[pct-l] Praising pot cozies

[dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)]

I haven't done a temp test on my homemade pot cozy yet (nor have I weighed it).  I'm so enamoured with it, I guess I'll take it regardless of its oz's.  I used it on our last San Gabriels outing in close to freezing temps, and can attest at least anecdotally that it was effective.  You've inspired me to run the temp tests!  How did you avoid or account for temperature drops when you tested?  Did you open the pot each time to test the contents?  Or just keep a thermometer in the cozy all closed up?

I made mine out of the same material they make ironing board covers out of; it has a silver surface that doesn't let heat penetrate on one side, and cotton insulation on the other.  I didn't follow any pattern (so it's as u-neek as me), and made it so that it fits my pot, can hold my windscreen, and has pockets to hold my spork, and other "kitchen" accessories.  This achieved my secondary objective for the cozy which was make a carrying case that elimates the rattling that occurred when my cookset was in a silnylon bag, and keeps the whole kaboodle compact. 

>From one pot cozy fan to another!

L-Rod
 

-----Original Message-----
>From: Terriann McGlenn <ecotopia@mindspring.com>
>Sent: Mar 13, 2006 11:19 AM
>To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>Subject: [pct-l] Praising pot cozies
>
>This weekend I ?tackled? a project that I have been skeptical about for
>quite some time.  I own a pop-can alcohol stove, a Brasslite Turbo 2-D and a
>Snowpeak Gigapower WG stove.  I have food allergies to wheat and diary that
>make menu planning just that more difficult, and since I don?t enjoy food
>repetition, I end up having a LOT of food that requires simmering to taste
>good.  Also, I am a pancake junkie; it just isn?t a BP trip without at least
>one breakfast of pancakes (and yes there are no-wheat mixes).  In this
>process I?ve been trying to convince the spouse to give up the white gas and
>switch to alcohol (we don?t drink either so it?s only a cooking thing :-)).
>With a 5 day trip down the coast in Olympic National Park coming in 3 weeks,
>I decided to make a pot cozy in hopes of dropping the WG stove and bringing
>the Brasslite.
>
> 
>
>I used an old closed cell foam pad that has seen a few seasons under mine or
>my husband?s butt, household aluminum foil and rubber cement.  I roughly
>followed the directions on the Brasslite website for ?Make Your Own Pot
>Cozy? and was done in about 2 hours.  Only the lid and bottom are covered in
>aluminum foil, the whole kit and caboodle weighs just under 2 ounces.  So, I
>decided to tackle standard white rice first.  In my 65 degree house I boiled
>1.5 cups water, added 1 cup jasmine rice and brought to a boil again.  Then
>I popped the pot into the cozy and set the timer for 20 minutes.  While
>we?re waiting for the rice to cook I?ll tell you that I did some initial
>testing first with just water to see how the temperature held.  Water boiled
>I put it on the lid of the cozy and checked the temperature to start ? 190
>degrees.  Put the cozy over the pot and waited 5 minutes ? 187 degrees.  Ten
>minutes ? 185 degrees, 15 minutes ? 183 degrees, 20 minutes ? 180 degrees.
>I then checked the temperature of a simmer and it read about 160 degrees, so
>I knew that I would be fine inside the cozy for up to ? hour on ?simmer?.
>
> 
>
>So, the rice is done after 20 minutes we checked and found that it was just
>a little firm, not mushy and not crispy.  Just the way I like it!!  Next
>step will be to take this baby outside where it?s about 40 degrees today to
>see if it holds the heat as well 25 degrees cooler outside.  Temperature at
>the coast should be between freezing at night and up to 60 degrees during
>the day.  I?m so excited, I get to eat good food and maybe prove to my
>husband that alcohol is king!
>
> 
>
>Terriann
>
>"Watch your assumptions, they breed like rabbits..."  TM 
>
> 
>
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