Altering Recipes for the Thermal Cooker
Updated: Nov 14, 2020
Simple instructions for altering your favorite recipe to prepare in the Thermal Cooker
I was asked a question today - perfect timing! - I was looking for something to talk about. :) The question? - about converting everyday recipes to be used in the thermal cooker. Excellent question! First of all - Don't overthink it! I say this from experience. When I started my thermal cooking journey I thought I needed to figure out some magical formula to convert recipes. After all, there are so many varying scenarios with the sizes of pots, volume in pot, boiling time, and time in the cooker. I even came up with an elaborate mathematical system of percentages which was even too confusing for me to figure out without some concentration. In the end, simplicity is the key. Know the amount your recipe makes Know the size of your thermal cooker Know the end result you want. A little background. When I teach thermal cooking I talk about maximum efficiency. To me it makes sense to start with the most efficient way the thermal cooker can be used. Which means keeping the food as hot as possible for as long as possible. Once this concept is understood, it makes it easier to understand how to cook without "maximum efficiency". Here is an example and how to think through altering the recipe. So lets say the recipe for your grandmas famous chicken chowder makes 4 1/2 liters and you have a 7 liter pot. What end result do you want? Are you cooking for lots of people? Do you mind leftovers? Do you want to make less food? Do you need it cooked sooner than later? Or would you like it to stay hot most of the day? What are your options? Let's start by leaving the recipe as is. 1. If the recipe is the amount you need and you will be eating it in several hours (3-5 hours approx) - than go ahead and cook the chowder in the 7 liter pot as is. Being aware that because of the decreased volume it will not stay hot as long as if the pot were full. 2. If you have a 7 liter pot with an upper 2 1/2 liter pot and would like to have it stay hot 8 hours. Go ahead and make the original recipe in the large 7 liter pot and add a second dish in the upper 2 1/2 liter pot. This will help maintain maximum efficiency by increasing the volume (the food in both pots) inside of the cooker. You are making the original recipe (amount) while keeping it hot all day. 3. Lastly, lets make more food, serve more people, and keep the food hot all day. This will require a little math. Simply increase each ingredient in your grandma's chicken chowder recipe by 25%. (I determined the amount by understanding the difference in the original sizes of pots listed above. By doing so the pot will be 75-80% full and will stay hot 8+ hours. Clear as mud? - Just joking - I hope it helps.
Just remember - simplicity is king and don't overthink it.
They key is to try. The best way to get good at using the thermal cooker is through practice. As you practice you will naturally make adjustments that work for you. For recipes that can not be boiled and require containers - we will cover those another day or checkout Cindy's Thermal Cooking Course at www.thermalcooking.net.
Thermal cookers are like a big crock pot, cooking food slowly over time. While slow cookers require constant electricity, thermal cooker utilizes heated (boiling) food to complete the cooking process.
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