Thermos Cooking

[Mike in Denver]

From the last person who should ever give advice or lessons on cooking: me.

Thermos cooking.

Yesterday morning, for some reason, against all good sense, I turned the TV on. Something call the 'Pasta Express' was being demonstrated and offered for sale. It is a wide plastic tube with a lid. I don't remember how much it costs. Purportedly, you put dried pasta in it, pour boiling water over it, and some time later, out falls cooked pasta. I'm not a complete fool. Could this possibly work? And, what if it did? I like eating pasta, but I hate cooking pasta. "Boil a gigantic container of water, drop in the pasta, and stir for 10-12 minutes (for commercial dried pasta.) I hate standing and stirring.

So, I got to thinking. What is this device? Obviously, a cheap-assed thermos. I own a thermos bottle, and it will cost nothing to try.

First I did a web search on Thermos + Cooking. Surprisingly little. A link to a short article by Kurt Saxon. http://www.kurtsaxon.com/foods005.htm . Very little info, plus he is using a bigger, better thermos than my little, cheap 3/4 quart one. But I didn't spend all those years in college for nothing. Off to the laboratory.

* First experiment -- Oatmeal.

This is not just any oatmeal, but the real deal, steel cut whole oats. The normal cooking instructions are, soak overnight, then cook for 30 minutes, stirring. I love to eat the stuff, but I won't cook it.

I put the oats into the thermos, poured the correct amount of boiling water over (no overnight soaking) and 1 1/2 hours later, the results: Perfect oatmeal. Not mushy, not gritty, just right. Goldilocks would love it.

* Second experiment -- Grits.

Again, Arrowhead, whole ground white corn grits. Easier to cook than oatmeal, but still, there is eight minutes of standing there stirring. Cooked in the thermos, the same way as the oatmeal, results: Perfect grits.

* Third experiment -- Rice.

This is less important. Cooking rice on the range is pretty easy, plus I have a little electric rice cooker, but just to be a complete scientist, I tried the thermos. Results: Complete failure. The rice had barely cooked at all, after 1 1/2 hours and the water had cooled enough that it would not have cooked given more time. I was surprised enough that thinking I may have had a senior moment, I repeated the experiment: Complete failure.

* Fourth experiment -- Pasta.

Commercial dried linguinni. (I doubt this would work with home made pasta)

Short answer, results: Perfect pasta. Almost al-dente, just a little past that, but still firm, not overcooked at all.

* No other experiments, yet. I may try beans, but I don't think my small, cheap thermos would hold the heat long enough. Beans would be an overnight job.

Why would I even care? Simple, I like oatmeal, grits, and pasta. I hate standing by the range for 8, 12, or 30 minutes stirring a damn pot. Now I don't have to. [I have tried cooking oatmeal, and grits in a small slow cooker. The results were ah, OK, but not as good as the thermos.]

That's all ladies,

Enkidu