†1 Insulated Cooker Construction and Use by Maasai Women, Nov 22 to Feb 2023, Summary

Clifton Hiebsch, Simamoi Mboyo, and Lucas Sailepu

The hand construction and use of insulated cookers began when eleven women in a sewing class, using treadle sewing machines, made their own insulated cooker in Nov. 2022. †2 Evaluation and testing were done in Jan/Feb 2023. An insulated cooker can cut wood-use and smoke-exposure by half when cooking with a wood fire. By using the insulated cookers and fire wood cut from trees planted by the women next to their homes, these women will no-longer contribute to deforestation. The forests, women’s time, and women’s health are protected.

Each woman sewed a cloth container and insulated it with dried grass to make an insulated cooker (IC). After bringing food to a boil, the pot of food is put into the IC. From that point,

no more fuel is used for fast cooking foods, e.g., rice, foods that cook in less than 5 minutes
more fuel is needed for slow cooking foods, e.g., dry field-corn and beans (Table).

Normal cooking of rice requires 20 minutes, while corn and beans require more than 60 minutes of fuel use, after the initial boil (95⁰C at 1,500 m above sea level). By Jan 2023, women who had made ICs in November, had gained a lot of experience using them. Their knowledge was documented and business opportunities were discussed in home visits and a group discussion of 8 women. Methods to minimize wood and labor for slow-cooking foods, i.e., makukuru and makande, using ICs were tested by 3 women in their kitchens and as a demonstration at Orkeeswa School. The women noted the following benefits of insulated cookers:

1) Less wood use and fewer trips to the forest,
2) less eye and lung irritation,
3) time for chores while food is in the IC cooking,
4) food can be prepared before evening chores, 5) both rice and beans taste better,

6) food prepared for supper is warm for breakfast,
7) water heated in the evening, when the fire is
going, is warm for bathing in the morning,
8) foods, like ugali and chipati, are kept warm, and
9) making and selling insulated cookers

Foods, like makande and makukuru (seeTable †1), needing more than 60 minutes to cook, cool too much in the IC to complete cooking with only the initial boil. Tests in the USA by Hiebsch, showed that a second boil uses less fuel and less time by the cook than a period of gentle boiling. This was tested again in Tanzania (see Table). Two women, PM & SS, used ICs and gently boiled makande for 38 and 20 minutes successfully. They sat in smoke less time than with a cook fire only. The test at NM and Ork used an average of only 3 min for a 2nd boil. NM also had 3-4 min of gentle boiling after each boil. These results indicate food requiring a long cook time, e.g., makukuru and makande, can be cooked in an IC with less than 5 minutes of burning fuel after the initial boil. Also, the clay pot used 0.5 hours less time in the IC than the metal pots. Clay pots and 2nd boils need further studies. Clearly, insulated cookers can reduce wood use, forest destruction, the time women spend collecting fire wood and cooking, and health problems. The IC can improve time management, food flavor, food use at later meals, keeping food and water hot, business opportunities, and quality of life.

†1Cite: Insulated Cooker Construction and Use by Maasai Women, Nov 22 to 2023. Greenward Rpt Mar 23, 2 pp.
Authors: Hiebsch, ExDir, Greenward Inc, USA 501(c)(3), greenwardngo.org; Mboyo & Sailepu, staff, WAEV, Women’s
Agri-Enviro Vision, a Tanzanian nonpofit, waevngo.org.
†2Greenward Inc first insulated cooker from baskets and rice husk insulation, in July 2021; the reported design from
cloth and grass in Aug 2022. The insulated cooker and treadle sewing training were joint Greenward Inc and WAEV
programs, in Lendikinya Village, near Monduli, Tanzania