The Wonder Box Cooker

I wish I could take credit for this whole thing, but I'm just not that smart. Whoever came up with the Wonder Box Cooker, is in my opinion, pure genius. The basic idea behind a Wonder Box Cooker is to make the most efficient use of limited fuel resources. They were originally designed for use in third world countries, specifically Africa, where fuel is limited as are most other resources. The Wonder Box Cooker essentially works like a vacuum flask, keeping food at the required temperature for cooking, using very little fuel. It takes about 10-15 minutes of fuel to bring food to a boil, and then the insulated Wonder Box Cooker will maintain that temperature while the food is thoroughly cooked. On the other hand, it will keep ice cream cold for about 4 hours.

 

I Also wish I could give specific credit for the following items, but it's been so long since I gathered them, that I'm not aware who should be thanked. I am italicizing the information that has been passed along to me, and the additional instructions that I found online several years ago:

"The Wonder Box Cooker recipes and instructions originated from a booklet published by Compassion of South Africa in 1978,1979 and 1980. Compassion registered the name Wonder Box. This information may be freely quoted, acknowledgments being made to Compassion."

Brief Instructions:
Boil your food on the stove for 10 – 15 minutes until the food is heated right through. (In practice this is too long.)

Use any cooking pot, provided it does not have a long handle, but do not use a large pot for a small amount of food. The W'box does not work well if there is a large air space. Remember that the more food or liquid that you have in the pot, the longer and better it will cook.

Put the lid on the pot before you remove the pot from the stove so the lid can also get hot. Make sure the nest in the bottom cushion is ready to take the pot and that it is nearby so you do not lose heat carrying the pot around. Place pot into the nest of the W’box, making sure that the sides are snug against the pot, so there are no air pockets. Quickly cover the pot with the top cushion, making sure there are no gaps or air pockets. Make sure that no one peeks inside. If this happens, heat will escape, and the food will not cook properly.

Do not leave the Wonder Box Cooker on a metal surface while it is being used. Metal is a good conductor of heat and may draw off some heat through the bottom.

When cooking anything like a roast or a whole chicken, the liquid around it can boil before the meat has reached the same temperature. Make sure the liquid covers the meat and it has come to a boil. Meat must be covered with liquid! The cooking time seems to be 3-4 hours, or all day. It is sure to never burn.

Note: We had a chicken that was put in at 9:30 in the morning before church. This single dad prepared the chicken by placing it into an oven-cooking bag. He added spices to the chicken closed the bag completely (no added moisture was added to the bag) then brought the pot of water with the chicken in, to a boil and put it all in to the W’box. We ate with him at 4:00pm and as he tried to carve the chicken that was well cooked; the steam was ‘rolling’ off the chicken. It was still so hot he worked with forks to carve it. Nb: the opening to the bag was left protruding from under the lid.

The Wonder Box Cooker was designed for cooking meals, but it can also be used for keeping food hot, cold or frozen for 3-6 hours depending on what it is For example, frozen meat will stay frozen longer than a tub of ice cream.

The cushions filled with polystyrene can be washed with hot water and soap and hung on the line to dry.

 

For obvious reasons, the Wonder Box Cooker can be an integral part of your family preparedness plan, since it would help stretch a limited fuel/energy supply in any kind of emergency situation. If you would like to incorporate this little gem into your family's preparedness plan, see my other posts, The Wonder Box Cooker Tutorial and Wonder Box Cooker Recipes.

Wonder Box Cooker Tutorial

Now that you've discovered the magic and possibilities of the Wonder Box Cooker, here's how to make one for your family! Again, I wish I could give proper credit for this information and the adorable pattern, but it was passed along to me. I'm freely sharing in the interest of preparedness. :)

I personally found the instructions to be helpful as a basic guide, but you'll find that you're working with a big floppy mass of fabric most of the way through the process. Just remember that once you've gotten it stuffed, it should resemble a big cube, that you can set your pot in the middle of. My little brother made 2 of these things as Christmas gifts, and I know if HE can do on his own, so can YOU! My first Wonder Box Cooker turned out like this:

I followed the basic layout of the pattern and sewing instructions, but I took a few liberties in the design. I also found that once I had stuffed my Wonder Box, it would hold it's shape better if I tacked each of the corners down with a few hand stitches, (which you can see in the photo.) We went to WalMart and bought a bag of bean bag fill to stuff it with, for around $12. It turned out to be enough stuff to fill almost two of them!

