When I first got my Wonderbag as a Christmas gift from my sister, I must admit I was a bit skeptical! She swore that this portable slow cooker had changed her life. Well this South African invention has become my best friend! It is perfect for Latinas like me who want to save money on gas or electricity; who worry about leaving an appliance plugged in and unattended at home; and who love to serve rice or stews at picnics, campings, bbqs or large family gatherings. I was hesitant to recommend it until I recently discovered that Amazon sells it here in the U.S. so now I am telling all my slow-cooker obsessed gringa friends about it.
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So what is the Wonderbag? It's an insulated bag and lid that works just like a slow cooker, except it doesn't use any gas or electricity. The bag retains the heat that is generated from the 5 to 15 minutes that a particular food is boiled and simmered on your stove. The main difference with the slow cooker is that because the Wonderbag doesn't use fuel to cook, the liquids used in a dish won't evaporate.
Is it easy to use? All you do is prepare your slow cooked dish by boiling and/or simmering it on your stove (5 to 20 minutes depending on the dish) and then finish cooking the dish in the Wonderbag. You put the pot or pan containing your dish with a lid in the Wonderbag; place the insulated lid on top and pull the drawstring tight. That's it!
There are lots of recipes included with the Wonderbag as well.
Our Food & Fiestas section also has lots of delicious Crock-Pot/one-pot/slow-cooker, Latin recipes you can try out in the Wonderbag. I've included a lentil recipe as well as a couple of video demonstrations for the Wonderbag for rice and a meat stew so you can see how easy it is!
Lentils Recipe
Olive Oil carrots sliced 1 small, chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
4 sliced campari tomatoes
2 small chorizos
Salt, Pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1 cup of dried lentils
3 cups of water (I add a chicken bouillon)
To cook on stove and finish cooking in Wonderbag:
Fry garlic, onion, carrots and tomatoes in olive oil for a minute Add water, lentils, chorizos and seasoning and bring to a boil Boil, covered for 5 minutes Place your lidded pot in the Wonderbag for at least 1 hour to finish cooking and serve.
Rice in Wonderbag Recipe
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgENH288vZY
Pot Roast in Wonderbag Recipe
Embedded content: http://youtu.be/9zhxZJ3XQic
Image via Lucia Ballas-Traynor
