Also known as "fireless cookers", "haybox cooker" "fireless basket cooker" or a "flask (hay box)". This page also includes the new "Tupike bag" design recently invented by a Kenyan woman.

The examples below are woven baskets, lined with newspaper, then insulated with a fiber such as cotton or wool, then re-lined with a black material. This material is sewn down to create a space for a cooking pot. An insulated, cloth lid it created to help keep warmth inside.

In the old days, people also made these out of wood or metal. The main principal being that heat from warmed food or water would remain inside, continuing the cooking process even without applied heat.

Articles: Cooking without fireHow to save energy by making and using an insulated cooker

Namen auf Deutsch (Names in German)

Isolierkörbe bzw.
Warmhaltekörbe

Expected Lifetime

"3-7 years, depending on how it is handled." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Resources / Materials

"The Hay Basket costs USh 35,000 - 55,000 (USD equivalent 9.5-15) and making a Hay Basket takes about 4 hours." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Fuel Type

Non-needed to use this device, only to initially heat the food, which can be done with traditional cooking methods or renewables such as solar energy. The "fuel type" could be considered retained heat.

Maintenance needed

Wash the cloth.

Adoption & Use

Globally

Though this general concept has been somewhat popular throughout western and indigenous history, these devices fell out of use as other, newer inventions such as microwaves, rice cookers, and crock pots took over kitchens.

However there are some cultures that still use them, make shift versions used in home kitchens around the world for yogurt making, and a growing number of people discovering this technology for the first time.

Africa

Kenya

These were used historically, but a new, more portable version was recently invented in the Nairobi are where it is now being manufactured and sold to low-income families.

Uganda

"It is used in Uganda by over 50 districts in rural and urban areas." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Benefits of Warming Baskets

"It completes the cooking of food that has been partially cooked, and it acts as a food flask because it can keep food hot for more than 5 hours. It can be used to maintain the temperature of cold drinks. As such, it saves energy and time. The fireless basket cooker can be used to prepare beans, peas, groundnut sauce, beef, chicken, rice, matooke, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava. Additionally, the basket can keep all types of food warm for a maximum of 8 hours. " - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Social

"Family members with different meal times can always find hot food and arguments are avoided."

"Food only needs to be cooked briefly on a fire pit. It can then be placed in the warming basket and left to finish cooking unattended. Meanwhile, other tasks can be completed." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Safety

"Unlike a fire, it is safe to leave it unattended" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

However it is still probably advisable to keep it low to the ground and tucked where it can't be tripped on or tipped over, or on a counter out of reach from children.

Benefits for Girls & Women

"Women and girls in rural villages face a lot of health risks by spending a lot of time in smoke filled kitchens preparing food for their families. They also spend hours on cooking related activities that includes collecting firewood and food processing. These hours could be spent on income generating activities and school." - How A Kenyan Woman Made A Wonder Bag That Cooks Without Using Fire and Is Good to The Climate

Communal Meals & Events

"Food can be carried to another place once cooked. This is very good for communal or shared meals. - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Efficiency

Most of the information we have found on these suggests that they save between 70-80% on cooking fuel (such as wood or gas), since the food only needs to be brought to a boil before being taken off the heat and placed inside the device where it cooks via retained heat for 30 minutes or a certain number of hours depending on the food being cooked.

"Water heated the day before can still be used for bathing the next morning." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Combines Well With Renewable Energy

"Solar cookers and warming baskets complement each other well." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Solar

Reduced Deforestation

"Fuel consumption is reduced by 50% or more. The cutting of forests for firewood or the production of charcoal is slowed down." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Deforestation

Economical Environmentalism

"It is easy and cheap to make and it is made using locally available materials." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

The low ecological impact of using locally grown or upcycled materials and low cost of resources makes this environmental solution particularly impactful of a green solution, vs other solutions which may have higher costs, use mined or heavily processed materials, yet only provide minimal benefits.

For families in countries with high energy use for heating or cooling, and who use electric ovens or stoves, this might not pack as big of a punch to their household emissions or energy use. However families in places like Kenya and Uganda, who tend to use firewood and use more of their household energy for cooking and pasteurizing water, will see substantial benefits that reduce a far greater percentage of their household emissions.

