Energy-slashing kitchen concept takes first at the Prix Emile Hermes competition

A group of French designers has taken home the first prize in the Prix Émile Hermès design competition by presenting a cooking concept that can cut energy use in the kitchen by half.

DesignersArnaud Le Cat, Esther Bacot, and Luther Quenum have developed what they are calling "Shelved Cooking," a concept that draws upon an old Norwegian cooking technique that is said to significantly reduce energy use.

The Shelved Cooking system contains two vats, each holds a copper-wire induction hotplate, and is embedded in a table that is mounted on trestles.

To cook, a pot is placed inside the vat, and once the contents are brought to a boil, the vat is covered with insulation flaps that are made of compressed boiled wool, mylar and cork.Once covered, the induction plates automatically shut off, and the food continues to cook on its own.

The Prix Émile Hermès was created in 2008 to foster creativity in young designers by suggesting a specific theme as a starting point for an original, "vital contribution to the aspirations of today's society, and by providing support and encouragement at a pivotal phase in the development of their professional activity," says the contest's site.

This year's theme was "Heat, me-heat, re-heat," where twelve ingenious designs from blankets to other stoves were considered as finalists. The contest is sponsored by the Fondation d'enterprise Hermès, to show the foundation's support for the visual and performing arts.

[Via Co.Design]
Images: Disko/Fondation d'entreprise Hermès

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com