Following are the instructions and pattern. I am italicizing all information that has been passed on to me.

Wonder Box Cooker Sewing Instructions

Materials Needed:

• 3 Meters (yards are 3” shorter than a meter) soft cotton or broadcloth so it will conform to the shape of the pot. (½ can be coordinated …. two colors)
• 19 scantly filled 1-gallon ice cream pails of Polystyrene beads (it is an insulation that looks like the tiny separate Styrofoam bits that make up the protective packing in electronics, etc.)

"Polystyrene is about the best insulating material and it is also easily washed. If you are only able to get the solid pieces which are used for packing radios etc., you can break it up by grating it." The booklet also says "make cushions out of large plastic bags, mutton cloth or other washable material and fill loosely with any of the following: polystyrene, dried corn husks, woolen materials, feathers, waste nylon materials, flakes of newspaper, sawdust and wood shavings, hay or other dry grasses." In Canada we have a gray 'blow in insulation' in our attic, it would be impossible to wash without opening the wonder box but it may be added to this list as well.

 

 

Sewing instructions: When you sew the wonder box together you sew 2 of the 4 pieces together along the longest sides. You open each of the pairs now and place them right sides together and sew those 2 together all the way around the outside, making an awkward shaped cushion affair. Don't forget the opening to fill through. You then repeat with the 4 bottom pieces. One pair together, sew along the longest side, then the other pair. Open them up and place them right sides together, remembering to leave openings to fill through. I am adding a loop at this point to hang this by when not in use, or dry after washing.

 

The narrow part of the bottom pattern is the piece you will tuck into the bigger part of the bottom to make the pouch/nest for the pot to sit into.

 

Hoping not to confuse the issue. If you start where the bottom pattern says 90 (degrees for the angle) and sew down the right side of the pattern and stop just after the second 11 ½ " mark, before the pattern starts back up. That will be one of the two pairs. Do the same with the other two, put right sides together again and sew it all the way around the outside edge now, into the box or ball shape. The same goes for the top cushion, start at the 100, sew down the right and stop just after the 11" mark. The rights sides together and sew again making the shape of the top cushion.

 

It will not lie flat. It will take the shape of a square cushion when it is filled with the polystyrene beads, and the bottom cushion has a cavity like a nest or pouch.

 

Top: Fill a little less than ½ full while the bag is hanging. Approximately 7 scantly filled 1-gallon ice cream pails.

 

A paper funnel works best, as the beads are very static prone. You may want to use an ice cream pail to pour from. Work with two people to fill—one to hold the funnel in and the other to pour. Spread a sheet on floor to catch beads.

 

Bottom: Cut 4 Fill approximately ½ full with polystyrene beads. Approximately 12 scantly filled 1-gallon ice cream pails

 

Once this bag is filled, tuck the small end into the center to form the pouch/nest for the pot. Find a good pot that works well in this pouch. No long handles please.

 

When the pan sits inside the pouch/nest of the bottom, the pan is surrounded on all sides except the top. So… that is where the top/lid comes in. It is very important to keep all of the heat inside this wonder box cooker. One of the pages and the recipes explain that the lid/top of the wonder box must go on immediately with no places for the heat to escape or it will all be for nothing.

For more information on this little gem, see my other posts, The Wonder Box Cooker and Wonder Box Cooker Recipes.

Wonder Box Cooker Recipes

Here are a few basic recipe ideas that were listed with the Wonder Box Cooker.  So far the only thing I have personally done in my Wonder Box Cooker is Chili, but it was delicious, and hours after first placing it in there, it was still scalding hot, and had to cool down quite a bit before we could eat it. These little things really do work!