Carbon Footprint of Cooking

As you can see in the graph beneath, cooking accounts for only a small percentage of home energy use in countries like America, however cooking energy can account for the majority of a household's energy use and pollution in places like Africa where less clean fuels such as wood fires are often used.

EIA’s residential energy survey now includes estimates for more than 20 new end uses

Food Emissions

Saves Households Time & Personal Energy

"Food only needs to be cooked briefly on a fire pit. It can then be placed in the warming basket and left to finish cooking unattended. Meanwhile, other tasks can be completed."

"Women spend less time arduously collecting wood and spend less money buying fuel, which in many places in Africa is more expensive than the food it is used to cook." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

Water Savings

"... Water is not lost during the cooking process, so it uses one quarter less water than other cooking methods." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Water

Health & Financial Benefits

Cleaner Indoor Air Quality

Many kitchens around the world, especially in Africa and parts of Asia rely on heavily firewood and cooking gases which produce dangerous indoor pollutants. By significantly reducing the amount of time cooks need to keep food on the fire, they also reduce the amount of emissions that fill their homes.

Air Pollution

Small Particle Pollution, a byproduct of burning biofuels such as wood, can be particularly dangerous, especially for children as their lungs develop.

Small Particle Pollution

Food Quality & Taste

"Haybox cookery is a healthy and delicious way to cook. All the nutrients in the food are retained. It never burns the food; it makes tough meat tender and can keep food warm for a long time" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Food Storage

"Warming baskets are also suitable for storing perishable foods. They stay fresh longer." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English from German)

"It can also be used to keep foods cool. It is useful for carrying frozen food from the shop." - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Food Security

Food Preservation

Water Pasteurization

"Water that has been pasteurized in the cooker lasts until it is used without being infected by germs again." - Betterplace.org: Unterstüetzung von Warmhaltekorb-Präesentationen in Afrika (translated to English

Hot Water

Water for Bathing

"The food warmer can also be used for keeping bath water warm." - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Water heated at night will still be nice and warm for the following morning.

Hot Water

Low-Impact Production

These can be very simple to make. While Victorians often made them from metal or wood, in the shape of a stove or chest, in Africa they are generally made from woven baskets, stuffed with cotton or other insulation, and topped with a stuffed fabric pillow or lid.

"Insulating material is anything that heat doesn’t pass through easily, such as hay (dried grass), papers, wood shavings, wool or dry banana leaves."

"hay, sawdust, woodshavings, and/or tightly crushed newspapers " - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Upcycled, Recycled, & Found Materials

Some people have upcycled their fireless stoves from "an old chair and a styrofoam box, which is wrapped in textile and covered with a pillow made from a lap desk" , but you can supposedly even use a cardboard box, and one entrepreneur in Kenya has made a bad with foil inside.

Banana Tree

Grasses

Disadvantages of Retention Cooking

Longer Cook Times

Start Cooking Earlier

"Food does take longer to cook, so preparations need to be made earlier" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Larger Food Batches

"It works best for cooking larger quantities, but you can use it to keep food warm for later on" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Requires Proper Construction to Work

"It can fail to perform cooking task if it is not well constructed. This can happen if the person who makes it, does not follow the instruction precisely." - Local Solutions: Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Safety Concerns

Beans

"Important: All beans, especially red beans, should be boiled on a stove for at least 20 minutes before placing in the haybox cooker to ensure that the toxins are destroyed." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Meat

"Haybox cookers can be used to keep food warm for eating later. However, for health reasons, meat dishes should always be reboiled before serving." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Maintenance

Cleaning

Must Replace Wet Insulation

"It is important to keep the insulating material dry. If it gets damp, it needs to be replaced" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Resources & Guides

Cook Times

Recipe times will vary depending on the foods being prepared. The following are approximate cook times.

REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF) this document offers a table of cook times for different foods, plus tips on how to help them cook faster, such as pre-soaking or cutting certain foods smaller.

