It's well known, even if everyone loves them, barbecues are not safe! The fuels used can contain substances that are very harmful to health and the environment. But these new solar cookers invented by David Wilson, an American professor specializing in mechanical engineering, may revolutionize the world of cooking.
What's better than a good barbecue day in your garden, to spend good time with family or friends while savoring succulent and deliciously scented grills? Unfortunately, some of the traditional barbecues we use can have very detrimental effects on our health and our environment.
Indeed, in an article published in "Le Figaro journal", Professor David Khayat, head of the oncology department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, certifies that all food cooked or burned by flames represents a carcinogenic risk for health . Thus polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amino acids (HCAs) occur at high temperatures and become toxic to the body when absorbed.
But do not worry ! You can still enjoy your barbecue days without feeling guilty, thanks to these new solar cookers.
Here is the solar grill a solar cooker that works even during the night!
It was during a trip to Nigeria, a country where women have to travel tens of kilometers to find wood to cook their meals, that Professor David Wilson had the idea to invent the Solar Grill, a Solar cooker that stores solar energy for high temperature cooking up to 200 degrees Celsius for 25 hours! This means that this solar cooker can be used even during the night.
"People like to cook outside at night, and have a good time under the trees while eating. Although there are many solar cookers, many of them do not store solar energy. We have already seen solar ovens, solar cookers, and solar barbecues that work with the energy of the sun's rays, but none of them can be used overnight. That's what David Wilson said in one of his interviews.
According to David Wilson, the Solar Grill stores solar energy during the day, and keeps it for up to 25 hours. It contains a stepped lens that captures the energy of the sun's rays, and concentrates it in a container filled with lithium nitrate, a chemical compound that acts like a solar battery, and helps keep the heat for long periods of time.
Professor Wilson's Solar Grill has not yet emerged, and sustainability studies are still underway. But while waiting to see the Solar Grill in our markets, there are several types of solar cookers that we can try and are very interesting even if they do not work overnight.
What are the benefits of using a solar cooker?
There is no doubt that solar cookers are much better than traditional cookers. Their use has many benefits for health and the environment. Here is a non-exhaustive list of reasons why everyone should use a solar cooker:
- Solar cookers are very economical, you will not need to pay electricity costs, or go to buy fuel every time you want to grill.
- Solar cookers respect the environment, they are clean, they do not produce smoke, and they do not use polluting chemicals.
- With a solar cooker, you will no longer suffer from eye irritation or breathing problems caused by the smoke that is often released by traditional cookers.
- The cooking temperature of solar cookers does not exceed 200 degrees Celsius. Foods therefore keep their vitamins, and their nutrients.
- Unlike traditional barbecues, you will not need to monitor food during cooking because you will be sure that your food will not be charred.
- Cleaning is easy with a solar cooker thanks to a damp cloth without detergent, because food does not stick during solar cooking.
- Food cooked in the solar cooker will be healthy and will not be as toxic to our body as using a traditional charcoal grill.