 

Try soups, stews, what ever you can bring to a boil and then give it a try. The worst that would happen is the first time, you may have to bring things back to a boil and put it back into your Wonder Box Cooker for a second cooking time.

 

NOTE: Never replace a pot of half eaten or luke-warm food in the Wonder Box Cooker. It should be boiled up again to prevent it going bad.

 

Oatmeal

2 cups quick oats

4 cups boiling water

salt, cinnamon, sugar to taste

Stir oats into boiling water, put lid on and place quickly between cushions of the W’box for 15 minutes or more. Stir before serving.

 

Rice

2 cups rice       

Put into 3 ½ - 4 cups of salted boiling water. NB. Because the water does not evaporate you may need less water than usual.

Place quickly into W’box, and leave for 40 minutes or longer until ready to eat.

 

Vegetables

Potatoes or root vegetables may be cooked in their skins. Bring them to a boil in a pot full of water and place quickly between cushions of the W’box for about twice as long as you would normally cook them. They may be left all day without overcooking and can be more easily peeled after cooking.

Try waterless cooking by using the crisp kind of bags used for cooking roasts, etc. Submerge the bag into the water and bring to a boil. The bag should be left with opening protruding out from under the lid. Place quickly into Wonder Box Cooker. 

 

Chicken and other joints of Meat

Place chicken into an Oven cooking bag with desired spices, and close bag

Bring pot of water with chicken in it, to a good boil.

Quickly place into the W’box and place top cushion on.

Leave alone for at least 3-4 hours.

The chicken was put in at 9:30 in the morning before church. This single dad prepared the chicken by placing it into an oven-cooking bag. He added spices to the chicken closed the bag completely (no added moisture was added to the bag) then brought the pot of water with the chicken in, to a boil and put it all in to the Wonder Box Cooker. We ate with him at 4:00pm. It was impressive.

 

Yogurt by the Gallon

4 cups dry skim milk powder

4 quarts warm water

Mix well, heat to scald, cool to luke warm

Add 1 cup of starter (plain commercial yogurt) or product saved from this finished recipe may be used to start a new batch. Refresh monthly with commercial starter.
Mix well, put into a gallon glass jar with a lid and place into the Wonder Box Cooker.
Leave undisturbed for 12-14 hours. It will thicken more after refrigeration.
May be used plain or add your favorite fruits to flavor.
For those that can afford the calories, if the yogurt doesn’t set to your liking, add instant Vanilla pudding, (substituting yogurt for milk.) Can be reduced for smaller batches

Happy Homemaking!

72 Hour Kit Family Pack Checklist

This list of items would be for your entire family's use, and should be stored in it's own bag, or perhaps as an addition to Dad or Mom's kit. Again, this is a generic list and should be tailored to your family's individual needs and circumstance.

Living Essentials:

Small, portable tent or tarp suitable for shelter if needed

Tarp for ground cover

Flashlight w/ Batteries

Extra Batteries

Cook Stove (small backpacker’s style)

Lantern (small backpacker’s style)

Lantern Mantles

Propane or fuel for lantern & stove

Water Proof Matches

 

Toiletries:

Pack of Baby Wipes

Roll of Paper Towels

Small Bottle of Dish Soap

Dish Towel

 

Utilitarian Items:

Flathead/Phillips screwdrivers

Hammer

Hatchet

Quality Hunting Knife

Leatherman or All-purpose tool

Heavy work/gardening gloves

50 ft. Nylon Rope

Roll of Duct Tape

 

Family 1^st Aid Kit:

Rolled Gauze

Plain Absorbent Gauze Pads

Adhesive Tape

Small Scissors

Eye Pads

Fingernail clippers

Thermometer

Tongue Depressors

Small Container Vaseline

Small package of Needles

Box of Vinyl/Latex Gloves

Rubbing Alcohol

Hydrogen Peroxide

Extractor Bite/Sting 1^st Aid kit

Surgical Sutures

Neosporin

Sterile Saline Eye Wash

Safety Pins

Boric Acid

Anti-biotic lotion & soap

Eye Wash Glass

Triangular Bandages

Ace Bandages

 

