Thermal Cooker

[fr8tshaker]

I first discovered thermal cookers on this forum after we got our AS. I don't like the idea of leaving a slow cooker plugged in and hoping it will be stable when we are traveling, so the thermal cooker is a great solution.

I also am not a big fan of overcooked veggies that the slow cooker produces.

I ended up ordering from www.forumappliances.com since they offer the Shuttle Chef 3&3 Model. Shuttle Chef is the European name for Thermos Nissan cookers. A 1.5 l cooker is also available. These units are not available in the U.S.

I thought I would post a link to a site that has some terrific accessories for the 4.5 L Thermos Nissan (aka Shuttle Chef) cooker that I think some of the forum members have. It is www.thermalcookware.com.

They carry an accessory pack that has a carrying bag, steamer, and smaller inner pot that will stack on the 4.5l inner pot. This creates the ability to cook 2 items separately or to cook a smaller amount by filling the 4.5l pot partially with boiling water then inserting the placing the smaller pot on top.

The steamer will stack on top of the 4.5 l inner pot for steaming veggies separate from the main meal.

Thermalcookware offers other accesories to make the cooker more versatile. The site also has recipes, newsletter, and demo videos on using the thermal cooker.

FWIW

Happy Trails'shaker

[dwightdi]

$180 to $250 seems a little pricey for my budget for a thermos bottle pot with high thermal mass. I sure it must be top quality. Is there a cheaper way to accomplish the same goal?

[fr8tshaker]

Dwight,

Glad you asked. Yes, you could make your own haybox.

for more info go to:


www.thermalcooker.wordpress.com


I am not that industrious. There is alot of info at this site on making your own. Also, a pretty interesting history on hayboxes and how they were promoted as a more fuel efficient method of cooking during the Great Depression. Maybe I should say "the last depression".

The 1.5l from forum appliances is about $70 incl. USPS shipping. They ship the day the order is placed and it will arrive in less than a week. 1.5l is enough for one or two people of many dishes.

When I first got my 3&3 with the optional 6l innerpot I was mistakenly thinking in terms of a slow cooker only. Then after I had it a while I realized I could put cold foods in it, use it as a punch bowl, ice bucket,etc.

The Shuttle Chef/Thermos brand inner pots are heavy gauge SS with a core on the bottom so they make terrific everyday pots for the stove top.

The 6l pot is great for pasta or a larger amount of food. It is the perfect size to make my homemade Kahlua in that I absolutely cannot go without.

As you can see I prefer multi-use items. I really try to avoid things that only serve one purpose.


Have fun at the site I listed and let me know what you think.

'shaker

[fr8tshaker]

I realized that I forgot to mention that one of the links I posted does not have a conversion application on the site. It is:

www.ThermalCookware.com



This makes their prices seem exhorbitant. There are many sites to get a conversion or you can email Allan Rush at allan@thermalcookware.com to confirm the total amount that will be billed to your account.

Allan is very quick to respond to any concerns or questions.

Hope this helps.

'shaker

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by fr8tshaker

I realized that I forgot to mention that one of the links I posted does not have a conversion application on the site. It is:

www.ThermalCookware.com



This makes their prices seem exhorbitant. There are many sites to get a conversion or you can email Allan Rush at allan@thermalcookware.com to confirm the total amount that will be billed to your account.

Allan is very quick to respond to any concerns or questions.

Hope this helps.

'shaker

Thanks for the clarification, fr8. I noticed the spelling of “colour” and assumed that it was in Canada.

Saw the AOA gang at the Arkansas RV Show. Am looking forward to seeing the two of you soon.

[fr8tshaker]

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Thanks for the clarification, fr8. I noticed the spelling of “colour” and assumed that it was in Canada.

Saw the AOA gang at the Arkansas RV Show. Am looking forward to seeing the two of you soon.

Vaughan,
Glad you enjoyed the RV show. We will be seeing the AOA crew next month. They are a great bunch.

We are looking forward to seeing you then.

Reminds me of another reason I use the thermal cooker. My cooking turns out better if I get it completed before happy hour begins!

'shaker

[dwightdi]

Thanks for the links. This still a very interesting cooking method, even if it has been around for centuries. It is interesting that people are still finding ways to get the US patent office to issue new numbers and protections. It seems any high thermal mass cook pot then put in an insulating carry bag of any sort would do the same thing. There are several slow cooker insulated transport bags advertised for less than $10 that would do, and you do not need a stove to start them off. It would be nice if the lid to the inter cook pot would be sealed so the contents would not spill, if the pot was tipped during transport. You would need to add a manual relief valve to the lid to break the vacuum in the pot caused by the food cooling a little.

