Kitchen gear I’m glad I brought for rural Congo
Living in Congo has taught me a lot about resourcefulness — especially in the kitchen. In our first home here, electricity was extremely unreliable. And even when it worked, it wasn’t strong enough to power appliances with heating elements like kettles, toasters, or microwaves. Fuel was hard to come by, so we reserved our precious gas bottles for cooking as a treat once a week on Sundays. So let me introduce you to my favourite kitchen gadget: the thermal cooker, also known as a retained heat cooker.
What Is a Thermal Cooker?
A thermal cooker works by heating food to boiling in a regular pot, then placing that pot into an insulated container — think giant thermos. The insulation retains the heat, allowing the food to continue cooking slowly without any additional energy. It’s brilliant. Even though we (thankfully) no longer face the same power issues, I still use mine every day — mostly to make Chinese soup, but it’s also handy for stews, tough cuts of meat and sweet potatoes. It saves fuel, doesn’t need babysitting, and cooks food beautifully. Slow and steady really does win the race.
Fuel-Saving Helpers
When heating anything was a chore, we learned to minimise reheating altogether. These items made a big difference:
- Thermos water flasks – Perfect for keeping boiled water hot for tea and coffee.
- Insulated serving bowls – These double-walled wonders with tight-fitting lids kept food warm for hours. If my husband came home late and the kids had already eaten, we didn’t need to reheat anything. With no microwave and a kerosene stove that was tricky to light, this was a lifesaver.
- Wonderbag – I don’t have one but friends have told me that like my thermal cooker, it is an insulated fabric bag that uses heat-retention technology to continue cooking food after it’s been removed from a heat source. I would love to try one!
- Pressure cooker – Greatly reduces cooking time, saving fuel. It quickly softens staples like beans and tough meats, and preserves more nutrients compared to long boiling.
Other Kitchen MVPs
(Most Valuable Pieces — the tools that pull their weight when resources are tight.)
- Sieve – Essential for straining bugs out of flour and honey (yes, really).
- Big Tupperware or airtight containers – To keep bugs out of precious food items.
- Egg carrier – To transport eggs from the market and farmers, as they may not come in cartons as they do in the supermarkets you and I know.
- Knife sharpener – Because a dull knife is just sad — especially when you can’t buy anything pre-filleted and need a strong blade.
- Cheesecloth – Great for making cottage cheese from yogurt, especially when cheese isn’t available locally.
- Coffee grinder/gear – We have actually detoxed from caffeine, but don’t forget this if it makes you a better person!
- Can opener and vegetable peelers – Humble heroes. Like us, you may not be able to buy them in the mission field, so bring a good one.
- Double-wall insulated cups – Keep drinks hot or cold longer, and no condensation puddles on your homeschool papers!
- Measuring cups and spoons – You’ll likely be cooking more from scratch here.
- Hand-cranked whisk/blender – A lifesaver when electricity is unreliable.
- Oven thermometer – Essential if you’re using an outdoor oven or one without temperature settings. The first time I baked bread, it was so hard I could’ve used it as a weapon.
- Oven mitts and trivets – I couldn’t find them here either!
- Long-reach butane lighters – Safer and more reliable than short local matches for lighting stoves and ovens.
- Silicone bakeware – Lightweight and some are even collapsible for the suitcase, non-stick, easy to clean, and rust-free.
- Ice lolly moulds (popsicle molds) – If you have a freezer, these are a hit with kids. Who doesn’t love a homemade frozen treat — especially when ice cream isn’t an option?
- Food processor – we use it to grind meat and grate huge blocks of cheese from the capital to freeze them (we call them “gold dust” since they are so expensive). You can also use it to make bread and pizza dough, and some can help you make smoothies. Some models can get attachments that make ice-cream if you have access to a freezer or cream. For more ideas, see our blog post about grocery items I’m glad I brought (www.newsightcongo.com/kitchen-groceries/)
- Solar fridge / freezer – The day we installed one was a life-changing moment for our family!
Where we lived was so remote, we had to be ruthlessly selective about what we packed — and if I had to do it all over again, these are the kitchen MVPs I wouldn’t leave behind.