Crock Pot on the Road

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Did it ever reach a rolling boil.. or maybe did they wait 15 minutes after turning it off to get it into the bag?

Temperatures don't have to reach the boiling point of water in order to kill bacteria. You don't heat all of your meat to 212°F when you grill, do you? Go online and look up "temperature required to kill bacteria." It's much lower than the boiling point of water.

If you were trying to cook tainted meat, then heating to a boil would make sense. But foodstuffs that have been properly stored and prepared are much safer ingredients and don't have to be boiled to be safe, just heated enough.

[ericpeltier]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Anything with a thermostat will cycle on and off as the thermostat dictates.

Yes of couse, but, I should have asked more clearly - Does this crockpot have a thermostat?

[LiLNomad]

Ive thought about the 12 volt crockpots that plug right into the cigarette lighter and having it in a cardboard box or bucket in the tow vehicle. These seem to use less power. You can put the food in it frozen and by the time you get to your destination its ready...Like this one:
12-Volt Slow Cooker - Crock Pot at RoadTrucker.com
LilNomad

[martin300662]

The majority of sicknesses relating to food safety are a result of the toxins the bugs release whilst growing. Cooking tainted food does nothing to remove toxins.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by ericpeltier

Yes of couse, but, I should have asked more clearly - Does this crockpot have a thermostat?

Yes, but it's preset, not adjustable.

[bugsbunny]

Hi PammieSue,

I seem to recall that the Wonderbag can use up to an 8 or 9 quart pot no legs. I found it somewhere in a book or website but can't locate it now. The low end is 2 quarts I believe.

I use a flat bottomed cast iron dutch oven. I have used 2, 5 and 6 quarts. These are the biggest ones that i have. Those fit well.

The Wonderbag works well. I use mine as a pillow when not in use cooking.

It can also be used to keep already cold food cold for a while.

Katy

[Lily&Me]

I have only used my pot once, PammieSue, and....as it was just me....I used about a 3qt pot. It worked just fine.

I want to try beans, perhaps a chili, but need a crowd to feed, so perhaps at a rally.

Martin, it doesn't sound like you're a candidate for one of these, and that is just fine, we don't need to try to convince you.

I haven't found a single thing about anyone getting ill or having problems with these doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are not a brand new item, they have been around for years.

I also sit on public toilets, drink the water at most campgrounds and am not afraid of the people at WalMart.


Maggie

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I have only used my pot once, PammieSue, and....as it was just me....I used about a 3qt pot. It worked just fine.

I want to try beans, perhaps a chili, but need a crowd to feed, so perhaps at a rally.

Martin, it doesn't sound like you're a candidate for one of these, and that is just fine, we don't need to try to convince you.

I haven't found a single thing about anyone getting ill or having problems with these doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are not a brand new item, they have been around for years.

I also sit on public toilets, drink the water at most campgrounds and am not afraid of the people at WalMart.


Maggie

Everyone is allowed an opinion Maggie, and not everyone's opinion has to be the same - makes the world interesting.

[Lily&Me]

I absolutely agree, Martin.

My opinion is that you are not a candidate for a WonderBag.

And, that is okay.


Maggie

[martin300662]

I don't know....if it burns maybe I could set fire to it to help with the cooking?

[Lily&Me]

Funny.

Not my WonderBag.


Maggie

[ericpeltier]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

and am not afraid of the people at WalMart.
Maggie

I am afraid of sharks, alligators, and the people at Walmart. Hold me!

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by ericpeltier

I am afraid of sharks, alligators, and the people at Walmart. Hold me!

.
That made me laugh!
.

[Oxen]

Like anything, read the instructions and you are OK. Don't make pea soup in a pressure cooker because if it spatters into the relief valve and clogs it, it may explode. So, don't be stupid. Otherwise, it's great.

