# Tayama Thermal Cooker



## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

I was very confused as to which forum to stick this in but decided on this one because I think this is a great piece of equipment for a bug in scenario.

Several years ago Magus brought up the Nissan carry cooker as way to have a slow cooker that doesn't require power. Ever since I have wanted one but they quit making it and other thermal cooker options were, I felt, outrageously expensive. Enter my new Tayama thermal cooker I was able to pick up with a pice tag of $60 new from amazon. 

For those unfamiliar with thermal cookers, they are basically just an insulated container like a cooler that is the right shape to fit an interior pot. The idea is that you put any meal you would put in a slow cooker in the interior pot, bring to a boil, and seal it in the thermal cooker for a number of hours where it will retain the heat well enough to complete the cooking process without power or fuel. All you diy folks please note there are a ton of ways to make your own one of these. A little research will turn up a lot on the subject.

I decided I wanted to buy one because I wanted it tight fitting enough to seal in cooking smells in a bug in scenario and to reduce the need for power and fuel expenditure while cooking items with long simmer times like beans (yes lentils are a good alternative to beans with a much shorter cook time but I tire of them quickly but I do love me a proper pot of beans with a little rice or cous cous). Not all of us are miles from a neighbor and cooking smells travel swiftly to hungry noses. 

So now I have one and am making my pot of beans. I soaked the beans for 10 hours then rinsed. In retrospect I should have let them soak for 18 hours as when I checked the beans they were not quite done. I then rinsed, put back in the pot, added 2 dehydrated onions, a can of salt pork, garlic I mince and keep in the freezer (garlic powder would be substituted in a bug in situation), parsley, bay leaves, a little salt, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne. I waited till almost midnight as I would in a bug in situation for more clandestine cooking and brought to a rolling boil for a few minutes then stuck the pot in the thermal cooker and sealed it up. I put the cooker in a closet and let the cooking smells air out. By morning there were no smells of cooking food outside the closet that may tempt hungry neighbors to drop by.

My beans weren't done. I'm still playing with how long to soak and boil but am confident I will work out the details. So I put them back on the stove to boil for a few minutes and then put them back in the thermal cooker. I'll put in some initial pics now and update later with finished dish pics. 

All in all I am happy with it. I can now clandestinely cook a days worth of meals with a minimum expenditure of fuel and other resources from food that is easy and inexpensive to store. It will also keep my food hot all day so a hot meal is always available and refrigeration unnecessary. Next time I may wrap the thermal cooker in towels and place in a cooler to further limit any cooking smells and to improve heat retention as the outside of the thermal was warm which indicates at least some heat loss.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Now you done it. You made me very hungry


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

I've been craving pork and beans over rice for a couple days now. Can't wait till it's done


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Pork and beans survival bug in food done right!!! Loving my thermal cooker! This pot of beans with 2 cups of dry rice could feed 5-6 hungry folks.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Yep hungry


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Presoaking the beans longer will make them cook easier also presoaking the rice especially brown rice .I mainly used mine with dry meats or pre-cooked beans, even non-boil pasta work for a quick pasta dish. Haven`t used it for a while but in camping trips and away from camp I would cook the beans or rice and chicken while away ,mainly using pre-cooked canned goods or dry meats, you have to remember that meats need a proper temp before consumption .It takes a little while to become proficient with this type of cookery especially in the measurements of liquids ,back east it was called vacuum pots ,heavily used in Japan and Korea but is not for everybody, it takes time for meals, 6-8 hours ,and it was mainly used for rice ,soups ,vegetables ,fish ,etc.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Yeah, those are the variables I'm playing with. I mainly want to use it for clandestine bug in cooking I just want to work out the kinks now. Mine came with only 1 pot. I want to find 2 smaller pots that fit so I can do 2 separate items at the same time. Like a stew in one and rice in the other.


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