Cooking in a Basket

Latest News from Musul in Laikipia

2011-06-30T11:51:00.006+01:00

2011 sees the exciting arrival of a new head teacher for the young maasai children attending Sherston Musul Primary School in Laikipia, Kenya. After much hard work and fundraising the new primary school now has accommodation for a teacher as well as a kitchen block and an extra classroom. Please visit the Sherston Musul website to see how you may be able to help the school achieve more water-tank, guttering, sports equipment and other much-needed facilities.

Good news from Musul in Laikipia, Kenya

2009-10-20T11:14:00.001+01:00

The following good news was received on 16/10/09 from Gordon Liddle regarding the drought in Laikipia and development of the new Sherston Musul Primary School.

"It has finally started to rain in Kenya! Just over an inch so far (over the last week) but Sherston Musul Primary School are confident that the rains have now started. The water tanks you helped to fund are already more than half full - including the new Musul tank - new gutters are working and we have only have one leak. This is being fixed this week..."

Further news, information and photos, including how you can help to donate to the Sherston Musul Primary School development project can be found at http://www.sherstonmusul.com/.

When the Cooking Basket is Empty...

2009-06-14T13:50:00.000+01:00

In November 2004 I visited the remote semi-arid region of Western Mukogodo in Laikipia, Kenya for the very first time. Since then I have spent several weeks living with the local Maasai community based at Musul, a beautiful conservation area with resident leopards, eland, migratory elephants and stunning views of Mount Kenya in the distance. Whilst I was there during December 2006 the women of the community were introduced to the use of Cooking baskets as a means of helping to save firewood and water.

This week I received the following heart-wrenching request for help from Daniel LeMolo on behalf of the community at Musul -

"We are continuing struggling with the drought here with no rain at all...The situation at Musul is worst ever seen. No water, no food, children fainting in the class and a lot of problems. So, to your website, if people can donate so that we can try to feed these kids so we don't lose them to hunger. Please put this request to your website."

A recent newspaper article about the terrible effects of the drought in Laikipia can also be seen by clicking here.

If any of you would also like to make a monetry donation to help the children attend and receive a much-needed meal at local primary school (probably the only meal that they will eat in a day), please visit the Sherston Musul Primary School website where it is possible to make a PayPal donation or send a cheque.

The Sherston Musul website has been set up to help raise awareness and funds for the further development of Sherston Musul Primary School (provision of facilities such as classrooms, uniforms, books, writing materials, school meals, etc). The funds and funding priorities at the school are administered locally by Gill Ellias at O'Lentile in Kenya.

Further information about Musul and related links can be found at 'Postcards from Kenya'.

Root Vegetable & Ginger Soup

2009-01-18T11:28:00.000Z

Happy New Year!
Here's a delicious, economical soup to help warm you up this winter-

Ingredients (- please adjust quantities to suit)

1 onion. chopped
1/2 a leek, chopped
Mixture of available winter vegetables (eg. carrot, swede, turnip, sweet potato, parsnip, Irish potato), chopped
1 large tomato, chopped or 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1 inch fresh ginger, chopped or grated
Half a cup of red split lentils
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
Dash of Worcestershire sauce or HP sauce (if desired/available)
1 teaspoon of dried thyme or parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh herbs if available)
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon natural yoghurt (if desired)
1 1/2 litres water

Method
1) Heat oil in a large saucepan, add chopped onions and leek and cook gently until softened.
2) Then add chopped mixed vegetables, ginger and chopped tomato. Cover and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3) Add water, stock cube, herbs, lentils. Stir thoroughly.
4) Add Worcestershire or HP sauce to taste.
5) Cover and gradually bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
6) Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
7) Place covered saucepan in cooking basket or haybox for 1 hour or so to finish cooking (or longer if required).
8) When cooked, blend soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
9) If desired, drizzle some natural yoghurt on top of soup before serving.

Delicious served hot with (or without) some fresh home-baked bread.

Using a Hay Box or Cooking Basket could help reduce your fuel bills...

2008-10-13T12:34:00.000+01:00

In difficult financial times like these, cooking with a traditional Hay Box or Cooking Basket could help you to reduce the amount of cooking fuel that you use, thereby helping to save money and cut the cost of your household bills.

This 'Cooking in a Basket' blog includes instructions on how to make a Hay Box and Cooking Basket, as well as a variety of recipes to help get you started, and links to other related websites.

If you have any recipes or other useful suggestions of your own to help save money in the kitchen, please send them in and I'll include them here.

More Good 'Hay Box Cooking' Links

2008-06-11T18:01:00.000+01:00

Some more interesting websites about Hay Box cooking can be found at the following links:.

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/hayboxcooker.htm

http://www.preparedhome.co.uk/articles/haybox.htm

http://www.lostvalley.org/haybox1.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1980-01-01/Rediscover-the-Hay-Box-Cooker.aspx

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5307/tips.html#hay_box

http://www.ssrsi.org/Onsite/PDFbin/Haybox_flyer.pdf

http://community-2.webtv.net/adowning/FirelessCooking/

http://www.talkingleaves.org/node/142

http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/Anderson/haybox/HayboxBib.pdf

Fireless Cookers in History

2008-05-19T15:08:00.000+01:00

The Household Energy Network (HEDON) is developing a useful page of links for Fireless Cookers in History. You can find this at their website:
http://www.hedon.info/goto.php/FirelessCookersInHistory

Many thanks to another 'Cooking in a Basket' fan who has also sent the following link:

Book Title: BULLETIN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - NO. 217
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERIES, VOL. 1. No. 1

THE FIRELESS COOKER BY ELLEN ALDEN HUNTINGTON, A. B. Instructor in the University of Wisconsin 1908
http://books.google.com/books?id=zsVJAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover

More great links can also be found by doing a Google search for 'Fireless Cookers'.

