The Haybox Method

What is a haybox?

The haybox method was used from around 1900 to save fuel for cooking food. In its original form, it was a wooden box, filled with hay, with space reserved for one or more pots. The advantages of using a haybox were fuel savings, more efficient use of burners, preventing burning, and even cooking of the dish. There were various cookbooks that wrote about the haybox and what could be prepared with it.

From a report of a cooking class using the haybox method, circa 1900:

There were also some orphan girls who were about to leave the house, and who were allowed by regents and regentesses to attend a course. A couple of times, cooking was done in the haybox, which naturally captivated everyone's attention: great was the excitement afterward when the food came out warm and cooked.

Martine Wittop Koning and E.S. Bienfait, Onze volkskeuken. Proeve van leiddraad voor volkscursussen in koken en huishouden (Amsterdam, 1900),

 

Until after the Second World War, the wooden haybox was a common cooking aid. After that, textile variants also emerged. When the Netherlands switched to natural gas, energy was abundant. The haybox method then fell into disuse.

Above you see an image of a textile haybox from 1950

Above is a wooden haybox from circa 1960

Ecostoof, the modern haybox method

The Ecostoof is the old haybox, but with a modern twist. In the Ecostoof, you can cook dishes without using gas or electricity. The food tastes better because it cooks at a lower temperature. Cooking in the Ecostoof is simple because, once in the Ecostoof, you don't have to worry about it anymore. The Ecostoof is more manageable than a haybox and optimized for insulation value. It is light and looks very cozy on the table.

More information about the haybox method

Or read the article Charlotte Kleyn wrote for the Allard Pierson Museum about the Haybox with an image of the Ecostoof:

https://allardpierson.nl/blog/crisiskoken-de-hooikist/