Cooking with a straw box...how and what is it?
Question:I seem to remember an very old method of cooking, using a STRAW BOX, but have never see one. Nor do I know how?
Could I build one, use one?
I know its a similar method as a slow cooker, using a lot less energy, environmentally friendly ?
Anyone know anything about this?????
Answers:
We used a hay box occasionally during the 2nd World War.
A large box similar to a tea chest was packed with damp hay,then an already-heated iron stew pot with lots of root veges and very little meat, was packed right in the middle. The hay heated up and began to "ferment" causing more heat to be passed back to the pot - very useful for taking into the air-raid shelters. We never knew how long we would be there nor if there would be any source of cooking power (or a house!) when we came out. We would probably use a wide-necked vacuum flask these days.
As you said, a similar method is used in the slow-cooker technique with just enough heat being passed into the contents to keep the cooking process going.
Marguerite Patten probably wrote a book giving full details (try your local library)
Sounds to me as if you are describing an Oriental steamer. The box or basket is made of bamboo, I think. You can find them at nearly any Oriental market.
This is speculation..but damp packed straw has been known to spontaneously combust due to the energy dissipated by bacterial action in the straw. You could try heating your food (like a casserole for example) then placing it in a metal sealed box, and surrounding this with closely packed hay within a larger box, with a lid to prevent actual combustion, and letting it simmer for a few hours. The ones on the web actually use a 'solar' box to trap the heat, doing away with preliminary heating- Make hay while the sun shines?!
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