Hay box cooking

by Dandelion 20th March 2011, 4:50 pm

We were talking about hay box cooking at church this morning (it's quite an alternative church...) and I would like to have a go at it in the next school holidays. Has anyone tried it? I found a diagram in the Self Sufficientish Bible (not at church!) - what I want to know is can you line the box with other materials apart from hay? I'm thinking rags, old t shirts, old jumpers etc. I use hay (for the guineas) but it does have a habit of getting everywhere - if I got proficient at using a hay box and wanted to start it up before leaving for work I would want a method which is quick and easy, not having to extract bits of hay from the casserole and my clothes. Would be glad to hear if you've had experience of hay boxes.

by Aberlemno 20th March 2011, 5:13 pm

It's something I quite fancied giving a go but only got as far as finding the right box in the barn! Oh, and the hay. Never got further than that. Perhaps better just to wrap your casserole inside an old teashirt or something to keep any hay/grass seeds out etc. I would think recently-cut hay might work better than old and pretty dry hay, as it will heat terribly in the stack if it's not dried properly before baling, but I guess any hay would do really. Would love to know how efficient you found it - like a slow cooker really, in principle.

by polgara 20th March 2011, 5:36 pm

Could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that polystyrene packing is OK.

by Dandelion 20th March 2011, 7:59 pm

When I try it I'll probably do a vegetable casserole because it'll be safer than meat if it doesn't cook properly, and it would be easy to tell from things like carrots whether it's done. Will let you know how it goes!

by Compostwoman 20th March 2011, 10:08 pm

Dandelion wrote:We were talking about hay box cooking at church this morning (it's quite an alternative church...) and I would like to have a go at it in the next school holidays. Has anyone tried it? I found a diagram in the Self Sufficientish Bible (not at church!) - what I want to know is can you line the box with other materials apart from hay? I'm thinking rags, old t shirts, old jumpers etc. I use hay (for the guineas) but it does have a habit of getting everywhere - if I got proficient at using a hay box and wanted to start it up before leaving for work I would want a method which is quick and easy, not having to extract bits of hay from the casserole and my clothes. Would be glad to hear if you've had experience of hay boxes.

Yes , is the short answer!

A link I have found very helpful regarding how to make a thermal cooker is here

by Dandelion 21st March 2011, 7:21 pm

Thanks - brilliant link and it answers my question:
Hayboxes have been made using hay, straw, wool, feathers, cotton, rice hulls, cardboard, aluminum foil, newspaper, fiberglass, fur, rigid foam, and/or other suitable materials as insulation.

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