My new eco-friendly slow cooker

Last week my Crock-Pot almost caught my hair on fire. I woke up early in the morning, chopped up a nice beef stew and plugged it in to cook. I didn’t notice that the cord was frayed until sparks shot out past my hair, the wall sizzled and the fuse blew.

I stood there a few moments panicking, frantically feeling my hair and checking the counter to make sure nothing was on fire. (Oh, and there might have been some loud shrieking.)

I was very rattled. I use my slow cooker all the time. Now I’m freaked out about leaving a cooking appliance turned on when I’m not at home.

What’s the solution? I went ahead and ordered a Wonderbag. If you’ve never heard of one, that’s because they are relatively new to America. Wonderbags are like the Toms Shoes of slow cookers. American women buy one for their homes, and somewhere far away, an African woman gets one, too. The Wonderbag goal is to help women, save fuel and save the planet. Check out the Wonderbag website to be inspired.

Yesterday, I gave my Wonderbag a try for the first time. When I opened up the bag after six hours, the pot was so hot I could only touch it for a few seconds without needing pot holders. This thing actually works!

I’m looking forward to trying out more recipes in the future. In the meantime, my burnt out Crock-Pot is in today’s trash.

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