Hay Box

The food needs to be half cooked on a stove and then it should be placed into the basket to get the boiling completed. Cooking time depends on the type of food. For example, rice should be boiled for 5 minutes on the stove and it will take 30 minutes to get ready in the basket. Beans and beef will take longer cooking time in the basket."

Tupike Bag

Githeri is best cooked overnight
Rice takes 45 minutes
Meat and lentils take 2 hours
Potatoes take 3 hours.

- How A Kenyan Woman Made A Wonder Bag That Cooks Without Using Fire and Is Good to The Climate

Beans

"You need to cook the beans over a fire in the normal way for about 45 minutes before putting the pot in the fireless cooker. It then needs to be left in the basket for 4-6 hours. This needs planning ahead, but when used, can save a lot of time and help women take control over the day. If beans are soaked in water overnight first, the cooking time can be reduced." - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Maize and beans need 45 min to 1 hr on the fire and 4-6 hours in the basket. "Takes less time if soaked before the actual cooking. Green maize and beans takes less time to cook, so reduce the times accordingly" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Lentils & Mung Beans

Green Grams should take 20 minutes on the heat then 2 hours in the basket "Put the grams in already boiling water to help them get tender quicker" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Maize / Corn

Meat

Meat Stew should take 5-10 min on the heat, then 2-3 hours in the basket. "Cutting meat into smaller pieces will make it cook faster. Wash the meat before, not after, cutting it" - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Reheating

"Haybox cookers can be used to keep food warm for eating later. However, for health reasons, meat dishes should always be reboiled before serving." - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Potatoes & Plantains

Potatoes supposedly take 3 hours in a Tupike Bag

Potatoes, Plantains, & Arrowroots take 10 minutes - 30 min to cook on the fire, then 2 hours in the basket. "If you cut these into smaller pieces before cooking, they will cook faster. Place the lid on very firmly to have enough heat for cooking " - REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF)

Rice

With a fireless cooker, "rice should be boiled for 5 minutes on the stove and it will take 30 minutes to get ready in the basket." - Fireless Basket Cooker / Flask (Hay Box)

Stews

"Approximate cooking times: Stews: 3 to 5 hours; Lentils: 1 – 3 hours" - Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF)

How-To Guide

Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF) "Any kind of container stuffed tightly with insulating material can serve as a fireless cooker. A strong cardboard box, a wooden box, a deep drawer, or a basket can all work well. You can adapt this method to the materials you have available, then experiment and innovate to find out what suits you best. Build your haybox to fit your largest pot. Then, if you are cooking with a smaller pot, wrap it in cloth to fill the space. Your pots will need to have handles so that they can be moved during cooking."

Materials List for Basket Type

A pot with a tight lid
3 yards or meters of Fabric
Thread
Needle
Stuffing

Demonstration Video: How to Make a Bag Design Fireless Cooker - Thrive Institute

11:44 minute video

Materials List for Basket Type

"Cotton, basket, container e.g a sausepan, polythene, cotton cloth, thread and needle."

Isolierkörbe bzw. Warmhaltekörbe oder Fireless Cooker

9:11 minute silent video suggests using large stones during the crafting process, to weigh down the pot on top of the inner lining, which helps compress the bottom layer of insulation and hold the lining in place while more insulation is pressed down into the sides of the basket. Holding down the pot during this process, can also help the crafter asses how deep the padding for the lid should be, because the weight from the rocks mimics the weight of future meals or water.

Recipes

Energypedia: Make a Fireless Cooker (PDF) offers a simple rice recipe.
REAP EastAfrica: Using A Fireless Cooker (PDF) this document offers some vauge recipes (spices, herbs, etc. not included) plus a table of cook times for different foods, plus tips on how to help them cook faster, such as pre-soaking or cutting certain foods smaller.

Projects

This section is for projects designed to help others. You can help fund them, or even join as an educator for example.

