A cooler can slow-cook your food, but you have to do it right.

Yes, it works. The method is called “thermal cooking” or “cooler cooking” – you heat your food to a rolling boil, then transfer the pot into a preheated cooler to finish cooking with retained heat. It’s basically a DIY slow cooker that uses zero electricity.

How to do it:

• Heat your stew, chili, or braised meat to a full boil on the stove (at least 10 minutes to kill bacteria).
• While that’s happening, fill a clean cooler with hot tap water, close the lid for a few minutes to warm the walls, then dump it out.
• Place the hot pot (with a tight-fitting lid) into the cooler. Fill any empty space with towels or more hot water bottles to insulate. Close the lid. Don’t open it for at least 2–3 hours.

What works: Tough cuts of meat (chuck, pork shoulder), beans, rice, oats, soups, curries. Basically anything that benefits from long, gentle simmering.

What doesn’t: Anything that needs a crispy