If there are any links that you would like to particularly recommend or review, then please send them in and I'll post them here.

How Cooking Baskets & Haybox Technology May Help Refugees and Others in Kenya

2008-01-13T11:30:00.000Z

There has been an increased number of hits here on 'Cooking in a Basket' over the past week or so from places such as Nakuru where a large number of displaced Kenyans are now staying following the violence that has erupted in Western Kenya and Rift Valley since the disputed General Election at the end of December. I'm hoping that the cooking basket information will be able to reach members of the UN, Red Cross and other Aid Agencies who may then help to disseminate this to more local people who are living and working on the ground.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cooking Baskets and haybox technology, padded cooking baskets (or padded sacks) act like a thermos and help to reduce the amount of cooking fuel and water that is needed to cook food and could be a great help to the hundreds of thousands of people in Kenya and elsewhere who are struggling to survive at the moment - particularly those who have been displaced from their homes or are living in in areas where fuel and water is either in short supply and/or very expensive to buy.

This 'Cooking in a Basket' website has instructions for making and using a simple Cooking Basket (and a padded cooking sack/haybox), as well as recipes for cooking beans, maize, rice, etc, which are some of the staple items of food being distributed by aid agencies to those in need.
For more information please click on relevant links in the Contents part of this blog.

If you are able to help with passing on the above information to aid agencies and local people in Kenya, or if you are able to forward this website link to other contacts who may be able to assist, then please do so.

(Latest daily newspaper coverage direct from Kenya can be found at The Standard on line and Daily Nation on line.)

New Guestbook

2007-11-05T14:51:00.000Z

Hi!
We have now topped the 3,000 visitor mark! You are one of many people from around the world who has now visited ´Cooking in a Basket´. Perhaps you have stumbled across us through Yahoo or Google, been referred by a friend, or found your way here from HEDON´s bio-energy site. Maybe your interest is learning more about Cooking Baskets and Hay Box cooking or simply to check out a few new recipes for your steamer or crockpot. Whatever your country, interest or background it would be good to hear from you at CCI´Kenya´s new Guestbook.

Cooking Baskets and Hay Boxes

2007-05-01T12:14:00.000+01:00

Hay boxes have been around for a considerable time and are regularly used in many countries of the world, including countries in the West. Throughout this period traditional hay box technology has been proved to be both simple and highly effective at saving cooking fuel, money and local environments. Cooking Baskets are simply a variation on the same theme - instead of using a box stuffed with hay, you are using a padded basket.

If you are interested in finding out more about the use and history of Hay boxes there are some good websites available - do Google search for Hay box or check out the 'More about Hay Boxes' link here.

If you are a Hay Box or Cooking Basket user already, or think that you'd like to try one out for yourself at home, please leave a comment &/or a hay box/cooking basket review here with this post.

Many thanks and enjoy your cooking!

Times Past...

2007-04-22T15:14:00.000+01:00

Did your Grandmother or Great Grandmother ever use a Hay Box or Cooking Basket (fuel-less cooker) for cooking?

I understand that these were used a lot in the UK by generations in times gone by as a means of saving cooking fuel. The British Government apparently also encouraged people to use hay boxes during the 2nd World War for the same reason. Fuel-less cookers such as these must therefore have been taken very seriously at one time or another.

If possible, it would be good to make a collection of these old recipes and reminiscences...
If you can help, please post them in.

Cooking Basket and Steamer

2007-03-26T20:06:00.000+01:00

The Kakamega Cooking Basket that I use at home is large enough to hold a double-decker saucepan and steamer set such as this one. This is a great way to cook more than one thing at a time, eg - cooking stew, rice or potatoes in the bottom whilst vegetables such as diced carrots and fresh peas happily steam cook on top.

With no long handles to worry about, the bottom saucepan is ideal for cooking stews and other main recipes in the Cooking Basket, with or without the steamer.

Adaptable Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Recipes

2007-03-19T16:20:00.000Z

A number of the recipes here at 'Cooking in a Basket' are aimed at people living in difficult conditions where ingredients are scarce and who may have little or no money to enable them to eat more than simple maize and beans each day.

However, 'Cooking in a Basket' is also trying to encourage people living in more affluent circumstances to use Cooking Baskets or hay boxes, too. And for this reason, 'Cooking in a Basket' also includes a wide variety of recipes to try and suit a variety of tastes and pockets.

More experienced cooks and those with access to a good variety of ingredients might also find a little extra recipe inspiration for their Cooking Baskets at crock-pot and slow cooker websites such as Busy Cooks, A Crock Cook and others.

With a little suitable adaptation many crock pot or slow cooker recipes should also work well in a Cooking Basket. Adam (see Comment under Call for More Recipes) says that his White Chilli recipe is one that he has already adapted from use with his crock pot and he is also encouraging his crock pot friends to try out using a Cooking Basket, too.

Please don't forget to let us know how you get on and which recipes work particularly well (or not, as the case may be).....And don't forget to keep sending in your recipes so that we can share them here at 'Cooking in a Basket'.

