Sure, you could be boring and cook your dinner in an OVEN or over a GRILL. But where's the fun in that? Check out these other clever ideas for cookery!
1. Trout A La Compost Heap
Well, blogger Tim Doherty calls it a "compost heap" but I think most of us would call it a "manure pile." When I think "compost heap" I think "vegetable trimmings and coffee grounds," you know?
At any rate, he provides very detailed instructions for cooking Trout de Compost. This involves getting the combustion inside the compost heap cranking to between 140 and 160 degrees, and cooking the trout for 18 hours.
Which may be longer than many people are willing to wait for a trout dinner, but it's not like you have to sit there beside the compost heap the entire time!
2. Engine Block Oven
The summer after I graduated from high school in Alaska, I was preparing to drive the Alcan highway down to the Lower 48 for college. For some reason I was barraged with helpful instructions on how to cook things in my car's engine compartment.
Something about the combination of the long drive and the wilderness setting spurred people to remind me that an engine block is really hot! And you can make stew in there!
This art hit its peak with the cookbook Manifold Destiny, which details recipes, as well as drive times.
3. Dashboard Oven
We Americans love our cars. Almost as much as we love our cookies. If you have ever grimaced as you slipped into your car which had been baking in the parking lot on a hot midsummer day and thought, "I wonder if I could bake cookies on the dashboard?" Be advised that the answer is: Yes.
Some caveats: cookie dough contains raw egg, so use a cooking thermometer to be sure you're in the safe zone. Baking Bites blogger Nicole Weston did some tests, and found that the outside temperature needs to be over 100 degrees, at which point it was 180 degrees inside her car.
Even so, it took approximately 2 ½ hours for the cookies to bake. So this isn't the technique for people in a rush!
4. With Lime Juice
In ceviche, seafood is marinated in a citrus juice (usually lemon or lime juice). Technically this "pickles" instead of "cooking" the meat, but the effect is the same - its texture changes, and it is rendered safe to eat.
I can't help but point out that ceviche is largely restricted to things that don't need much cooking to begin with. Heck, a lot of people just eat seafood raw. In other words, I have yet to run across beef ceviche!
5. In Vacuum
If you laugh at the threat of botulism, try cooking your meats sous-vide. This technique was developed by fancy-pants chefs to create an incredibly tender cut of meat by cooking it very slowly, at a very low temperature.
To cook something sous-vide, put it inside a Ziplock bag and squeeze out all the air. Then submerge it in water, and heat the water slowly to well below the boiling point. And wait! You can cook something sous-vide for up to 24 hours, at which point the meat can practically be eaten with a spoon, or so I have heard.