We have just started to gather some evidence on how people cook.  It might seem amazing given the huge amount of work on Improved (Charcoal and wood) Cookstoves, but other than Cowan 2008, we have been unable to find details on how much energy it actually takes to cook a meal in real world situations.  Of course there is data on how much charcoal people consume, but cooking with charcoal is not the same as cooking with modern energy.  It is that much easier to simmer food by turning down the gas or the electricity. [Indeed the picture is of wasted energy!! – why have the gas so high on such a small pot, the heat goes up around the pot!  (and why doesnt it have a lid?)] Read more…