Haybox recipes follow one pattern: bring the pot to a hard rolling boil on the fire, boil for the stated time, then seal it in the box for the stated hold. Rice is boiled for 2 minutes and held 1 to 2 hours, soaked dried beans are boiled hard for 15 minutes and held 4 to 6 hours, and oat porridge is boiled for 1 minute and held 30 to 60 minutes. No hold should run past 8 hours without a reboil.
Part of Retained Heat Cooking
Each recipe splits cooking into a short fire phase and a long fireless phase, with times set by how the food cooks.
The Overview’s Recipes At A Glance
| Food | Proportions | Hard boil | Haybox hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 part rice, 2 parts water | 2 minutes | 1 to 2 hours |
| Dried beans (kidney, pinto, black) | soaked overnight, fresh water, soak water discarded | 30 minutes | 4 to 6 hours |
| Oat porridge | 1 part oats, 3 parts water | 1 minute | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Soups and stews | all ingredients | 10 to 15 minutes (longer for raw meat) | 3 to 6 hours |
Detail on each: Grains & Legumes, Soups & Stews and Porridge & Oatmeal.
Rules That Apply To Every Recipe
No hold should run past 8 hours without reheating to a full boil.
- Fill the pot at least two-thirds full.
- Start at a full rolling boil.
- Put the pot into a pre-assembled box at once; every minute in the open cools it.
- Eat promptly after opening. Reheat to a full boil if the hold passed 6 hours, or the food is cooler than expected.
- Season after haybox cooking, since long cooking dulls herbs and spices.
Common Mistakes
- Running a recipe in a box you have not tested. See Building a Haybox Cooker.
- Skipping the long boil on beans. Dangerous.
- Leaving food in “until dinner” with no time check.
Safety
Hard-boil times are safety times
The 15 minutes for beans destroys a toxin; the full boil for stews and rice is where the heat is stored. Cutting either short saves a few sticks of fuel and risks illness. Steam and boiling liquid scald; lift lids away from you.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Grains & Legumes — the staples
- Combine with: Time Limits — keeping holds safe