Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Organic Food from Denmark
Bringing the whole family together around the open fire, the Bon-fire kitchen is the quintessence of ‘hygge’.
On fire A crackling bonfire, a big pot bubbling away, and the whole family gathered to take part – it is no wonder that the stylish and functional Bon-fire kitchen has struck a chord with the ‘hygge’ loving Danes, and now the Bon-fire is taking on the rest of the world too. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Bon-fire
As summer is timidly approaching, many of us cannot wait for that first outdoor dinner. In Denmark, a perhaps surprisingly barbecue-fanatic nation, one of the hottest new contraptions for outdoor cooking is the mobile Bon-fire kitchen. As the name reveals, the Bonfire kitchen is not a grill but a range of equipment for cooking on open fire. Developed by two friends, designer and product developer Torben Eriksen and chef René Stage, the Bon-fire kitchen is the quintessence of ‘hygge’. “What we wanted to create was that feeling of ‘hygge’ and togetherness you have when sitting around a bonfire. Unlike gas or coal grills, where you can’t really see anything, the Bon-fire kitchen creates that special atmosphere,” explains Stage. “This also means that it’s a much 68 | Issue 111 | April 2018
more inclusive way of cooking. When we first tried it, we experienced that the whole family got involved, the kids were gathering to stir the pot and sit at the fire, whereas when barbecuing, they usually just come over to get their sausage.”
buns, grill the sausages, bake pancakes and make popcorn, and the kids can bake their own bread on sticks,” says Stage. “But at the same time, you can also cook a complete gourmet dinner – on our website, for instance, we have a recipe for a delicious risotto made with grilled jumbo prawns.” That the Bon-fire kitchen can match even the best grill is supported by the fact that the makers have won several prizes with the Bon-fire kitchen at the Danish BBQ Championships.
Since the launch of Bon-fire in 2006, its popularity has quickly grown among barbecue-loving northerners, and the kitchen has been featured on several national TV shows. Fully equipped with pots, pans and, in the just-launched cast-iron edition, a grill, the kitchen allows for a wide range of cooking. “What is so great about it is that you can, for example, make an entire children’s birthday party centred around the Bon-fire kitchen; you can make the hot chocolate over the fire, warm the
Web: www.bon-fire.dk