[fr8tshaker]

Currency Conversion Update for www.thermalcookware.com:

I recently emailed Allen Rush and suggested that a currency conversion tool avilable at his website would be helpful. He has added this feature. On the catalog link all items displayed have the word "convert" listed underneath. Just click on the "convert" and a drop down menu wil allow the prices to be converted to the currency of your choice.

Happy trails, 'shaker

[soldiermedic]

Shaker and Vaughn...may we be seeing you in the land where legends go to die (Aka Branson) in early April?

[mouth012006]

I am glad that you started this posting....I had never heard of this product before....I just ordered one today and should get it in a couple of days....we have some camping trips coming up at the end of March and think that this will come in really handy....spend more time on vacation things and less on cooking. Thermos RPC-4500/CC4500 4.5L Thermal Cooker « The Thermal Cooker Thermal Cooking Weblog

[fr8tshaker]

Originally Posted by mouth012006

I am glad that you started this posting....I had never heard of this product before....I just ordered one today and should get it in a couple of days....we have some camping trips coming up at the end of March and think that this will come in really handy....spend more time on vacation things and less on cooking. Thermos RPC-4500/CC4500 4.5L Thermal Cooker « The Thermal Cooker Thermal Cooking Weblog

Kevin and Monique,

I am happy to hear that you found this post helpful and interesting.

I am awaiting the delivery of the farm house bread tin and the heavy duty steamed pudding tin from www.thermalcookware.com. These items will enable me to get rid of my turbocooker. Although I like the tender, moist cakes that it produces, it has a large domed lid and handle that are space hogs.

I also like the fact that I can place the tins for breads or a cake in the before bedtime and let them "bake" while I am asleep. If you have never tried steamed breads before you will not be disappointed. This method makes any quick bread recipe, such as zuchinni, pumpkin, etc. moist, tender. and flavorful. The pudding tin will make the perfect size cake for us. A regular 2 layer cake is too much for us and goes to waste.

A mistake I made when I first got mine was thinking that it was a great item for potlucks and the like. Then I started using it for everyday meals for the two of us. Now the more I use it the more I like it and have found that it is so versatile that it was $$ well spent.

Have fun at your campouts.

Happy trails, 'shaker

[dwightdi]

Here is a link to a "thermal cooker" at a lower price that still looks nice. It is about $60 for a 5 quart stainless inner and outer pot. SPT ST-60B - Thermal Cooker

The customer reviews rate it highly.

[Wayne&Sam]

Aren't all cookers (stoves, ovens, crock pots, etc.) "thermal"?

[tphan]

Wayne&Sam- same category as "hot water heaters".

[ThermalCookr]

The ST-60B thermal cooker is OK but compared to the THERMOS brand cookers the performance doesn't measure up.

The THERMOS brand thermal cookers all use a vacuum insulated outer pot which will keep things hot (above 140 degrees) for about 12 hours.

In my testing of thermal cooker performance I would bring an inner pot full of water to a boil and then place it in the outer pot. The Thermos thermal cookers would keep the water above 140 degrees when I measured it 12 hours later. The ST-60B and other thermal cookers that used a foam insulated outer pot would only keep the water around 80 degrees after 12 hours. I've tested a number of brands and models and the Thermos models with the bail handles are the best made and best performing thermal cookers available. Note that the 140 degree temperature mark is important because it's the level at which bacteria starts to grow. Food kept 140 degrees or above will not be as likely to get you sick.

The inner pots of the ST-60B are made of very thin metal compared to the Thermos cookers so you can scorch food much easier as you bring it up to boiling temperatures. The Thermos inner pots are made of nice heavy stainless steel and have a clad bottom which makes them great to use for any recipe.

I bought my Nissan/Thermos thermal cooker years ago when Thermos still sold them in the US market but it's hard to find them at all unless you shop outside the country.

I'm not a Thermos dealer but I do love my thermal cookers and started the thermalcooker.wordpress.com blog to collect the info about them. As people have asked me where I got mine I've collected a few sources on where they can be purchased, send me a PM and I'll give you the details.

[soldiermedic]

ummmm...strange things are afoot on the AIRforums today.

[BeBop]

I recently ordered the 1.5L Shuttle Chef unit through Forum Appliances up in Vancouver, BC (as a test, based on the initial posting) and am thoroughly satisfied with it and the personal service I received. I will be ordering the 3+3 shortly. Best of all, I purchased a 1700w induction cook-plate locally, and the Shuttle Chef work wonderfully with it. I can conserve my propane now, when in full hook-up, and the Shuttle Chefs will probably pay for themselves in short order during these winter months. A hearty warm meal right after arrival and set up is priceless. The Shuttle Chef's value is really in it ability to cook a meal while you are in transit or away from your trailer.

