Steaming compost piles are nature’s crock pots; they slow-cook food with heat generated by decomposing organic matter. Once a compost pile gets cooking, temperatures can reach 150 to 180 degrees F, hot enough to cook a roast to medium rare.

All you need to become a compost cook is a few cubic yards of decaying matter and time on your hands: An egg takes at least 24 hours to “hard boil” in compost.

If the idea of cooking in a garbage pile turns your stomach (double-wrapping is the key), you can harness the methane gas that compost piles produce to fuel your boring old range.