Africa

Kenya

Unterstützung von Warmhaltekorb-Präsentationen in Afrika (Supporting Warming Basket Presentations in Africa) "Förderung von Warmhaltekorb-Workshops und -Präsentationen zur Unterstützung der Verbreitung von Solarkochern und zur Minderung der Entwaldung in Kenia." (Translated to English: "Promote warming basket workshops and presentations to support the spread of solar cookers and reduce deforestation in Kenya.")

Uganda

JEEP Folkecenter "is a non-governmental organization working for a green Uganda with an environmentally safe and clean habitat for the present and future generations. Located in the Pearl of Africa, where biomass accounts for 93% of the entire energy used, our mission is to combat environmental destruction and conserve natural resources.

JEEP was founded in 1983 after deforestation and soil erosion were identified as major threats to the health and welfare of Ugandans. These issues had recently been denoted as the prime contributors to the human disaster in the Horn of Africa."

Unterstützung von Warmhaltekorb-Präsentationen in AfrikaFörderung von Warmhaltekorb-Workshops und -Präsentationen zur Unterstützung der Verbreitung von Solarkochern und zur Minderung der Entwaldung in Kenia.

Apps & Calculators

Click the link below for access to multiple calculators based on different cooking methods, and different amounts of food.

Calculator

Carbon Footprint of CookingThe carbon footprint of cooking is determined by cooking method, cooking time, and cooking location. Carbon footprint calculators for cooking are presented for the following cooking methods:Electric OvensGas OvensElectric FryingGas FryingElectric Water BoilingGas Water BoilingMicrowaving

Organizations & Programs

International

Sustainable Energy for All: Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) Mentorship Programme "Increasing access to clean cooking is a critical and immediate solution to achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving women’s health and safety.

Women play a critical role in increasing awareness and generating demand for clean cooking solutions, partly as a result of their networks and community relationships. The clean cooking value chain also offers new pathways for women’s economic empowerment, providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to contribute to a thriving global industry for clean cooking.

Since 2021, SEforALL, the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) and the Global Women’s Network for Energy Transition (GWNET) have collaborated on a programme that supports women to build thriving careers in the clean cooking sector through mentorship.

The Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) mentorship programme provides mentorship and professional development for women in early and mid-management positions, entrepreneurs, and others working in the clean cooking ecosystem."

Asia

Sustainable Energy for All: Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) Mentorship Programme "Increasing access to clean cooking is a critical and immediate solution to achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving women’s health and safety.

Women play a critical role in increasing awareness and generating demand for clean cooking solutions, partly as a result of their networks and community relationships. The clean cooking value chain also offers new pathways for women’s economic empowerment, providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to contribute to a thriving global industry for clean cooking.

Since 2021, SEforALL, the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) and the Global Women’s Network for Energy Transition (GWNET) have collaborated on a programme that supports women to build thriving careers in the clean cooking sector through mentorship.

The Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) mentorship programme provides mentorship and professional development for women in early and mid-management positions, entrepreneurs, and others working in the clean cooking ecosystem."

Africa

Rwanda

Sustainable Energy for All: Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) Mentorship Programme "Increasing access to clean cooking is a critical and immediate solution to achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving women’s health and safety.

Women play a critical role in increasing awareness and generating demand for clean cooking solutions, partly as a result of their networks and community relationships. The clean cooking value chain also offers new pathways for women’s economic empowerment, providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to contribute to a thriving global industry for clean cooking."

Uganda

A Rocha Uganda "Training women to make briquettes & fireless cookers: saving money & trees"
Sustainable Energy for All: Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) Mentorship Programme "Increasing access to clean cooking is a critical and immediate solution to achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving women’s health and safety.

Women play a critical role in increasing awareness and generating demand for clean cooking solutions, partly as a result of their networks and community relationships. The clean cooking value chain also offers new pathways for women’s economic empowerment, providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to contribute to a thriving global industry for clean cooking."

Fireless cookers - Uganda | A Rocha

North America

Caribbean

Sustainable Energy for All: Women in Clean Cooking (WiCC) Mentorship Programme "Increasing access to clean cooking is a critical and immediate solution to achieving gender equality, addressing climate change, and improving women’s health and safety.

