The Wonderful Wonderbag!
Make meals in the galley with this revolutionary fuel-free slow cooker!
What Is The Wonderbag?
The Wonderbag is a revolutionary portable slow cooker. It uses insulation and heat-retention as a simple and effective cooking method. It allows food that has been bought to the boil using conventional methods, to continue to cook for up to 8 hours without using any additional energy sources. No electricity, gas, or fire is needed after the initial few minutes. These handmade fabric drawstring bags have an inner layer filled with recycled chipped foam, and the award-winning product also comes in a variety of sizes and bright colours.
Initially created to solve ever-growing problems associated with cooking over fires in some of Africa’s most vulnerable communities, the Wonderbag provides a cheaper and more energy-efficient way of making food. Every day, more than 3 million people cook over open fires, jeopardizing their health, causing deforestation, and burdening women and girls with hours of unpaid labour. Founded in South Africa by entrepreneur and social activist, Sarah Collins, Wonderbag is so much more than a company that just produces a unique kitchen appliance.
A Socially Responsible Company
The Wonderbag aims to ease the impact of health, socioeconomic and environmental problems facing Africa and developing countries. It enhances rural women’s quality of life by drastically reducing time spent cooking, thereby eliminating many hours spent inhaling toxic fumes. And with less time required for collecting firewood children, especially girls, have more free time to return to school.
Wonderbag also supports all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The long-term results created by Wonderbag for communities are that it:
Allows girls to get back into school.
Helps to eliminate financial poverty through savings on fuel.
Reduces gender-based violence.
Fosters entrepreneurship.
Promotes job creation.
Allows for more nutritious food for families.
Wonderbag also has some great social entrepreneurship programs in place helping women in need. Not only do they operate a one-for-one business model (where one needed item is given away for each item purchased), Wonderbag also supports female entrepreneurs. Individuals and their employees produce Wonderbags and then sell them back to the company for onwards-sale, creating a green finance model that increases financial flows for communities in Africa.
In addition, Wonderbag also partner with registered charities that support families at the coalface (ahem) of climate change, thereby helping families to cook food, save fuel, reduce time poverty, and diminish pollution.
A Sustainably Conscious Product
Aside from the social impact on vulnerable women in Africa, the environmental benefits of using a Wonderbag are impressive. Recently voted by Time Magazine as one of the world's Top 50 Genius Companies, just one Wonderbag is capable of the following:
Saves on average 1 tonne of carbon emissions per year.
Reduces cooking fuel consumption by 70%.
Reduces indoor air pollution by 60%.
Frees up 1,000 hours per year for the user to create their own income.
Saves up to 1,000 litres of water used in cooking per year.
Saves 5 large trees from being cut down every year.
So as you can see, using a Wonderbag can significantly reduce your fuel usage and positively impact the environment as well. Cooking with a Wonderbag saves you time, water, money on electricity or gas for cooking, and reduces your carbon emissions from cooking. It really is a sustainable cooking solution!
A Boat-Friendly Addition
Anyone who has met us knows that we are raving fans of the Wonderbag! It was one of the very first items we bought for our new floating home, Long Summer. And after using it for the past three years, we can absolutely attest to the positive impact of having a Wonderbag aboard. It won’t just save the planet’s energy, but yours and the boat’s as well!
Let’s face it, small spaces heat up quickly, and in the middle of summer this is not ideal. But not only does the Wonderbag reduce heat in the galley, it will also help to reserve your cooking gas (which, let’s be honest, can be both expensive and hard to find). We could all appreciate less slogging around with heavy gas canisters in the heat or across remote towns. And not only that, there is also significantly less risk cooking in this way than leaving hot food on the hob in rolly seas.
The Wonderbag way of cooking really is set and forget! What could be better than a ready-cooked meal after a big day of boat jobs? We love that we can pop something on to cook, whether it be a full meal or just some legumes or grains, while we sleep off a big passage or are are out & about exploring a new destination. Putting on the Wonderbag is always a part of our meal prep when setting out on a long voyage. Plus, our kids love to cuddle the warm lid once we open it, and it always smells amazing too!
One small drawback might be the size of the Wonderbag and storing it on a smaller boat (depending on which size Wonderbag you choose). Although, we have heard that they double well as an extra cushion in the v-berth or saloon!
And, as an added bonus, the Wonderbag works inversely too; it will help keep your bevvies cool for sundowners on the deck or BBQs on the beach! It truly is a versatile product.
How Does The Wonderbag Work?
We can attest to how simple the Wonderbag is to use. It works in just four easy steps:
Boil it
Bag it
Slow cook it
Share it!
In order to cook, simply bring your food to the boil on the stove. Let it simmer a little, and then put the lidded pot in your Wonderbag! Then just cinch the bag closed with the drawstring, and slow cook your meal to perfection for up to 8 hours, depending on the recipe.
Once you start using the Wonderbag, you will quickly get a feel for it. Although you may not get the same level of control over the temperature inside a Wonderbag as on the stove, with just a little bit of practice you’ll be making wonderful Wonderbag meals in no time!
What Can You Cook In The Wonderbag?
You can cook just about anything in a Wonderbag! Here are just a few of those things:
Stews
Soups
Curries
Risotto
Lasagne
Rice
Dips
Lentils
Beans
Stock
Oats
Casseroles
Puddings
Mulled Wine / Hot Cider
Yoghurt (yes, really!)
For more delicious Wonderbag meal inspiration, check out these yummy recipes here!
Wonderbag Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of our recommendations for using a Wonderbag:
Use the right size pot for the amount of food you wish to cook so that the pot is mostly full. This will help maintain proper cooking temperatures.
Use a metal or glassware pot with short handles and a tight-fitting lid. (Do not use clay or ceramic.)
Place the boiling pot from the stove immediately inside the Wonderbag. Place a trivet or tea towel in the bottom first to protect the bag from the heat of the pot.
Only open your Wonderbag when you are ready to serve, to avoid losing any heat. If you need to check on the food, bring your pot back to a simmer before returning it to the Wonderbag.
The Wonderbag can be spot-washed and hung to dry. For any heavy spills soak your Wonderbag in water and spot wash by hand, then gently hang to dry.
Find more Wonderbag top tips here.
So, there you have it! We’re sure this innovative and impactful product will be an excellent companion to any galley.