Cooking with the HotBag is both quick and easy.
To get you started we've included a range of recipes designed for cooking with retained heat.
There are a few principles to bear in mind when 'HotBagging' your own favourite meals.
The first is that you are trapping the heat and don't want to let it escape; therefore you wouldn't want your HotBag to rest on a cold surface like granite. Rather place it on a wooden surface which is a poor conductor of heat. Similarly, be swift when you transfer the pot from the stove to the HotBag. For every delay or resting spot along the way, valuable cooking heat will be sapped away. Also, if you have to remove the lid to check the seasoning beforehand, replace the lid and allow maximum heat to build up again before taking the pot off the stove.
The second is that we have to consider thermal mass (to use a heavy-weight term from the world of physics). This means that the bigger the volume of hot food, the longer it will stay hot. Translated into what you do in your kitchen with HotBags, just use the right sized pot, as extra air is not useful. I cook for a family of four in 3-litre pots that fit into SMALL HotBags. If your HotBag is LARGE or EXTRA LARGE, you can also use smaller pots in them and fold them up good and snug.
Here are a few more points to remember:
The silver foil lining that is unique to every HotBag radiates the trapped heat back onto the food you want cooked, and it is also a steam barrier. This means you need not add additional liquid to slow-cook stews, as evaporation will be minimal. Even though HotBags make great slow-cookers and work well for up to 5 hours before mealtime (they can also be used overnight), most of the time you will be factoring in your HotBag recipes this way: cooking time remains the same as usual. On a one-third : two-thirds ratio, you will be saving two-thirds of your usual cooking fuel and time, as you leave your HotBag to do the rest.
Finally, we must assure you that any pot is good, as long as it has a lid. See to it that at least the base of the pot is covered with water (but not hot oil!), and there will be no danger of the pot of food damaging the HotBag.
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