Denis wrote:The "fireproof" bit is bothering me. I think I need some of that stuff a bit like rockwool....
That's not needed. The outside doesn't get hot enough.
Just use cotton cloth and cotton batting to make an insulated "jacket". Or use a cotton bath towel for the material. Have cutouts for the handle and dial selector. One of my SILs did that. She says it turns "low" into "medium", "medium" into "high", etc.
But do make sure that the jacket doesn't come down to whatever the cooker is resting on....ie. leave some air circulation room under the pot.
If I get a chance to see the particular SIL soon, I'll snap a pic of the crockpot jacket and post it.
"Life is a bitch. Shit happens. Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Acknowledge it, and move on."
Denis wrote:The "fireproof" bit is bothering me. I think I need some of that stuff a bit like rockwool, that people wrap their backyard furnaces in. Must investigate.
I actually thought about rock wool, but it seemed too messy to cook around.
I think they make high temperature, removable insulation for valves and such in steam lines that are good for 600 deg F or so. I'd think they'd be flexible and lined since they're designed for removal for maintenance. Might be hard to find.
ETA: but I think Termite's right. That's kind of why I suggested cobbling with pot holders.
Last edited by Weetabix on Wed Jan 20, 2016 9:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Note to self: start reading sig lines. They're actually quite amusing. :D
Denis wrote:The "fireproof" bit is bothering me. I think I need some of that stuff a bit like rockwool, that people wrap their backyard furnaces in. Must investigate.
Run it in the sauna? Nice idea, but I need all the bench space for cool beers and hot company
I actually thought about rock wool, but it seemed too messy to cook around.
I think they make high temperature, removable insulation for valves and such in steam lines that are good for 600 deg F or so. I'd think they'd be flexible and lined since they're designed for removal for maintenance. Might be hard to find.
ETA: but I think Termite's right. That's kind of why I suggested cobbling with pot holders.[/quote]
Well wish me luck, I'm going for crock pot chili. Walmart had the Reynolds slow cooker liners in stock so I picked up two boxes for a total of ten liners. Cleaning up was always the thing I hated about crock pots. I bought a small cheap 2 quart pot.
Anyway even "cheap beef" is kind of high. I'm trying to do a three bean chili, black beans, kidney beans, and great northern. I trying ground turkey for the meat. It kind of a cans from Walmart dish. I'm too lazy to wash and sort dry beans. I bought some beef stock to add to it. That ground turkey meat is awfully lean. I'm using a Tabasco chili starter kit. I've added some canned diced tomatoes, some Salsa, Black pepper, and some ground cumin.
I might have gotten it too spicy. It has another 4 hours to go though.
Without a doubt, the best chili I've ever made. I normally halve the recipe, and use ground bison. Two packets of McCormick "Hot Chili" work well for half a recipe. Also, I normally use a whole pound of bacon for my half recipe, and I don't put beans in it, because the wife doesn't like them. I add beans to mine, and serve it over rice.
Well I decided that my slow cooker was wasting too much heat so I folded up some aluminum foil and my a chimney for the pot, so to speak. I left a notch for the control knob and to give room for air to vent the bottom somewhat. I got the idea from those foil backed Mylar blankets, tents, and sleeping bags. The Aluminum foil reflects radiant heat back to the pot. It has increased the cooking rate.
