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Boiling Point 14: Kitchens, Pots and Cooking Practices - December 1987
[top] [end]OverviewThe kitchen or outdoor cooking place has been the centre of social life for all human communities from the time when fire was discovered. It often still is, even in the most sophisticated societies. The fireplace or stove is the heart of this micro community. It has many roles to play - utilitarian and social - and if it is to be "improved", these roles must continue to be fulfilled as far as possible. The concern for fuel economy, although not new, is becoming much more pressing and is being given a higher priority among these roles.Stove experts now need to look more carefully at how their improvements affect kitchens, pots, cooking practices, and the customs and habits associated with them. No-one buys a stove just to save trees; its convenience, prestige value and money saving qualities are more likely to be the deciding factors. If women are to want to use fuel efficient stoves, they must offer tangible benefits without Imposing major changes in cooking patterns. The traditional fireplace satisfies many needs, often providing space heating and light as well as heat for cooking and hot water. The traditional fireplace often has religious significance. In terms of cooking, a three-stones fire has many features difficult to provide in an improved and fuel efficient stove e.g. variations in pot sizes can be accommodated by the simple movement of the stones; many types and sizes of fuel can be used; the fire can be easily controlled by the movement of the fuel under the pot; it is easy to light and put out. Research into cooking patterns and practices is essential at the start of stove development programmes and the results need to be taken into account in designing, testing and marketing as practices can vary widely even within one country or region. The placing of the stove has a profound influence on family life e.g. placed at the centre of the house at the time of the marriage ceremony in Machakos, Kenya; at a sacred part of the house where it will provide warmth at night in Nepal; at a focal point of the compound in The Gambia. The stove location must, of course, take account of practical considerations such as prevailing winds, sun and shade position, doors, windows and chimneys, family size and eating times and patterns, length of cooking time, food and fuel storage, relation to food preparation areas, thatch and food preservation, etc.. Cooking positions are also traditional e.g. squatting by a fire on the ground; bending over a stove or standing in a "modern" kitchen. Any attempt to introduce a stove which changes such traditional habits, deliberately or incidentally, even for very important reasons such as reduction of smoke or injuries, should be done with a clear understanding of its other implications. Do our stove "experts" know enough about these factors? [top] [end]Articles in Knowledge Bank
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Page created:
12 September 2008; Last edited:
21 November 2008; Version: 1 | ||||
Pagename: BoilingPoint14 @HEDON: APNA | ||||
