Dr Hector Perera     London

My energy saving cooking technique was not discovered yesterday. This was discovered when I was cooking in a single room accommodation in England. Back home in Sri Lanka as well I cooked some food with my friends who studied with me at Advanced level science at a private college. That time we never thought about the cost of energy and the smell depositing while cooking, we just cooked. My self and the three other friends were in a room only basis boarding house very near Punchi Borella. From those days I really didn’t like hotel takeaway foods but sometimes I had to cycle up and down about a mile to get the food from nearby hotels. By the time I get back to the boarding house, the food in the parcel got mixed and it loses the appetite even by the sight. What could I do and had no choice, just eat as it was.

A final year medical student in the place encouraged my idea to cook something there but there was no kitchen as such so we had to start by cooking inside the room. Soon we moved the single burner kerosene cooker to the back end of the boarding house and started to cook in the passage. I never knew much cooking at all, just added this and that to make it tastier. That means I kept on experimenting how to improve cooking and cook tastier food.

I glad to say that I knew my basic cooking even long before I came to England for further studies. Chicken was more expensive when compared to beef or fish, so most of the times I ate rice with beef, fish and vegetables. One thing I noticed was that the cooking aroma circulated within the room even after cooking with windows widely opened so it really became a problem. No additional rooms left to be used as a kitchen in that boarding place then I decided to try cooking at the passage near the back end of the rooms where there were the toilet and the shower room. Once that final year medical student he completed his studies, he left the place then I had to cook all by myself but he gave me a good start.

I visited two of my colleagues in nearby hostels and they wanted to come over to my place as their place was not quite convenient due to a few reasons. At the start they also ate takeaways from hotels but soon realised not convenient and not quite healthy and clean like cooked something at home. None of them knew any cooking but I was a bit experienced by that time. We didn’t cook too much just two curries and rice that was more than enough, better than nothing or hotel food. Sometimes we made coconut sambol” as well. There was no machine to scrape but used the good old Hiramonae”.  We shared the work and cooked something simple before we left to college then came home for lunch as the college finished around 1.30 pm. We cooked then had a morning wash before we went out to college. Actually only later I found out that the cooking smell deposited on us while cooking but that was not a problem because of the morning shower.

All my friends became medical doctors

 As the time went on those two friends as well got through to medicine but I ended up with advanced level chemistry only. I did my chemistry practical at The University that is very near Cinnamon Gardens. The three hour chemistry practical was done within half an hour and wrote down in detail that I done this and that but actually none was done. I knew they give marks for what we write so wrote in details. Much later I gave the technique to my private students in England. Once my friends completed the exams then they left the place. I ended up as a chemistry and a physics teacher in the same private college.

Marked the time until it was right

Then after a few years, I had the chance to come over to England for further studies. Once I came to England I was back to the square one by having to do all my things in one room. I was lucky to find out there was this abandoned kitchen next to my room. Until I decided to use that room, I started to cook in the same room. Then only I discovered my energy saving and smell avoiding cooking technique based on science. So my cooking discovery is not a spring chicken idea.

Other than rice and curries so many can be cooked by boiling

One might say not many people are interested in eating rice and curries so my scientific energy saving cooking is not suitable for the people live in England. Actually my method applies for saving energy in cooking and boiling of so many other types of foods such as for boiling vegetables, starchy foods such as noodles, pasta, potatoes, eggs, meats, sauces, stocks and soups. Now who would say the people in England do not eat these kinds of food that could be cooked using my energy saving technique. This is the reason I think my method is widely applicable. I always mentioned my method can be used by majority of people other than eating rice and curries like Asians.

How much energy can be saved?

Let me remind again, this scientific energy saving cooking can save around 60% energy wasted in cooking. I have cooked the above kinds of foods in my scientific energy saving method and it works for them as well. Only if anyone is interested in saving energy and wanted to avoid any cooking aroma deposited on them while cooking may adopt my method of cooking. If anyone wastes energy in cooking that means wasting money or actually burning money. I have challenged for any energy saving experts in England yes in England to step forward and disprove my method and if they disproved my method, I have placed a substantial sum of money to give away.

 Suppose if I was right, what would I get?

When I demonstrated this technique to The Sustainable Energy Authority in Sri Lanka they approved and awarded me a certificate and the Invention Commission accepted the technique and they filmed my work then added to their official web site. Many TVs in Sri Lanka gave me a chance to demonstrate this technique so that the public would benefit. In May 2014 Sirasa TV gave 45 minutes to demonstrate the technique in a live cooking programme so that the public would benefit further. This work is still available in Google search under my name.

Why my work is not given any attention in England

One of my questions is if my work is good enough for Sri Lanka’s Sustainable Energy Authority then for The Invention Commission and for many different TV shows including the one with Sirasa TV, why this work is not good enough to be shown in any TV in England. May be I haven’t approached the right people.

I am not a cook or a chef but a BSc MSc PhD qualified chemistry teacher and I apply nothing but science for energy saving and smell avoiding while cooking. I am making use of some scientific laws that are more than two centuries old. If the good old steam engine could pull tons of steel and climb, Kadugannawa Hill” and why not this steam power cannot cook some rice and other food? I am prepared to demonstrate again for the benefit of the public. If I am not confident of my work, who would say that I would be stupid to place £50,000 yes fifty thousand sterling as a challenge. If I was disproved by any energy saving expert in England or by any famous British TV chef then I will give away that challenged money. According to science, every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. Your comments are welcomed perera6@hotmail.co.uk

Dr Hector Perera