From Forbes, August 28 (2017):
Here's How To Actually Cook Food Over Lava
Hello dear reader. Quick question: have you ever thought about cooking food over a fresh lava flow?
I know I have, and because you’ve just clicked on this article, then I’m going to presume you have too. That’s why it strikes me as odd that no such instructions exist online explaining how to do so.
So – I’m here to fix that.
Well, it beats your average garden barbecue, no? (Shutterstock)
Whether you’re a carnivorous beastie or a vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian or whatever, the basics are the same. All you need is some lava, and some food. It helps, quite a lot, if you’re not clumsy....MORE
Just to make it a little easier, I’m going to talk about steak here, but similar warnings/advice applies to anything that you hope to digest. Now, let’s find a fresh lava flow. Hawaii’s probably the best place to go for this, unless you have a laboratory that actually creates its own lava – yes, these do exist – so hop on a plane there, and clamber up to one of the lava flows that have been emerging from Kilauea since 1983.
Get a wide grill, one with flat, heatproof bases on the prongs. If you stand on a freshly cooled lava flow, and you stick a thin metal pole in the ground, it will likely crack open the blackened surface and reveal molten lava. This may melt your grill, as well as your feet. So, place your grill over the lava flow carefully, and be prepared to move it as the lava flow moves. Cook and dance.
Whatever you’re cooking, you’re also going to have to contend with the fact that you’re not using a regular grill; it’s more of a dragon, really. On a very high heat, barbeque grills fuelled by natural gas can reach temperatures of around 232°C (450°F). The average temperature of basaltic lava is around 1,100°C (2,012°F). If you’re one of those monsters that likes your steak well done, then this works perfectly for you – but if you’re more rational when it comes to your gastronomic proclivities, then this extra-powerful heat source will need to be handled with care.
Say you’ve got a skirt steak. Why a skirt steak, you may ask? Because Gordon Ramsey has told me that it’s tender and soft and a chef’s dream...
Possibly related:
In 1943, a farmer's cornfield suddenly sprouted a 1,300-foot volcano