Recipe for Pearl Barley and Mushroom Casserole

2007-03-17T17:58:00.000Z

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 large onions, peeled & sliced
3/4 lb (350g) small mushrooms, sliced
2 green (bell) peppers, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 lb (350g or 1 1/2 cups) pearl barley, soaked overnight
1 x 14 oz can of tomatoes (or 4 to 6 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
3/4 cup (6 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons of freshly chopped thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped

Method:
Heat oil in saucepan, add onions, cover and gently cook until softened
Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add tomatoes, stock, green peppers, pearl barley and thyme
NB Also add a mug of water if you are using fresh tomatoes instead of tinned tomatoes
Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir well
Cover and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally
Boil gently for 10 minutes then place saucepan in Cooking Basket for 1 to 1/2 hours to finish cooking.

Serve topped with chopped parsley.

Cooking Basket Recipe for Sausage and Bean Risotto

2007-03-17T17:32:00.000Z

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into rings
4 beef or pork sausages, roughly chopped
A small amount of smoked sausage, roughly chopped (optional)
Half a mug of cooked red kidney beans
Half a mug of rice, cleaned and washed
1 x 14oz tin of chopped tomatoes, or 4-6 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons paprika
2 mugs of water (NB add an extra mug of water if you are using fresh tomatoes)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Using a medium-sized saucepan, gently fry onions in the oil until softened
Add sausages and cook until browned all over
Add carrots, beans, tomatoes and paprika and stir until mixed well together
Add water and salt to taste
Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to stop rice from sticking
Cover and boil for 10 mins
Remove saucepan from the stove or fire and place it in the Cooking Basket for about 1 1/2 hours.

If you wish, you can serve this with grated cheese on top.

Home cooking & travel baskets...

2007-03-14T22:05:00.000Z

Now I'm back at home from my latest 4 months in Kenya, I'll hopefully have a little more time and opportunity to try and broaden the information available here at 'Cooking in a Basket' to include your own experiences of using a Cooking Basket or haybox technology - both in Kenya & UK as well as other parts of the world.

I recently stumbled on a blog by a craft-talented lady in New Zealand called Rach who found us here at 'Cooking in a Basket' for the first time in February and she is now developing her own travel version of a cooking basket or cooking bag for backpackers...A large outer bag with a smaller 'draw-string' bag inside to hold the pot. She suggests using spare clothes to provide the stuffing in between. It's a great idea & good to read of her enthusiasm. A few people who had left comments on her blog had successfully tried cooking rice for themselves, which is great. Her recipes also look good and I'm looking forward to trying out some of these, too.

Out of interest, an elderly friend up here at home in Shetland, UK, recently told me that people used to use Cooking Baskets or hay boxes to make beer in times gone by, as well as for cooking regular meals. I'll see if it's possible to find some of these old recipes from times past and give them a dusting off again...

Ingirid, another friend in Shetland, proudly showed me her own Cooking Basket that she made at home over this winter...

As well as using a large cooking pot in the Cooking Basket or Hay box, she also says that it's possible to use smaller 'pot dividers' like those shown in her photo. So, if you are cooking for just one or two people then the 'pot dividers' (sorry, I don't know their proper name) mean you can cook more than one thing at a time (eg. stew in one, potatoes or rice in another & veg in the third). Ingirid says her Cooking Basket also makes great yoghurt. Thanks, Ingirid. Keep the ideas & recipes coming in...

More about Cooking Baskets in Kenya

2007-03-14T20:06:00.000Z

Cooking Basket's can help to make a huge difference for the better, especially for those living in some of the poorer parts of the world. In Kenya, for example, each back-load of firewood collected by women and young girls, whether in a rain forest or semi-arid area, will only last on average for about 4 days-worth of cooking. 1 large log of wood like the one in this photo only lasts for approx 1 hour. The staple meal of Githere (beans and maize) usually takes around 4 to 5 hours to cook each day, therefore needing around 5 or 6 logs. Simply by soaking the beans and maize the night before and then using a Cooking Basket to help cook them, the Githere will only need 30 minutes of boiling time instead of 4 to 5 hours...In this way, only 1 or 2 logs are needed instead of the usual 5 or 6. In other words - there is a reduction of approx 50% to 70% in the use of cooking fuel which is similar to that which I have at home in UK whilst cooking with my gas.

Back in Kenya, collecting firewood &/or charcoal for cooking is demanding both physically and also in regard to the amount of time required and it is the women and young girls who have to do the fetching and carrying of firewood on their heads &/or their backs. As well as the physical hardship, there is also the potential danger of elephants, buffalo, or other wildlife to contend with, as well as the possibility of arrest for the illegal collection of firewood and charcoal in protected areas such as the Kakamega rain forest.

Uncontrolled depletion of trees and fuel-wood, whether in a local rain forest or semi-arid area, can cause major problems with erosion, reduced rain-fall, loss of local water sources and also mean a greater distance to go in order to collect firewood and water. Cooking Baskets can also help to reduce the amount of water that is needed for cooking, too - a major advantage when it is sometimes necessary for women and girls to walk between 3 to 18 km for water each day, particularly during times of water shortage or prolonged drought....

