Wonderbag slow cooker?

[Alanamackree]

Has anyone got one of these?

A link would be helpful
wonderbag

I have one. I've not used it yet but actually planned to experiment in the next week or so. I have some working from home days due. I might set it up in the morning and have the doings for tea.
I had bought a cheapo sun oven bag thing and thought I would never use it. Gave it a go. Made a delicious pasta sauce in it over the summer.

How on earth does this work?? Not that I need one but how does it slow-cook things for 12 hours?? Surely it's just a very good heat retainer....but that's not slow cooking!!

Can someone more intelligent than I please explain cos I'm baffled at that link

It is just a heat retainer. But food will continue to cook if it retains the temperature at a high enough point.

I made one for camping. Worked well, much cheaper! There are instructions online I'm sure.

@StereophonicallyChallenged , it's like an old school hay box. Basically you get the recipe up to temperature on the hob the normal way, as it were, and then let it stew in the bag off the hob but with the heat retained in the recipe by the bag.
I've got a fancy spicy chicken stew planned for tea during the week made in this when I'm working from home. Set it up at lunchtime and it should be ready at teatime.

In the pot you heated stuff up in , put in the pot in the bag.
Saves fuel.

essentially a slow cooker in that a slow cooker runs on approximately the same amount of electricity as a light bulb. Hence very cheap electricity.

In this case, you get your Le Creuset or Pyrex casserole style pot, put your recipe in and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the hob, put the pot in the Wonderbag which continues to gently 'cook' using the retained heat thus tenderising said food withour using any electricity or gas or cauldron over a fire

I thang yow......

Yes, ideal for camping and travel

Is there any concern with food safety? Is meat cooked for 8 hours at a low temperature going to be riddled with bacteria?

I’m probably being over anxious

Which is why you do the cooking on the hob, get it hot and then let it stew in the bag which holds the heat.

Op, I plan to make a meal in it this week sometime. I will report back.

Op, I plan to make a meal in it this week sometime. I will report back.

You know I’ll think the worst if we don’t hear from you!

Can someone more intelligent than I please explain cos I'm baffled at that link

In victorian times the process was called a 'haybox', basically it is just a thick layer of insulation, you could use a duvet and get the same result.

Bring the food up to boil then turn off and insulate.

The same principle if yo cook something in the oven and then switch the oven off before cooking is finished.

These were made for refugee camps where there might be one gas ring for 3 families.

You can also use a cool box with polystyrene chips.

www.google.com/search?biw=1236&bih=569&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=RVhEXLn7D-mO1fAPsYij4Ak&q=hay+box+cooking&oq=hay+box+cooking&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l2.7346.9515..10118...0.0..0.211.737.6j1j1......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i5i30.0fouI6JzDtI

We nearly bought one of these last summer for camping but they looked enormous. In an emergency I guess I could improvise one with foil and blankets. Look forward to the update though.

There's instructions how to make a modern haybox on youtube.

Basically, get a box. A coolbox is ideal as it's insulated, or a tea chest, laundry basket etc. Nestle inside something like an old duvet, wool blankets, old towels etc. Get the stew up to a vigorous rolling boil in a dutch oven or crock pot. Place the lid on and place in the box. Place a scrunched up towel on top, weigh it down with a cast iron pan. Then wrap round the larger duvet/blankets over the top. Leave for several hours.

Also, you can cook spaghetti in a thermos flask. Scald the sides with boiling water, discard, add the spaghetti, add boiling water, lid on then leave for about 25 - 35 mins.

@Alanamackree - tonight's tea currently in the wonderbag doing its thing.
It's a chicken recipe too because I like to live life on the ragged edge

I prepare all that as needed for stew curry, chilli the night before, bung in slow cooker (I have an intellichef multi pot, so it can come up to heat quite quickly ) and just switch off at the mains and unplug once it has come up to boiling heat . Then wrap it in several layers of old beach towels..leave it over night. Then in the morning before I go to work for the day is to unwrap and bring it quickly up to heat again . Then mains off and re-wrap until needed , . it does the same job.

Bingo! dinner sorted .. all that is needed is maybe a quick blast to heat when ready to eat .

Hello @Alanamackree .
Delicious meal last night and we are all still alive.,Hurray!
Everything was cooked nicely. I admit that, because DH delayed the start of tea for various sensible but unrelated reasons, I popped the stew back on the hob before serving up. But it stayed scarily hot already despite it being in a cold house all afternoon ( as was I and the work computer).
I used a cast iron pot - a Le Crueset (doncha know), that I treated my single self to about 20 years ago. As an aside, We also have IKEA and Morrison's versions of Le Crueset that are also brilliant cast iron pans.

Glad to hear you survived

@bellinisurge are your family still alive? I'm wondering whether this would be good to pop in the boot of the car when DD has swim meets and sports fixtures miles from home.

At the moment she has a little thermos pot for soups and pastas but it would be easy enough to prep enough for all of us the night before and just heat it up as we eat breakfast...

Would a small one take a 20cm Le Creuset?

Yep, I really hate making sandwiches.

Yes we are. I have an oval Le Creuset that is 25 cm long and 20 cm wide (11cm deep). I also have a small wonderbag. It fitted (see photo) but was a bit more snug than I would prefer. So I reckon a 20 cm Le Crueset would be fine in it. You might want to stick say a towel around the base (I do this) for extra heat retention.

There are different sizes of wonderbag advertised so check you get the right size.

They are terrific...I use mine all the time....if used right it can cook food over 2 days... absolutely delicious