does anyone remember the haybox?

HariboJunkie

dogcat wrote: »

Haybox......?.....what exactly is a haybox.....sorry for sounding stupid.

Haybox.

Hayboxes are like buses..... None for ages and then 2 threads in one night.......

angela30

A hay box was used in ww2 to cook liquid based foods ie stews rice puddings porridge etc.
you would have to boil you meal up for a few mins to its very hot and place in the box.
the air spaces in the box trapps in its own heat & will allow the meal to cook from that.
so fare i have read that almost anything could be used for insulating - hay- paper-old clothing-bedding just as long as it packs into the box loosly to creat air pockets..
ive made one and have put in an old sleeping bag for insulating..
hope that was abit more help..:j

Alison_Funnell

They are victorian and older.

Penelope_Penguin

angela 30, please do let us know how you get on!

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the existing thread

Penny. x

Justamum

ceridwen wrote: »

..and if you convert us all...then I'll pick up what useful ideas I can and might actually get round to using my haybox.....:D:rotfl:

I'm sure it IS actually a good idea - I just havent got round to trying it out yet...:D

I've just been reading through this thread, and you said the same thing on 20th December 2008!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

tim_n

I made one at a scout camp having read something about it in an old camping book when I was about 11-12

We found an old wooden box, filled it with hay (plenty around as the grass had been cut a few weeks before) and plonked the caserole into it in the metal billy. We didn't have anything to cover the lid except more hay.

It worked, but it was much cooler. We had to bring it back to the boil and unfortunately the lid wasn't as tight as we might have liked so we had a chicken caserole ala hay.

We did eat it though, no one was ill and I confirmed my place as a very odd child. No suprises there.

Caterina

Ah-ha! Now I know what to do with all the old manky pillows I have and nearly threw away! All I have to do is persuade DH to build me a box that fits my pressure cooker now.

ceridwen

Justamum wrote: »

I've just been reading through this thread, and you said the same thing on 20th December 2008!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

I willl....I really willll....its on my to-do list...:D

angela30

hello everyone. just to let you all know ive tryed the haybox cooker and it works, i didnt really think it would but it did. ya me lol..
so far ive made
saturday morning a lamb stew i boiled it up frist and put it in the haybox at 9am checked it at 3pm and we had dinner at 5pm..it had taken 7 hours.
i put a rice pudding dish ontop of the stew dish at mid-day and that was ready at 5pm tooo, great lol.

saturday night porrige which we had this morning it wasnt too bad you could eat it lol.. i will try it again but if it comes out the same than i will stick to cooking it in the pan in the morning.

sunday morning there was only me and hubbie for dinner.
so i tryed a small boiled ham in one dish with lid.9am at bottom
baby new potatoes in another.9am ontop of that
peas and carrots at mid-day on the top.
we had dinner at 7pm

ive had a great weekend trying those things out, but i have to play around with the timing of meats veg and stews.
gusse its just like using a gas cooker for the 1st time you have to learn some where lol..

but its not something im going to use all the time. i still love my slow cooker..

you all should try it at least once maybe twice lol..

have fun:rotfl:

The_Thrilla

I had never heard of Haybox cooking (aka straw box cooking) until very recently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haybox

See also the link on Vacuum flask cooking. And I've got a flask fit for purpose.

So you can get any old box - even a cardboard one - fill it with straw, or wood shavings, or polystyrene bits, or even an old sleeping bag. I'm building one right away. That'll teach my electric company to meddle in my affairs.