Platinum Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design · 2018
Firo Fire Cooking Set
- A' Design Award 2018 Platinum Winner in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2018
- CLIENT: NIMTSCHKE DESIGN - Andrea Sosinski
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 967,732
- Verification code 8999E3DA4A · Verify this award
About Firo Fire Cooking Set
FIRO is a multifunctional and portable 5kg cooking set for each open fire. The oven holds 4 pots, attached removable to a drawers rail construction with a swiveling support for maintaining the food level. Thus way FIRO can be easily and safely used like a drawer without spilling food while the oven lays half way in the fire. The pots are used for cooking and eating purposes and are handled with the cutlery tool which clips in each side of the pots to carry them in temperature insulation pockets while hot. It also includes a blanket which is as well a bag that holds all usefull equipment.
The Firo Fire Cooking Set by Andrea Sosinski represents a distinguished contribution to the contemporary discourse on portable culinary systems, synthesizing principles of modular design, material optimization, and user-centered functionality into a cohesive ensemble. This work emerges from a design tradition that values the integration of form and purpose, recalling the systematic thinking of mid-century industrial design while embracing contemporary material technologies and manufacturing possibilities. The designer demonstrates particular accomplishment in the orchestration of components into a unified carrying system, where each element finds its designated position within a carefully conceived hierarchy of storage and access. The chromatic strategy proves notably sophisticated, employing a predominantly neutral palette of refined grays that suggests professional-grade equipment while strategic orange accents introduce warmth and facilitate component identification. The material selection reveals thoughtful consideration of both aesthetic and functional requirements: ceramic vessels offer food-safe, thermally appropriate surfaces; polymer housings provide lightweight durability; stainless steel utensils ensure longevity and hygienic properties; and textile protective sleeves cushion delicate components during transport. The formal vocabulary speaks to contemporary expectations of refined simplicity, where unnecessary ornament yields to the inherent beauty of well-resolved functional relationships. This work invites consideration of how thoughtful design transforms utilitarian objects into companions for meaningful experiences, whether around a campfire or in any setting where portable culinary preparation becomes an act of intentional living. What rituals of preparation and sharing might such carefully considered implements inspire?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The "Firo" cooking set opens a new era and sets a new standard for cooking outdoor. It combines the atmosphere of fire, good food and stimulates the communication between people. It can be used in each open fire. On the beach, in a fire bowl on the patio or
in an open fireplace in the living room. The oven is portable, flexible in use and expandable up to 12 persons by using more "Gratino's" (eating bowls). While the oven is left half in the fire, you operate outside for your safety. The multifunctional set includes everything you need: oven, cooking and eating bowls, cutlery, blanket, gloves, covers. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Exact sizes are not shown to public:
1x "Firo" oven body (cook, transport, store)
approximately half a meter
// 4x "Gratino" bowls (cook and eat, cutlery is fork, spoon and removal tool)
content size 250ml
// 1x Accessories bag (bag and blanket for 2 persons)
approximately 1000 x 500 mm
// 1 "Firo" and 4 "Gratino" weight together 5kg. - Tags
- Firo, cooking set, open fire, campfire, oven, Gratino, multifunctional, Andrea Sosinski, Nimtschke Design
- Production Technology
- The oven is made out of technical ceramic and the "Gratino"-Bowls out of porcelain. The cutlery is out of metall and is slightly flexible to be clicked in the hot bowl after cooking for easy handling without burning hands. All textiles are made non flammable in the colours dark grey and orange.
"Firo" is not in production yet. It is a working concept and prototype and I am searching for a company that produces and markets it on license. - Design Challenge
- Actually it is too hot to cook in fire. The material needs a good relation between heat conductivity and isolation, has to resist hot temperature without loosing its shape, is food compliant and as lightweighted as possible. The food should stay in the bowls even in slanting position. That's why I hung the bowls revolvable in the middle of the oven on a rail. So they can stay even inside while carrying or storing. The rail allows to open and close the oven like a drawer and helps to pull out the bowls in a fire free area. The right calculation for oven length and bowl sizes was important to get a light weighted transportable set.
