French cooking gets an Aussie twist with the Barbie Bag

British company Qbag has teamed up with Australian specialty chicken retailer Lenard’s to promote the Barbie Bag, an aluminium bag pre-packed with one of three meal varieties that can be cooked on the barbecue and in the oven.

The Barbie Bag is based on the traditional French method of cooking en papillote, in which the food is enclosed in paper or foil and baked in an oven. The food steams in its own juices, retaining flavour and moisture. A self-ventilating window on the top of the bag allows excess steam to escape and enables consumers to see the food inside while it’s cooking.

Lenard’s is offering three pre-packaged dishes: Smokey Spanish Paella, Creamy Mushroom Risotto and Chicken Snags in Onion Gravy. Qbag says the Barbie Bag’s features provide a niche for food manufacturers, processors and brand owners looking to offer new meal ideas and product innovations in the growing convenience food sector.

The Qbag can also be filled with chilled food or frozen with food inside to be cooked at a later time. The aluminium foil is 100% recyclable after cooking.

According to Qbag, the outdoor BBQ market has been largely unexplored for many companies because it’s difficult to sell prepared meals in an easy and convenient way on the grill. The company says the Qbag bridges this gap by offering consumers a convenient way to cook using the barbecue, without the need to clean up afterwards.

“Qbag is exactly the type of convenient and sustainable packaging that Lenard’s have been looking for,” said David Keith, National Purchasing & Logistics Manager for Lenard’s. “Qbag allows us to develop exciting new dishes that would not normally be associated with outdoor cooking, and best of all leaves no mess to clean up afterwards.”

To see the Barbie Bag in action, watch this YouTube clip: