Cozy

This is my first attempt at cooking with cozy bag. I’ve tried freezer bag cooking (FBC), but done with food required short cooking time. In other words, just add hot water and wait. Actually, FBC greatly benefits from a cozy cover, which prolongs “cook time” by keeping the whole thing in a heat insulator.

Now I want to experiment with cooking in a pot then use a cozy bag to save fuel. So I proceeded to making me one. Using an old windshield sun shade with reflective side, I came up with this below.

With reflective surface inside, I taped it up with some aluminum tape, and some duct tape. This cozy covers only the bottom and side of the pot. I will try it out first to see if I need the top cover.

First try: With half a bag of Knorr side – Spanish Rice, I soaked the rice in 1 cup of water for about 15 minutes. I think 10 minutes should be fine. Bring the whole thing to boil on medium heat on Snowpeak stove. Boiled for one minute. Put the whole thing in cozy pot, the cover the top. At 15 minutes, temperature of the side of the pot read 120F. I wanted to make sure, so I let it sit for another five minutes. Food temperature read 160F. Rice and pasta were fully cooked and not too mushy. With this data I don’t need to make the top cozy part, yet.

Total cook time was 5:25 minute and 4g of butane fuel.

Second try: Soak time second half of knorr side Spanish Rice for10 minutes. Bring to simmer at low medium, full blast at last 10 second or so to bring to boil. Total cook time about 4:45. Put in cozy for 20 minutes. Internal temp at the end was 165F. Barely any liquid at bottom of pot. Rice and pasta were just right. Fuel used 2g. I wonder if using low medium setting then full blast caused fuel difference of 2g.