- Project Duration
- The project started in April 2005 and was finished in July 2006 in Halle (Saale)/Germany. It was first published in Leipzig/Germany at Designers' Open and won the first price "Designers' Open Award".
- Operation Flow
- "Firo" will be halfway placed in open fire. The handy "Gratino"-pots will be filled with food and put in the oven. Possible are four "Gratino's" at the same time for soup, gratin, ragout, dessert. The oven remains in the fire and will be handled like a drawer - open and close. Once the food is cooked, the multifunctional cutlery (fork and spoon) is clicked in the deepening of the pot and carried out in an isolating bag for eating.
- Research
- The leading aspect was the safety for the user and the food, to find a solution to keep the pots filled with food in upright position while cooking and to get them out again of the hot oven. I did a lot of material research for high temperature. I wanted to make everything as lightweighted and multifunctional as possible: The cutlery is fork, spoon and removal tool. The porcelain vessels are cooking and eating pots. The oven is for cooking and carriage cover for pots. The accessories bag is seat pad and storage. The heatproof jacket enable to hold the hot pot in the hand, so no table is required.
- Inspiration
- In times of industrialisation and digitalisation people are longing for their roots and simplicity. There is the modern kitchen on the one hand, and the summer phenomen of barbeque on the other. Also electrical light next to candles, gas heating next to fire place or fire bowl. Fire is since 2 Mio years the center of life. But still there is no way to cook safely with real open fire. Either you have to get very close to the flames or you just use the burning ash to prepare your food. A change was needed.
- Image Credits
- Image #1,2,3,4,5: Photographer and Creator Andrea Sosinski, 2006
- Patents
- All copyrights belong to Andrea Sosinski, Nimtschke Design, 2006
Colors of Firo Fire Cooking Set
Get Firo Fire Cooking Set
Design Interview about Firo Fire Cooking Set
I wanted to create a possibility to cook safe with real open fire. With all common cooking tools you have to lean over the fire which is not very safe. And BBQ is only cooking with glowing coal, because cooking with open fire is hard to handle. It is too hot and too irregular.
I wanted to combine the fascination of fire with a modern way of cocking which is safe, multifunctional, flexible and communicative.
I want to find a company that will produce and market this product on license worldwide. I already have a book full of people that want to buy it when it is produced. I collected the contacts during fairs (like the Ambiente in Frankfurt) and exhibitions.
It took me over 1 year.
It is the work of my diploma that I did at the end of my studies.
It is still a well working prototype. I want to find a company that will produce and market this product on license.
20-65 years old, love outdoor, adventure, fire.
Catering Companies
Outdoor experience companies
Event-Cooking at Fairs and company events
Catering Companies
Outdoor experience companies
Event-Cooking at Fairs and company events
Safe:
- safe distance to the fire through length of the oven (lies half in, half outside the fire); operation in fire free area (not above the fire like many other)
- the oven case protects the food in the pots from the irregular hot fire
- no spilling of food because of revolving balanced pots
- quick, safe, stress free food controlling through a drawer-like opening & closing
- heat regulation through piecemeal opening or closing of the oven or/and through dislocation of the pots on the rail (behind hotter than ahead)
- gloves and heatproof jackets
- safe removal of the hot pots by cutlery
Flexible:
- portably, therewith place independent
- usage in every open fire (fireplace, fire bowl, campfire), therewith seasons and weather independent
- preparation variety
- expandable assortment enables meal for up to 12 persons
- fast leaving of the fire place: quickly cooling off material
- multifunctionality saves material and therewith weight, place, expense:
cutlery = fork, spoon and removal tool
porcelain vessels = cooking and eating pots
oven = preparation and carriage cover for pots
accessories bag = seat pad and storage
- heatproof jacket enable to hold the hot pot in the hand; no table is required
Economic:
- wise usage of energy: multi-purpose utilization of an ambiance creating fireplace/firebowl as an additional energy source for cooking
- use of wood as a renewable natural source
- long-living product; reusable
Interpersonal:
- creation of communication and conviviality by shared preparing, cooking and eating
- creation of individuality in the group: everyone can assemble and prepare its meal after own taste and creativity
Healthy:
- gentle preparation without supplement of shortening
- no cancer-causing benzopyrene development
- clean, hygienic eating out of well to clean porcelain
- impervious, nonporous oven material protects the meal against dirt and smoke
