Wonderbags for cooking

[Lily&Me]

Has anyone tried these?

Developed for use in third-world countries, they slow-cook foods which have been brought to a boil through conventional methods.....without the use of additional fuel.

I came across these on theboatgalley.com website, which has some excellent tips and info on living without electricity.

It is a fascinating idea, one which is not only energy-efficient but would seem to be eminently adaptable to boondocking.

Wonderbag - Home


Maggie

[Goal15]

LOL. When I saw just the first few lines on my smartphone I thought it was a new replacement for the little blue extra grey water tanks. Now I know the REST of the story


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[Paddledipper]

My daughter gave me one for Christmas this past year but I haven't had an opportunity to use it yet. You've made me think about it and that that I should create a reason to use it, a trial run of sorts, just to see how well it works.

[Lily&Me]

Good idea, Paddledipper, and then you can report back here.

Not sure how feasible they would be for everyday use for a small family, but might be great for a family gathering campout, or rally.


Maggie

[Pagey]

Maggie:

I have a Thermos Nissan slow cooker. The one I have has with two stainless steel pots that stack on top of each other. You put your ingredients in the pots, bring them to a boil and then put them in the insulated sleeve to cook away while your drive. I like to put a lentil stew in one pot and rice in the other. When we get to our destination, we have stew over rice for dinner along with a salad.

This is the one I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Therma...f=cm_lmf_tit_3

This particular model is no longer available, but there are lots of other models.

[Lily&Me]

These are pretty nifty.

I'm going to have to have something along these lines.

I like the idea of something that stacks.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Similar in concept to a haybox. A few old-timer yachties that I used to know before their boats were destroyed by hurricane Rita used a haybox on their boats. It's just what it sounds like, a box, filled with hay packed tightly around a pot of hot food. They'd heat a big meal in a Dutch oven at the dock where it was safer to cook, then slip the hot Dutch oven into the haybox to keep it warm for a couple of days of cruising without needing additional heat. When I asked them where they got the idea, one of them pointed me to a book, "One Hand for Yourself, One for the Ship" by Tristain Jones.

Wonderbags just seem like a more portable version.

It's actually a pretty smart concept. Instead of heat, refrigerate, reheat, you just heat once and keep it hot.

[Lily&Me]

I did get one of these for Christmas.....a red one.

It came with a little recipe booklet of easy to prepare, and familiar, dishes that you assemble, bring to a full boil, then wrap in this for 2-4 hours...or all day, if you prefer...to complete the cooking process. Beans to soups to stews.

There are loads of more ethnic and exotic recipes on their website, for a particularly adventurous mood.

Can't wait to try it out, and my small Calphalon pot with the little side handles is the perfect size for it.

More than 750,000 sold, I believe I read, and so appear to work very well, and safely, following their instructions. I love that, for every purchase, another is donated to a family in Africa who needs one.

The item is a bit space-hungry for the Interstate, but is squishy and somewhat malleable, so I tnink will fit into an odd space near the fresh water tank.

The space will be worth it for the reduced energy used for cooking.


Maggie

[bugsbunny]

How about using it as a pillow when not in use? Maybe you can keep you PJs in there!

[Lily&Me]

You know, a pillow isn't a bad idea!

Could put a pretty, square cover on it, and no one would be the wiser.

It would be a tad lumpy for sleeping, but fine as a backrest.

I am going to make garlic chicken in it later today, so will report back.



Maggie

[Lily&Me]

It does what it says it will do....the long cooking part of anything which requires it.

Took me about 20 minutes to saute the chicken a bit, add other ingredients and bring to a hard boil.

Let it sit in the WB for 4 hours, at which point it was done, but would have been more tender if I had cooked it longer on the stove or left it longer in the bag.

Will take a bit of playing with it, but it will definitely allow more versatility when without hook-ups.

Maggie

[Paddledipper]

Thanks for the info... I'm eager to try mine again!

[Stefrobrts]

I would use it with a food thermometer the first few times to confirm you can safely stay within the recommended temperatures, and out of the 'danger zone'. Good rules to follow for food safety are:

Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the “Danger Zone.” Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.

[Lily&Me]

Thanks for the cautionary warning, Stephanie. I'll look for one.

According to the website, and these have been around awhile, you can set things to cook for a full day, once brought to a full boil and the cooking begun.

Don't know why I would need or want to do that, but an afternoon sounds like a great idea and fuel-saver.

I will buy a cooking thermometer, I promise.


Maggie

[Gearheart]

I have a question regarding the "danger zone". The food in the pot has been heated to the boiling point ergo the bacteria have all been killed right? The lid stays on the pot. the pot goes into the wonder bag. The food cooks and also cools until it gets into the danger zone where germs can grow. OK here's the question. WHAT GERMS? They're all dead.

[Lily&Me]

Yes!


Maggie

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by Gearheart

I have a question regarding the "danger zone". The food in the pot has been heated to the boiling point ergo the bacteria have all been killed right? The lid stays on the pot. the pot goes into the wonder bag. The food cooks and also cools until it gets into the danger zone where germs can grow. OK here's the question. WHAT GERMS? They're all dead.

Is the lid airtight?

[Lily&Me]

Your pot is lidded, inside the WonderBag.

Read about them....they are pretty amazing.



Maggi

[martin300662]

As I said, is the pot airtight?

The quality of that containment (same as the quality of the seal on a pot left to cool on a stove) decides if there are bugs present to grow.

That's why commercial food services have guidelines around how long food can be left (even covered) in the so called 'red zone'.

This has nothing to do with the Wonderbag (after all they are just an insulated bag) and all about containment and good food hygiene.