How clever of you - you used a regular oh-I-hurt-my-leg
heating pad in a plastic container? Don't suppose you have
a digital photo of the setup....


> Could you please describe your Rubbermaid box and hot pad setup
> for someone who just joined the list...

Molly,

I have a Rubbermaid storage container and a hot-pad.... both purchased
at WalMart. I sized the hot pad to "fit" my proofing containers (two
bannetons or two cloches) and then made sure the Rubbermaid storage
box was big enough to hold everything. So I had to do some preliminary
measuring to suit my needs. But it's simple figuring. Don't forget to
measure for height requirements though...

Then I used a box knife to cut a small rectangle out of one of the
corners of the Rubbermaid container for the hot-pad's electric
connection. This took, maybe, five minutes of work.

Then I lined the very bottom of the box with aluminum foil, to
redirect the radiant heat back into the box. Over that I folded an old
towel for insulation, then the hot-pad, than a silicon "silpat" mat to
keep everything below clean. But a dish towel would work fine.

The project took no particular effort. The payoff is huge. I can push
proofs easily and within several cycles, I knew how long doughs took.
This meant I could reliably schedule my oven (and myself <g>). Hot
final proofing is really good for sourdough by-the-by, really develops
the flavor.

My expenses were small... $17 for the hot-pad... it's one of those
modern, digital, 6 level units and $4 for the Rubbermaid box. You
could do very well with an older hot-pad. Use a wet sponge in the box
to keep things moist.

I use the box all of the time. It's just great. Makes proofing simple
and utterly predictable. Any storage box will do though I'd recommend
a translucent one for viewing purposes...

Will



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