Fireless  Cookers

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Are Warming Baskets?

Also known as "fireless cookers", "haybox cooker" "fireless basket cooker" or a "flask (hay box)". This page also includes the new "Tupike bag" design recently invented by a Kenyan woman.

The examples below are woven baskets, lined with newspaper, then  insulated with a fiber such as cotton or wool, then re-lined with a black material. This material is sewn down to create a space for a cooking pot. An insulated, cloth lid it created to help keep warmth inside.

In the old days, people also made these out of wood or metal. The main principal being that heat from warmed food or water would remain inside, continuing the cooking process even without applied heat.

Namen auf Deutsch (Names in German)

Expected Lifetime

"3-7 years, depending on how it is handled." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

Resources / Materials

"The Hay Basket costs USh 35,000 - 55,000 (USD equivalent 9.5-15) and making a Hay Basket takes about 4 hours."  - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

Fuel Type

Non-needed to use this device, only to initially heat the food, which can be done with traditional cooking methods or renewables such as solar energy. The "fuel type" could be considered retained heat.

Maintenance needed

Wash the cloth.

Adoption & Use

Globally

Though this general concept has been somewhat popular throughout western and indigenous history, these devices fell out of use as other, newer inventions such as microwaves, rice cookers, and crock pots took over kitchens.

However there are some cultures that still use them, make shift versions used in home kitchens around the world for yogurt making, and a growing number of people discovering this technology for the first time.

Africa

Kenya

These were used historically, but a new, more portable version was recently invented in the Nairobi are where it is now being manufactured and sold to low-income families.

Uganda

"It is used in Uganda by over 50 districts in rural and urban areas." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

Benefits of Warming Baskets

"It completes the cooking of food that has been partially cooked, and it acts as a food flask because it can keep food hot for more than 5 hours. It can be used to maintain the temperature of cold drinks. As such, it saves energy and time. The fireless basket cooker can be used to prepare beans, peas, groundnut sauce, beef, chicken, rice, matooke, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava. Additionally, the basket can keep all types of food warm for a maximum of 8 hours. " - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

Social

"Family members with different meal times can always find hot food and arguments are avoided."

"Food only needs to be cooked briefly on a fire pit. It can then be placed in the warming basket and left to finish cooking unattended. Meanwhile, other tasks can be completed." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Safety

"Unlike a fire, it is safe to leave it unattended" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF) 

However it is still probably advisable to keep it low to the ground and tucked where it can't be tripped on or tipped over, or on a counter out of reach from children.

Benefits for Girls & Women

"Women and girls in rural villages face a lot of health risks by spending a lot of time in smoke filled kitchens preparing food for their families. They also spend hours on cooking related activities that includes collecting firewood and food processing. These hours could be spent on income generating activities and school." - How A Kenyan Woman Made A Wonder Bag That Cooks Without Using Fire and Is Good to The Climate

Communal Meals & Events

"Food can be carried to another place once cooked. This is very good for communal or shared meals. - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Efficiency

Most of the information we have found on these suggests that they save between 70-80% on cooking fuel (such as wood or gas), since the food only needs to be brought to a boil before being taken off the heat and placed inside the device where it cooks via retained heat for 30 minutes or a certain number of hours depending on the food being cooked.

"Water heated the day before can still be used for bathing the next morning." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Combines Well With Renewable Energy

"Solar cookers and warming baskets complement each other well." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Reduced Deforestation

"Fuel consumption is reduced by 50% or more. The cutting of forests for firewood or the production of charcoal is slowed down." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Economical Environmentalism

"It is easy and cheap to make and it is made using locally available materials." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

The low ecological impact of using locally grown or upcycled materials and low cost of resources makes this environmental solution particularly impactful of a green solution, vs other solutions which may have higher costs, use mined or heavily processed materials, yet only provide minimal benefits. 

For families in countries with high energy use for heating or cooling, and who use electric ovens or stoves, this might not pack as big of a punch to their household emissions or energy use. However families in places like Kenya and Uganda, who tend to use firewood and use more of their household energy for cooking and pasteurizing water, will see substantial benefits that reduce a far greater percentage of their household emissions.

Carbon Footprint of Cooking

As you can see in the graph beneath, cooking accounts for only a small percentage of home energy use in countries like America, however cooking energy can account for the majority of a household's energy use and pollution in places like Africa where less clean fuels such as wood fires are often used. 

Saves Households Time & Personal Energy

"Food only needs to be cooked briefly on a fire pit. It can then be placed in the warming basket and left to finish cooking unattended. Meanwhile, other tasks can be completed." 

"Women spend less time arduously collecting wood and spend less money buying fuel, which in many places in Africa is more expensive than the food it is used to cook." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Water Savings

"... Water is not lost during the cooking process, so it uses one quarter less water than other cooking methods." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Health & Financial Benefits

Cleaner Indoor Air Quality

Many kitchens around the world, especially in Africa and parts of Asia rely on heavily firewood and cooking gases which produce dangerous indoor pollutants. By significantly reducing the amount of time cooks need to keep food on the fire, they also reduce the amount of emissions that fill their homes.

Small Particle Pollution, a byproduct of burning biofuels such as wood, can be particularly dangerous, especially for children as their lungs develop.