Definitely worth a try.

[fr8tshaker]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

Here is a link to a "thermal cooker" at a lower price that still looks nice. It is about $60 for a 5 quart stainless inner and outer pot. SPT ST-60B - Thermal Cooker

The customer reviews rate it highly.

The less expensive thermal cookers are foam insulated and do not retain the heat well. Alot of users of the cheaper pots have found that they often have to reheat the inner pot after about 4 hrs and replace it in the inner pot.

The quality of the inner pot itself is also inferior. They will have hot spots and uneven heating.

Another oversight that purchasers make is not choosing a correct size for their needs.

Picture a 2 L bottle of soda. The 4.5 L cooker is approx. 2 and 1/4 times this amount. A 5L cooker is 2 and 1/2 times this amount. This size would work well for a family of 4 or more but is alot of food for 2 people. We prefer not eating the same thing for several meals.

The cookers must be about 80% full to retain the heat effectively.

Here are the reasons I chose the Shuttle Chef 3&3 with the optional 6 L inner pot:

1.) The outer pot is high quality enameled steel with a vacuum seal. This retains the temperature more effectively.

2.) The heavy gauge stainless steel inner pots with aluminum core bottom. This type of pot heats evenly, and will not warp like cheaper made ss pots. These well made pots function well as everyday pots and can also be used as a double boiler. The 3l pots are the perfect size for us, so I could eliminate other pots that I had and just keep these in the AS.

3.) The 3&3 allows me to cook 2 items separately (i.e.- I can bake a cake in one pot and a main dish in the other). I can also cook in one pot. All I do is put boiling water in one pot and put my food in the second pot. I can fill the 3 L pot with food or only cook 1/2 a 3 L pot of food using this method and still retain the thermal mass effectively.

4.) The optional 6 L pot allows me to cook larger amounts when needed.

www.thermalcookware.com now offers inserts for the 4.5 and 6L pot that will enable the user t cook 2 dishes separately or a steam insert enabling the user to steam veggies etc. separately from the main meal. Either the 4.5 l or the 6l along with the inserts would make the cooker as versatile as the 3&3 for less $$$. These accessories were not available when I purchased mine.

I do have the farmers bread tin, the heavy duty pudding/cake tin, and carrying bag.

The cake tin has a latched lid with D ring handles on top. This enables me not to have to use foil on the pan and the D rings enable me to easily place the pan in the cooker and to easily remove it.

The farmers bread pan is the perfect size for 2 people for breads, meatloaf, etc. and is of excellent quality.

The carrying bag is nylon with heavy padding for isulation. This protects my cooker from dings and scratches. It also improves the heat retention qualities of the cooker. It can also be used as a cooler.

I do like multi-purpose items for the AS.

I have been very pleased with mine. When I have had the chance to make a comparision ofthe Shuttle Chef with someone else's cheaper brand the difference in construction, quality, and performance is obvious.

I hope other's find my post on my experience useful. This is a great item for RVing IMHO.

'shaker

[fr8tshaker]

Originally Posted by BeBop

I recently ordered the 1.5L Shuttle Chef unit through Forum Appliances up in Vancouver, BC (as a test, based on the initial posting) and am thoroughly satisfied with it and the personal service I received. I will be ordering the 3+3 shortly. Best of all, I purchased a 1700w induction cook-plate locally, and the Shuttle Chef work wonderfully with it. I can conserve my propane now, when in full hook-up, and the Shuttle Chefs will probably pay for themselves in short order during these winter months. A hearty warm meal right after arrival and set up is priceless. The Shuttle Chef's value is really in it ability to cook a meal while you are in transit or away from your trailer.

Definitely worth a try.

I am happy my post was helpful. I also have the Shuttle Chef 1.5L. We use it when we want to take chili, soup , etc with us when we are biking. It is the perfect size for us when we are going to have a salad or sandwich along with the soup. Its small size makes it very portable.

We really enjoy ours.

BTW- the 1.5 l pot makes a terrific asparagus cooker.

'shaker

[BeBop]

Originally Posted by fr8tshaker

BTW- the 1.5 l pot makes a terrific asparagus cooker.

'shaker

Now that you mention that, you are absolutely right... perfect dimensions! Do you poach or steam?

BTW I ordered the 3+3 with the free 6 from Forum.