During my latest 4 months living and working as a volunteer in Kenya I was able to give Cooking Basket demonstrations to local community groups in both the Kakamega rain forest in the Western Highlands of Kenya as well as to local maasai community groups in a remote area of Laikipia. Both communities are very keen to make and use Cooking Baskets to help with local environmental conservation and to help improve local lives and livelihoods. As an income-generating (small business) activity for local community or youth groups, the money that may be earned from making and selling the cooking baskets will be a great help, whilst savings made on the reduced need for purchasing kerosene and charcoal can be used to help buy food, clothes and other essential items for the family as well as helping to pay for a child's education, or basic health care, etc.

Please click here to make a donation or to help sponsor the setting-up of a new Cooking Basket initiative for a local Maasai community in Kenya...

Recipe - Kitchri (Brown Rice and Mung Beans)

2007-03-14T16:40:00.000Z

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
half teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
quarter teaspoon chilli powder
1 large potato, diced
4 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
3/4 lb (350g) (2 cups) mung beans, cleaned washed and soaked overnight, then drained
3/4 lb (350g) (2 cups) brown rice, cleaned and washed
1 pint milk
1 pint water
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method:

Heat oil in large saucepan over a moderate heat on your normal cooking stove.
Carefully fry the onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
Stir in the spices.
Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring so they do not burn.
Add the potato and tomatoes.
Stir in the mung beans and the rice.
Fry for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
Add the milk and water, salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil.
Cover the pan and gently boil on the stove for 10 minutes.
Remove saucepan from the stove and carefully place in the Cooking Basket. Cover and leave to finish cooking in the basket for another 30 to 40 minutes (or until the rice & beans are tender).
Adjust seasoning to taste and add lemon juice before serving.

This meal can be served with poppadums or chapatis, salad and chutney.

Recipe - Rabbit with Prunes

2007-03-14T16:00:00.000Z

NB. This recipe is a little more unusual and although the ingredients might not be available to everyone, I have included it to show the variety of food that can be cooked in a Cooking Basket.
Other recipes with a simpler range of cheap, more readily available ingredients can be found elsewhere here in the website.

Rabbit with Prunes...

Ingredients:
1 rabbit, skinned and cut into portions
1/2 lb (225g) prunes
1 pint (575ml) cold tea, strained
2 oz (50g) dripping or lard
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/2 pint (275ml) chicken stock
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade:
1 onion, skinned and chopped
1/4 pint (150ml) medium sherry
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Method:

Combine all of the marinade ingredients together in a dish and add the rabbit pieces.
In a separate dish, por the cold tea over the prunes.
Leave the rabbit and the prunes to marinade (soak) for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat it dry.
Strain and reserve the marinade.
Heat the dripping or lard in a saucepan or dutch oven.
Add the rabbit pieces and brown on all sides.
Remove the rabbit from the pan.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan and allow to brown.
Add the strained marinade and the stock.
Return the rabbit to the pan.
Add the prunes and any soaking liquid that remains.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to the boil.
Cover with a lid and reduce the heat.
Gently boil on the stove for 20 minutes then carefully place the lidded saucepan or dutch oven in the Cooking Basket for 1 and a half to 2 hours or until the rabbit is tender.

Recipe for Stew with Dumplings

2007-03-14T15:13:00.000Z

(NB. You can use beef or goat if lamb is unavailable)

Ingredients:

For the stew
2 lb (900g) stewing lamb, trimmed of fat & cut into cubes
2 tablespoons plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions
1/2 lb (225g) potatoes cut into cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into rings,
1 small swede (orange turnip) peeled and cut into cubes,
1 tablespoon of pearl barley (soaked overnight)
1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
1 3/4 cups (14 fluid oz) water

For the dumplings
2 oz (50g) shredded suet
4 oz (100g) self-raising flour
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Toss the meat in seasoned flour
Put meat and onions, potatoes, carrot, swede, pearl barley and dried herbs in large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil.
Remove any scum that forms with a spoon.
Reduce the heat, cover and boil gently for 20 mins.
Remove from the stove and carefully place the covered saucepan in the Cooking Basket.
Leave to continue cooking in the Cooking Basket for around 1 and a half hours.

Now make the dumplings.

Mix the suet, parsley and seasoning together.
Mix in enough water to make an soft (elastic) dough.
Divide the dough into 8 balls.
Put the saucepan back onto your normal stove or fire and gently bring the stew back to the boil.
Drop the dumplings into the stew.
Replace the lid and leave to gently boil on the stove for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked.

Serve stew immediately or return to the Cooking Basket to keep warm if you prefer to eat later.

How to make a Cooking Basket or Hay Sack (Fuel-less Cooker)

2007-02-04T08:51:00.000Z

Cooking Baskets (fuel-less cookers based on the old idea of Hay Box technology), are already being made by several community and women's groups in different parts of Kenya, such as the Kakamega rain forest and Arabuko Sokoke, and can be bought here locally.

'Shimwelo' Kakamega Forest Cooking Baskets, made by members of the Kakamega Environmental Education Programme (KEEP), are also available for sale at the Nature Kenya shop which is based at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi.

If you don't have access to these and other Cooking Baskets and wish to make your own, or if you wish to start a small income generating project for your local community or women's group in your own home area then I hope you will find the following instructions helpful.

Materials needed to make a medium-sized Cooking Basket:

A container (preferably a basket, but it's also possible to use a large sack or a sturdy box).

NB. Choose a container that is large enough to contain your cooking pot once the container has been thickly padded. A basket container can be made from sturdy material, or sisal, or reeds, or willow, etc. In fact, the basket can be as simple or as fancy as you like, such as the ones shown here in the photographs. If you are making a hay sack, make sure that any tears in in the sack are sewn closed first. For a Hay Box, make sure that your box container is reasonably sturdy.

