Book of Days Tales

Today is the birthday (1842) of Sir James Dewar FRS FRSE, a Scottish chemist and physicist best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into the liquefaction of gases. He also studied atomic and molecular spectroscopy, working in these fields for more than 25 years. What was once called the Dewar flask is nowadays typically called a thermos flask, but this is actually a trade name.  My family used to take a thermos on day outings when I was a young boy (when dinosaurs roamed the earth) so that my mum could have a cuppa at tea time, and when I worked at the State University of New York I routinely took hot soup/stew for lunch in a food thermos (with a wide opening). Nowadays a hot water thermos sits on my desk next to my mate and bombilla — 24/7.

You can cook in a food flask, which is rather like a slow cooker, but . . . you must get it properly heated to work.  Here’s one idea (Chinese cabbage and egg with rice):

Ingredients:

70 grams rice

60 grams Chinese white cabbage (Xiao Bai Cai), chopped

1 slice fresh ginger, chopped fine

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water.

Preheat a Thermos® Food Jar by filling it with boiling water to the inner rim. Close the lid tightly and let it sit aside for 5-10 minutes. Discard the water.

Add the rice, cabbage and chopped ginger to the food jar. Add boiling water to the inner rim, close the lid tightly and set it aside for 1 minute. Strain off the water and discard.

Add the beaten egg and boiling water to the inner rim. Stir well, close the lid tightly and let it sit for 90 minutes.

Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste. (or soy sauce if you prefer).

The dish can keep hot until lunch time if you prepare it before going to work (and do not open the thermos) !