Thermal cooker

[oldhunter]

I have been contemplating purchasing a Mr D's thermal cooker for the boat for a while now, does anyone have any experience of using one? I would like some feedback before splashing a considerable amount of money on one .
Thanks in advance

John

 

[RichardS]

Have you read this thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?494159-Mini-pressure-cooker

Maybe some helpful indications?

Richard

 

[oldhunter]

Thanks Richard, it was reading that thread which prompted me to ask the question as there are two people with completely different views .
John

 

[maxi77]

We have one and it goes everywhere with us, currently in an apartment in the Algarve. Makes excellent stews or even just for cooking the veg. Our usual ploy is stew in the main pot with veg in the extra top pot. Sometimes needs a wee reheat if an early morning set up and a late evening meal. We have made curries as well with it

 

[PaulRainbow]

A nearby boat owner showed me his and was telling me how good it was, i have to say i was a little skeptical. A couple of weeks later one of the guys that work for the marina was talking about his, he has a boat and a camper and highly rated the cooker. I had a look on the internet and found positive reviews on several boating, camping, caravan etc sites. There are also lots of people sharing recipes, i didn't find anything bad about the cooker, although it did seem a bit pricey, so i ordered one.

I've not used it many times yet, but it does really good stews and curries, the rice is excellent too. I've always been reluctant to cook things like stews and beef curry onboard, who wants to leave a pot simmering on a boat cooker for hours, with the price of small LPG bottles, so this opens up some more recipe options. Try a Google search for recipes : https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=m...x-b&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=0SFvWrvGFp6C1gL0gbGACg

 

[jdc]

Well I don't like them. My rather intemperate rant on the other thread was to a large part engendered by disappointment since I'd had such high hopes. I bought it when we were about to set off on a very extended cruise, to places where we might really need to conserve gas, and we were used to using, and love using, a slow-cooker at home when going off to work, or hill-walking all day etc.

Well the Thermal cooker isn't like that and in retrospect I shouldn't have compared it and had I not done so might have been less unhappy with it: the fault is mine in part.

Where I was coming from was a slow cooker: these are really quite hot, near boiling all the time, so one doesn't have to pre-fry things like meat: one can make a very good stew by just putting in all the ingredients uncooked. The favours mingle, the meat tenderises and colours. This means one saves a great deal of time and effort, and it's healthier too (frying / carbonising oils or fats is not that good for one) yet one sacrifices nothing of the flavour or 'unctuousness' of the eventual food. Peasant recipies such as cassoulet, or la potée which were traditionally cooked in a marmite translate rather well.

In contrast, the thermal cooker:

1. requires one to brown the onions and meat - if one doesn't do this step the food is grey and pretty tasteless - and thus the active effort and preparation time turns out to be no less than with conventional cooking. This negates one of the reasons to buy it: it saves no time, and less gas than you'd think.

2. it's absolutely essential that the pot is really, really full, and every cubic cm of that contents is absolutely at 100 C before taking it off the hob. If not it loses temperature very fast, falling below 60 C in an hour or so and items simply don't cook. This was to a large extent my first problem, and I took it up with the very pleasant and helpful lady at SIBS who gave me that useful advice. But I don't always want to fill it up - with only two of us there's not always enough of the one dish that we want to fill it up. Of course one could provision for double and freeze stuff (had I a freezer), but the energy required for this rather negates the point. Maybe I bought the wrong size. Idea: half fill it with pebbles?

3. The tray at the top for cooking veg does mean that the veg is rather soggy and a bit grey (shades of school dinner ladies: sprouts on for hours) so not really to my taste. And I don't see the point of putting rice in there: if you do, and want the cooker to work for the stuff in the bottom, you have to get the rice really hot, which means boiling the whole quite fast for about as long, and thereby using as much gas, as it would take to simply cook the rice conventionally by the absorption method. But if making a curry say, yet leaving out the rice, then one has to cook even more of the main course! These last two mean that for us it saved little gas. This and #2 above, mostly negate the second reason to buy it.

4. It's a liability on board. Too big to go in the oven, and horribly precarious if left on top of a gimballed stove. One has to wedge the thing somewhere (we put it in the wet-locker) and hope not to have to do any tacking. A better aspect ratio wold be 1 unit high to 2.5 units wide, not 1 unit high to 0.9 units wide, but that more handy shape is incompatible with the requirement to keep surface area to volume ratio minimised.

5. Almost no existing recipes or dishes in your repetoire or cook books can be used. Now I could spend time investigating the adaptations required, but didn't want to spend a lot of effort, and a lot of ingredients, on something whose whole purpose is to save effort.

So, a nice idea, executed by extremely pleasant people, and good quality, but it just doesn't fit the bill for the circumstances when one actually has to save gas or time.

But if there are those whom they suit, or have acquired the skill to succeed with them, so much the better!

