Cooking Fires and Smoke 397
3. Fill the body of the stove, 4. Replace the can lid
around the chimney, with
over the insulation and
insulation such as wood ash.
around the chimney.
5. Use a tin can to make a shelf inside the burning chamber.
Remove the ends of the can and flatten it. Then cut it into a
T shape that will fit inside the pipe. The top of the T will stick
out and keep the shelf from slipping inside. Place a brick
or rock under the outside part of the shelf to support
the twigs while they are burning.
6. Use your grating or
fencing for resting
the pot on the top
of the stove.
If you need to
cook inside,
place the stove
near a wall with
an opening in it. The smoke can climb
along the wall and leave the building.
7. Make a skirt with extra metal. It should
surround the pot, leaving a ¼ inch gap
between the skirt
and the pot at its
base. For an even
better skirt, make a
double skirt and put
insulation between
the 2 sheets of metal.
The haybox cooker
To save even more fuel, use a haybox cooker to
keep food warm or to simmer it after it has come
to a boil on your stove.This cooker can cut fuel use
by more than half when cooking beans, meat, rice, or
grains. Rice and grains will use 1⁄3 less water, because
not as much water will evaporate.
Make a haybox by lining a cardboard box with
Keep the hay cooker away
4 inches of hay (or use straw, sawdust, old clothing,
from an open flame.
feathers, chaff, cotton, wool, styrofoam, or corrugated
cardboard). Leave space inside the box for your cooking pot and for more
insulation on top of the pot. The lid of the box should fit tightly.
When using the haybox cooker, remember :
• food cooked in the haybox takes 1½ to 3 times longer to cook than over a fire.
• beans and meat should be simmered on your stove for 15 to 30 minutes before
going into the haybox.The foods may need to be reheated after 2 to 4 hours.
• keep the pot closed and boil meat dishes again before eating.This prevents
bacteria from infecting your food.
For more information on stove and oven designs, including
easy-to-build solar stoves, contact Aprovecho Research Center.
See page 561.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012