Wonder Pot facts for kids
The Wonder Pot (called sír péle in Hebrew, which means "wonder pot") is a special cooking pot from Israel. It was invented so people could bake delicious things like cakes right on top of their gas stoves, without needing a big oven!
This clever pot has three main parts. First, there's the pot itself, made of aluminium. It looks a bit like a Bundt pan, but with smooth sides. Second, it has a special lid with holes to let steam out. And third, there's a thick, round metal disc that sits between the pot and the stove's flame. You can use a Wonder Pot to bake many different foods, like cakes, casseroles, rice, potatoes, and even meat or chicken.
History of the Wonder Pot
The Wonder Pot became very popular in Israel during the 1950s. This was a time when many families did not have their own ovens at home. The idea for the pot came from similar cooking tools used in Germany and Eastern Europe.
The first Wonder Pots were made by a company called Palalum. Its name was a mix of "pele" (wonder) and "aluminium." Later, other companies, especially in the Haredi community, started making them. The Matlum company still makes Wonder Pots today!
The pot stayed popular through the 1970s, especially with new immigrants to Israel who also didn't have ovens. There was even a best-selling cookbook just for the Wonder Pot!
However, when microwave ovens became common, and as people wanted to move past the time of needing to save money, the Wonder Pot was used less often. Even so, it is still used by some Israeli Haredi families, especially for baking a dish called kugel. It's also popular during the holiday of Passover for those who need a special kosher pot for the holiday.
Today, the Wonder Pot is seen as a fun, nostalgic item from Israel's past. You can still find them in traditional kitchen stores and in Haredi areas like Bnei Brak and Jerusalem. A kitchen store even opened in Jerusalem called Seer Peh-leh, which means "Wonder Pot"!
How the Wonder Pot Bakes
The Wonder Pot is great for baking on a stove because of three key things: the material it's made from, the hole in its center, and the metal disc.
- Aluminium Material: The pot is made of aluminium, which helps the heat spread evenly all around. This means your cake bakes nicely from all sides.
- The Center Hole: The hole in the middle of the pot helps the flame focus. This creates heat that moves around the inside of your cake, helping it cook through.
- The Metal Disc: This disc lifts the pot slightly off the stove's flame. It helps to reduce and focus the heat, so the bottom of your cake doesn't get too dry or burnt. If you bake without this disc, your cake might be dry on the bottom and wobbly in the middle! These discs come in different thicknesses and sizes for different baking times and stove flames.
The lid of the Wonder Pot has small holes to let steam escape while your food cooks. Baking in a Wonder Pot usually takes about 40 to 50 minutes.
Using a Wonder Pot helps make cakes that are tall and airy. Besides baking, it's also good for cooking vegetables, beans, and rice in layers. You can also use it to make kugels, casseroles, pasta dishes, and even cook meat and chicken.
