Thermos Rice

[Timber Wolf]

I've been playing with a lot of different camping/FGRV things lately and researching them. Somewhere on the net Thermos Rice came on my radar screen. Sounded simple and low energy but the results sounded iffy, so I just winged it today. What would I be out but 15 cents worth of rice if it did not work?

I filled my old stainless steel wide mouth Thermos with water to check capacity and calculated the amount of rice and water (1:2) to use. I measured out the rice and dumped it in the Thermos with the water to soak this morning. This evening I dumped the rice/water in a glass bowl and microwaved it for 6 minutes before dumping it back in the Thermos.

A few hours later (I don't know how long) I had a Thermos slam packed full of only slightly sticky rice. It tastes OK but I should have put some seasoning in there somewhere. I will do this again, and maybe even while camping. Of course one could heat the water/rice first and cut out a step, and I may try that next time and risk another 15 cents worth of rice.

[Glenn Baglo]

How long did it take you to clean the Thermos, and how much water to clean it?

[Gilda]

I'm so glad you reminded me of thermos cooking! I, too, got carried away about a year ago reading about thermos cooking online. It's an easy way to cook things that usually require a lot of time, ergo a lot of energy to cook. I suggest readers look up this website, as well as many others, to learn the basics Thermos Cooking Basics | Thermos Cooking. I have two steel thermal mugs that each hold 2 cups. I think they will be perfect for this kind of cooking. Right now, my husband uses his for coffee and I use mine for hot chocolate. How great it would be to cook, for instance, oatmeal overnight! Our mugs, BTW, are by Stanley, have a screw top and a clip-type handle that can clip to a backpack or jean loops. I purchased them about 4 years ago at a local outdoor supply store, but do not see them online, although Stanley has quite a few thermal mugs and thermoses. I'll bet if you called them and asked if their product could be used in this way, they could advise you.

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

How long did it take you to clean the Thermos, and how much water to clean it?

Don't know yet. The Thermos is sitting and soaking. I don't expect much trouble and no more than if I cooked the rice any other way.

[librarianocnj]

I'll throw in one caveat here. Don't leave rice in your thermos overnight with the lid on. I only did that once and it took me all day to scrape it off the ceiling.

[Jim Bennett]

The process seems like more work than just using a rice steamer, or just cooking in a pot. It does have the fun of experimenting though.

[stevebaz]

I have a Nissan shuttle chef thermal cooker it is great to use at a potluck or a make it meal while your out and about.
here is a website you might be interested in.

https://thermalcooker.wordpress.com/...ermos-cooking/

[Carol H]

I was actually looking at purchasing an actual Thermal Cooker the other day for making stews etc when off the grid. Just like cooking with power in a crock pot. The come in various sizes 1.5L up to 6L I believe and look pretty easy as far as clean up goes - much larger openings. A bit pricy though.

4.5L Thermal Cooker RPF at Amazon.com

[Michael Pupeza]

Occasionally, I use my mini slow cooker, (Rival Cock-ette), for cereals such as steel cut oats, barley, wheat, millet, quinoa, and other hard cereals.
I mix the water and grain and turn it on before bedtime. By morning it's steaming hot and ready. Eating it in the crockette bowl and there's just the one item to wash. MMMMM!
Granted it does still use some power but the small one sips very little electric!
Mike .....>

[accrete]

As well as our wide mouth Stanley thermos (as others have mentioned) we also use our Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker. ~15 minutes of morning prep. Place contents in SJTC, go have fun riverside, come back to camp ~4 hours later and the meal is ready to eat. No further fuel needed beyond the prep-time.

or just cheat like Cari & I do. We've got several of the "Seeds of Change" brand "Quinoa & Brown Rice" packs in our food-stores. You can even tear open the pack and eat it right out of the bag unheated on a summer afternoon. It is a balanced-protein meal. Mix up an avocado and you've got some chip & dip action going. We usually buy ours in bulk at Costco. ~$2 a pouch, feeds 2.



: ) Thom

[TheWanderers]

I have a new travel coffee mug that is almost too good at keeping my coffee hot. I fill the cup at 7:00 am and it's still hot enough to burn your lips at 1:00 pm, so, when I read about the thermal cooking here I knew it could work if the product was of good quality. I read many of the reviews regarding many of the products available for this type of cooking and have settled on the Saratoga Jacks cooker because of the price as well as the reputation presented in the reviews. The other point that makes the SJTC a bit higher on my list is the fact that they include a second cooking pot that nests inside the larger pot to enable you to make two dishes, one inside the other. That is pretty nice and flexible. I've added this thermal cooker to my wish list and hope to have one before camping season. Thanks for showing another new toy for our camper!

[sharon_b]

ROTFL!

[Jon Vermilye]

In hot weather I often cook rice by adding boiling water then setting the pot (with a tight lid) off to the side. 20 - 25 minutes later it is done. Cooking outside in the winter, you do need to keep it on a low burner...

[accrete]

Originally Posted by TheWanderers

I have a new travel coffee mug that is almost too good at keeping my coffee hot. I fill the cup at 7:00 am and it's still hot enough to burn your lips at 1:00 pm..!

Care to share any links to the mug you mention?

Also, on the SJ TC... one thing Cari has done often in camp is make bread or a small cake. With the optional pots and such it is versatile and handy in camp.

Thom

[TheWanderers]

Originally Posted by accrete

Care to share any links to the mug you mention?
Thom

Here ya' go. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o01_s00

It's handy for travel because it works so well. In the office, maybe not so much because you have to be careful. The neck is small so I don't think anyone will want to cook in this one, but the name brand might offer larger cups. I did find a thermal cooker by the same name, but it's HUGELY expensive, so, I won't be buying that one.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by TheWanderers

Here ya' go. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o01_s00

It's handy for travel because it works so well. In the office, maybe not so much because you have to be careful. The neck is small so I don't think anyone will want to cook in this one, but the name brand might offer larger cups. I did find a thermal cooker by the same name, but it's HUGELY expensive, so, I won't be buying that one.

A friend has one of these, and his comments agree with what you posted about performance. However, unless he knows for sure he wants to keep things hot for a longer time, he uses another cup, saying that this one is a pain to use.