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So this is a marvellous thing… A Wonderbag slow cooker! It’s a rather glorious and colourful non-electric slow cooker that can also be used as a cushion if you’ve a small child that needs somewhere to sit.
I’ve been given one by a chum and it’s so very, very clever. Most of you reading this are probably living somewhere that you’ve got clean and efficient ways of cooking, be it gas or electricity coming through your stovetop, oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot.
What’s it like to cook in some of the poorest parts of the world?
However, in vast swathes of the world, women & girls have to spend hours gathering firewood (or, increasingly, rubbish) for fuel to cook, often far from home and away from safety.
Once back, the fuel is used in open fires that then spew out smoke that’s duly inhaled by women and children who’re closest to the fires so they can cook the food.
And let’s also bear in mind the high rates of burns for both women and children due to these open fires (I’ll leave you to imagine the horrific medical implications this has in some of the more isolated and rural parts of the world).
Do consider the sorts of ingredients that are cooked in these households; if available, tougher bits of meat – think game, bush meat or the cheaper cuts from any domestic animal – need a very long slow cook.
Pulses are also a cheap & significant source of nutrition for so many communities. These have to be soaked and then slow cooked to eke out all the goodness. Anyone up for a crunchy bean or lentil? Methinks not.
And the longer something takes to cook, the more fuel it needs. Which brings us back to the beginning of this vicious cycle.
Luckily, cue the Wonderbag!
The History of the Wonderbag Slow Cooker
These were created in 2008 and are a rather fabulous form of non-electric slow cooker. Not a cushion (apparently). Funky fabrics, swathes of insulation and a distinctive shape create a modern form of haybox. This was an old-fashioned way of keeping food warm & preserving food from World War 2.
The Social and Health Impact of the Wonderbag Slow Cooker
Just think about it. The slow cooking ensures the best levels of nutrition from the food. The Wonderbag slow cooker means a heap less fuel is necessary for cooking. Which means fewer burns and much more time in the day for the mamas trying to run a household and look after a family.
I also feel all goose bumpily reading about the Social Impact of these bags. Not only are women in the South African Wonderbag workshops enjoying gainful employment but when women have more time in the day not dedicated to finding firewood they can set up small businesses.
More entrepreneurial flair means a bit more income for some of the poorest communities in the world. Thus enough extra to pay for clothing, a bit more education, medicine, better quality food and better health for a family.
And these are micro businesses that fit around family life and the needs of children, the elderly and the disabled. Perfect, and really, the sort of roles that many a mother – from any sort of country – is desperately looking for.
How Does A Wonderbag Slow Cooker Work?
Social context aside, you’ve probably come to this blogpost as you want to know how these Slow Cooking Cushions of Glory actually work. Here we go…
In a saucepan, cook up your beans / meat stew / curry / rice to it’s initial boiling point. Then lay a trivet or tile or wooden chopping board at the base of the Wonderbag. Next place your hot saucepan with a lid on into the bag. Pop on the cushiony top, pull the cords to tighten it up and then…
Voilà! Up to 8 hours later you’ve got a perfectly cooked bean stew, risotto, or curry, or whatever it is you’re preparing.
How Much Food Can a Wonderbag Hold?
To give you an idea of capacity, I used the Wonderbag the other week to transport a large pot of coconut chicken and rice out to a gathering of 17 adults and children. There were enough leftovers for families to take some home and for us to enjoy a couple of meals’ worth this week. So that’s what? Enough for 40-odd meals?
I also cooked up a huge pot of bolognaise sauce – three-week’s worth for a family of 6 – in a large cast iron pot. I left it in the Wonderbag to cool off and build up some flavour. 24 hours later… it was still warm! Amazing.
Needless to say, I’ll be using mine over the autumn and winter. It’s an eco-friendly, low cost – anyone else noticed how expensive everything is these days? – and stylish means of feeding the family.
And wouldn’t they make a fantastic gift for a birthday or Christmas? Just sayin’…
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