Cooking without gas or electricity

A physics student in Cameroon has developed a special cooking bag that can help prepare food without continuous use of gas electricity or fire.

Known as a thermal cooking bag the device works much like a slow cooker. It is made from thick insulating materials that help keep heat inside the bag.

How does it work?

First the food is heated in a pot on a gas or wood stove for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once it starts boiling the pot is removed from the stove covered with a lid and placed inside the insulated bag.

The bag traps the heat inside the pot. The food then continues cooking slowly using the heat already stored in the pot without needing more fuel.

This method can be useful for cooking foods such as rice lentils and meat that normally need a long cooking time.

How is soup prepared?

For soup the mixture can be boiled for around 10 minutes before the covered pot is placed inside the bag.  The retained heat allows the soup to continue cooking, and it may be ready in about 20 minutes.

The handmade cooking bag was developed by a Cameroonian physics student.  According to the information provided, using the bag can reduce fuel use by up to 70 percent.

It may also help reduce the need for firewood which could lower pressure on forests.  Using less fuel can also reduce people’s exposure to smoke from traditional cooking methods.

More than 2,000 of these cooking bags have reportedly been sold in markets across Cameroon.