Hot pot cooking

This article appeared in the Los Angeles Times. We have used this system in Zimbabwe for years and it really works. it is about time that we used this more often and also looked to solar cooking. I will be giving recipes using these methods - so why not try it! Mike White uses what he calls a slow cooking "hot box," to cook stews and almost anything that has liquid in it! He uses a cardboard box (or the large enameled bowl pictured) in which he places a large pillow. In a separate lidded cooking pot, food is brought to a boil for maybe 10 minutes, depending on what is being prepared. It is then placed on a mat over the pillow (the place mat keeps the pillow from scorching, he says.) A tea towel goes over the lidded pot, which is then topped off by another pillow to retain heat while the contents slowly cook. Mike says the pot will still steam after three or four hours, cooking everything from beans to tough meat stews beautifully. And he notes the practicality of using the hot box: "We live in Zimbabwe where the power often goes out and even if we have power I save power by using it partly because it works so well. "We have lived for many years with austerity and it has become part of our culture I suppose. The food we eat and how we eat it has become more special. Each meal has become a celebration. Many people who visit say that everything tastes so much better in Zimbabwe. Nothing is wasted. "I notice you are in the midst of a terrible drought and of course in the recession we are all in, I suppose we need to keep positive and flexible in these times." Thanks so much for your e-mail, Mike! — Noelle Carter Photos courtesy of Mike White