I use a small Themos frequently – almost every day, in fact – for soaking dried beans, cooking rice without adding a lot of heat to the boat and my favorite, making yogurt.
The problem has always been in finding one that retained heat well when there’s only a small quantity of hot stuff inside. Many that I’ve tried over the years just cooled down too fast to do what I wanted.
Several years ago, inspired by how good my Thermos-Nissan coffee bottles were, I got this small Thermos-Nissan food jar. It’s really designed for taking soups or cold foods as part of lunch, but it has worked perfectly for rice, beans and yogurt:
- It holds two cups – just the right size for a batch of yogurt that will last me three days (see the basic recipe and technique here – I use a scant cup of Nido powdered milk, water to fill within a 1/2” of the neck, and a half tablespoon of yogurt from the last batch). Learn how to make yogurt here – it’s easy!
- Great for hot soaking/precooking dried beans – use between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of dried beans and fill with boiling water (don’t use more beans than that as they swell considerably as they soak). After several hours, drain the water off (throw it away – it’s carrying away the indigestible carbs that make beans gassy) and fill with more boiling water.
- I love it for rice, too – “minute” brown rice cooks in 30 minutes just by pouring the boiling water over the rice and then capping it.
It holds heat for more than 10 hours. Beans that have been soaking most of the day are hot when I open the Thermos! It’s a true vacuum insulated stainless bottle. Vacuum insulated have the best heat-retention (see more about types of insulated bottles) and stainless is perfect for boats as it’s unbreakable.
It even looks nice sitting out on the counter . . . and with no handle to get in the way, it’s easy to find a secure place to wedge it underway.
The small scraper in the photo is the perfect size for getting every last bit of food out (a regular sized scraper is slightly too large and will get chewed up on the stainless lip) and I find that a wide-mouth collapsible canning funnel is really helpful when I want to pour hot food into the Thermos (good for Thermos cooking). I bought all three on Amazon:
- 2-cup Thermos-Nissan vacuum insulated food jar
- Mastrad Silicone Slim Spatula
- Ball Collapsible Funnel
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Jim Allen says
I bought one and LOVE it. I use it for taking my hot lunch to work!!!
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
Off topic perhaps: you use powdered milk. I use UHT. How about a compare and contrast article?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Both work equally well for yogurt. Using good powdered milk saves a lot of weight and space, but there’s no difference in the final product. If you like thicker yogurt than the UHT milk makes (that is, if you want more of a “Greek yogurt” consistency), add a little powdered milk to the UHT.
Todd R. Townsend says
When you make a solid recommendation that fits my galley as well as this, I go straight to Amazon and order it. Thanks.
The Boat Galley says
Glad to hear it! I meant to write about this a while back — it has been great for me!
El says
When I follow your link I end up with: Thermos Sipp 16 Ounce Stainless Steel Food Jar made by Thermos. The text says: Thermax double wall vacuum insulation for maximum temperature retention: keeps contents hot for 7 hours, keeps cold for 9 hours. What’s wrong here?
El
Carolyn Shearlock says
That is the one I have. Not sure why they say it stays hot for 7 hours, as I’ve had food stay hot for 10 to 12 hours. Maybe underpromising?
Tom Kober says
My mother would use a thermos with whole wheat grains and boiling water the night before. Drained it was the best hot cereal in the morning. I imagine steel cut oats over night would work as well.
The Boat Galley says
Yep, I’ve done it with steel cut oats — good!
Debbie Graves says
I used my thermal cooker today for a roast and it didn’t fall apart. I must have done something wrong but have always had great success. Maybe not enough volume?
Debbie Graves says
It was still good just not perfect!
The Boat Galley says
Either not enough volume or not hot all the way through before you took it off the stove and put it in the thermal cooker.
Francene says
Try Eziyo from New Zealand.Thermos for making yogurt .And they have sachets for making yogurt.I ve had one since 1992.Has a permanent place on the counter top in the galley. The liter boil proof jars are invaluable for many things.I always carry extra sachets.Absolutely love it.Fran McLaughlin S / Y “AKA” currently in Majuro headed north