Food Quality & Taste

"Haybox cookery is a healthy and delicious way to cook. All the nutrients in the food are retained. It never burns the food; it makes tough meat tender and can keep food warm for a long time" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Food Storage

"Warming baskets are also suitable for storing perishable foods. They stay fresh longer." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

"It can also be used to keep foods cool. It is useful for carrying frozen food from the shop."  - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Water Pasteurization

"Water that has been pasteurized in the cooker lasts until it is used without being infected by germs again." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English

Water for Bathing

"The food warmer can also be used for keeping bath water warm."  - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Water heated at night will still be nice and warm for the following morning.

Low-Impact Production

These can be very simple to make. While Victorians often make them from metal or wood, in the shape of a stove or chest, in Africa they are generally made from woven baskets, stuffed with cotton or other insulation, and topped with a stuffed fabric pillow or lid. 

"Insulating material is anything that heat doesn’t pass through easily, such as hay (dried grass), papers, wood shavings, wool or dry banana leaves."

"hay, sawdust, woodshavings, and/or tightly crushed newspapers " - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Upcycled, Recycled, & Found Materials

Some people have upcycled their fireless stoves from "an old chair and a styrofoam box, which is wrapped in textile and covered with a pillow made from a lap desk" , but you can supposedly even use a cardboard box, and one entrepreneur in Kenya has made a bad with foil inside.

Disadvantages of Retention Cooking

Longer Cook Times

Start Cooking Earlier

"Food does take longer to cook, so preparations need to be made earlier" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Larger Food Batches

 "It works best for cooking larger quantities, but you can use it to keep food warm for later on" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Requires Proper Construction to Work

"It can fail to perform cooking task if it is not well constructed. This can happen if the person who makes it, does not follow the instruction precisely." - Local Solutions: Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Safety Concerns

Beans

"Important: All beans, especially red beans, should be boiled on a stove for at least 20 minutes before placing in the haybox cooker to ensure that the toxins are destroyed." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Meat

"Haybox cookers can be used to keep food warm for eating later. However, for health reasons, meat dishes should always be reboiled before serving." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)


Maintenance

Cleaning


Must Replace Wet Insulation 

"It is important to keep the insulating material dry. If it gets damp, it needs to be replaced" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Resources & Guides

Cook Times

Recipe times will vary depending on the foods being prepared. The following are approximate cook times.

Hay Box

The food needs to be half cooked on a stove and then it should be placed into the basket to get the boiling completed. Cooking time depends on the type of food. For example, rice should be boiled for 5 minutes on the stove and it will take 30 minutes to get ready in the basket. Beans and beef will take longer cooking time in the basket."

Tupike Bag

- How A Kenyan Woman Made A Wonder Bag That Cooks Without Using Fire and Is Good to The Climate

Beans

"Important: All beans, especially red beans, should be boiled on a stove for at least 20 minutes before placing in the haybox cooker to ensure that the toxins are destroyed." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

"You need to cook the beans over a fire in the normal way for about 45 minutes before putting the pot in the fireless cooker. It then needs to be left in the basket for 4-6 hours. This needs planning ahead, but when used, can save a lot of time and help women take control over the day. If beans are soaked in water overnight first, the cooking time can be reduced."  - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Maize and beans need 45 min to 1 hr on the fire and 4-6 hours in the basket. "Takes less time if soaked before the actual cooking. Green maize and beans takes less time to cook, so reduce the times accordingly" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Lentils & Mung Beans

Green Grams should take 20 minutes on the heat then 2 hours in the basket "Put the grams in already boiling water to help them get tender quicker" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Maize / Corn

Maize and beans need 45 min to 1 hr on the fire and 4-6 hours in the basket. "Takes less time if soaked before the actual cooking. Green maize and beans takes less time to cook, so reduce the times accordingly" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Meat

Meat Stew should take 5-10 min on the heat, then 2-3 hours in the basket. "Cutting meat into smaller pieces will make it cook faster. Wash the meat before, not after, cutting it"  - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Reheating

"Haybox cookers can be used to keep food warm for eating later. However, for health reasons, meat dishes should always be reboiled before serving." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Potatoes & Plantains

Potatoes supposedly take 3 hours in a Tupike Bag

Potatoes, Plantains, & Arrowroots take 10 minutes - 30 min to cook on the fire, then 2 hours in the basket. "If you cut these into smaller pieces before cooking, they will cook faster. Place the lid on very firmly to have enough heat for cooking " - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Rice

With a fireless cooker, "rice should be boiled for 5 minutes on the stove and it will take 30 minutes to get ready in the basket." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box) 

Stews

"Approximate cooking times: Stews: 3 to 5 hours; Lentils: 1 – 3 hours" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)


How-To Guide

Materials List for Basket Type

"Cotton, basket, container e.g a sausepan, polythene, cotton cloth, thread and needle."

Isolierkörbe bzw. Warmhaltekörbe oder Fireless Cooker

9:11 minute silent video suggests using large stones during the crafting process, to weigh down the pot on top of the inner lining, which helps compress the bottom layer of insulation and hold the lining in place while more insulation is pressed down into the sides of the basket. Holding down the pot during this process, can also help the crafter asses how deep the padding for the lid should be, because the weight from the rocks mimics the weight of future meals or water.

Recipes

Projects

This section is for projects designed to help others. You can help fund them, or even join as an educator for example.

Africa

Kenya

Uganda

Apps & Calculators

Click the link below for access to multiple calculators based on different cooking methods, and different amounts of food.

Calculator

Organizations

Africa

Uganda

Companies

International

Africa

Kenya

South Africa

Europe

Czech Republic

Ireland

Spain

United Kingdom

North America

USA

Oceana

Australia