Dreampot Review

Cooking while caravanning or camping can be a challenge.  Limited space and resources test ingenuity.  Limited time (due to all the fun stuff you’re getting up to) can be another consideration.  Enter the Dreampot.

What is a Dreampot?

Contrary to what my husband would have you believe, he isn’t the subject of this review.  No, the Dreampot is probably the most versatile tool in our camp cooking armoury.

“Imagine putting a meal on the stove for the short time required, transferring the inner pots into the Dream-Pot, then the magic begins.  Your delicious and nutritious homestyle meals cook in their own retained heat.” www.dreampot.com.au

In simplest terms, the Dreampot is a power-free slow cooker.  But it’s also much more.  We’ve been using a Dreampot in our caravan for around two years. It took me some time to get used to preparing dinner just after lunch while on holidays.  To take advantage of the set and forget beauty of the Dreampot there is some planning required.  Like in a slow cooker, some dishes can take up to 4 hours to cook. But I have to say, I love being able to put my feet up at 5pm and then have dinner “magically” appear later in the evening.

I love the variety of meals we can have, too.  BBQ’s are great, but there’s only so much grilled cow I can cope with in one two week stretch.

Versatility

The main use of the Dreampot is cooking using no heat source.  There are plenty of other uses, too.

It can be used to keep food warm. When we’re on the road for the whole day, I often heat up some hotdogs in the morning before we leave then pop them in, where they remain hot until lunch time.  The buns will also fit in and the radiant heat from the hotdogs makes them toasty warm, too.  There has never been a cheaper, easier lunch on the road!  It can keep BBQ meats warm until you’re ready to eat – very helpful when the kids get “detained” at the playground

Using the same thermal properties that keep food hot, the Dreampot can keep food cold.  Drinks too.  It’s great for keeping salads.  I’ve used mine as a yoghurt maker, too.  Very handy for kids’ snacks when there are no shops around.

The inner pots can be used as conventional saucepans.  Double use means less stuff – always a consideration when camping or caravanning.

Huge variety of meals

The range of meals that can be cooked in a Dreampot is endless.  Anything that can be cooked in a slow cooker is suitable.  In fact, thanks to many clever campers who share their ideas, there are recipes and instructions for cooking far more than you would ever dream of putting in the slow cooker.

I’ve done very tasty pot roasts, curries, beef stew, roast chicken, silver side, scrambled eggs, soups … the list goes on.  My mum, who also has a Dreampot, is more adventurous, making cakes and scones in hers, as well.

The two pot design of the larger Dreampots means that yummy desserts can be cooked along with your main meal.  Our kids favourite is creamed rice.  Alternatively (and possibly to protests from the rest of the family) the second pot can be used for sides like vegies, pasta or rice.

A very relaxed evening

Following an afternoon of sightseeing (or even lounging around the pool), it doesn’t seem quite in keeping with the holiday spirit to have to rush off and prepare dinner.  Our kids are still young enough to be getting tired and cranky towards the end of the day too.  So it’s very handy to have zero preparation to do for dinner, when they’re at their attention seeking best!  Typically, late in the day is social time around a caravan park and I enjoy being able to join the “non-cooks” to have a chat.

I was initially a little apprehensive about buying a Dreampot.  They aren’t cheap.  We looked at the Cobb ovens too, but decided against them because we didn’t like the idea of using heat beads with little kids around.  I also felt the range of dishes from the Cobb was fairly similar to what we could do on the BBQ.

In the end, the flexibility offered by the Dreampot won me over.  Time to relax and enjoy is what holidays are about, after all.

Dreampots are available in three sizes (we have the largest model for our family of five).  For more information and where to buy visit www.dreampot.com.au

Happy travels,