I have ordered a wonder bag

[buddhasbelly]

On my quest to save electricity I have finally bought a wonder bag - if it’s not as wonderous as I have imagined it to be I’ll be a bit sad tbh.

If it works as I’m hoping it means I can chuck a pan of chilli together and cook for the grand total of 20 mins and then chuck it in the wonder bag and it’ll continue to cook for another 8 hours, no power required - it’s basically a hay box type thing but with a snazzy pattern.

has anyone else got one of these things and if so what’s been the best things you’ve cooked in it? And has it actually been successful/ saved you money on your heating bills?

I’m hoping it’s not going to be one of these things that looks great but then lives in the cupboard.

Oh and I think there’s a sewing pattern online to make your own but that’s never going to happen in my case.

Surely chilli doesn't take much longer than 20mins?!

Oh wow they are quite expensive, a slow cookers annually usage cost is listed as lower. I'd be interested to know if its still hot enough to serve after a couple of hours in the wondedbag though?

@IsItaCowIsItaPlane i like a long cooked chilli type thing and like for stews that I’d usually chuck in the oven

@Chilpa yes that was my thought - I think they’ve gone up in price by about £25 in the last couple of years - We don’t have a slow cooker and debated between getting one of those or this bag of supposed wonder but I’m not keen on leaving the slow cooker on and heading out. Yes I realise I leave other things on (fridge etc) and the house has yet to combust - hmm I’m hoping not a gimmick - also thought it might be grand for camping - because of course I always make hearty stars when camping —what have I done—

We have a home made hay box thing and it is BRILLIANT. Yes to getting it all hot and then just leaving it. Tips: use much less liquid as it won’t boil off - make it the consistency you want (if you see what I mean). And remember the fast boil for lentils/kidney beans.

I’ll report back on temperature (please convince I should have just bought a slow cooker!)

I’d have bought a multi cooker personally. There was a good one recommended from Argos for £60. More reliable results.

@sunshineandsuddenshowers thank you! All that noted thank you!

@CornishTiger but what about all those non existent camping trips I go on where I plan to use this bag?

yes you’re probably right

I looked into buying one of those, but realised it was huge and would just take up so much room! I bought a slow cooker instead…

It will be great if we get those power cuts at tea time your food will be hot

I made one. Its not good enough to cook in but does keep hot water bottles hot for the middle of the night.

I've had one for years and I love it. Soups, stews, curries etc all work brilliantly - just bring to the boil for 10 mins, and then put in the wonderbag till you need it. Sometimes things need two bursts of heat to cook properly, but it's far less power than would be needed to simmer it on the hob.

The only thing it won't do (like other slow cookers) is reduce things that need thickening, because the moisture doesn't escape like it would on the hob or in the oven. So that bit you need to do on the hob, but the wonderbag takes care of most of the cooking that you'd otherwise be using fossil fuels for.

You can also use it to do a vat of porridge overnight.

From the tips above I’m getting use less liquid.

if it all goes wrong I suppose the dog can have an expensive bed…

it’s supposed to arrive in 3 days but couriers here have all gone a bit to pot recently. I am far too excited for a bag

Great idea, but the size puts me off. Also cleaning would be a concern to me, I don’t cook but DH does I can just imagine the mess inside and outside of the bag, please update OP would love to hear how you get on with it.

Oh an update on the bag:

Have used it 3 times since it arrived at the start of the week.

attempt one: not a disaster but also tepid when I took the pot out - the pan I’d chosen didn’t have a tight fitting lid so that was on me. Chicken was all cooked through.

attempt two: better - but added too much of a starch in (to retain heat), chickpeas etc - I think I went a bit overboard due to tepidness of attempt one. Much hotter; used a different pot

attempt three: (for having folk round for dinner) success! Chicken v tender, hot, all round yes! Made a curry with a Dishoom recipe and yup v v good.

@Roselilly36 mine is either going to live above a tall cupboard or in a cupboard that I’ve had a decluttering from. Re cleaning - I’ve not spilt anything on it yet - the pan goes straight in with the lid on but at some point I’ll no doubt spill something down the side. I ordered the red one so there wasn’t lots of noticeable stains if I do spill but not sure re cleaning yet.

more faff than a slow cooker? Probably

cost wise? Hob (induction) was on for no more than 20 mins each time. Energy price comparison to hob = marginally cheaper depending on how long your slow cooker is on for

storage: it is quite big but then a slow cooker would take up space in my cupboard too; this is lightweight enough that I can chuck in garage if really needed.

like that we could use for camping, if we got off our backsides to go camping that is.

My slow cooker pot has cracked so can no longer cook liquid things in it, so I'm trying a Wonderbag type approach. I've improvised a haybox from a camping coolbox lined with a heatproof cloth and then packing round the hot pan with teatowels and cushions. It's made a very creditable soup and now I'm trying stock overnight, which was the main thing I used the slow cooker for.