Got me a Hot Pot!

Our nephew David and his wife Lana gifted me with a Hot Pot for my birthday! Thank you David and Lana!

A Hot Pot is a relatively recent innovation in Solar Cooking. I've blogged about Solar Cooking HERE. In brief: Solar Cooking is changing lives in places where fuel is scarce and where water isn't safe to drink without pasteurization.

My new Hot Pot came from Gaiam. From the website: Sales of the Hot Pot help subsidize the distribution of this device in developing countries to reduce deforestation and respiratory disease caused by traditional cooking methods. USA and Mexico.

I'm trying to stick to low carb since the holiday weekend and so decided to make myself a little low-carb meatloaf (using the last of our ground Axis) in my new Hot Pot this morning. It came out perfectly! Perfect for a low-carb meatloaf at any rate, you can't put crackers or breadcrumbs or anything like that in a low-carb meatloaf.

The little red things you see are chopped up roasted red peppers.

The meatloaf was probably done in just under two hours (it certainly appeared to be done) but I was doing other things and so didn't check to see for sure if it was done until after three hours. And when I did go check it, taking the meat thermometer with me, I didn't need the thermometer because the juices from the meatloaf were bubbling merrily all around the edges of the pot. It was done, no doubt.

What's amazing to me is that it cooked the meatloaf so hot and so fast (for a solar cooker) with the morning light AND it wasn't full-on sun, there was a very thin layer of clouds low in the eastern sky cutting the light just a bit.






This is Texas and it's freaking hot here, if I can avoid turning on the oven you can bet I will. I love having the Hot Pot. It's like cooking with a solar powered slow cooker. I'm eager to try my enchiladas in it! Or a lasagna! Or a small brisket! Heck the top of this meatloaf even browned!

X-Posted at Photographer In Training.