Wonderbag slow cooker?

[Alanamackree]

Has anyone got one of these?

Two days? Does it stay hot enough?

Another one with a size question, sorry

I would most likely use it with a 3.4L Dutch Oven with a 20cm base. On their website they say:

Our small Wonderbag will fit a short handled pot sized 2 Liters (2 Quarts)

and for the medium size

In use Dimension: 38cm x 38cm x 20cm · Size: Up to 6L pot size

and just to confuse me completely:
Our large Wonderbag will fit a short handled pot sized between 1.5 - 11.5 Liters (2-12 Quarts)

Which one do you think would be best to get?

We do have bigger pots but I cannot see us using them with the wonderbag, and I don't want to faff around with extra "stuffing" in the bag, so leaning towards the medium size?

Can I resurrect this thread, given the potential for 3hour power outages.
I assume thermal cookers work on the same basis and I found ecopot recipes on YouTube, which I think would work with a wonderbag.
Does anyone have any tried and tested recipes they would be happy to share?

Any kind of stew/soup/tagine type recipes work in the wonderbag ime. You do need to bring it to a rolling boil on the hob first though, to build up enough heat that it keeps cooking once you put it in the bag.

I would have thought any slow cooker receipe would work. Only obviously rolling boil first. I do wonder if the ambient temperature would affect its performance - or whether it’s sufficiently insulated not to make a difference.

Do wonderbags get mucky and can you wash them?

I found this;
guides.brit.co/guides/create-and-use-the-bean-bag-haybox/particle-1

As we already 2 unused bean bags in the garage I might give this a go if it's needed. I don't want to spend £60 on a wonderbag and find I only use it once or twice.

@HouseOrNoHouse I've just got a large one, because I batch cook - and - 3 hour power cuts. Haven't used it yet, because I need to adapt my recipes a bit first. However, I've done some measuring up. I have a stainless steel tureen, which holds about 5 litres without being in too much danger of spillage. It's tall rather than wide, and only JUST fits the bag. I've also inherited an old le Creuset oval pan, about 3 litres, which I'm planning to use with it, even if it needs padding out a bit.

Progress towards the bag... Cooked 4 aubergines, halved, stuffed, in the oval cast iron pan on the hob, very low heat for about 50 minutes with a towel layered on top. Softened really well, so next step is to transfer it to the bag after about 20 minutes to see whether I can duplicate the effect...

@ProfYaffle that is genius. Really brilliant

Brilliant.

However to stop the dog toppling the edifice, I think I will put the beans from the unused bean bag into smaller sealed bags (perhaps sewn up old pillowcases) and keep everything in a coolbox.

@ProfYaffle that is such genius I'm glad I don't own any beanbags. Otherwise I'd be feeling more than a bit grumpy with my Wonderbag purchase!

I have a wonderbag and use it quite a lot. It’s really handy for saving electricity on simple things, like rice or steamed veg, or using it as a “coolbox” when I buy chilled and frozen products at the supermarket.
The other thing I like is that I can use it to keep a pan of food warm for a family member who’s running late for dinner. I used to find putting food in the oven would make it go all shrivelled or dried out, but this doesn’t happen with the wonderbag, so a big help if one of my teens is coming home later than planned.

Oh, and another use - I use it to make homemade chicken stock. I roast a chicken once a week, I put the carcass & skin in a pot and cover with water, bring to rolling boil, pop in wonderbag and leave it for the rest of the day plus overnight. The next morning I come to the kitchen and I have a jug of chicken stock to add to all kinds of things over the next 4-5 days.

@AWorriedMum What pot size do you use for the chicken stock? Is it filled up to the rim before you put it in the bag?

Hi, I have various metal pans, my small ones are 8” diameter, one is 2” deep and the other is 4” inch deep. I use the deeper one for my chicken stock, covering the carcass and skin with about 1.5 - 2 pints water. I usually buy a small chicken that is for 4 people, so that amount of water covers everything.

I stir 1-2 tbsp stock into homemade egg fried rice, couscous, even the dog food. In winter I’ll make soups and gravies. My fridge is great so the stock keeps for 4-5 days; I think it can be frozen, too.

No, my pan is not full to the rim, as I don’t like any spills when I bring to rolling boil, but having a 2/3 full pan doesn’t affect how well the food cooks.

Also, for something like steamed veg or keeping a hot dinner warm for less than an hour, I have got away with using my long handled metal pan.

I think it really is a case of experimenting and seeing what works for you xx

Ive never heard of these! how big actually are they? They look massive.

This has popped up because I was on this thread in 2019! but since then I have bought a Wonderbag ( i think not long after first posting on this thread ) and have been using it ever since.. Its really great and I use it for chilli , curry pot roasts, soup etc . you need to be organised and as with any casserole type dis , do the pre-browning etc , Then heat it up to a fast bubble and put the pot in at the stage where you'd usually leave it to simmer slowly .. I have found that if you can put everything on the night before , give it a quick heat up in the morning , itll all be ready for dinner that night .. i have never needed to wash mine and I dont think yu could, but any odd splash I sponge.. ( but since you take the pot in and out lid on , tbh Its rare to get anything splashed .)

Recently I bought a similar one for my DD from a company called Sew Fab who are social enterprise company in the UK ..They are cheaper and a more compact shape than the Wonderbags but work on the same principle. At the time ( and I dont know if they are still doing this ) you could buy one for slightly more than the retail price and they would donate another to a foodbank .

Anyway they are definitely still selling them on their website .. Google Sew Fab thermal cooking bag ..

They are big enough to hold a 32cm Dutch oven type pan. I've cooked dinner for 10 in mine. Great for camping but also now people are watching the energy use

@AWorriedMum Thanks for that info. Roast chicken on the list this week...

It isn't just hob energy. I'm also thinking about reducing steam in the kitchen - making stock the traditional way has me throwing open doors, switching on fans. If I'm being a bit tight with the heating, that isn't such an attractive proposition!

@AWorriedMum I use my pressure cooker for stock - it's amazing and uses much less gas than boiling it on the hob.

The top of the wonderbag seems to leak heat, despite the pad being stuffed well under the drawstring edge. Weighting a cushion on top helps, or a folded blanket. With the cushion on top, the pan was still steaming 4 hours later.