Mirror, mirror on the Sunshine Coast will you cook a decent roast?
Published 11 May 2012
Three colleagues from the Brighton Hospitality Research group have received a parabolic solar cooker. The solar cooker will enable the team to run a series of sensory analysis experiments to both showcase the possibilities of free energy and educate participants and the public on the uses of parabolic mirrors.
Ken Woodward, Gillian Parfitt and Dr Ioannis Pantelidis with the new parabolic solar cooker
The project team involves senior lecturer, Dr Ioannis Pantelidis; Gillian Parfitt, course leader of International Hospitality Management BA(Hons) and Ken Woodward, course leader of International Hospitality Management MSc.
Dr Ioannis Pantelidis explains: “This is a project that became possible because of the generosity of the Springboard Grants Programme at the University of Brighton.
“The solar cooker is going to be utilised by students and our hospitality research team. Sensory analysis will be the primary scope of the first experiments we plan to test recipes on traditional gas stove versus the solar cooker and measure participant reactions and perceptions.”
Another part of the experiment involves students cooking fresh produce straight from the Culinary Arts Studio gardens.
Team member, Gillian Parfitt said: “What a wonderful experience, to be able to grow our own produce on site and then cook it with only the power of the sun! We can explore issues of sustainability, customer acceptance, taste and flavour and of course what could be more nutritious than fresh local produce - cooking could not be more natural, wholesome and fun!”
The team have already tested the technology and were impressed by the temperatures achieved in such a short time. The third team member Ken Woodward explains: “It is a remarkable piece of technology which allows us to cook food and boil water using the most abundant and free source of energy - the sun.”
“I was introduced to solar cooking technology by my colleague Dr Ioannis Pantelidis in the grounds of the University of Brighton, this forms part of our university’s carbon footprint reduction initiative. I have cooked on many types of equipment as a civilian and in the armed forces, but we did not have anything as clever and innovative as this solar cooker.”