The Wonderbag – Non Electric Slow Cooker
The Wonderbag is a new concept – A non-electric slow cooker that is completely portable!
Wonderbag is a new slow cooker that doesn’t need to be plugged in or need to sit on a fire for hours. The cook just needs to cook the food to boiling point and simmer for a short period of time, then pop the cooking pot with its lid on into the insulated Wonderbag and the food will continue cooking for up to 8 ours. The bags come in three sizes: Small – serves 2 in up to a 2 litre pot (perfect for the rice to go with your stew), Medium – serves 6-8 in up to a 6 litre pot and and the one I was sent to review is the Large which holds a pot with a capacity of up to 12 litres.
You also get a small collection of recipes with your purchase to get you started but I know you will soon be coming up with your own recipes to take out with you.
Many women in poor African villages have to collect their firewood daily and finish the day using it all up cooking the evening meal. Wonderbag initiative encourages village women to get together, build their fire and each cook their stew before placing it into their own Wonderbag which they can then take home as it continues cooking.
The bags are made in a factory in Tonga, South Africa and come in some great African prints as well as some plain colours. The foam used as insulation comes from unwanted packing like car and manufacturing plants which then gets chipped down and used inside the Wonderbags. Over 1 million bags have been made and distributed globally since 2008.
I bought a Wonderbag a few years ago for a relative. She and her partner hike and spend time outside with their group of friends. When it is their time to bring the food everyone gets a lovely warm stew or chilli when they return to their vehicles!
The Wonderbags are really versatile too. You can use them to keep wine and champagne cold if you are having a party and space is a premium. A large crowd for dinner – put the warmed plates from the oven into the Wonderbag to keep warm.
You can use your Wonderbag to make yogurt overnight, yogurt or even rice. If you have a small bag you can have the rice ready when your stew, casserole or curry in the large bag is ready!
This wonder bag sounds like a lovely idea and I am sure the ladies in Africa found them really useful.
I love schemes that help local communities!
I learnt something new today!! This would be perfect for when you want to transport hot food to picnics or pot lucks. I suppose a catering company could also use them to keep their food warm. And they look so pretty. What a lovely way to support an African community project.
Love this multi-purpose bag .. it really is a handy one.
I thought this was going to be a review. Turns out it just tells us all about the Wonderbag as can be read on their website. Did you actually make something in it? Are you going to use it in the future?
So here’s my 2 cents worth:
I am a struggling white man (yes, white people too suffer in South Africa). I learnt many years ago to make use of what is known as ‘hay box’ cooking. I used old pillows, eiderdowns, sleeping bags and blankets to create this heat retentive system. I have cooked this way for decades and it saves tons of electricity and time.
I now have 2 Wonderbags and here is an actual review:
I have been using Wonderbags for just over a year on an almost daily basis. Anything from cooking oats or mealie meal in the morning to cooking veggie stews, curries and other affordable soya-based dishes to create healthy but cheap meals. Rice (including yellow rice and even biryani) comes out perfectly.
The Wonderbag is very sturdy, well constructed and the insulating properties are excellent. LOVE the colours too.
I would recommend anyone to purchase a Wonderbag (or two) and learn to save money, energy and time.
It makes for a PERFECT gift for friends and family or someone whom you know will benefit from it. Why not do the right thing and give them a personal demo so they can see it in action. I taught a lady I know about it…. I made a delicious, yet very affordable soya chunk and vegetable stew with dumplings on it. She was blown away and now also uses her Wonderbags very regularly.
I am planning in the near future to start typing out my economical and healthy Wonderbag recipes which I would love to share with as many people as possible.
Thank-you for reading my review.
Malcolm