How awesome is slow cooking?

[conwy]

This week I decided to give slow cooking a try.

Not owning a slow cooker and not wanting to make a rash purchase, I decided to do a small experiment with my regular steel pot. I cooked my usual evening meal (vegetarian), but instead of cooking it through, I just kept it on the stove for 5 minutes (induction, high setting). I then removed it from the stove, taped over the steam vent, and immediately wrapped it in 2 tea towels, and placed it in a small zippable cooler bag which I zipped tight. I then went out to run a few errands and returned 3 hours later.

After retrieving the pot from the bag, the meal was perfectly cooked and ready to eat!

How did I live 30-something years old and never try this? Slow cooking is awesome!

To begin to list some of the pro's:

• Less time spent cooking - just 5 minutes chopping the vegetables, 5 minutes cooking, then place in the towels and bag - done!
• Convenient when kitchen time is at a premium - e.g. at when travelling and staying in shared accommodation, busy hostel kitchens, etc.
• No burning - when "fast cooking" I often accidentally burned food because I got distracted doing other stuff while waiting for it to cook.
• Easier cleanup - with the right amount of water added during the stove heating up period, the food doesn't stick to the base at all and easily washes off. No more awful scrubbing with steel wool as I used to have to do.
• Less energy required - potential cost savings!
• Portable solution - just a small steel pot, 2 tea towels and a cooler bag. Easily fits in a backpack. Great for a travel / minimalist lifestyle.
• Less steam - meaning less chance for mould to grow, less strong food smell throughout the home, etc.
• Good for off-grid lifestyle - imagine how little gas/electricity you need when you only need to use the stove 5 minutes per day

When did it become the norm in the developed world to cook in such energy intensive ways? I mean, there's nothing wrong with an occasional stir fry, sauté or baked meal for a treat. But every day seems excessive. Maybe the corporate wage-slave "pressure cooker" lifestyle encourages people to eat their meal shortly after making it? But there must be a better way, and I think I've found it!

Credit to Jacob – slow cooking is mentioned in Early Retirement Extreme under Health.

[conwy]

Update - so slow cooking turned into not-so-slow cooking.

Turns out 3 hours had been excessive and 20 minutes was sufficient.

So now my routine is:
1. Cook on high for 5 minutes
2. Place in thermal bag for 20 minutes
3. Done

I noticed Jacob's recommendations about a pressure cooker; I might look into getting one. However what I like about the regular pot + thermal bag combo is how portable it is. I can easily pack them into a backpack and make meals anywhere I stay. So it's very suitable for a nomadic / travelling lifestyle. But that said, I will likely look to invest in a pressure cooker sometime in future, especially given it could allow me to save on costs by purchasing dry foods instead of canned (lentils, beans, etc.)

[Jean]

your post made me realise i forgot my vacuum bottle i use for cooking while hiking.
i boil the water once, pour it in the botlle to pre heat it, close the bottle, cook the meal until hot, pour it in the bottle, close the bottle, wait about 25 minutes for rice, eat.
It saves a lot of gaz, it's cost efficient in about 3 weeks of camping, weighth efficient in about 1 week.

[Gewie]

I tried something similar recently for making yogurt overnight. I heated milk to 82C, let it cool to 49C, added some active culture yogurt from the store, and wrapped the pot in a bunch of blankets inside of a box overnight. It made some good yogurt, and the pot was still quite warm the next morning! I think I'll try doing something similar with beans and stews next time I get a chance.