Surviving winter article and slow cookers

[Dave_P]

Quite a helpful article for newbies http://www.canalboat.co.uk/canal-boats/10_ways_to_beat_the_winter_weather_1_4326807

My only question is it says narrowboats and slow cookers go together. Since it seems to be aimed at boaters with no shoreline it seems very odd.

 

If a typical slow cookers uses 150w but takes 10hrs to cook something, that's the same as running a 1500w fan heater for an hour. What boater in their right mind would do that?

[peterboat]

yes you are right i just stuff a dish in the rayburn oven and leave it for 5 hours

Edited November 26, 2015 by peterboat

[Southern Star]

 

If a typical slow cookers uses 150w but takes 10hrs to cook something, that's the same as running a 1500w fan heater for an hour. What boater in their right mind would do that?

The point is that you use a slow cooker when you are cruising and have the engine running, therefore you do not deplete the batteries at all. At the end of the day's cruise, there is a piping hot meal ready to eat straight away. There is no similarity between doing this, and running a fan heater.

[onionbargee]

A pressure cooker on top of the coal stove is the alternative. It only needs a low heat to cook, and keeps all the cooking smells and steam inside. I use one all the time in the winter.

[Dave_P]

The point is that you use a slow cooker when you are cruising and have the engine running, therefore you do not deplete the batteries at all. At the end of the day's cruise, there is a piping hot meal ready to eat straight away. There is no similarity between doing this, and running a fan heater.

Fair enough but the article makes no mention of that. In fact it indicates the opposite.

[Bunny]

A pot on the bubble stove overnight does the trick . Bunny

[Guest]

Quite a helpful article for newbies http://www.canalboat.co.uk/canal-boats/10_ways_to_beat_the_winter_weather_1_4326807

My only question is it says narrowboats and slow cookers go together. Since it seems to be aimed at boaters with no shoreline it seems very odd.

If a typical slow cookers uses 150w but takes 10hrs to cook something, that's the same as running a 1500w fan heater for an hour. What boater in their right mind would do that?

When we boated Jan would often prepare something, wack it in the slow cooker and when we stopped of an evening tea was ready.

 

No gas used, any energy used was generated as we went along.

[Jerra]

If a typical slow cookers uses 150w but takes 10hrs to cook something, that's the same as running a 1500w fan heater for an hour. What boater in their right mind would do that?

I would agree no boater would run a 1500w fan for an hour but equally I have been using slow cookers for nearly 40 years and have never had one which needed 10 hours to cook a meal. Could be left on the right setting for 10 hours but didn't need 10 hours to cook food.

 

EDIT: To remove an s and add a space.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Jerra

[Southern Star]

The article is a bit vague, I certainly agree with you that it wouldn't be a very good idea to run a slow cooker for 10 hours from stored battery power alone.

[tillergirl]

I bought one 3 years ago. Hasn't been out the cupboard for the last 2. I use a casserole on top of the stove.

[chubby]

Ive just cooked a beef stew overnight . Meat is falling apart lovely & im struggling not to have it for breakfast . I don t really see how a slow cooker is necessary but if have one already then why not use it when underway - that makes sense to me , but moored up then i think the straightforward way ( for me ) is on the stove & i use mine for cooking all the time in winter .

cheers

Edited November 27, 2015 by chubby

[Naughty Cal]

When we boated Jan would often prepare something, wack it in the slow cooker and when we stopped of an evening tea was ready.

 

No gas used, any energy used was generated as we went along.

Exactly what we do with ours.

 

Bung a meal in it in the morning, especially if we have a decent day's cruising ahead of us, and by the time we are moored up and showered we have a hot meal waiting for us with minimum fuss.

[KJT]

We use a slow cooker a lot when cruising. It's great to have a nice meal ready to eat at the end of a long days cruising. An alternative to the slow cooker is a thermal cooker, if you are concerned about electric consumption. http://mrdscookware.com/category/mr-ds_cookers/4-5l-thermal-cookers/

 

Ken

 

ETA link

Edited November 27, 2015 by NB Ellisiana

[Jim Riley]

We use a slow cooker a lot when cruising. It's great to have a nice meal ready to eat at the end of a long days cruising. An alternative to the slow cooker is a thermal cooker, if you are concerned about electric consumption. http://mrdscookware.com/category/mr-ds_cookers/4-5l-thermal-cookers/

 

Ken

 

ETA link

Useless website, no info, circular links back to page you are on. I'm interested but put off!

Double post edit

Edited November 27, 2015 by Jim Riley

[KenK]

Useless website, no info, circular links back to page you are on. I'm interested but put off!

Double post edit

Might be your browser works fine on Explorer.

 

Ken

[Jerra]

Might be your browser works fine on Explorer.

 

Ken

It works for me on Firefox.

[Dave_P]

Good points about using it when travelling. I think the article needs to say that though. When it comes to surviving winter for newbies, making use of the stove for cooking would be far better advice for newbies.

 

Is there a recipe book aimed at cooking with a multi-fuel stove?

[ditchcrawler]

A meal in a bucket

[FadeToScarlet]

A meal in a bucket

...does it come with a "waf-errr theeeeen mint" afterwards?

[onionbargee]

When we boated Jan would often prepare something, wack it in the slow cooker and when we stopped of an evening tea was ready.

 

No gas used, any energy used was generated as we went along.

You cooked using Diesel fuel, just by a very long and inefecient route.

[ditchcrawler]

As I put in another post, slow cookers are very inefficient, they have no heat insulation and they get as hot on the outside as they do on the inside, If they were insulated you could probably get away with half the power, but people see them as low wattage so it doesn't matter, the fact they are on for hours doesn't get taken into account.

[metanoia]

I bought one 3 years ago. Hasn't been out the cupboard for the last 2. I use a casserole on top of the stove.

Quite agree - anything on top of the stove - for free

 

- and toast and jackets in/under the fire.

 

(Though I didn't buy a slowcooker years ago and hide it)

[Jerra]

As I put in another post, slow cookers are very inefficient, they have no heat insulation and they get as hot on the outside as they do on the inside, If they were insulated you could probably get away with half the power, but people see them as low wattage so it doesn't matter, the fact they are on for hours doesn't get taken into account.

I agree and I can't understand why they aren't the early ones we had nearly 40 years ago were. With regard to wattage we use ours for about 4 - 5 hours which equals 600 - 750w the smallest ring on our electric cooker (yes I know you don't have them on boats but I don't know the comparisons for gas) is over 1Kw. So there is a saving.

[haggis]

As I put in another post, slow cookers are very inefficient, they have no heat insulation and they get as hot on the outside as they do on the inside, If they were insulated you could probably get away with half the power, but people see them as low wattage so it doesn't matter, the fact they are on for hours doesn't get taken into account.

Just had a look at our slow cooker (a Morphy Richards) and the sides outside the internal container seem to be double. I have never been aware of the outside getting hot but I have never been looking for that! I must check the next time I use it as my plan was to take it down to the boat and use it there when the engine is running. I like my slow cooker as the inside is non stick metal and I can put it on top of the cooker to brown things first. saves dirtying a pan to do the browning :-)

 

 

haggis

[ditchcrawler]

Just had a look at our slow cooker (a Morphy Richards) and the sides outside the internal container seem to be double. I have never been aware of the outside getting hot but I have never been looking for that! I must check the next time I use it as my plan was to take it down to the boat and use it there when the engine is running. I like my slow cooker as the inside is non stick metal and I can put it on top of the cooker to brown things first. saves dirtying a pan to do the browning :-)

 

 

haggis

We use ours when the engine is running in the warmer months, this time of the year it just goes in the oven on low all afternoon.