Efficient Cooking for Montainous Areas: Development, Assembly and Thermal Behavior of Cylindrical Heat Retention Box

Abstract, Science and Technology, 2019

On mountainous areas, fuel for cooking, such as propane or firewood, has to be transported. A heat retention box (HRB) is an energy-efficient cooking device by completing the cooking process while reducing energy consumption and preserving all of the food’s organoleptic properties. In this article we present the design of a cylindrical-shaped HRB (C-HRB), its construction and thermal evaluation. In addition, we have compared its thermal performance and its cost to the parallelepiped heat retention box (P-HRB), traditionally used in rural and urban areas of Mendoza, Argentina. Results show that the P-HRB keeps the food only 3.3°C warmer than the C-HRB after 1 hour. This period is an average cooking time for most meals. Furthermore, the cost is similar to the P-HRB, and it is moredurable during transport. This box is easily portable by mule, the pack animal most commonly used to transport goods and equipment in mountainous regions worldwide.

Keywords: Heat Retention Box, Low Cost Fireless Cooker, Mountainous Areas