 

[thinwater]

I've used other thermal cooker, but not this one.

Look for reviews. Based on jcd's comments, it may be very poorly insulated compared to other models. He said it dropped to 60 C in an hour; the units I tested all stayed above 80C for about 4-6 hours. A HUGE difference and the reason for his poor experience. A thermal cooker with a full pot should stay above 80C for 6 hours. Practical Sailor did this review:
https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_65/features/Slower-Cooking-On-Board_12000-1.html

In fact I have a Wonder Bag, but the cooker I use most on the boat is simply to wrap the pot in 2 fleece blankets that I have folded into quarters (about 8 layers). I then cram the pot in a corner and go play. Nothing else to carry. It generally stays above 70C for several hours with only 2-4 cups in it.

Obviously, they aren't good for everything. Neither is a skillet. I like it for rice (perfect every time), soup, and stews. If anything, it is faster than a slow cooker if well insulated, because slow cookers take at least an hour to come up to temperature. If the food is bland, it is either the wrong application or inadequatly seasoned.

 

[temptress]

I have been contemplating purchasing a Mr D's thermal cooker for the boat for a while now, does anyone have any experience of using one? I would like some feedback before splashing a considerable amount of money on one .
Thanks in advance

John

We love ours. Fantastic bit of kit, saves us gas, cooks great meals - we even do bread in it! We would not be without it.

It is often used to cook a meal while we are out for the day and then we have a great meal when we get back fro a hard days Diving/Swimming/walking or some such. If on passage and expecting bad weather it is regularly used to produce food and keep it ready until we have time to eat it.

 

[sailorgirl]

As a self-confessed thermal cooking addict (I own two pots. One the UKs Mr D and the second a Japanese brand) can I address your points:

1. Yes you can brown the onions and meat but you don’t have to. I often do and accept that the thermal cooker doesn’t save prep time, just cooking gas; 5 mins browning plus 5-15 mins bringing to temperature as opposed to 40 plus mins casseroling or simmering. However some recipes like poached chicken simply require everything to be put in the potwith no browning , just heat to simmer, simmer for 10-15 mins depending on the size of the bird then put in the outer pot.
Here in the tropics less time with the gas on also means much less heat is added to the boat!
2. Yes the pot should be pretty full, I usually ensure it’s over two thirds full if not using the top pot. When I have dished up the meat and veg I take a little of the liquid to thicken as the gravy and the remainder becomes soup for tomorrow’s lunch.
3 Have to agree on veg in the top pot I prefer lightly steamed veg but carrots and turnip or swede are ok there. For rice I bring the top pot to the boil separately, simmer for a couple of mins and then place in the cooker although to be honest I usually cook rice ( one part to two parts water) by bringing it to the boil, simmer for a minute or two then turn off the gas and cover with a tea towel and leave undisturbed for 15-20 mins til we are ready to eat.
4. We bought an outer cover with a handle that straps over the top and keeps everything secure. Underway it lives in the galley sink if in use, in a locker if not.
5. Mr D has a great website full of recipes and there is a Facebook group of thermal cooking enthusiasts. Plus almost any slow cooker recipe will work. I have adapted many of our favourite dishes to the thermal cooker including sausage and cabbage casserole, corned beef hash (done in the bread tin) and endless curries. There is nothing better than waking up to the smell of cooked bread that has been gently cooking away all night... Find a couple of recipes and try again.

Finally once prepared in advance you can get on with the day’s sailing or the entertaining knowing that the meal will be cooking without need of attention. No matter what happens on passage there will be a hot meal at the end of the day.

 

[oldhunter]

Thanks for all the replies.
We only have two gas rings and a grill on board so not a lot of room to cook, the thermal cooker would give more options .
My thoughts are to get the 3 litre model as there is rarely more than two of us on board at any time.
John

 

[macd]

Even the thought of a thermal cooker gives me gastric stomach.

 

[CLB]

I have used one and thought it was good. Food wasn't quite as hot as I would have liked, but it was on a particularly cold day so ambient temps were low. I think its the idea of having a meal at the end of the day, ready cooked, that appeals to me.

 

[thinwater]

The main befits are that the meal will be ready when you come back, you don;t have to stay around and watch it, and less heat in the cabin. If you don't like slow cooked foods, they you won' like it... obviously. I only use it for certain things. If you are concerned about food safety, that is a matter of keeping the temperature up, which is simply a matter of adding insulation.

The low temperature concerns can have only two causes:
*The insulation isn't very good. Get a Tiger Cooker, Shuttle Chef, wonder Bag, or wrap a folded fleece blanket around it.
* The food was not hot to start with. Soup and rice come up to temperature as soon as the water boils, but if you have big chunks of meat and potatoes, you have to boil long enough (very low heat at this point) to heat it through, perhaps another 5-10 minutes of simmering.
* Foods generally do NOT have to cook at boiling. When you cook a roast or turkey, you are looking for internal temperatures around 70C. Beans require the highest temperature, but time also helps. Safe holding fr long periods is 60C.