Women play a critical role in increasing awareness and generating demand for clean cooking solutions, partly as a result of their networks and community relationships. The clean cooking value chain also offers new pathways for women’s economic empowerment, providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to contribute to a thriving global industry for clean cooking."

Companies

International

Wonderbag "All international orders are are shipped from the UK. Overseas cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay can be used at checkout. Payment will be taken in British Pounds."

Africa

Kenya

Tupike Ventures based in Nairobi "Tupike bag is an insulated portable bag that uses heat retention to cook and keep food hot for up to 5 hours. After the 5 hours have elapsed, the food will be kept warm for up to 12 hours.

To keep the food hot, the food is kept in the bag immediately it’s removed from the fire. It can be kept either in a tin or in a cooking pot. To cook, the food is pre-boiled for several minutes; the cooking pot is tightly covered with a lid and then placed in the bag. The bag is first lined with an aluminium foil at the bottom to prevent it from getting burnt. The bag will use the retained heat in the food to cook it until it’s ready. Tupike bag can also be used in yoghurt production as an incubator."

"Tupike bag can be used to cook foods that have been brought to a boil. Foods that can be cooked in the bag include githeri, rice, lentils, meat, potatoes and boiled maize.

The time which each type of food should stay in the cooker depends on the nature of the food. Githeri is best cooked overnight, rice takes 45 minutes, meat and lentils take 2 hours and potatoes take 3 hours."

"... Tupike bags saves 70% of fuel used in homes because the food spends only a fraction of the total cooking time on fire. Rural households also use Tupike bag for cooking to save on firewood . I also target families that are into road trips and picnics. The bag comes in handy by keeping their food hot for longer hours. ..."

How a Kenyan Woman Made a Wonder Bag that Cooks Without Using Fire and Is Good to the Climate URSULA WANJALA, a graduate in Business Management from Masinde Muliro University is the lady behind Tupike bag invention. She tells SILAS NYAMWEYA why many

Home | Wonderbag™A social enterprise tackling climate change and empowering communities.

South Africa

Wonderbag "Handmade in South Africa, the Wonderbag is a simple, but revolutionary, non-electric slow cooker.

After bringing a pot of food to the boil and placing it in a Wonderbag, the food will continue cooking for up to eight hours without any additional energy source.

No battery, plug or fuel required - just simple heat retention technology."

Europe

Czech Republic

Wonderbag "pomalý, neelektrický vařič"

Ireland

Wonderbag "The Wonderbags revolutionary heat-retention design means that it requires no battery, plug or electricity, so it saves the energy in your home and allows your food to cook safely in your home without supervision.

This award winning design also makes the Wonderbag easily portable to fuel all your outdoor adventures too.

Simple innovation that is money saving and planet loving, the convenient portable functionality means cooking healthy and delicious meals is made easy."

Spain

Wonderbag "es una revolucionaria bolsa de cocción lenta saludable, respetuosa con el medio ambiente. Ya que continúa cocinando durante un máximo de 8 horas (gracias a la retención del calor) los alimentos que se han llevado a ebullición por métodos convencionales, sin necesidad de usar electricidad o combustible adicional.

La cocción lenta o “slow food” es una de las formas más saludables de cocinar los alimentos, ya que hace que las temperaturas bajas y moderadas conserven los nutrientes.

Además, Wonderbag ayuda a preservar los recursos hídricos mundiales, a minimizar la deforestación, a reducir la huella de carbono o a reducir los efectos de la pobreza.

Hay disponibles varios tamaños y diseños de Wonderbag ¡Elige el que más te guste!"

United Kingdom

Wonderbag

North America

USA

Wonderbag

Oceana

Australia

Wonderbag Store "Great for camping, picnics and busy families. Powerless is powerful! "

Australian & NZ Wonderbag Agent - Wonderbag StoreThe revolutionary non-electric slow cooker the Wonderbag. Fantastic for camping, picnics, beach dinners and busy families. Travelling with kids and cooking nutritious meals has never been easier. Simply boil, bag, slow cook and share. Saving the planet one recipe at a time. No plugs, no fuss.

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