[Oxen]

You must have never used a slow cooker. Don't put tainted food in a crock pot or any pot. Then, your are safe. But, let's not worry that slow cookers are not safe. That is simply not true.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by Oxen

You must have never used a slow cooker. Don't put tainted food in a crock pot or any pot. Then, your are safe. But, let's not worry that slow cookers are not safe. That is simply not true.

There is a significant difference between a slow cooker and a wonderbag. The first brings the food to temperature and holds a temp during cooking. The bag just slows the rate of cooling to give the food time to cook, but also any bugs present to grow. They aren't the same.

I have no issue if folks think otherwise, or understand the difference but still use them. However it is obvious some folks don't consider the difference and treat them as the same.

As I have said, the issue for me isn't the ability to cook the food; that is clear and proven (although bringing a pot to the boil and then removing and wrapping in some towels would retain enough heat to do that, of course it wouldn't have a 'cool' name and get folks to buy a new gadget). The issue is that as they cool, they cook at a temperature below that which bugs can grow, if people understand that and manage it then fine.

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by ericpeltier

I am afraid of sharks, alligators, and the people at Walmart. Hold me!

i am a people of walmart. BOO!

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by bugsbunny

Hi PammieSue,

I seem to recall that the Wonderbag can use up to an 8 or 9 quart pot no legs. I found it somewhere in a book or website but can't locate it now. The low end is 2 quarts I believe.

I use a flat bottomed cast iron dutch oven. I have used 2, 5 and 6 quarts. These are the biggest ones that i have. Those fit well.

The Wonderbag works well. I use mine as a pillow when not in use cooking.

It can also be used to keep already cold food cold for a while.

Katy

I'm surprised that they don't hold 12 qt pots, I had imagined the families in Africa to be large, especially if they are cooking for neighbors or extended family. My cast iron dutch oven is large because I was a Girl Scout Leader and an Asst Scoutmaster and my family consisted of the six of us with the three boys eating as much as their Daddy. Mine also has legs for cooking over coals outdoors so it won't do. I'm not sure why my boyfriend's cast iron pot is so large, I should ask him sometime. I'm glad to hear the WonderBag works so well. Thank you for answering my questions!

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by martin300662

Its a good philosophy PammieSue, and the principle of exposure building resistance is sound and proven, and our ancestors did survive. However that also means the bugs that now survive (i.e. are not killed off by our natural immunity) are also getting stronger.

To me a wonderbag cooked meal is no more 'dangerous' than eating day old stew that has been sitting on a stove top after the heat has been removed.....I wouldn't eat that either, many would, that is their decision

Day Old?! It's a good thing my practice is to put food away after I have served it; I'm not germ paranoid, but I'm not stupid either, ROFL!

My husband, (permanently separated from), once reheated a lasagna, ate some, and then forgot and left the rest in the oven for THREE DAYS. What did he do when he found it? He ate it. Did it kill him? No. Only the good die young.

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by martin300662

There is a significant difference between a slow cooker and a wonderbag. The first brings the food to temperature and holds a temp during cooking. The bag just slows the rate of cooling to give the food time to cook, but also any bugs present to grow. They aren't the same.

I have no issue if folks think otherwise, or understand the difference but still use them. However it is obvious some folks don't consider the difference and treat them as the same.

As I have said, the issue for me isn't the ability to cook the food; that is clear and proven (although bringing a pot to the boil and then removing and wrapping in some towels would retain enough heat to do that, of course it wouldn't have a 'cool' name and get folks to buy a new gadget). The issue is that as they cool, they cook at a temperature below that which bugs can grow, if people understand that and manage it then fine.

Yes, you are right, they are two different methods of cooking. My guess is that any good cook using sound clean preparation and cooking practices in her kitchen can make the WonderBag work without detriment to herself and those she feeds if she follows all the directions.

The most important direction I will give for the WonderBag, will be equally important for the crock pot. DON'T REMOVE THE LID until the end of the cooking process and you are sitting down to eat.

I took a food handling course for my card in order to work as Outpost Director one year during Boy Scout summer camp. I passed the test easily. I remember thinking the whole time, what woman who cooks doesn't know this information?