Misc. Items:

Copies of birth certificates, social security cards, driver’s licenses, passports, etc.
Copies of homeowner’s documents (title, deed, homeowner’s insurance)
Copies of other important financial documents or papers
Copies of medical insurance info., current prescriptions, other important info.
List of emergency telephone numbers for quick reference
Out-of-State emergency contact name & number
Small Photo Book with family pictures
Small notebook & pen for journaling or other needs
Extra checkbook
Extra Car & House Keys

Happy Homemaking!

72 Hour Kit Individual Checklist & Guide

Here is a generic list of items that could be useful in a 72 Hour Kit. These items should be adjusted for your area’s climate, and the age & needs of the individual…remember that emergencies can happen anytime, so pack for all seasons.

Clothing Items:

Good Shoes, (tennis shoes, hiking boots)

Flip-flops

Stocking Cap

Baseball Cap

Extra Socks

Heavy Pants or Jeans

1-2 Belts

2 T-shirts

Underwear/Bra

Sweatpants/PJ pants

Shorts

Sweatshirt

Winter coat

Thermal gloves

Poncho

 

Toiletries:

Bar of Soap

Wash Cloth

Hand or Shammy Towel

Deodorant

Toothbrush

Toothpaste & Dental Floss

Feminine Products as needed

Roll of Toilet Paper (in zip-lock bag)

Extra pair of eye glasses

Extra Contacts

Contact solution

Small Hand Mirror

Extra plastic baggies for garbage

 

Other Essentials:

Roll of Quarters ($10)

Flashlight with batteries

Extra Batteries, AA

Foil (3-4 ft. min.)

2 Snap Light Sticks

Knife or razor blades (adults only)

Waterproof Matches

Plastic Whistle

Hand Warmers

Necessary Rx Medications

2 kitchen trash bags

Pocket-Size Scriptures

Emergency Reflective Blanket

Emergency Foil Sleeping Bag

Small Fleece Blanket

Mess kit & utensils

 

First Aid Kit:

Small sewing kit w/ needle & thread

Assorted Band-Aids

Sterile Gauze Squares

Adhesive Tape

Small Scissors

Tweezers

Q-tips

Cotton Balls

Safety pins

Anti-septic wipes

Aspirin/Ibuprofen

Benedryl

Small Container of Bleach
 

Misc. Items:

Copies of birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license, passport, etc.

List of emergency telephone numbers for quick reference

Out-of-State emergency contact name & number, evacuation destination, etc.

Small Photo Book with family pictures

Small notebook & pen for journaling or other needs

 

Individual Family Member Food Checklist

You will want to check on and rotate perishable items in your 72-hour kits every six months for optimum freshness and to avoid infestations or other pest problems.

Do NOT use “pop-top” cans, since heat can make them explode; pack a can opener (a small P-38 emergency can opener is best) in each 72-hour kit and use traditional cans!! They will last much longer and you will avoid food spoilage and messes.

 

Each family member’s kit should include enough nutrient-packed food to sustain an individual for 3 days or 9 meals. This includes minimal water requirements of at least 1 gallon per person. Use your imagination and tailor this list to your family’s needs and tastes. For Babies, include necessary items like baby formula, baby food, diapers and wipes. For individuals with food allergies, include appropriate foods or special diet considerations.

Remember that there are many options for your emergency kit. While freeze-dried “backpacker’s meals” or MRE’s, (meals-ready-to-eat) may be the lightest weight, and easiest to store, they tend to be very expensive. It’s not necessary to spend a great deal of money to put a kit together. Start today using what you have in your pantry and around the house. You can add to or upgrade your kits later as you are able. DON'T WAIT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE BEST RIGHT NOW. Start today with what you've got. You'll never regret it.