- equal warming of the meal: the pots float on the rail midway of the oven and are equal heated up by surrounding air
- varied menu consisting of several courses
- safe distance to the fire through length of the oven (lies half in, half outside the fire); operation in fire free area (not above the fire like many other)
- the oven case protects the food in the pots from the irregular hot fire
- no spilling of food because of revolving balanced pots
- quick, safe, stress free food controlling through a drawer-like opening & closing
- heat regulation through piecemeal opening or closing of the oven or/and through dislocation of the pots on the rail (behind hotter than ahead)
- gloves and heatproof jackets
- safe removal of the hot pots by cutlery
Flexible:
- portably, therewith place independent
- usage in every open fire (fireplace, fire bowl, campfire), therewith seasons and weather independent
- preparation variety
- expandable assortment enables meal for up to 12 persons
- fast leaving of the fire place: quickly cooling off material
- multifunctionality saves material and therewith weight, place, expense:
cutlery = fork, spoon and removal tool
porcelain vessels = cooking and eating pots
oven = preparation and carriage cover for pots
accessories bag = seat pad and storage
- heatproof jacket enable to hold the hot pot in the hand; no table is required
Economic:
- wise usage of energy: multi-purpose utilization of an ambiance creating fireplace/firebowl as an additional energy source for cooking
- use of wood as a renewable natural source
- long-living product; reusable
Interpersonal:
- creation of communication and conviviality by shared preparing, cooking and eating
- creation of individuality in the group: everyone can assemble and prepare its meal after own taste and creativity
Healthy:
- gentle preparation without supplement of shortening
- no cancer-causing benzopyrene development
- clean, hygienic eating out of well to clean porcelain
- impervious, nonporous oven material protects the meal against dirt and smoke
- equal warming of the meal: the pots float on the rail midway of the oven and are equal heated up by surrounding air
- varied menu consisting of several courses
FIRO is a combination of the englisch word "fire" and the german word for tube: "Rohr".
plaster, porcelain, technical ceramics, a lot of paper and pencil
multifunctional modern cooking with real open fire
I worked with Saint Gobain Industrial Ceramic in Rödental to produce the tube and to make tests in fire with different technical ceramics.
Find a material that resists the irregular and high temperature of fire, that keeps its shape and function while hot, that can be used for eating purposes and that has the right thermal conductivity.
Another challenge was to find the right size of the tube and the bowls. They should not be to big to not be to heavy in the end. They should not be to small because it would not do justice to the effort. The tube should not be to short. That would be not safe enough while handling. And not to long because this makes it more heavy. I decided to do 4x 250ml bowls in one half a meter tube, all in all in a 5kg package.
Another challenge was to find the right size of the tube and the bowls. They should not be to big to not be to heavy in the end. They should not be to small because it would not do justice to the effort. The tube should not be to short. That would be not safe enough while handling. And not to long because this makes it more heavy. I decided to do 4x 250ml bowls in one half a meter tube, all in all in a 5kg package.
I was invited to do so. I hope it will enlarge the chance to find a licensee.
I was hard working and didn't give up finding solutions even while other people told me that it is impossible and I should choose another project. But I kept on going and in the end I surprised and convinced everybody. That made me proud and strong.
Grand Interview about Firo Fire Cooking Set
Looking into fire has always held a magical fascination for us humans. Fire was once the cornerstone of our modern civilization and the center of our lives. It gave us light, warmth, safety and security, enabled us to prepare food, promoted sociability and gave us a feeling of connection. This is so deeply anchored in us that it is still impossible to imagine our lives without it. For coziness, we light candles, sit by the fireplace, grill in the summer or light it in a campfire or fire bowl. However, since cooking with an open fire is not an easy undertaking due to the different and sometimes very high temperatures and the irregularly blazing flames, the food is usually grilled over glowing coals or with the help of gas on warm summer evenings and the fire bowl later ensures coziness and conviviality. The combination of both was the starting point for the development of FIRO. The oven allows an even and gentle food preparation within the fire as well as an operation in a fire-free area. FIRO therefore stands for the connection between origin and modernity.