You will also need:

Scissors, needle and strong thread, about 20 metres.
A sheet of plastic, about 2 metres by 2 metres.
A piece of material, about 3 metres by 3 metres.
A medium-sized cooking pot (without handles) and lid.
Stuffing material (this can be whatever you have available to you, eg. approx 1 sackful of hay/dried banana leaves/warm blanket material/pillow or duvet stuffing/ shredded paper/polystyrene packaging/wool, etc. In fact, whatever is a good insulator and will help to retain heat.)

NB. The sheet of plastic has two purposes: first, it keeps the steam in & helps to stop heat escaping and it also stops the sack or basket getting moist. An extra piece of material is also useful to wrap the hot cooking pot when you are transferring it and out of the Cooking Basket or Hay Sack.. This extra piece of material also helps to protect the inside of the sack or basket from the sooty-bottom of your pot (the piece of material is easier to clean than the basket or the sack itself)

Constructing your Cooking Basket or Hay Sack

Make a 'nest' inside the basket or sack or box by thickly padding the bottom and sides with clean dry stuffing material (see above). The padding should be firm and about 4 inches thick (the widest part of your hand) all around the nest.
When you have done this line the inside of the 'nest' with the sheet of plastic and trim the plastic to fit neatly.
If you are making a Cooking Basket, now make a final lining for the 'nest' using a piece of the material. Cut the material to the size that you need then neatly sew the material so that it holds the plastic and the stuffing material firmly in place. (It is not necessary to use material to line your Hay Sack or Hay Box).
Finally, make a cushion to cover the top of your Cooking Basket or Hay Sack or Hay Box. Make the cushion using another piece of the lining material or another piece of sack. Now firmly pad the cushion with the stuffing material so that the cushion is also about 4 inches (the width of a hand) thick. If you are making a hay box then a large cushion or a pillow will do.

For further information on how to use a cooking basket please also see 'Suggested Cooking Times' and 'Recipes'

RELATED LINKS:

Recipe for African Peanut Soup

2007-02-04T08:50:00.000Z

African Peanut Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons corn oil or olive oil

3 medium onions, chopped

2 large peppers, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 x 800g can crushed tomatoes, with liquid (or 6 to 8 large crushed fresh tomatoes)

8 cups of vegetable broth or stock

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

2/3 cup of extra crunchy peanut butter

½ cup uncooked brown rice, cleaned and washed

Method:

Heat oil in a large stock pot over a medium high heat.
Cook onions and peppers until lightly browned and tender, stir in garlic when almost done to prevent burning.
Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock, pepper and chili powder.
Bring to the boil then gently simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
Stir in rice then cover and gently boil for another 5 minutes.
Cover with a lid and then put cooking pot into the Cooking Basket for another 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Stir in peanut butter until well blended, and serve.

Recipe for Curried Pumpkin

2007-02-04T08:48:00.000Z

Curried Pumpkin

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon beef stock or Mchuzi mix, or stock cube

1 ½ cups of water

3 tablespoons corn oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Stir fry onions in oil.
Add chopped pumpkin and cover.
Add water and curry powder and beef stock.
Cover and bring to the boil on the stove.
Boil gently for 10 minutes then place cooking pot in the Cooking Basket for 1 hour or until soft.

Recipe for Njahi (black beans, potatoes and bananas)

2007-02-04T08:47:00.000Z

Njahi (black beans, potatoes and bananas)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

11b (500g) black beans

Salt to taste

5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

5 plantains or unripe bananas, peeled and cut into small pieces

Method:

Clean and wash the beans and then soak them overnight in clean water.
In the morning, add salt to taste and bring to the boil on the stove.
Cover and boil gently for 20 minutes.
Add bananas and potatoes and bring back to the boil for another 10 minutes.
Place the lidded cooking pot in the Cooking Basket for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until tender.
Drain if necessary then mash all together until firm.

Adjust salt to taste.

Recipe for Mataha (beans & maize with potatoes)

2007-02-04T08:44:00.000Z

Mataha (beans and maize with potatoes)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

½ 1b (250g) dried red beans

1lb (500g) dried maize

salt to taste

8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

10 pumpkin leaves, coarsely chopped (or spinach leaves if preferred)

Method:

Clean and wash beans and maize then soak them overnight in clean water.
In the morning add salt to taste and bring them to the boil.
Cover and boil gently for 20 minutes then add chopped potatoes.
Cover again and boil gently together for a further 10 minutes.
Add pumpkin or spinach leaves.
Remove from the heat and place the lidded cooking pot in a Cooking Basket for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until soft.
Drain if necessary and then mash the beans, maize, potatoes and leaves all together until dense and firm.
Add more salt to taste if needed.

Recipe for Special Githere

2007-02-04T08:42:00.000Z

Special Githere (beans & maize)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cups of red beans

2 cups of maize

2 small onions, chopped

1 tablespoon corn oil

1 cup of water

2 teaspoons curry powder (or fresh spice if available) or ¼ teaspoon ground tumeric and a pinch each of cayenne pepper, cumin, corriander, cloves and cinnamon

1 beef stock cube or Muchuzi mix, or 4 teaspoons of beef stock

Salt to taste

Method:

Clean and wash beans and maize and soak in clean water overnight.
Next morning, add salt to taste and bring to the boil on the stove.
Cover and boil gently for 30 minutes.
In another pan, gently fry onions in oil on a low heat until soft and then add these to the bean and maize mixture.
Add another cup of water and the curry and beef stock and mix well
Bring back to the boil then place the lidded cooking pot in the Cooking Basket for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the beans and maize are soft.
Mash all together and then serve.

