What is it?
The Stanley Camp Crock is a large-scale vacuum flask. It is large enough to contain a family meal. The vacuum between the inner and outer shell prevents heat from crossing into or out of the camp crock. You can keep hot food hot and cold food (think ice cream) cold. Carry this camp crock on a trip, and you can enjoy a meal on the road. For purposes of this article, we will refer to the camp crock as a thermal cooker.
Why a Thermal Cooker is Important
The Stanley Camp Crock is essential for travellers, camping, and emergencies where power conservation is critical. The insulating nature of this product contains a significant advantage in cooking food. This product is similar to a slow cooker, except it does not use power. With a traditional slow cooker, you heat the food in a cock pot slowly throughout the day. Power is applied to the crockpot to replace lost heat as the food is cooked. Heat must be replaced in a crockpot because the ceramic container is not a good insulator. This thermal cooker is highly insulated. The need to add lost heat is unnecessary. This thermal cooker saves energy.
Emergency Use Case
Use cases for travelling, camping, and emergencies where power conservation is critical are very similar. We will reference an emergency where power conservation is essential. A typical emergency may result in the loss of power. Cooking food may require a portable camp stove or an induction cooker connected to a solar system. Minimising power use is vital in either situation if the emergency is elongated.
Instructions for use:
- Preheat the thermal cooker with hot water. You may obtain hot water with a portable stove or your water heater.
- Cook your food in a separate pot until it reaches a boil.
- Pour out the hot water from the thermal cooker.
- Add the boiling mixture of food from a pan to the thermal cooker.
- Place the lid on the thermal cooker (open the vent cap for easier sealing).
- Wait six to eight hours.
After the wait, you can enjoy the food as if you cooked it in a slow cooker. The temperature drop over a six to eight-hour period is minimal, and your food continues to cook. Food will remain safe to eat for 12 hours. Food starting at 100℃ will drop below 60℃ after 12 hours. Temperatures under 60℃ are not safe. If you plan on extending the food holding time beyond 12 hours, open the thermal heater and reheat the contents if longer storage time is required.
The above will work for emergencies and non-emergencies alike. In a test case, we used 25 grams of propane gas on a grill boss portable stove to preheat the thermal cooker and heat the food to a boil. Once we secured the food in the thermal cooker, we headed out of town on a six-hour road trip. We vented the lid at each stop for fuel and restroom breaks to avoid pressure buildup. At our destination, we enjoyed dinner.
Advantages
Heat is applied at the beginning of the process, and very little heat is lost. Energy is saved. Food can be kept hot for hours and enjoyed at a convenient time. We found that eight hours of holding time results in comfortably hot food. Going past this point results in food that is not as hot. If you plan on extending beyond 12 hours, open the thermal heater and reheat the contents if longer storage time is required. Keep the temperature above 60℃.
Disadvantages
The food must be stew or soup-like. A liquid must surround the food to maintain temperature. Going past 12 hours (depending on environmental temperatures) results in warm food (below 60℃) that may be unsafe to eat. If you plan on extending beyond 12 hours, open the thermal heater and reheat the contents if longer storage time is required.
Cleaning
Cleaning is simple. Use soap and water to clean the inside and outside of the thermal cooker. Use a drying rack and store it in a cool place. This thermal cooker is dishwasher safe.
Where to Find Thermal Cooker
You can order the thermal cooker on Amazon. As an Amazon affiliate, if you click on the sponsored link and make a purchase, we earn commissions at no cost to you to support this website: Stanley Adventure Stay Hot 3QT Camp Crock – Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Pot.