Cooking without fire, is it possible to do? Of course, in
fact the microwave has inhabited our kitchen for decades. However, till this
moment, it hasn't been able to replace the conventional stove or grill totally.
Fire is no longer the only important thing in cooking, actually the heat that
we are looking for. Today there are many people who have used an induction
cooker to cook, which is basically able to convert electrical energy into heat.
How about the solar heat that can be obtained for free from
nature? Well, we can convert it into electrical energy, but why don't use it
directly for cooking? This is the idea that's brought by Gosun Stove. In 2013,
they introduced a solar-powered stove through crowdfunding website.
Kickstarter. And this time, they re-visit the crowdfunding site to show off
their latest cooking solution, which is also powered by solar heat.
Named Gosun Grill, its form looks like a small oven with a
weight of 9 kg. If you open it, you will see a pair of aluminum plates which
serve to reflect the solar heat. The
reflected heat will be absorbed by the vacuum tube which consists of a number
of layers, which then be used for cooking. This tube is well insulated so it's
safe to be held from the outside despite being used for cooking at high
temperatures.
Inside the tube, there is an oval pot made of stainless
steel. This is where you put the food ingredients, with a maximum volume of up
to 2.4 liters. The Gosun Grill can be used for baking, frying or boiling with
maximum temperatures reaching of 260 degrees Celsius. As long as there is a fit
pot and solar heat, you can make a tasty dish.
Then there is a question, when the sun had set, does it mean
the Gosun Grill can't be used? Don't worry, it's equipped with a thermal
battery component that's able to store solar heat within 2 hours. This stored
heat can be utilized for cooking at night.
This thermal battery also serves to speed up the cooking
process, where the stored heat can be combined with the solar heat that’s
reflected by the Gosun Grill's aluminum reflector.
Apparently the Gosun Grill's campaign is quite successful;
the initial target has been exceeded though still leaving one month ahead. The
lowest pledge at this moment is $ 349 for one unit of Gosun Grill. Add $ 150 to
bring the thermal battery with it.