A short while ago, I put up a post about stored heat cookers and a Facebook friend replied with some pics of a slow cooker produced by her husband, and here it is – the Eira Cooker
Their original idea was to produce a stored heat cooker which could be used for slow cooking as well as proofing bread overnight. Another consideration was to allow cooking to be carried out in the event that they lost power during a storm, a not-unknown event, and seeing as the house was all electric it would come in very handy.
A stored heat cooker uses insulation to retain heat around and in the pot to finish cooking without the need for supplemental heat, and Eira’s husband was able to accomplish building it without needing to get in new materials. The outside of the box is a 43cm cube made from scrap wood from previous projects and it is lined with leftover earth wool insulation giving it inside dimensions of a 30cm cube.
He made a wooden top for the cooker, which is also insulated with earth wool, and painted it white. In operation, they use a cast iron casserole to help retain heat and an insulating cushion on top (also filled with earth wool) to prevent heat dissipating through the lid. It works very well for bread proofing and will get lots of action in winter to produce great food while saving money, nutrients and energy! .
Eira’s blog can be accessed here - https://earthmotherwithin.blogspot.com/
Photo Credit: Eira Clapton