Recipe for Githere

2007-02-04T08:40:00.000Z

Easy Githere (beans & maize)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ 1b (250g) dried red beans

1 1b (500g) dried maize

salt to taste

3 medium onions, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method:

Clean and wash beans and maize with water.
Soak them in clean water overnight.
In the morning, add salt to taste and then bring to the boil on the stove.
Cover with a lid and boil gently on the stove for 30 minutes then place the lidded cooking pot in Cooking Basket for another 1 ½ to 2 hours or until beans and maize are soft.
Fry onions in some oil in a separate cooking pot until they are soft, then add them to the beans and maize before serving.

Recipe for Easy Pilau Rice

2007-02-04T08:37:00.000Z

Easy Pilau Rice

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 small garlic cloves, crushed

1 cinnamon stick, or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon crushed fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 chicken stock cube

2 cups of rice

4 ½ cups water

Method:

Quickly stir the onions, garlic, cinnamon, ginger and salt in the oil over a high heat.
Add the stock cube and mix.
Add rice and continue stirring the mixture the mixture continually for a few more minutes.
Add the water & bring to boil.
Stir briefly to stop the rice from sticking then cover with lid.
Turn down the heat & boil gently for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat & place the lidded cooking pot in the Cooking Basket for a further 30 minutes to finish cooking.

Fuel-less cookers - an answer in the fight against global climate change

2007-01-22T09:39:00.000Z

Cooking Basket technology is is very simple but highly effective. However, it would seem that its very simplicity in a highly technological world such as ours has led it to be overlooked as a major reducer of carbon emissions and direct means of environmental conservation.

Used in conjunction with your usual cooking stove (whether gas, electricity, firewood, charcoal or kerosene), the humble Cooking Basket can help to save up to 50% to 70% of your cooking fuel.
If every household regularly used one, then the fight against global climate change would be well on the way...

I use a Cooking Basket regularly at home in UK, as well as when I'm visiting the Kakamega forest in the western highlands of Kenya. I have also recently spent 2 weeks successfully using a Cooking Basket with a local maasai community in a remote semi-arid area of Kenya, too, demonstrating that Cooking Baskets can in fact be used in any environment, anywhere.

To give a practical example, at home in UK 1 large red gas cylinder used to last me for 3 months, but used in conjunction with a Cooking Basket, that same red gas cylinder now lasts for around 5 months. In the rain forest and semi-arid areas, the Cooking Basket also makes a direct saving on firewood and charcoal and therefore helps to conserve local trees and forests.

So, you know? We don't have to wait for some great scientific discovery or a big multi-national corporation to come up with an expensive solution to the energy challenge that is being talked about in the news so much as the moment. We can all do something simple and positive in our own homes right now.

A little encouragement

2007-01-13T11:11:00.000Z

Whilst it seems at first to take longer to cook some things using a Cooking Basket, it can actually save you time each day - for example, enabling you to prepare food early in the morning before leaving for work and then having it ready & cooked when you come home again at lunch time or evening... There are many different recipes that can be used with the Cooking Basket, too - ones that you may regularly make by cooking on top of the stove or by cooking as a casserole in the oven... Although the Cooking Basket cannot fry or roast or grill food, I regularly use mine to cook just about everything else that I would otherwise cook by simmering, casseroling, stewing or boiling. It makes great soups, stews and curries, for example, and can cook rice to perfection.
So, why not have a look through your favourite recipe book at home and see what you can adapt.

If you have any favourite recipes that work well, then please send them in to us and we'll share them here on Cooking in a Basket...

Even if you are a little timid at first and just start by using the cooking basket to cook rice, potatoes, pasta or vegetables whilst you prepare another part of your meal in your usual way, you may still make a saving on the amount of cooking fuel that you use. And with a little practice and confidence and some small adjustments to your cooking routine you could also become a Cooking Basket fan, too. I hope so!

What do you think about using a Cooking Basket at home?

2007-01-13T10:40:00.000Z

Hi,
So, what do you think about using a Cooking Basket at home? Do you think that it could it become a regular part of your kitchen - like having a fondue set, blender, microwave or griddle?
Do you think that with a little practice and confidence it could catch on? Why not send us in your comments here at Cooking in a Basket and see what others also think....

Website links

2007-01-12T06:20:00.000Z

The following sites also give some more useful information on the Cooking Baskets discussed in this blog, as well as other interesting ways of cooking to conserve energy. (Miss Maggie's Cooking Curanto is well worth a visit).

http://www.cci-kenya.blogspot.com

http://www.hedon.info/goto.php/view/395/forum.htm

http://www.missmaggie.org/mission2_parts/eng/teaching/cooking_curanto.html

http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/Design/haybox.html

http://www.tilz.tearfund.org/publications/Footsteps+11-20/Footsteps+16/cooking+without+fuel.htm

http://www.ipsterraviva.net/Africa/viewstory.asp?idnews=856

SOME SUGGESTED COOKING TIMES

2007-01-12T06:07:00.000Z

The Cooking Basket that we are focussing on in this blog is a type of fire-less cooker which works without using fuel such as firewood, charcoal, gas or electricity to power it. Instead, the basket is a well-padded, insulated container which works like thermos – thereby holding & using the heat of the food &/or liquid inside it.

