forgotten about. We buy things for the just in case, the what ifs, And I will need this for when it hits the fan. Then we pack it away till that time comes. I am thinking it might be time to get some of this stuff out as soon as I can get to it and start learning all these new tasks. My DH had made up some homemade laundry detergent for me and it ended up in the shed. I need to pull it out and start using it. It is in powder form. It was 4 or 5 buckets he made up. So, it was put in shed out of way till I needed it. I think I had used one bucket of it. So just need to pull out another when I can get back out to that shed. 

Living room is now cleaned up and ready for me to get my aero gardens back in there. I am ready to start growing lettuce and some other herbs again. Had to move it all for Christmas. Hoping when I can get the furniture situated and things moved around like I want and make room for things. I won't have to move the aero gardens out again. 

[Mother]

I bumped a few oldies just to get us all thinking.  I love these old posts.  So much info.

 

LS, you really don’t need hay or straw to make an insulated cooker.  A cardboard box would work but  A Cooler makes a good one, even a styrofoam one as long as you fill it with something to nestle the pot into that will keep the contents hot.  Quilts, blankets, quilt batting, insulation, and etc.  insulated, thermal, or hay box cooking works best with more liquid foods as they need to be boiling hot when placed in the cooker.  To make sure your food is safe be sure to cut it in bite sized pieces and bring it to a boil and boil a few minutes. I usually don’t leave the food in the cooker more than six hours if there’s meat.  If it’s not done I simply bring it to a boil again and replace it for a Couple more hours.  I love oatmeal made in them or in a wide mouthed thermos.  I use rolled oats, chopped up apples or dates or raisins and/or nuts, bring it to a boil, and place In the Cooker overnight.  Perfectly cooked the next morning.  

Edited January 17 by Mother

[Littlesister]

Mother, the only reason I said straw is because I already have some in garden shed. I bought some for another use and still have one bale left. And I think there is an old wooden box in the shed as well but either a cooler or cardboard box would work fine also. whatever I make to use those for it would be from my canned foods or freezer. So would be cut up small. I do have a wide mouth thermos. Never have tried oatmeal in it but that is a great idea. Might try that in the near future. Got a lot going on right now. needed a break. 

 

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, I want to try the oatmeal too. 

 

 

MtRider    

[Mother]

When we camped we often cooked oatmeal overnight by digging hole beside the fire pit where the ground was hot from the evening fire.  It was just the size of our Dutch oven.  The oatmeal, dried fruit, nuts, and sugar were mixed ahead of time and brought along in recipe sized bags.  You just dump it into the Dutch with water, bring it to a boil, out the lid on and place it in the hole.  I covered the pot with aluminum foil or something to keep the dirt from getting o the lid and then filled in the hole with soil or ashes.  Perfectly cooked breakfast oatmeal in the morning.  You can do that with a supper meal too.  Make sure the ground around the fire is warmed, or if you use the oatmeal hole put coals in it to make sure it’s hot.  Place a pot of stew or soup into it, cover it, and by supper it’s cooked. 
 

By the way, these and the hay box cooking are old chuckwagon and trail cooking methods.  

[Mt_Rider]

I'm thawing a roast.  Potatoes, carrots, onions.... I think I've got it!  'Course mine will start on the stove and end up in one of those THICK styrofoam coolers that things get delivered in.   I'll have to pad the sides well so the hot dutch oven doesn't melt my insulating box.     I have other alternatives if I think that's likely but I hope it works.  Maybe put a board inside to make sure the bottom is protected.  ??

 

MtRider   

 

[Mother]

Mt_R, the insulating material should fit snuggly around the Dutch with no air space or the temperature won’t hold well enough.  You aren’t making an oven but an insulated cooker.  I use a quilt that I loosely stuff into the cooler and nestle the pan into it.  I leave plenty to cover the top of the pan so it’s insulated all around. Nestled in the quilt or blanket or straw  or whatever it won’t hurt the cooler.  Plus, do not try to cook a whole roast that way. At least the first time until you see how your cooker works.  Cut it in bite sized pieces so it all gets thoroughly hot before putting it in the cooler.  Instead of pot roast you will be making pot roast stew.  I use liquid in mine for the initial 8-10 minute boil and then allow at least five hours in the cooker before I check it. Don’t check it much before then unless you plan to reheat it each time  If it doesn’t appear done bring it back to a boil for another ten minutes and place it back in the cooker to finish.   When it’s done I like to put it on the stove top to bring back to a boil to make a quick gravy.  
 

Let us know how it turns out.   

Edited January 18 by Mother

[Littlesister]

I need to give this a try. But other things going on right now. But I am going to try it out. Just not sure what I will fix to put in it yet. But very much interested in this type of cooking. It seems sort of like a slow cooker with no electricity or stove.  

[Mother]

57 minutes ago, Littlesister said:

It seems sort of like a slow cooker with no electricity or stove.

It is but the heat comes from inside the food instead of from the pot itself. 
 

If you do a search for thermal cooker or ‘wonderbag’ recipes you can use them for your home made insulated ‘haybox’ cooker.  There are hundreds of them.  

Edited January 18 by Mother

[Littlesister]

I really like the idea of doing this. I need to practice doing some of this stuff. There are things here that I have but never tried them out yet. Some of it is for outdoor cooking and such but I need warmer weather to do it. Can't handle the cold. My bones are screaming. 

[Ambergris]

I used to have an old torn army blanket for this--my thinking was that wool would not scorch, and I was afraid of melting a polyester or nylon-filled quilt/blanket.  Now a days, the army blankets are "woobies" and you have to go vintage or foreign to get better than a 30 percent wool.  Sigh.  

[Mt_Rider]

Ah...thanks Ambergris.  I have some old REAL army blankets...somewhere.  That would be good. 

 

Yeah, Mother.  Glad you mentioned cutting up the meat.  Forgot that part.  Unfortunately other things popped up and I didn't have the hours to try this yet.  Had to cook it the usual way - in the InstantPot!    Done ..with potatoes (yellow ones that turned to mush in 40 min/pressure cooker mode) carrots, onions, mushrooms, etc.  Toooo many things happening at once!      I didn't get an early start.  Will try it again sometime. 

 

MtRider  

[Littlesister]

I think I still have an old Army blanket packed up somewhere. Not sure if I still have it or not. Will have to check that out. But thinking I gave it to one of the grandchildren for some reason. Might have been the GD in Washington. But there is an old second-hand military store in Newport News. Might add that to my list of stores I go to on that same road. I usually take a day and run all up and down that road to the different stores there.