The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Saturday, November 25, 2017

The Wonderbag!

When we were in Europe, we learned about a simple method of slow cooking that uses very little energy. The Wonderbag.

Being frugal RV'ers who like to conserve energy while boondocking, Ruth thought this might work really well. She often makes a stew, or curry, or other crockpot style dish. Our Wonderbag was delivered when we were at Connie and Barry's house last Monday, and so we tried it out on Tuesday!

The Wonderbag is delivered packed up very tightly into a small box. When you unpack it, you have to work the insulation and break it up by hand.

Ruth, breaking up the insulation in the 10 different compartments.

You also have to break up the insulation in the "lid".

Ready to use!

Then, you make your meal. This time, Ruth made a chicken curry. You make it the same way that you normally would, and bring it to a boil on the stove. Once it is boiling, you take the entire pot from the stove and put it into the Wonderbag... where it continues to cook for up to 12 hours!

Bringing it to a boil.

Putting the pot in the wonderbag.

Pull the drawstring tight, and let it cook!

This was our first time using it, and the only thing we sort of did wrong is that we were boondocking and so it actually got very cold inside the motorhome overnight. Ruth made the dish at about 6:00pm that night and when she checked on it at about 9:00am the next morning (15 hours later) it was still warm! We let it sit for the whole day and then heated it up for dinner. 

Dinner is served!

But the idea is to make your dish in the morning, and leave it to cook throughout the day until dinner time. 

The Wonderbag is manufactured in South Africa. You can read a CNN story about the Wonderbag here...


A great part of the Wonderbag program? For every Wonderbag you buy, one is donated to a family in need in Africa.

In the United States, you can buy your own Wonderbag on Amazon...

Wonderbag at Amazon - USA (the red one is on sale right now!)

And in Canada...


Or, directly through Wonderbag at http://mywonderbag.com/






24 comments:

  1. Interesting way to cook. Dinner looks very good. I'm enjoying your travels. Be safe!

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    1. We love the fact that other then the initial cooking time of 5 to 20 minutes the Wonderbag doesn't require any additional propane or electricity to continue slow cooking your food for the remainder of the day and that your food will be hot and ready to eat at the end of the day. I am going to use it again tomorrow. :-)

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  2. Where do you store it as it looks bulky for an RV ?

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    1. We have room in our under the bed storage area for it. Also if it is too bulky pulled closed then you can open it up flat where it doesn't require a lot of height. It is also quite lightweight.

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  3. Replies
    1. So far I like it but I need to use it more to have an honest opinion on it.

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  4. I grew up along the WY/Idaho border in the early 1940's. At that time my grandparent used a similar method of cooking when trailing cattle to the Summer range. Straw was placed in a wood box and the hot dish was placed inside. Dinner was ready after a long day of riding.

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    1. Yep, definitely the same theory! We love things that save electricity and propane because it turn it saves on our pocketbook. It is also nice to have a hot meal at the end of a travel day or a long hike that doesn't require additional work.

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  5. I have one of these on our boat and use it all the time. So great for saving on propane. I also love the fact that I can start dinner in the morning before it gets too hot and not have to heat up the boat later in the day cooking dinner.

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    1. I totally forgot that you had one! I do now recall you mentioning it on your blog at some point. Happy to hear that you really like it and yes, I also like the fact that the meal can be prepared in the morning when it is cooler and then have in slow cooking throughout the day with out the need of additional heat and still have a hot meal at the end of the day. :-)

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  6. What a very cool product! I've never heard of it before

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    1. I had only heard about it at the beginning of this year. I couldn't wait to get back to the motorhome to get one and give it a try. They would also be great in a home if you are conscious about electricity use.

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  7. Very clever, similar to "in the ground cooking" like they do in Polynesian cultures.

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  8. Never heard of a Wonderbag. Does that thing collapse again? or how do you store it? What a wonderful way to give make to the community.

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    1. Yep, it can flatten out again like in the second picture and then slide it in somewhere. It is fairly lightweight too. I have room under the bed that it can fit into perfectly.

      I love how the company gives back to people who need a product like this. :-)

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  9. Interesting idea! But yes, where do you store it?? We have the same size and year rig on the same P-30 chassis, only ours is a Tiffin Allegro Bay. We've been talking about taking a longer than 1-2 week trip in it this spring. I am curious about where/how you store all the "stuff" that comes with living full-time (kitchen gear, seasonal clothes, essentials, all the special food and pantry basics you need for your GF diet, Kevin's tools, etc). I do understand about paring down to the essential basics, but still, even just living and preparing food in a small space does require a certain amount of "stuff" and clothing. I think it would make an interesting post - that is if you don't mind sharing some personal space stuff. Really looking forward to your next Mexico trip. Lynn in Kingston NY

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    1. We have room in our under the bed storage area, it fits in there perfectly.

      We are very, very conscious on what we bring with us and we don't require all kinds of bells and whistles, only the basics, (remember, we are a couple that can travel aboard for months at a time with only one carry on luggage bag each)! In fact we still have between a quarter and one third of our under the bed storage area that is totally empty. We have a long overhang behind our rear wheels, plus our gas tank is back there so it is very important to keep as much weight forward of those back wheels as to not be overweight back there.

      That make be a good idea for a post one day when we don't have much to talk about.

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  10. We have a thermal cooker. Same idea. Works really good for soups, stews, chili. I'd get it ready to go and sit it in the sink as we drove to our next. Destination.

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    1. We looked at those as well and thought about them but I liked this product better and what it does for the African community.

      When we are traveling I can place it on the carpeted section of flooring and it doesn't move around.

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  11. When you get further south to warmer weather, I bet it will work the way the directions said. Barry thanks you for the wonderful chilli you made. It was delicious and easy for him to eat!

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    1. I think even where we are now, it will preform better as long as it is being used during the day and not at night like the other night.

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