How a fabric cooker is helping a Nottingham community save energy and money
ITV News Central Correspondent Phil Brewster visited the hub to see how volunteers are saving energy - and money
The Tiger Community Hub has set up workshops for volunteers to be able to create their own energy-saving fabric slow cooker.
The simple yet revolutionary non-electric slow cooker is a concept originally from South Africa but Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham Mike Clifford is taking the initiative to Nottingham.
He said: “You don't run that risk of burning the bottom of the pot when you're cooking because you're not leaving it on the hobs, so you're not worrying about stirring it or keeping an eye on it.
"It's cooking on its own in the slow-cook bag."
With the cost of living at its highest in a decade, people across the UK are getting creative in how they can minimise their household bills.
How does a fabric cooker work?
After bringing a pot of food to boil, the food can continue cooking for up to eight hours without an additional energy source – which could not only save households money on their bills in the long run but simultaneously cut down their carbon footprint too.
Research shows cooking with this method could cut the amount of energy used by as much as 70% - a potentially huge saving in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
The slow cooker is a bag with several compartments packed with materials to help insulate it.
Sheep wool to duvet innards are known to be stuffed in the fabric cooker.
Toni Jarvis uses a fabric cooker herself
Professor Clifford's study hopes to see this new technology be wider used to adopt cleaner ways of cooking.
He said: “People are much more conscious about the money they are using to cook meals now.
“I'm hoping that it will be a driver. I'm also hoping the fact that you're using fewer fossil fuels to cook with so you're saving the planet.
"And you're recycling materials to make this with as well. So it's a win-win."
Toni Jarvis, a volunteer at Tiger Projects, describes the non-electric cooker as not only being a win for those trying to live a greener lifestyle but for those who are trying to cut costs during a period of soaring costs.
She said: "Anybody who's got an interest in being green, recycling might be interested in it.
"Equally, someone who is really struggling with the cost of living could be a really good alternative to do some batch cooking for the family.
"Freeze some of it, eat it while it's hot. A re-heat is a lot quicker than cooking from fresh every time."
As well as workshops The Tiger Community Hub are posting online tutorials for those who can't attend.
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