The HotBag Project promotes energy-efficient cooking.

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It might sound unbelievable to you now, that a small insulated bag can really COOK FOOD without the stove. Nevertheless, it is true – it’s a matter of scientific fact and the physics of heat retention. Retained heat cooking is probably as old as the hills (consider the origin of Kleftiko Lamb), and as old as the hay box which was being used long before some of our (great)grandparents in Europe, during the second world war, were wrapping their pots of Sunday lunch in a feather eiderdown to keep them cooking.

Now there is a modern energy-saving way of cooking that is stress-free, time-saving and more nutritious! You may already be aware of the Wonderbag or the Hot Box which are similar in use.

The HotBag Project is pleased to offer a non-bulky thermal cooker.

Think of the reflective silver in a thermos flask or a geyser blanket.The HotBag has a hidden silver lining that reflects heat back onto the cooking pot. This highly effective slim sheath makes the HotBag small and neat enough to keep folded up in a kitchen drawer right near the stove where it can be used daily.

So, everything that cooks in water – such as rice, porridge soups or stews – can be left cooking in a HotBag. The stove remains useful just to bring these foods to the boil. Other foods that are ideally suited to HotBag cooking include:
pasta sauces, curries, stews, veggies, soups, samp and beans,
steamed pudding and even a whole chicken.
In short, everything that cooks with some water can be cooked in a HotBag.

These are the benefits of the HotBag as an essential cooking item:

• Meals have a finer texture and are more nutritious when cooked just below boiling point.
• There is no danger of food boiling over or burning dry. 
• Food can be left to cook unattended after just a fraction of the cooking time on the stove.
• The heat-reflective foil prevents moisture loss, so stews never need to be topped up.
• Using a HotBag does not lengthen normal cooking time, but it does reduce stove time by at least two thirds.
• Food remains steaming hot for 3 to 5 hours in a HotBag.
• This is a portable warming drawer, useful even in transit.
• Also useful as a cooler-bag.
• About 66% less stove usage in normal cooking procedures. This can amount to 8% of household monthly electricity consumption.

The HotBag Project is pleased to announce 
a non-bulky thermal cooker.

The HotBag Project was launched in Johannesburg in 2001, based on the patented invention by South African mountaineer Mervyn Prior. Manufacture and distribution are coordinated by Wendy Chandler who redesigned the HotBag for use in the modern kitchen. HotBags are made by women who work from their homes in Soweto and Alex. This is a not-for-profit initiative to promote job creation, energy-efficient cooking and environmental  awareness.

Proceeds from the sale of HotBags benefit young people in Alex who are part of Rays of Hope's Ignition programme for employment development. For more information on this, take a look at www.RaysOfHope.co.za/ignition-programme.

While every care is taken for functional efficiency, no guarantee can be offered. Please refer to the cooking method for full details of correct usage. To ensure maximum benefit, a HotBag must not be placed on a cold granite work surface, but rather on a wooden surface.

For more on the food photography here, see https://foodphotography.capetown/