Any benefits of passive cooking must be offset by encouraging folks to 3d print some (non) biodegradable junk piece of plastic.
You can do it without that bs gadget.
Barilla passive cooker
81–90 of 528 posts
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#82Backpackers have been using this technique to save fuel - I've got a cozy for my cookpot. I also remember seeing this on one of the Victorian Farm shows - it was something like a pot roast brought to a boil in the morning, then put in a well insulated container to sit for the day. Edit: Whoa, I just clicked through to "The Product" section, and it's an open source design using an Arduino. Super cool!
It’s how pit barbecues work as well. You heat rocks on a fire and then bury the food (like a lamb) with the rocks under the ground, using the dirt as an insulator.
Or, cover the rocks and food (like lobster or oysters) with wet seaweed to steam the food.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#83How about not pouring the hot water down the drain immediately, but leaving it in a pot with a lid on until it is cooled down? This way the erergy that you used to heat the water can contribute to heating your kitchen.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#84Low-energy prep of steel-cut oats for several breakfasts:
1. Boil water in an electric kettle — we have a gas stove-top but we buy wind power for electricity; it's a Texas-grid thing.
2. Pour boiling water into a pot, add oats, bring back to a boil on the gas range, then immediately turn off the gas.
(I use a ratio of 1 cup of steel-cut oats to 3 cups of water.)
3. Put a lid on the pot, put the pot on a trivet, cover with a dish towel (to keep heat in), tip the pot lid a bit to open it (to let steam out).
4. Come back in an hour or so — the oats are cooked and still hot; eat some, save the rest in a container to go into the refrigerator once cool.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#85Any benefits of passive cooking must be offset by encouraging folks to 3d print some (non) biodegradable junk piece of plastic.
Hey, it specifically says it prints it with biodegradable junk plastic! Though I think the landfill at the end is the least problematic environmental issue here
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#86Any benefits of passive cooking must be offset by encouraging folks to 3d print some (non) biodegradable junk piece of plastic.
That's a bizarre objection to 3D printing in the home. I don't do it for such reasons, but I assure you everything I've ever printed would have had a far worse environmental impact if I'd bought/had it made elsewhere. If I'd even been able to.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#87You can reduce the energy consumption drastically by boiling way less water than "a large pot" as every packet recommends. Just enough to cover the pasta + some evaporation margin is good enough.
Is that something that even needs to be said? Does any functioning adult actually cook pasta in such a way as to use way more water than necessary?
It's pretty common. Most pasta cooking directions say to use 4-6 quarts of water for a standard 1-lb pack of dry pasta. Many Italian grandmas (I'm making a guess off n=1 person with Italian heritage who learned it this way) do it like this. Because this technique is so ingrained, it's less obvious to reduce the amount of water.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#88The claim: reduces CO₂e emissions by up to 80%* The asterisk: water boiling phase excluded When I boil pasta, I use full heat to get the water boiling, drop in the pasta, then let it come back up to a boil, then drop the temperature as low as possible to keep a slow boil going--about medium-low. Guesstimating that the boil takes about as long as the time to cook the pasta, I'd say that the pasta cooking portion only…
A better way to save energy is to use an electric kettle to get the water up to boiling. This is about three times as energy-efficient as a gas hob. Combined with passive cooking it could save real money… Technology Connections on YouTube has a good video about how electric kettles are the superior way to boil water: https://youtu.be/_yMMTVVJI4c
This is not just efficient but also saves a lot of time. I do this with rice/pasta or anything that requires boiling. Also, using a pressure cooker can save a lot of time/energy with foods like legumes/meats etc.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#89According to Kenji, you don't even need boiling water to cook pasta: https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boi... https://www.seriouseats.com/tips-for-better-easier-pasta "Want to get even more crazy efficient? Try soaking pasta in water as your prep your other ingredients. By the time your sauce is ready, you can just add the pasta (along with some of its soaking liquid) to the pan and, with a min…
I always wondered if you could just put spaghetti in your Nalgene while backpacking and it would be ready by the end of your hike. People always look at me weird when I suggest it but I am down to drink starchy water all day and then eat spaghetti when I get there haha.
Having had to rehydrate pasta while hiking to save on fuel as a beginner backpacker, I can confirm it does work.
Still, I now only bring semolina and polenta on multiple days hike. Both can be eaten fine after an hour of soaking in cold water.
Re: Barilla passive cooker
#90Any benefits of passive cooking must be offset by encouraging folks to 3d print some (non) biodegradable junk piece of plastic.
That's a bizarre objection to 3D printing in the home. I don't do it for such reasons, but I assure you everything I've ever printed would have had a far worse environmental impact if I'd bought/had it made elsewhere. If I'd even been able to.
How? For all intents and purposes PLA is not biodegradable