About Me

My photo
Back in the 80s, I wrote a book called "Voyaging on a Small Income", which was published and sold astonishingly well. It’s become almost a “classic” and is probably why you’ve found this site! I’ve been living aboard and sailing since the 70s. Nine different boats have been home, sometimes for several months, sometimes for many years. I love the way of life, the small footprint and being close to Nature. I’m a great fan of junk rig and having extensive experience with both gaff and bermudian rig, I wouldn’t have any other sail on my boat. It’s ideal as a voyaging rig, but also perfect for the coastal sailing that I now do. I’d rather stay in New Zealand, not having to keep saying goodbye to friends, than go voyaging, these days. Between 2015 and 2021, I built the 26ft "FanShi", the boat I now call home. For the last 45 years or so, my diet of choice has been vegetarian and is now almost vegan. I love cooking and particularly enjoy having only myself to please. I am combining all these interests (apart, perhaps, from junk rig!) in this blog. I hope you enjoy it. I also have other blogs: www.anniehill.blogspot.com and http://fanshiwanderingandwondering.wordpress.com
Showing posts with label Dried beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dried beans. Show all posts

27 September 2022

Janette's "slow cooker"

I am not as organised as I would like to be, when it comes to cooking.  Often I can't decide what to eat until the last minute and the only thing I can pat myself on the back for, is that sometimes I at least decide I'm going to eat, for example chickpeas, and an hour before I usually start cooking, I pour boiling water over them in preparation.  Then I have plenty of time to look through recipes and decide what to do with them!

My friend, Janette, who drew all the sketches on the Topics for Voyaging Vegetarians, is a much more organised person than I am.  While I, of necessity, use my pressure cooker most nights, she thinks ahead and uses what is effectively a (nearly) energy-free, slow cooker.  It uses the same principal as a Hay Box, but is a much more sensible size for a small boat: in fact, you can fold it up.  Best of all, you can make it yourself for very little outlay.

She writes: "you might be interested in one of my latest makes. I made a thermal cosy for my biggest saucepan.  I have been interested in thermal cookers for a while, but most of them take up too much room, like the Wonderbag, which you might have seen in South Africa, or some that look like huge cooler boxes.

"I made mine from a windscreen sun shield. The folds were the right height for the pan, I sewed them together cutting a hole for the handle, then cut a couple of covers for the lid, using the black tape, and elastic from the original to finish it off.  The best part is that it folds away.  

"It really works as a sort of slow cooker.  Once the soup or stew has been brought to boiling, you can leave it for an hour or two, and it is still hot.  If you leave it longer,  you can always bring it to the boil again before serving.  Being vegetarian, and using tinned beans, it can save on fuel, another advantage we have over the meat eaters."

When you take the cost of fuel into account, tinned beans can often make sense, especially if you have to buy them from a supermarket, rather than some sort of co-op or similar.  I have to walk a long way to dispose of my recycling, so prefer to use dried beans for that reason alone.  I tend to buy in bulk (well, bulk for a single person!), when I get the opportunity either to do a big order on line that reaches the 'free postage' threshold, or when I get the chance to go into a town that has a Bin Inn, which is a shop where you take your own containers and fill from a bin of beans, nuts, grains, etc.

I think this is a brilliant idea and it could be adapted to make a cosy for keeping yogurt warm while it sets, or wrapping around a bowl while bread rises.  

Let me know in the comments what you think about it!