Project 1

RATIONALE

What it is:

QUICKHEAT is a portable cooking utensil with an inner-clad stainless shell pot for direct heating, and an outer vacuum-insulated container for heat-preserved cooking.

QUICKHEAT is targeted at single-person households in urban areas of China, designed for use in times of a blizzard or snowstorm.

Benefits of using QUICKHEAT:

-Keeping hot or cold food at a safe temperature for hours

-Meal preparation time is shortened as contents do not need to be constantly attended to, saving energy

-Food cooks in its own juices so all the vitamins, nutrients and flavours are retained

How it works:

QUICKHEAT works with a vacuum technology, which eliminates temperature change by creating a vacuum space between two walls of stainless steel. This results in an insulation layer that performs like no other, with a heat loss of 3 to 4 degrees C per hour.

How to use it:

1. Place ingredients into the inner pot and heat on a stove.
2. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and transfer to outer container, close and your meal is ready.
4. The heat retained continues to slowly cook your food for hours without any constant attention.

Technology:

The inner pot is made of a dual-layered stainless steel structure. It has a layer of carbon steel with high heat conductivity, sealed into the heavy base plate.
This combination enables heat to be absorbed and conducted quickly, minimising hot spots and retaining heat for longer.
The heat-retaining plate, made of carbon steel, can also be heated by an induction element.
The outer container has vacuum insulation to prevent heat loss.
This system allows for heat or cold to be retained equally efficiently.

According to the Australian Food Standards, a temperature of 60 degrees C or above has to be kept to prevent food-poisoning bacteria from growing, while chilled food should be kept under 5 degrees C.

In times of a blizzard or a snow storm, where energy has to be rationed, QUICKHEAT comes in handy as it allows more to be achieved, with less, conserving commodities. QUICKHEAT is especially useful in such times, as it allows for gas and energy to depleted at a slower rate as a shorter period of time is needed for cooking. It can however, also be used in Summer, to keep food and beverages cool.