 

Sample 72-Hour Kit Menu:

• 6 Granola Bars (2 a day)
• 6 Cans of Tuna/Turkey/Chicken/Beef Chunks (2 a day)
• 6 Cans of Beans, (Chili, refried, kidney, black, etc.) (2 a day)
• 3 Cans of Mandarin Oranges or other fruit (1 a day)
• 3 Hot Chocolate Pkgs. (1 a day)
• 3 Drink mix Pkgs. (1 a day)
• Trail Mix/Dried Fruit (enough for 1-2 daily snacks)
• Graham Crackers/Cereal/Crackers
• Canned Juice (V-8, Orange juice)
• Canned or Dry Milk
• Candy/Gum (avoid hard candies which can melt in heat)
• 1 Gallon of Water (wash & fill a clear 2-liter soda bottle with treated tap water or for well water, use a couple drops of chlorine bleach to kill bacteria before storage)

Be sure to mark each item with the month & year in permanent marker as it is purchased and placed in your kit. Check kits every six months for optimal storage conditions. Rotate perishable and canned items as necessary so that your kits are always fresh and ready to go if needed. All boxed, packaged or dry foods should be rotated every six months. Canned foods should be rotated every two years, or sooner as directed by commercial expiration dates. Also rotate and update prescription medication, OTC medication and other first aid items that may expire on a regular basis.

Happy Homemaking!

72 Hour Kits: Basic Information

In order to have a well-rounded preparedness plan for your family, you should include preparations in the event that it becomes necessary to leave your home (and all of your other provisions) in an emergency situation. Some people believe that this is possibly the most important aspect of family home storage and preparedness. As you read through this information, the most important thing to take away from it is to DO IT NOW. Start today with items that you have around your house. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, but you do need to START by compiling the items for your 72-Hour kit TODAY. You will never regret having taken the time to prepare these things in the event you ever need to use them!

Before you start, take the time to think through a few “what if” scenarios to determine what will be best for you and your family. Think in terms of A.S.A.P.: Attainability, Storability, Accessibility and Portability. It isn’t wise to spend a lot of money you don’t have in order to compile a fancy emergency kit. It is also NOT wise to put off organizing your kit until you have the money. Decide on what you can afford and work with what you have NOW. Storability, accessibility and portability are things you’ll want to keep in mind as you compile and maintain your family’s kit.

 Where To Start: Begin with a sturdy bag or backpack that has a sturdy strap and zips shut and that is large enough to hold a complete kit, (again, you needn’t spend a lot of money – you can use what you already have around your house, or get one from a thrift store.) Generally speaking, you should have one bag for each member of your family that is old enough and strong enough to carry it. Portability is of the essence, since it may be necessary to walk some distance in the event of an evacuation. Some state agencies recommend putting all items for your family in a large garbage can with wheels. This is much better than nothing, but depending on your circumstances, it may be hard to put a garbage can in your car if you need to evacuate. Consider your family’s needs first.

 Begin today, even if you need to begin by using a pillow case or paper grocery bag for now. Go over the attached lists, tailoring them to your personal circumstances and needs. Gather the items that you already have in one place, and mark down the items that you still need to get. Designate your storage spot, the place in your home where you will keep your emergency kits, and keep your fledgling kit there. Take a list with you to the grocery store the next time you go grocery shopping and pick up a few items each time until your kit is complete. Just start now, and keep working on it!

A Word About Storage: Store kits in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight, preferably in a closet near the front entrance of your home. Remember in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency, this kit should be readily accessible at a moment’s notice. Placing kits in the back of storage sheds, under stairs or in other areas which may become inaccessible in an emergency may render them useless. Careful thought and planning should go into the storage location of your family’s emergency kits.

Happy Homemaking!

Hello and Welcome!

I felt like the facebook forum was not the right place to share everything that I've been wanting to share with my friends and family on various aspects of preparedness....and makes it difficult to answer and share lots of information. I thought a blog where I can post everything made a lot more sense. I'm going to be sharing the things I've learned about preparedness, along with lots of other favorite sources I've come across over the years I've been working on this. If you have a question about something specific and can't find it on here, please leave a comment!

Happy Homemaking!