To ensure even heating of the food in the Gratino containers, it was essential to keep the bowls floating so that they do not come into contact with the oven material. The way a Ferris wheel works gave me the inspiration I needed to maintain the food level. The idea of operating the oven outside the fire while the oven itself can remain in the fire came from using an ordinary drawer, the contents of which can be accessed by simply pulling it out. The final appearance of the implemented solution is the result of a lengthy development process. The porcelain bowls are now in the most compact and stable form to ensure technical functionality. Its design, both shape and size, is the result of an ideal combination of capacity, size, weight, manageability, cleanability and functionality, which was constantly adapted in the simultaneous development of the oven. Mathematics and physics as well as design and creativity helped me to find the balance and the right balance between all components and requirements.
That wasn't easy. The obvious choice was to have the oven forged from cast iron. But this would have been to the detriment of mobility and portability. I found an alternative in technical ceramics that allows the oven mold to be made in one cast and is also significantly lighter and yet heat-stable and has a good ratio between heat conduction and heat storage. The material thickness can also be regulated during production and I found a good ratio between stability and weight here too. I designed all components to be multi-purpose for portability and only used as much material as necessary. So even every screw has a dual function that it has to perform, right down to the obvious functionalities of the individual components.
Multifunctionality allows material to be saved, which in turn reduces the overall weight. From the beginning it was important to me to ensure portability so that the oven could also be used in nature. Such as at a campfire site in the forest or on the beach.
The oven allows for the fascination of an open fire and safe, modern food preparation at the same time. It is deliberately designed to be reduced and simple in order to provide a contrast to the high-tech and increasingly complicated world. People long for roots and simplicity to re-ground themselves and connect with nature. As a side effect, this deprives our everyday lives of the speed that makes us all so restless.
In my research into existing open fire cooking options, I realized that the issue of safety was the biggest one. On the one hand, the safety of the food being cooked and grilled, as well as the safety of people during operation. For this reason, most preparation variants are those that tame the open, irregularly flaming fire in the form of glowing coals, as in grilling, or lock up and confine it, such as in rocket stoves. In cases where the fire is actually allowed to burn, the preparation takes place over the fire, as with the tripod with a boiler, and therefore represents a safety risk. For this reason, I had to find a solution to ensure an operation outside of the fire, because this area seemed safer to me than over the fire. That was the birth of the idea of drawer operation.
The search for a suitable oven material took some time. Cast iron was the obvious choice, but portability would no longer have been guaranteed. Technical ceramic, on the other hand, is significantly lighter and yet dimensionally stable, fireproof, heat-conducting and heat-storing. The material chosen for the Gratino bowls was porcelain because it is not only used for cooking but also for eating. Glazed white porcelain is hygienic, easy to clean and also provides an aesthetic contrast to the black technical ceramic of the oven.
Firo is a cooking set that is primarily used in communities. Although it only offers space for 4 bowls inside, one Firo can easily serve up to 12 people. The food preparation is dynamic and resembles a social raclette round, which consists of putting the food together, preparing the food in the oven and eating it. Since the latter can be done while standing without a table or chair due to the handy shape of the bowls, a flexible, dynamic social gathering is encouraged. Due to the flexible option of eating while standing, the Gratino bowls are also an advantage wherever there is a lack of seating and table space. Also at trade fairs, exhibition openings, etc.
I believe that the award alone will not have any impact on future development. If Firo finds a producer, then people's demand will determine which direction the development of future outdoor cooking equipment will take.
I would like the Firo oven to help people, beyond the digital world, come into more real, tangible contact with one another. This is the real potential of Firo. Back to the roots and yet flexible, modern and safe. Firo will certainly always be a niche product and function as an additional cooking practice. It won't replace anything, but rather complement it.