When using a Cooking Basket, you begin cooking your food on your normal cooking fire, stove or jiko in the usual way (but for a much shorter time than usual) and then you place the saucepan (sufria) containing the boiling hot food into the Cooking Basket for the cooking process to finish. If used well, the Cooking Basket can help to save 50% to 70% of the fuel that is usually needed for cooking.

The Cooking Basket can also reduce the amount of water that is needed for cooking, too, especially beans, peas & lentils which need a long time & a lot of water to cook on the normal fire or cooking stove. These can be cooked using the cooking basket before adding them to other ingredients such as a soup, stew or Githere, but remember that the beans must be boiled on your usual fire or stove for at least 15 to 30 minutes first in order to make them safe to eat.

It's even possible to use the Cooking basket to cook vegetable & meat stews. Just bring the food to a boil on your normal fire or cooking stove, then make sure the lid is securely on the cooking pot, carefully wrap the pot in the cloth and place the pot inside the Cooking Basket.

As soon as you have done this, cover the pot & the top of the basket with the padded cushion provided - making sure that you don’t leave any gaps. The Cooking Basket will then hold the heat in the food so that it will continue cooking without using extra fuel. The basket also helps to keep hot food warm for up to 6 hours.

The following are some suggested cooking times for when using a Cooking Basket along with your normal stove.

Rice (when cooked on its own): 5 mins boiling time, then 30 to 40 mins in basket

Potatoes (1 inch cubes): 5 mins boiling time, then 1 hour in basket

Potatoes (whole or halved): 10 mins boiling time, then 1 to 2 hours in basket

Mixed vegetable soup or stew: 15 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*Green lentils: 30 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Red beans: 30 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*Split peas: 30 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Maize: 45 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Lamb, goat or beef soup or stew: 30 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*NB before cooking: Peas, beans, lentils &amp;amp; maize need to be cleaned & washed, then soaked overnight before cooking them next morning.

(This information can also be found at http://www.ccci-kenya.blogspot.com)

Spicy stew with vegetables (& also meat if you prefer)...

2007-01-12T05:54:00.000Z

This is a basic recipe idea which can be adapted to suit your own tastes and needs, according to your own personal budget and the ingredients that you have locally available.

(makes 4 or 5 medium-sized bowls of soup/stew. )

Ingredients

1 medium-sized Irish or sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes

1 carrot, peeled & cut into rings,

1 medium sized onion, peeled & chopped,

1 tomato, chopped

1 large spoonful of mchuzi (OYO) mix (or 1 stock cube, or curry powder)

1 litre water (you can add more water if you want, to make it more like a soup)

Salt to taste,

1 large spoonful of oil.

You can also add any of the following: cooked beans, maize, or peas; chopped sukuma wiki (spinach or kale), cabbage, grated coconut, chopped banana or plantain, or even a spoonful of peanut butter to add extra goodness & flavour. Half a cup of washed, uncooked rice (or pasta if you prefer)

If you want to use meat, ¼ or a ½ kg boneless lamb, goat or beef, cut into small cubes can be used.

What to do

1) Place the oil in a metal cooking pot (sufria) & heat gently on the stove or fire. (If possible use a cooking pot/saucepan without a long handle).

2) Put in the chopped onions & cook them in the hot oil until they are soft.

3) If you wish to use meat then add it now. Stir it carefully with the onions & oil for 5 mins to 10 mins until the meat has gone brown on the outside

4) Then add the chopped carrot & potato & stir everything together —do this with the sufria on the heat of the fire or stove for about two or three minutes.

5) Add the chopped tomato & sukuma wiki (spinach or cabbage), & any other vegetables that you would like to use, & stir these together well.

6) Then add the water to the cooking pot & cover with a lid.

7) Raise the heat on the fire or stove & bring the stew to the boil.

8) When the stew starts to boil, remove the lid & add the uncooked rice or pasta & stir once or twice to stop it sticking.

9) Now add Mchuzi mix (OYO, or stock cube) or curry powder & stir once or twice to mix.

10) Put the lid back on top of the sufria and leave the stew to cook on the fire or stove for a further 10 minutes. Finally, stir it one more time.

11) Carefully remove the hot cooking pot from the fire or stove, wrap it in the cloth provided and place it inside the cooking basket (making sure that its lid is still properly).

12) Now carefully place the padded cushion on top of the cooking pot – making sure that there are no gaps for the heat to escape.

13) Leave the stew in the cooking basket for a minimum of 1 & half to 2 hours.

14) After this the stew is cooked and ready to eat. (The basket will keep it warm for longer if needed.)

(This recipe can also be found at 'Postcards from Kenya' and our main CCI-Kenya website.)

Call for more recipes....

2007-01-10T08:53:00.001Z

Hi, if you are another adventurous cook already using a Cooking/Food Warming Basket like the ones on this blog, or maybe something similar, then please get in touch with your own thoughts and experiences...Where's that competition I'm looking for??

Also, if you have any good crock pot recipes, or any tasty soups, stews, casseroles, etc, that could be adapted for use in one of our Cooking Baskets, then please also send them in so we can try them out...

Come on, help to spread the word and be an adventurous cook, too....

Cooking Baskets in Kenya....

2007-01-10T08:53:00.000Z

More info about how to use the Cooking Basket, plus cooking times, recipe ideas, etc can be found on my http://www.cci-kenya.blogspot.com.

