A Hot Box or Hay Box is a cooking device that uses an insulated container for keeping a partially cooked ‘one pot meal’ hot so it can carry on cooking and be ready to serve when the youth members arrive back in camp or are ready to eat

Some examples:

• Breakfast such as porridge (or leftover stew) prepared at supper time, put in the hot box so it can carry on cooking overnight, and still be hot and ready to serve for breakfast on a frosty morning
• A one pot meal such as a stew, casserole or hot soup prepared after breakfast or mid morning, put in the hot box so it’s ready to serve when the youth members return to camp after being away all day on an activity
• The camp is running out of gas or wood and needs to conserve what fuel is left. Bring the meal to boiling and put it in the hot box for 5 or 6 hours

How does a hot box work

The meal is prepared for cooking and then brought to the boil. After 2 mins or so of boiling, the pot or dutch oven is very quickly put into an insulated container, packed with loosely crumpled newspaper or with hay under, over and around the pot, and sealed for the next 6 or 7 hours to continue simmering. The better the insulation, the better the cooking.

What happens if the food isn’t fully cooked or hot enough at meal time? Put it back on the gas stove or wood embers and within 15 minutes or so it will be fully cooked. This also works if you need to thicken the stew after it’s cooked

What to use to make the hot box

A chilly bin big enough to hold the oven or pot is near perfect for a hot box. But you still need to pack crumpled paper under, over and around the pot to help insulate the meal properly

A cardboard box with a lid works just about as well, but to be sure, wrap a blanket or a sleeping bag around and over the box once the meal has been put in and insulated with paper or hay