Hay Box Cooker - Merits, Demerits, Care

Hay Box Cooker

Hay box cooker is a fuel less cooker which can be effectively used by the rural women. A large wooden box of 60cm x 45cm x 45cm could be used for this purpose. The box is filled with hay which is a bad conductor of heat and allows very little heat to escape. A pillow of jute almost of the size of the box is filled with the hay to work as a perfectly insulated box. Care should be taken to see that the pillow is well fitted on the box. The pot of preboiled food is then firmly placed in the hay and covered with the pillow of hay. The food gets cooked within half an hour to one hour, with the retained heat. Two or three items can be cooked depending upon its size. Hay box cooker takes 15 minutes for vegetable, 30 minutes for rice and about 1 hour for dhal to cook.

Uses

This method is very useful for cooking rice, porridge and anything requiring slow cooking. It saves fuel as no fuel is required in .the hay box. The food remains warm for 5 to 6 hours. There are no chances of burning and 'boiling over' of the food.

De-Merits

1.     It is a slow process. It requires pre cooking of the items.

2.     If the box is not well insulated with hay the heat will escape and the food will remain uncooked.

Care

1.     The hay box should be filled with clean hay material.

2.     The hay box should be kept in the sun frequently so that the moisture in the straw is removed.