Expotherm has developed the world’s first retrofit insulation covers for professional cooking pots and lids. The covers can be fitted within seconds and reduce heat loss by around 50% while making pots heat up 20% faster. At the same time, the outside stays cool, helping to reduce the risk of burns.

At Into The Great Wide Open, Expotherm tested a 24-litre pot and an 11-litre lid with insulation covers with several caterers. The caterers used the pot for part or all of a day and shared their experiences through interviews.

The test showed that caterers are mainly looking for a practical and flexible solution that saves energy, takes up little space and is easy to use. For the users involved, being able to keep food hot without an external energy source was even more important than saving energy itself.

The prototypes work, but there is still room to improve their weight and ease of use. One unexpected finding was that most chefs cook without a lid. Expotherm therefore needs to find a way to save energy when cooking without one.

The product was well received: the chef at the Mirror Soup stall took the pot home to keep using it at other festivals and share more feedback later.

The next step is further product development and another validation round with a broader group of caterers. Expotherm wants to better understand which benefits matter most to different users: saving energy, improving efficiency or keeping food hot for longer. The team will also explore whether the solution could be useful in situations where large amounts of food need to be prepared with limited access to energy.