Tuesday 2 July 2013

Quarter Acre Pot

We purchased a Quarter Acre Pot at last year's Covi Motorhome Caravan & Outdoor Show which is held at the Epsom show grounds in Auckland. So far I haven't tried it out so I thought while we're parked up at home I'd trial it along side cooking the same dish in the oven.

Quarter Acre Pots are thermal cookers that require no power, a bit like a slow cooker that doesn't need to be plugged in. Because we'll be off the grid a lot of the time I'm hoping it'll be an ideal way to prepare a meal. I also like the fact that you can prepare the meal in the morning before you leave for the day & it'll be ready to eat when you get back or to when you pull into another site after a day of driving which is when you least feel like cooking dinner.

Here's the blurb from the link above-
The Quarter Acre Pot is a simple to use non-electrical multifunctional appliance that can be used as a Thermo Cooker, Cooler, Bain-Marie, Rice Cooker and Yoghurt Maker. Take your Quarter Acre Pot Camping, in the Caravan or Motor Home, Picnics & Outdoor Events .
I found a recipe in amongst a pile I was sorting & thought it would be perfect to trial in the Pot & to compare, in a casserole in the oven. I was hoping to include it here but I've now gone & misplaced it.

So in case you're wondering what it is, it was called a "Chicken, Chorizo & Butter Bean Bake"



Basically there are two "billies", a large one that fits inside the outer thermo container & a half size one that fits inside the bigger billy. After water is brought to the boil in the outer billy, the smaller one with the food ready to go is placed inside that. It sits in the top half of the bigger container above the boiled water. The lid is fitted & the outer thermo lid is closed and then the whole container is popped into the carry bag & put somewhere safe & secure to work it's magic. The boiling water transfers it's heat to the thermo outer & slowly the food is cooked. And that is that. Meats, casseroles, soups, desserts & cakes can all be cooked in Quarter Acre Pot.

And the verdict? I left it cooking for 8 hours & I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. It was definitely tastier than the same casserole done in the oven, much more flavour and the chicken readily fell off the bone. Now I'm looking forward to trying it out on other recipes, maybe some of the less likely "slow cooker" ones. I'll let you know how they go.






9 comments:

  1. Hi we have a similar cooker to yours but a different brand and we find that the food although cooked could be hotter at serving time. So much so we reheat before consumming. How did you find yours?
    Robin

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    1. Hi Robin, thanks for your comment. It was hot enough to eat(more than warm) but I know what you mean, it wasn't piping hot but I figured you'd be able to just add some direct heat to the pot to touch it up if needed.

      I'm not too worried about really hot food I don't mind eating warm but David likes his hot. I guess it's a compromise, I like the fact that it's cooking away in the background while I'm doing other more important things and it's a healthy substantial meal at the end of the day when sometimes you just don't feel like cooking after a tough day of driving or hiking. I guess time will tell whether or not it gets relegated to storage unit back home :)

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  2. Hi, I've just bought a QAP and I came across your blog.....I noticed that most of the recipes in the book are for 4-6 people and we are only 2 in the motorhome. Did you use your normal 2 person quantities for the top pan and then fill the bottom pan with water to make up the 80% full 'rule'? Any further info would be a great help - thanks Sue

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    1. Hi Sue, funny how you found my blog & that you come from Tauranga. To be honest I usually just throw everything in the big pot whether I'm making it for 4 or 6. I usually make larger quantities because then I can have the next night (or two) off cooking! Always a good option :) As long as the food (and water) goes in piping hot it'll cook & yes if I have smaller quantities I put it in the top pan with the bottom 2/3 full of water.

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    2. Sue, I'm not sure you get notification of this response but just in case you do here's another- I used the smaller pan for a casserole the other day & filled the big one up 80%, worked a treat but I thought what a waste of water if you're on limited supply. I used the hot water to rinse the dishes after the meal- still a fair bit though. It had taken on the meal smell so probably no good to wash the dishes in or make a cup of tea! :)

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  3. Found you while looking for recipes for a pot very similar to the 1/4 acre pot :)

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    1. Haha, yes I have trouble researching stuff on Google now because I keep popping up! Big brother is watching you :)

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  4. Hi could someone please tell me where I can buy a quarter acre pot from thank you susan

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    1. Hi Susan, we bought ours at the Covi Motorhome show in Auckland, I'm not sure if they sell them at any retail stores.

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a message, I love reading them! All comments are personally moderated by me and I will post and answer them as soon as possible, Shellie