[Stoves] Insulated pots

[dstill at epud.net]

Dear Robert,

The losses through the top and sides of a pot are small compared to the losses
through evaporation. Getting a pressure cooker to folks is a lot more important
than having it insulated if we have to get the most bang for the least buck. As
Dr. Alan Berick showed last year at ETHOS even floating cooking oil on the
surface of the water can cut evaporation close to zero when simmering so much
less energy is needed to cook. Or the pot can be placed in a retained heat
cooker or the exposed surface area of the water can be reduced which
dramatically cuts losses as well. Improving the pot is at least as important as
burning wood cleanly even for emissions. Improving heat transfer efficiency is
way more important than improving combustion efficiency to use less fuel to cook.

Best,

Dean
Quoting Robert Taylor <rt at ms1.hinet.net>:

> Dear Crispin
> 
> > The BEST energy reducer for cooking is an insulated (on top and
> sides)
> > pressure cooking pot!
> 
> What is a good insulating material(s) for such a jacket? Presumably it
> needs 
> to be fireproof (at least at the bottom), and preferably easy to clean
> and 
> not infiltrated or otherwised damaged by escaping steam or by hot wet
> food 
> if the pot boils over (especially if used with an ordinary pot instead
> of a 
> pressure cooker).
> 
> When Martin was talking about tea-light candles a while ago I wondered
> about 
> using an insulating jacket, perhaps with a skirt that extends downward a
> 
> little below the pot, for slow cooking over a very small flame such as
> from 
> a candle. But a jacket that can also be used over a larger flame (from a
> 
> stove) without being damaged might be very useful too.
> 
> I guess one way to protect the insulator from the contents of the pot
> would 
> be to invert a slightly larger pot over the cooking pot, and insulate
> the 
> outside of that. But the insulator still needs to be fireproof. Any 
> suggestions for suitable materials?
> 
> Put a vent in the middle of the inverted pot to let combustion gases
> escape 
> and you have a glorified pot skirt. But would an insulated one
> outperform a 
> plain metal one by enough to make it worthwhile? And how would it
> compare 
> with a close-fitting insulating jacket?
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Robert Taylor 
> 
> 
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