 

[Neeves]

We have 3 units, all Shuttle Chefs (Thermos). There are a couple of Japanese suppliers and Mr D's, which as far as I know is made in China (which is probably where the Shuttle Chef and Japanese units are made). We have been using ours for 30 years, or so, and have a large unit for family meals and 2 smaller ones for ourselves, one for the boat and one at home.

To us they are indispensable - make up a stew, casserole, soup, (real) porridge as you would normally on the stove, place in the insulated container (its a big Dewar or thermos) and then a few hours later you have a hot cooked meal. If you leave it for a long period or it is very cold you may need to reheat (a bit). Like a dewar it is an evacuated double walled vessel (stainless) there are some cheap copies around that are simply insulated with polystyrene (which is not so effective).

There are a host of recipes available on line.

We tend to make one pot meals, so brown onions, meat etc - add liquid - bring to boil, transfer to insulated container and leave to 'stew'. Half an hour prior to eating add potatoes, and maybe 10 minutes prior to eating further add french beans (or whatever). There might be a need to bring to the boil again when adding the potatoes. But you can judge your timing and make the basic meal before you leave the anchorage at breakfast so that as soon as the anchor is set at the end of your passage you can sit down to a nice Shiraz and lamb shanks (in red wine).

Jonathan

edit

Oddly Shuttle Chefs are very popular in Hong Kong. We bought 2 of ours there where they are cheaper than In Oz. They are available from the major HK department stores, Wing On, Sincere - and if you know anyone who visits HK it might make a decent saving. From memory Thermos who make the Shuttle Chef are a Japanese company based In Canada.

close edit

 

[Simon__]

Bumping an old thread in case anyone else is still looking for a Shuttle Chef or similar. I've been looking for one over the past couple of months but the prices have put me off. Today I've found I can order one via Amazon Japan(!) and the item cost + shipping + deposit in case of handling/import duties, worked out at less than half the price they're listed for on ebay.

Not received yet so will up date in due course (estimate says 28-30 Aug but that seems outrageously fast and I believe it's an error). However, if it all goes to plan happy to share more details.

 

[Neeves]

Bumping an old thread in case anyone else is still looking for a Shuttle Chef or similar. I've been looking for one over the past couple of months but the prices have put me off. Today I've found I can order one via Amazon Japan(!) and the item cost + shipping + deposit in case of handling/import duties, worked out at less than half the price they're listed for on ebay.

Not received yet so will up date in due course (estimate says 28-30 Aug but that seems outrageously fast and I believe it's an error). However, if it all goes to plan happy to share more details.

Amazing, good tip.

Not sure that Mr D will be happy

But you will not regret your purchase.

Jonathan

 

[Simon__]

Ordered Friday, dispatched Monday (from Japan..) arrived this afternoon. Unsure if I had to pay import duty / handling charges yet (no sticker on the package to say anything has been charged?). Very happy with the overall process and the item. It's definitely not cheap but it looks well made, however, I would have been underwhelmed if I'd have paid £150 for it.

For the Mocha 2.8L version costs were as below (and potentially less if there is no duty / handling to pay):

Item(s) Subtotal: GBP 41.12
Shipping & Handling: GBP 24.55
Total: GBP 78.80
Import Fees Deposit GBP 13.13
Grand Total: GBP 78.80

For anyone interested, it was simple to order:
1) Go to Amazon as you usually do
2) Scroll to the bottom and click on "Japan" under the Amazon symbol
3) Find your product
4) Make an account (selecting international address for shipping / card details)

Better guides are available elsewhere but key things to note are i) if you access the Japan site via the .co.uk site you can be confident it is the actual site and the link is authentic. ii) you do need to make a new account but can use your existing email.

Now I just hope it was worth it!

 

[KompetentKrew]

Thanks for the recommendation to look on www.amazon.jp, but on there the 1.6L is £86.50, twice the price of the 2.8L.

 

[cornmek1]

Thanks for the recommendation to look on www.amazon.jop, but on there the 1.6L is £86.50, twice the price of the 2.8L.

I did something similar recently - with a BILLYBOIL from Australia but ended up having to pay nearly £30 in VAT & handling charges ( thanks ParcelForce ) - so not such a great saving over the Mr D's after all.

regards

Kev

 

[Simon__]

I should be on commission..

The great thing about buying from Amazon is they take a deposit for the VAT/handling so you know the cost upfront and if this is exceeded they will pay the difference - so no nasty surprises.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910710

Just to add - I haven't received any rebate yet so assume the handling fees / VAT has been eaten up so £78.80 will be the final price.