(You'll also find more photo's and some interesting stuff about youth and community groups and life living out there in the bush in Kenya....)

Cooking Baskets can be made simply and cheaply

2007-01-10T06:41:00.000Z

The production of Cooking Baskets is a very good income generating activity for small community or local women's groups and indeed, could be a good business opportunity for the more enterprising amongst you out there, too.

Cooking/Food Warming Baskets are already being made on a small scale by local community and women's groups in various parts of Kenya and in other countries around the world. My own Cooking Baskets were made for me by a local community group in the Kakamega rain forest in Kenya.

The Cooking Baskets can be made simply and cheaply using locally available materials. So potentially every household around the world could have one.

The basket itself can be anything from a simple rice sack or sisal basket to something more fancy such as the one shown in the photo - it just needs to be able to provide a container for your cooking pot.

Padding for the basket can be made using dried hay or banana leaves, or warm woollen blanket material, or pillow or duvet stuffing. The padding used to make the 'nest-type' lining for the basket needs to be at least the width of a hand (at least 4 inches) thick. The padded 'nest' is then lined with a strong plastic sheet or large plastic bag. A piece of material can then be sewn as a lining, to hold the padding and plastic sheet in place.

The size of the Cooking Basket can be made small, medium or large, depending upon the size of the cooking pot that it needs to hold. Once you have made the padded basket itself, you also need to make a padded cushion to cover the top of the basket. This also needs to be at least the width of a hand (ca 4 inches) thick and should be made using the same padding material as the basket.

For further information on how to make and use a cooking basket please also see the following links -

Cooking Basket (hay box) technology is very simple yet highly effective

2007-01-10T06:37:00.000Z

Cooking Basket (otherwise known as hay box) technology is is very simple but highly effective. However, it would seem that its very simplicity in a highly technological world such as ours has led it to be overlooked as a major reducer of carbon emissions and direct means of environmental conservation.

Used in conjunction with your usual cooking stove (whether gas, electricity, firewood, charcoal or kerosene), the humble Cooking Basket can help to save up to 50% to 70% of your cooking fuel.

If every household regularly used one, then the fight against global climate change would be well on the way...

I use a Cooking Basket regularly at home in UK, as well as when I'm visiting the Kakamega rain forest in the western highlands of Kenya. I have also recently spent 2 weeks successfully using a Cooking Basket with a local maasai community in a remote semi-arid area of Kenya, too, demonstrating that Cooking Baskets can in fact be used in any environment, anywhere.

To give a practical example, at home in UK 1 large red gas cylinder used to last me for 3 months, but now used in conjunction with the Cooking Basket, that same red gas cylinder lasts for around 5 months. In the rain forest and semi-arid areas, the Cooking Basket also makes a direct saving on firewood and charcoal and therefore helps to conserve local trees and forests....

So, you know? We don't have to wait for some great scientific discovery or a big multi-national corporation to come up with an expensive solution to the energy challenge that is being talked about in the news so much as the moment. We can all do something simple and positive in our own homes right now.

So, What is a Cooking Basket??

2007-01-10T06:34:00.001Z

....Well, it's a type of fire-less cooker which works without using fuel such as firewood, charcoal, gas or electricity to power it. Instead, the basket is a well-padded, insulated container which works just like a thermos – thereby holding & using the heat of the food &/or liquid inside it. The Cooking Basket can be used to cook a variety of meals including vegetable & meat stews, soups, beans, peas, lentils and rice.

Cooking in a Basket

Latest News from Musul in Laikipia

Good news from Musul in Laikipia, Kenya

When the Cooking Basket is Empty...

Root Vegetable & Ginger Soup

Using a Hay Box or Cooking Basket could help reduce your fuel bills...

More Good 'Hay Box Cooking' Links

Fireless Cookers in History

How Cooking Baskets & Haybox Technology May Help Refugees and Others in Kenya

New Guestbook

Cooking Baskets and Hay Boxes

Times Past...

Cooking Basket and Steamer

Adaptable Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Recipes

Recipe for Pearl Barley and Mushroom Casserole

Cooking Basket Recipe for Sausage and Bean Risotto

Home cooking & travel baskets...

More about Cooking Baskets in Kenya

Recipe - Kitchri (Brown Rice and Mung Beans)

Recipe - Rabbit with Prunes

Recipe for Stew with Dumplings

How to make a Cooking Basket or Hay Sack (Fuel-less Cooker)

Constructing your Cooking Basket or Hay Sack

Make a 'nest' inside the basket or sack or box by thickly padding the bottom and sides with clean dry stuffing material (see above). The padding should be firm and about 4 inches thick (the widest part of your hand) all around the nest.

Recipe for African Peanut Soup

Recipe for Curried Pumpkin

Recipe for Njahi (black beans, potatoes and bananas)

Recipe for Mataha (beans & maize with potatoes)

Recipe for Special Githere

Recipe for Githere

Recipe for Easy Pilau Rice

Fuel-less cookers - an answer in the fight against global climate change

A little encouragement

What do you think about using a Cooking Basket at home?

Website links

SOME SUGGESTED COOKING TIMES

Spicy stew with vegetables (& also meat if you prefer)...

Call for more recipes....

Cooking Baskets in Kenya....

Cooking Baskets can be made simply and cheaply

Cooking Basket (hay box) technology is very simple yet highly effective

So, What is a Cooking Basket??