Living with the Remoska

One of the most important tools in my cooking life is the Remoska and it is essential to my Economy Year programme. I use it practically every day already — occasionally twice a day. So it is right up there with the washing machine and fridge at the core of my domestic world.

Put simply, as its retailer does, the Remoska is a small, portable oven, built along the lines of a slow cooker but with the heating element in the lid and capable of achieving 'moderate' oven temperatures. It is sold in the UK solely, as far as I know, by a firm called Lakeland Ltd (www.lakelandlimited.co.uk) which has been part of my life support system for the past 40 years. Originally I bought plastic freezer bags from them at agricultural shows in the days when I had garden produce to store and a young family to feed. As time went by, and the Lakeland catalogue expanded, I bought laundry kit and kitchen utensils — even Christmas presents. And, browsing through their catalogue about four years' ago, I came across the Remoska.

According to the blurb it was invented before World War II, then abandoned but rescued in 1990 by two men in Czechoslovakia. What sold it to me at the time was the claim, "… positively miserly with electricity …" It was, then, about £70 — it's £10 more today, so perhaps an expensive investment for some. But if you cook with electricity and use the oven a lot, as I always have, it can pay for itself in less than three months.

When it first arrived I treated it like I do almost all new toys. It takes me a while to feel brave enough to try out any strange equipment. I played with it a bit but did not then investigate it fully or attempt to test its true potential. A year later my cooker died on me. I was left with the kettle, the microwave, and the Remoska. It was winter, my husband was suffering some physical problems at the time, and thus meals were even more vital than usual for good health.

Over the next three weeks the Remoska came into its own. At first I stuck to the suggestions that had come with it — roast chicken pieces, lamb cutlets with luscious sliced potatoes, and, a little later, home made bread. Then I began branching out. Cut a pound or so of any root vegetables into chip-sized pieces, layer them into the pan with some finely sliced onions, sprinkle with herbs (fresh or dried — whichever you have around) and a little salt and pepper. Drizzle one or two tablespoons of olive oil over the lot, put the lid on and cook for 35-45 minutes, depending on the quantity and depth of the layers. That, with a salad, is a meal in itself. Just one example of me making it up as I went along.

So when the new cooker (£495) actually arrived, that became the new toy. Three years on I doubt if I've used its oven more than a dozen times. I carried on with the Remoska. It was ideal for the two of us and, with a power consumption of 450W, so cheap to run. In fact, when I had been using it for a full 12 months I found the household electricity costs had dropped by £400. As I was making no other economies at the time, that entire saving was due to the Remoska.

Since then I have invested in some extras which increase the Remoska's versatility but it’s the original standard one that comes out most often in my kitchen. And I know I can rely on it completely.