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- Feb 23, 1999
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Food can be cooked with residual heat. Once a pot of food has been brought to a boil it can continue cooking for hours if it is well insulated so the heat is retained.
Heat loss for a pot of food occurs by the same mechanisms as it does for a human body. The same techniques for retaining heat can be used. Minimize convection, conduction and radiation. One way to do this is to place the covered pot into a well insulated box. Newspaper, leaves, rags, etc., can be used for insulation. Dont let the pot sit directly on a conductive surface, and insulate the top of the pot as well.
The pot could also be placed on an ensolite or similar pad, and well insulated with sleeping bags. Or a camp cooler packed with insulation can be used to retain heat.
A little experimentation will show you how long it takes various items to cook, and how much precooking is necessary. Times will change with variables like quality of insulation and size of pot, so it is best to find what works with the equipment you are using.
This technique is well suited for rice, beans, stews, casseroles, and similar items requiring long cooking. Food can be started in the morning and left all day for consumption in the evening, or it can be left to cook overnight. Food like rice may take just a half hour in the box.
(PS, I saw Ron make a firebed in one of his videos. Great video Ron. Ill bet you could put either a pot of food or a skinned marmot wrapped in leaves in with the coals, and wake up to a hot cooked breakfast. The smells might keep you awake though, and you may smell like roasted marmot in the morning.
I wouldnt try that in bear country. )
Heat loss for a pot of food occurs by the same mechanisms as it does for a human body. The same techniques for retaining heat can be used. Minimize convection, conduction and radiation. One way to do this is to place the covered pot into a well insulated box. Newspaper, leaves, rags, etc., can be used for insulation. Dont let the pot sit directly on a conductive surface, and insulate the top of the pot as well.
The pot could also be placed on an ensolite or similar pad, and well insulated with sleeping bags. Or a camp cooler packed with insulation can be used to retain heat.
A little experimentation will show you how long it takes various items to cook, and how much precooking is necessary. Times will change with variables like quality of insulation and size of pot, so it is best to find what works with the equipment you are using.
This technique is well suited for rice, beans, stews, casseroles, and similar items requiring long cooking. Food can be started in the morning and left all day for consumption in the evening, or it can be left to cook overnight. Food like rice may take just a half hour in the box.
(PS, I saw Ron make a firebed in one of his videos. Great video Ron. Ill bet you could put either a pot of food or a skinned marmot wrapped in leaves in with the coals, and wake up to a hot cooked breakfast. The smells might keep you awake though, and you may smell like roasted marmot in the morning.